I know a lot of you are following Sierra’s saga, so here’s an update.

Del brought Sierra home from the hospital today; she was very vocal and glad to be home. The vet gave her a steroid shot and a stimulant before she left, so she was fairly alert. She’s gained a little weight back, no doubt from her treatment while hospitalized.

Since she’s been home, she’s cuddled with Del and me, and she’s snuggled into her new bed. Del bought her a hooded cat bed before stopping by the vets’ office. Del managed to get her to eat a couple of bites of ham, and she ate a Pounce treat while I was on duty. Neither of us could get her to drink water, but I got her to lick some off her moustache by wetting it.

If she’s going to recover, it’s going to be a slow recovery. I really hope she does, but the vet gave Del a pamphlet on the way out just in case she doesn’t.

It’s not looking good. Now, the vets are saying that they don’t think it’s diabetes at all. They didn’t find any protein or sugar in her urine, so that kinda ruled that out–high blood sugar can be caused by stress also.

They called this morning asking about her health history and with news that they can’t find anything physically wrong or any physical reasons that would cause her to drop weight the way she has. They want to test her for blood parasites. Not a good sign. If she has a blood parasite, that is a serious condition and she may not pull out at all.

Del is very upset and emotional right now. He left for work at 10:00 and said he would stop by the vets’ office to see what, if anything, can be done for Sierra. He said that if they can’t treat her, he’ll bring her home and we’ll try to make her as comfortable as possible. I had him take a towel to pad the carrier since Sierra is skin-and-bones.

I’m not happy about this situation, either. This will make two kitties lost within a year, and we’re not getting any more until after the house is built and we’re settled a bit. If I seem a bit down, you all know why. It’s hard to lose a beloved family pet. She’s 12 years old, but this is the first time she’s been sick. The older ones seem to have a harder time with illness than the younger ones…

We didn’t hear anything else last night; the vet called early this morning. They said that Sierra had eaten some of the Nutri-Cal, but then she had diarrhea. Because of this, they wanted permission to do a urine test (even though I assumed they were going to do one anyway with the high blood sugar) to test for protein in the urine. They are also still trying to figure out what’s causing her weight loss to try to remedy that situation as well.

If I hear from the vets again today, I’ll edit this post.

St. Francis of Assisi, watch my kitty!

I took Sierra to see the vet today because she was really looking bad and started hiding again after a few good days of visiting. Del went down to the cellar to find her and we called the vet. After speaking with the vet, he decided that at the very least, Sierra needed a weekend stay for fluids and nutrition observation. They’re feeding her Nutri-Cal in its paste form so that it sticks to the roof of her mouth–like peanut butter–and she has to lick it off.

The vet ordered blood work–a CBC and IDEXX–to see if he could get answers that way. Sierra’s red count was down a little, but not seriously. Her liver and kidney functions are normal, as is her white count. The vet is now concerned that Sierra may have diabetes mellitus because her blood glucose was high. They’ll check her urine once she has enough fluids to void.
We knew that Sierra was losing weight, but we were keeping an eye on the situation and watching for signs that she needed medical attention. I was saddened to see that my kitty who once weighed around 8-9 pounds is now down to 4.5 pounds. On the weight chart at the vet’s office, it has a range from 1 to 10, with 1 being “skin-and-bones” and 10 being “fat and fur.” Sierra was at the 1 when she had previously been around 4 or 5 (ideal).

Right now, she’s at the hospital and recieving subcutaneous fluids until they can raise a vein to get an IV started. Then, they will hydrate her with lactated ringers via IV until she’s feeling better. Since her body temperature was low (97.6 when normal is 101-103), they are keeping her on a heating pad in her kennel during her hospital stay. Poor baby’s heart was racing, too, and her gums and ears were pale. I’m glad I got her into the vet’s today to get her treated!

I’ll update this post with more news as we hear more from the vet. If it is diabetes mellitus, we’re looking at glucose monitoring and insulin injections for the kitty. Lucky (hah!) for me, I have the monitor and know how to give insulin injections. I had to test my blood sugar while preggers with Sami, and when my grandma was alive, I had to give her her insulin injections. No fun, but sometimes you do what’s necessary.

