Wednesday Late Afternoon

The last email before I started blogging:

Greetings:

I just talked to the doc. Butterscotch is losing fur right and left as they shave him for different things.

They sedated him and ran the ultrasound (shaved belly) earlier today. Everything appeared fairly normal, although his kidneys looked a little "bright" (that was either the ultrasound or X-ray, I can't remember). Since he had been dehydrated, they gave him an enema to help him out, as long as he was still sedated. I thanked her for that, and she laughed, as tho it were a strange thing to be thankful for. I suppose it is. I'm thankful anyway.

One half hour ago they got a sample of marrow (shaved upper arm) and a marrow core sample, which allows them to see both the make-up of the cells and the structure of the marrow. She said the marrow appeared a bit fatty, which is not surprising, given he's not producing red blood cells.

They will be starting him on an antibiotic this evening to take care of any possible blood parasites or tick-born diseases. This is merely a precaution, since he doesn't have the type of anemia that would go with these types of illnesses.

So, as I've suspected and somewhat dreaded, the results from the marrow will probably give the information they need. Dr. Wagner stated this was most likely the case, although she cautioned me that she couldn't promise that, of course. It takes a day to get results back from the marrow cells, and even longer to get the results on the core sample.

They haven't checked his blood levels since earlier today, since he needs all the red blood cells he can get. They'll only check if they need to. I'm planning on going to see him between 6 and 6:30 tonight, which should give him time for the sedative to wear off, although he'll still be on pain meds from the marrow work. My friend Patricia helped me understand that the short visits are better for Butterscotch, since a longer visit would only be confusing to him, wondering why I'm not taking him home with me.

The human is doing very well, considering. Interestingly enough, one of the most challenging aspects of this entire chapter for me has been all the support I've been getting. I think everyone getting this knows me well enough to know that I tend to be a bit more self-reliant and independent than I need to be. It's been good experience not being able to hold back the tears when talking with friends (hell, even while leaving one voicemail today). I'm riding the rollercoaster and looking forward, not afraid of the ride. Maybe not knowing or liking what's over this next little crest, although I'm aware enough of all the possibilities.

Most of you have probably heard me tell stories of things I've learned from Butterscotch (as well as Molly, a previous roommate's cat), and I didn't anticipate this gift, so indirect. Amazing how a cat has taught me to be way more human.

Well, I thought I'd hold onto this missive until later, but it ended up being long enough. Next one may not be until Thursday.

Thanks, everyone.

Jay

Reminder: you can find all these updates at www.jayedgar.com, including a really good pic of the boy.