Tuesday, November 18, 2008

...the call

We got the return phone call about Mac...
His blood work all settled down (after an extreme change in diet, antibiotics, antinausea meds and lots a of down time). FEW!!! He is going to be just fine... and is back to playing fetch with his dad.
I am so relieved that he is okay (for now at least)! Who knows what he may face in the future, but all is well...

I took my anatomy lab midterm... I got 86%!!!!!! I know that doesn't sound to stellar, but that is a darn good score in my book, and I worked hard to get it.
This anatomy class is so intense...its almost unreal. I think that you can relate if you have taken anatomy, but you can only understand if you have taken it from the Shively/Homan combination...

Love you all!!!
Camille :P

Sunday, November 9, 2008

My sick boy....

Hello everyone!!! I’m so very sorry that I have been so detached from all of you… Life is still bizarre.
Mac started throwing up. Me being me—I just thought that he was doing it as an attempt for Dave and I to stay home (it initially started in the morning). Sadly, it continued… He began to have diarrhea, was having accidents, and couldn’t make it outside. I thought that we were neglecting him, so we gave him more attention. It was still worsening. He stopped playing with all of his toys, became lethargic, and just blah. Oh, of course…our vet has retired…so we’re without a vet to call and consult. Dave and I choose to take him to the Pet ER. The trip was a spiral of emotions for me…
When I put Mac up on the table (If you have never been to a vet the tables are steel, cold, and most pets will do anything to get off. Mac typically jumps off –it is higher than my waist.) he looked over at me let out a deep sigh, and collapsed onto the cold table. They did some xrays, and blood tests. They came in and told me that there was a high chance that he could have a hepatic portal shunt (that is super bat)!!! I burst into tears (yes over a dog). They did more blood work to confirm or deny the shunt. His blood came back negative (Thank you Lord!). While I was extremely releaved that he didn’t have a hepatic portal shunt, still what was causing him to be so sick??
The vet offered me two different routes of treatment: 1) conservative, 2) aggressive. “Of course, this is my boy” I said to him. "Be aggressive!! If you know me you wouldn't have had to ask that question" I told the caring vet. The aggressive treatment involved an ultrasound. While they were in there doing the ultrasound (and I was sitting back in the room--that was hard for me not to see it) they were able to check over all of his internals, they all were normal, EXCEPT his pancreas.
Mac is suffering from acute pancreatitis. Because of what I do for a living I know how painful pancreatitis is, and my heart broke for my little guy. He has lost 2lbs, he was only 15lbs. I am grateful that they were able to diagnosis this on him and begin to treat it. We take him back to the vet for a follow up on Tuesday. I will let you know what they have to say.
Today Mac has been more like himself than he has been in weeks, so I can tell that his treatment has been helping.

I can't wait to see how I react to my children being sick. After seeing how I break down over my dog...it will be interesting... LOL!
Only 5 more weeks of school…AAAAHHH!! I have been looking so forward to getting closer to being done, and I can’t believe that its beginning to wind down. My classes are getting additionally intense.
Dave is still working, and keeping our house in order… We really aren’t doing anything exciting. Today Dave did all of the laundry, all of the way! He even put it away!!!!


Sorry this is so long... I will be in touch
XOXOXOXOXO