ETA: When the vet was taking Sierra back to the treatment area, she reached out to me with her paw and held my arm while I scratched her ears and told her the vet was going to help her. She also gave me a little headbutt and looked at me lovingly. She held my arm until she was carried through the treatment door. I know without a doubt that my kitty loves her momma.

This really isn’t a recipe, but more of a method for cooking a household favorite around here.

Baked Tilapia
1 package fresh tilapia fillets
Tone’s Canadian Steak seasoning
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Butter or margarine (sticks work best)
Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 9×13 baking dish, add just enough EVOO to cover the bottom of the pan. Wash and dry fish, place in a single layer in the pan. Sprinkle steak seasoning over fish, as generously or sparsely as you desire. Add a small amount of lemon juice over fish and to EVOO. Place a small amount of butter or margarine on each fillet. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until fish is white and flakes easily with a fork. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges if desired.

I serve this fish with cheese-filled tortellini and mixed vegetables. The tortellini can be served with or without sauce, and I recommend an alfredo or pesto sauce with fish.

I think everyone needs to step back from the hassle of everyday life and take a breather. Do what you have to do in order to take some stress out of your life–take deep breaths, do some yoga, meditate, pray–and you’ll feel better.

My kids stress me out more than I like to admit, so when I can, I slow down and take a breather. Usually, this comes in the form of crochet, knitting, playing a video game, or scrapbooking. Sometimes, just going to work helps. I have to drive 30-40 minutes one way, so that gives me plenty of time to clear my head. By the time I’m done with work and drive the 30-40 minutes home, I’m destressed and can enjoy life.

I’m working on a tedious thread piece right now, and it’s easy to get stressed out about little things. I’ve had to rip out several rounds, many over and over, before getting the stitches correct. It’s oddly soothing to be able to tear something apart when it’s not right. Too bad I can’t do that with the kids at times….alas, kids are more delicate than a thread crochet project and therefore need more delicate handling. This is where destressing comes into play. It allows me to deal with the kids in a more humane manor than what my emotions might do if left unchecked.

I enjoy playing mildly to moderately violent video games with my hubby in the evenings. We get to visit and chat, but I also get to let out my frustrations on computer software instead of on the kids. Again, I’m destressed and ready to handle the kids the way they need handling. I can also sleep better because I’m not pissed off about some little thing one or more of the kidlets had done that day.

I tell you, some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed and deal with the kids. Others, I can do almost anything with them and not get upset. What gets me is they know what we expect of them and still continue to do contrarywise. Sometimes, I think they misbehave intentionally.

Please, tell me I’m crazy and force me into surgery if I ever say that I want more kids! Four is enough, and I’m afraid I’m going to pull my hair out if I let it grow long enough to get a good grip on it. Seriously…I don’t need more kids and I think sometimes I should have stopped after the first one as he causes more problems than the other three put together.

Hey, guess what? I’m destressed and ready to face the kids again! Blogging helps at times, but be careful what you blog about….there are trolls from certain sites that do nothing but stalk blogs for “hate” posts….

The results of my appointment were kind of mixed. It seems I’m allergic to something in the Seasonale!!! Therefore, I’m off that med.

As far as the Effexor goes, my dosage was increased by 37.5 mg. I start the new dosage ina week. He also thinks that my weight (which fell into the obese category) may be affected by both the Seasonale and the Effexor and that I may or may not see a difference without the BCP. He said that weight gain is a common side effect of most anti-depressants. I go back to see him in a month.

At the follow-up appointment, I should find out the results of tomorrow’s lab work. He ordered a CBC because he said I look a little pale. He also wanted to check for anemia due to my constant fatigue.

Work didn’t happen tonight because of my foot. He doesn’t want me walking around on it tonight. Thankfully, I don’t work again until Aug. 6, so my foot will have time to heal. No one had signed up for tonight’s class anyway.