Kathy's Pre-op Diary

[Beda]

Dear kathy - I hope that your sharp pain in your leg goes over, i KNOW how these things can get to you, ja, I felt like turning over in bed this morning nad not getting up as well. I have had  an increase in my oxycontin dosage, and its making me feel really wierd, and sleepy. I feel 'numb' as if I am anęsthetized by one big shot of local anęsthetic, and I dont feel as if I'm of this world. i dont feel sick, because I have anti-nausea pills, (oxycontin CAN make me feel sick) but I really do feel out of sorts. have just taken morning dosage for ½ hour ago, it will begin to kick in soon. Could hardly get going out of bed this morning, Had to get up to water the pots and plants before the sun comes round. Its really turned summer by us, weve had several days of continuous beautiful cloudfree days with high sunshine. The cats are doing fine, they've discovered how to come home again afer being out, so thats in place now, Good we can have a few windows open again now!!!
I know your days nearly done now, so have a good night! Sleep tight!
Love Beda xx

[kathat]

Hi All,

We saw the latest Indiana Jones movie. It was a Mum's and Bub's session, where they charge less and under 5s are free. My neighbour has two boys under five who came with us. They leave the lights on dim, rather than out completely, so the kids can play and mums can feed babies. Very family friendly and a good time was had by all.

My knees are bothering me a bit today, but not distractingly so. The sharp pain has gone. The worst thing about today is that my cat has taken a turn for the worst. She can no longer close her left eye and I have had to look twice a few times to make sure she is still with us. Her mouth looks droopy slightly too, on one side, so I think she may have had a stroke, probably due to the tumour on the side of her head. She is eating hardly anything and has lost a lot of weight very recently. I think it may be kindest to take her to the vet very soon. She no longer seems to be getting any fun out of life and I haven't heard her purr today like she usually does. She has really gone downhill quickly in the last 24 hours. Part of me hopes she dies in her sleep very soon, as a trip to the vet will be very traumatic for her and I hate to think of her last few minutes being spent in distress. I really think that if she survives the night she will have to be taken to the vet tomorrow though, as I can't stand to see her like she is. It's not a good way to live. Losing her is going to leave a gaping hole in my life, but she has left some wonderful memories and I am blessed to have had her for 18 years.

[tanyap]

Hi Kathy,
Im sorry to hear about your cat.
I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to take her to the vet for her last few minutes.
If she is not in any obvious pain and you know that this is close to the end the best you can do is keep her comfy and warm on a blanket and offer her food/water if she wants it, other than that its just a waiting game. If you take her to the vet it will be faster but perhaps more traumatic for her?
Id hold off 24 hours anyway, and just keep her warm. If its her time its her time and her body might decide its time to move on naturally. So long as she is not in obvious distress or pain you are not being cruel keeping her at home.
Poor thing - but didnt she have a great life with you guys!
xx

[Beda]

Kathy, I agree with you about your decison about the cat - just keep her warm and comfy and let nature take its course - unless shes in obvious pain and distress that makes it cruel to let her suffer. I think she will just slide away in her sleep. My dog went that way, but she unfortunatly had grand mal seisures to the last so had to be put down b/c they wouldnt stop, but i would have just left her to sleep in naturally hey, thats what we d with each other isnt it? I know it will be VERY hard to say goodbye, it always is when a beloved pet goes, but life goes on, and we know we only 'borrow' pets, dont we?? Love her to the last, thats all she asks.
Love Beda xx

[Robin M.]

Hi Kathy,

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. She's lived a long,happy life. We lost both of our cats at 17 and 18 yrs. old. It's almost 2yrs. ago that they passed on and I miss them very much. I'm thinking of you. Take care.

Robin

[Beda]

kathy, i was thinking, if the problem is still iminent, cant you get the vet to make a house call?? Some do you know, tempt the with a cash bonus! its wrth it to save the poor cat from the distress of going to the vet, I know how my cats HATE going to the vet. I do hope that nature has taken care of her for you by now. My thoughts are with you....
Love Beda xx

[kathat]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your thoughts. My darling cat is still hanging in there. She's a stubborn thing. She has spent the day sleeping on our bed and has eaten a small amount. I think she will just get weaker as time goes by. She certainly hasn't moved much today. She managed a small purr for me this evening, and she looks comfortable enough, so I will just keep her warm and cosy for the time being. I think we have a mobile vet if it comes to that though. At the moment she is being spoilt rotten, as hubby is away and can't shut the cat out of our room overnight, so she has been allowed to stay on the bed instead of being moved to one of the kids' beds for the night. She will be in seventh heaven!! I can hear the occasional squeaky purr from her, so I am sure she knows she's getting a treat.

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Kathy

[tanyap]

Aw - thats good to hear.
When Charlie dog (who was my best friend doggie even though she wasnt mine) was going on her big journey she got a plate of sausages for breakfast that morning, for a couple of years her constitution had been very finicky and she would get an upset tummy with spicy stuff like sausages so she thought all her birthdays had come at once!! When she went off to go to sleep she didnt mind at all, she loved sleeping anyway - especially with a belly full of sausages!!

I hope your cat is doing ok, if its time to go on she will do so, she is probably hanging on in the enjoyment of being a spoilt kitty!!
xx

[kathat]

Howdy everybody,

Well, my kitty has defied the odds once again and seems to have pulled through this latest problem. She woke me up with her purring this morning, and she has been purring and smoochy all day. The sleep on my bed must have rejuvenated her! She is in a great mood. She ate more than she has been (which still wasn't much) and looks a bit brighter than she has lately. She is still on the downhill road, but I am happy to see her looking more comfortable and happier than she was yesterday and the day before. I don't want her to be suffering.

