When It Rains, It Pours

The past few weeks have been very stressful for the entire family. Kiley has been very ill and in the Animal Hospital for three nights. She hadn’t eaten and she had been growing weaker.

We took her to the emergency clinic after she showed signs of being in pain. Her back was arched and she was trying to find a place to hide in the backyard. We had taken her to her regular veterinarian first and we were told that she might have something wrong with her pancreas. The vet prescribed anti-vomiting pills and had some blood drawn. Kiley was sent home. I don’t understand why she was not placed on an IV and given fluids. We explained that she kept vomiting, even water, and she stopped drinking. She should have had x-rays or at least an ultrasound ordered. Later that night, Kiley had difficulty vomiting and the pain must have been excruciating. The emergency room vet immediately put Kiley on an IV and ordered up a bunch of tests. When trying to narrow down a liver problem, it’s a process of elimination. They knew what the problem wasn’t. We were agonizing as friends and loved ones waited for news of Kiley’s prognosis.

Kiley returned home after the doctor was satisfied that she could keep food and water down. She wasn’t sure though because Kiley was a picky eater. She ordered Kiley to return home so that we could feed her in a familiar environment. We fed her anything she wanted. It was five days since she was able to keep food down. Kiley started vomiting again and had to return to the hospital. She received an ultrasound and biopsy of her liver and stomach. The ultrasound revealed that her stomach and liver were inflamed. She spent the night at the hospital. It was heart wrenching to leave her there. The following day, Kiley rushed to greet us in the waiting room. We were given 7 different medications to get her stomach and liver under control. We would have to wait for the biopsy results for at least 5 days. She is home and in good spirits. She ate dog food for the first time in a week! We’ve been careful not to feed her too much at one time. Lucky has been quiet and somewhat reserved recently. I think he is jealous of all the attention his sister is receiving. We took Lucky to Point Defiance Park on the same day that Kiley had her biopsy because we were in the same area as Kiley and we wanted to give some attention to Lucky.

On the same day that Kiley received her biopsy, Erika received hers. Erika’s doctor found a questionable spot in her breast during a mammogram. This was the kind of news that shook the foundation of our lives. We were sick with worry. I was beginning to think that we were being punished for leaving the country. After a very tense couple of sleepless nights, we received the news that Erika was cancer free! A group sigh of relief was expressed with the news.  It’s hard to be too enthusiastic right now until we receive the test results from Kiley’s biopsy. If Kiley is found to have a serious condition with her organs we will have to reconsider leaving in October. We want her to be 100% when we make the journey to Japan.

I have been having problems with my knee and left eye. I’ve had some kind of lump and redness in my lower eyelid. I’ve been on steroids to get the inflammation down and I will have to have the eyelid looked at by an ophthalmologist next week. I guess when it rains, it pours.

From my past experiences, bad news always comes in three’s. Kiley, Erika, and I make three. I think we’ve had enough bad news for awhile. It’s time to concentrate on getting our little girl healthy and the rest of us need to stay healthy. If you haven’t had a mammogram done in the past year, please do so. It could save your life. George