I am starting to panic about not getting things done before surgery now! I still have sewing to do - I had to stop for a bit today as using the sewing machine pedal was upsetting my right knee. There is so much I want to do and not much time anymore!! Part of me really couldn't care if some things get done, but part of me really wants to see the house tidier etc before surgery because I know it'll only get worse when I can't do much to keep it under control. Then again, maybe I'll be desparate for something to do after surgery and sorting through the kids' rooms will keep me busy, even if I have to sit on the floor to do it!

The kids and I had a movie night tonight, which they thought was great, as I let them choose the DVDs - hubby usually has to have an input when he takes them to the video store and they don't often get to choose something all on their own. We had an easy meal in front of the TV, with chocolate for dessert. Yum!! It was a nice night.

Anyway, it's well past my bedtime, so I'd better turn the lights out and get some sleep. Goodnight everyone. Enjoy your weekend.

Kathy

[Sore knee]

Kathy, I am so pleased about your cat doing better, it must be a relief for you.
What DVDs did you watch ?

I hope you are doing ok and feeling as if you are on top of things now.  I am thinking of you.

[kathat]

Hi Joanne,

We watched "Three Men and a Baby" and "Three Men and a Little Lady" - good for a laugh and right up the kids' alley. They were laughing hysterically over the saga of the dirty nappies and such. They both chose other movies to watch later, but they're the movies we watched together. I quite enjoy watching the movies that I grew up with. The kids just liked the fact that they got to pick, though I did make some suggestions to help them decide. Hubby usually has quite a large say in what they get, and he usually gets new releases, but I just take them to the "kids weekly" section and let them loose. Much cheaper and they find all sorts of things to watch.

I am almost at the end of my sewing and I feel like I have a bit of time to get things organised for after surgery. My son is turning 11 on the weekend, so we have lots of time taken up with celebrating, as my parents can't always make it on the same day (they're divorced), and my in-laws won't come to my family celebrations. This means we are going out for a meal on Saturday night with my side of the family, having Dad and his wife for tea on Thursday, as they are busy on Saturday night, and then we are going to my in-law's place on Sunday. I get a bit annoyed that my in-laws won't share the "family" celebrations. My Mum and Dad still both come to the same family functions most of the time, even though they're divorced, and it's annoying to have to find the time (and money) for a separate celebration for my in-laws.

I don't know how I'm going to get through the night at work tonight. I have had very little sleep. My daughter had an orthodontic appointment in the middle of the day, and I had trouble sleeping either side of it. I got to sleep okay, then woke up full of beans after only an hour and a half. How irritating!!! I think I'll be drinking LOTS of coffee tonight!!

Only one more week to go and then it'll be the night before surgery. How scary! I am now at the stage where I am not bothered about surgery preparations. If things get done, then great, but if they don't then I'll cope. I am just looking forward to being on the other side of this surgery. The main thing I really want to do is tidy my sewing room, as I'd like to sleep in there for the first little while, so I don't disturb hubby when I wake up lots. But we'll both manage if it doesn't get done.

Anyway, I think it's time for me to try for a bit more sleep. Goodnight everyone.

Kathy

[JoniF]

Hi Kathy,

I know your surgery is coming up in two days and I wanted to wish you the best of luck for a speedy recovery .  Hope you're doing ok and not too stressed out.

Take care,
Joni

[Beda]

Hi Kathy. Hows it going? havent heard from you for a while, hope everything is going ok. Hope your not too stressed about the surgery. My Boris cat has just spent 2 days in the animal hospital. he got bladder stones and couldnt pee, so they had to put a catheter up and rinse him out. Poor baby. That catheter was SEWN in!! OUCHHHH. Hes on the mend now, so all is well, he just has to have penicillin for 10 days and pain killers. I hate it when hes sick, they cant tell you where it hurts, can they?!
Well, please do post, not long now to surgery.
Love beda xx

[kathat]

Hi All,

Thanks for thinking of me. We hit our download limit for the month and the internet was as slow as a wet weekend, so I haven't done much posting. I have also been busy, doing a first aid course and celebrating my son's birthday.

Joni - how's things with you? I am sort of beyond stressed at the moment. I have moments of panic when I think of the things I wanted to do but haven't, but then I think about how little some things really matter and I feel better. I am just eager to be on the other side of the surgery now.

Beda - poor Boris. Sounds like painful treatment. My kitty is still going. She has perked up quite a bit and has been venturing outside for a bit of sun for a few minutes here and there. She is fairly scrawny though, and has many signs that all is not well, but she is a determined kitty!

In 24 hours I will be starting my "surgery day". The kids will be eating breakfast and I will be using my antiseptic wash in the shower. Then it will be time to drop the kids off at school and leave for the hospital. I hope I don't have to wait as long as last time, as my stomach was a wreck, between nerves and fasting!! I hope I sleep okay tonight, or it will drag oh so slowly!! Bye for now. I will try to post again before I go in, then I'll have to start a post-op diary I suppose. Take care.

Kathy

[Beda]

Kathy - hang in there - I hope and pray for you that its all going to go just fine, and that your going to be running around again real soon. How long do you have to stay in the hospital??I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed for you, and sending good vibes down to Australia, Have a really good day, and finally good op
Love beda xx