An Update

Let me just cut to the chase: Lolli's home!  And we are very, very thrilled!  

Ok, now I'll back up to where I left off Saturday night.  

I woke up early-ish Sunday morning and immediately called the animal hospital to check on Lolli.  Her stats were continuing to improve but she still had zero interest in eating any food.  The person I spoke to on the phone encouraged me to bring any special food she liked with us when we came to visit.

We weren't able to make it over there until after church, so it was about 1:00 when we arrived.  Unfortunately, we had to wait in the waiting room for a little while.  Fortunately, there were plenty of pamphlets for us to read.

Eventually they called us back and we got to hang out in a private room with our sweet girl.  She was so excited, she immediately squatted down and let out a bucket of tee-tee.  :)  Actually, that was probably from all the fluid she's been getting.  

We brought with us a baggie of her dog food and some dog treats, but just in case those didn't work, we also had a slice of cheese and a baggie of Katie Wynn's cheerios. 

It was really strange because she was SO excited to see the food but after the first bite, she just wouldn't eat any of it.  She would occasionally lick it in my hand but never actually pick it up to eat.  We were really bummed out.

After about a thirty minute visit, we could tell Lolli was getting really tired.  Plus, our toddler was getting antsy in the room.  She can only rearrange the two chairs so many times, you know?

We watched her get loaded back into her cage with her heating pad and gave kisses and waved bye-bye.  The tech said she laid her head on the side of the wall as if she was sad when we walked away.  Talk about heartbreaking!  

As we left, we hoped for her stats to continue to improve and for her to gain an appetite.  We didn't want her to have to stay on the IV much longer.

The emergency animal hospital that we were at is only open when normal vets' offices are closed.  That means they closed at 8am Monday morning and Lolli had to be picked up no later than 7:30.  In an attempt to get everyone to daycare/work on time, Matt was up early this morning and out the door by 5:30 to go pick her up.  He really is the best daddy, even to our fur baby.

He arrived back home shortly before seven, just as I received a text from Sarah, our vet tech.  She wanted to remind us that the hospital should have a blood sample to send home with us and not to let them forget.  We immediately checked the bag they gave Matt and sure enough, there was no blood sample included.  So frustrating!  This blood sample was taken before the meds were started and would act as a baseline to compare for the Addison's disease test.  And since they closed at 8, we didn't have much more time.

Matt was loading Katie Wynn up to take to daycare and we formed a plan.  He would swing back by the hospital to get the blood sample and go to work; I would finish getting ready, take Lolli to vet, drive out to his work to get blood sample, take it back to our vet's office, and then finally go to work.  Not the way we wanted to start our Monday morning, but it would work.

I had the foresight to call the hospital to let them know he would be coming back for the blood sample.  After being put on hold for a few minutes, the girl came back on the line to tell me she had checked all the refrigerators but the blood sample must've been discarded.  Seriously!??!

We got a lucky break.  They hadn't actually given her the steroid yet that would alter her bloodwork, so the test could still be performed.  Thank goodness!

During the hour-ish that Lolli was home between the hospital and the vet, we set up a blanket and heating pad for her in a chair.  I noticed she wasn't in the chair and looked over to find her in her normal spot: on top of our throw pillows.  She looked at me as if to say, "Seriously, woman.  Have you already forgotten where I lay?"  I slid the heating pad in behind her and said a tiny little prayer that her IV port wouldn't drip blood all over everything.

I dropped her back off at our vet's office on my way in to work.  They were all thrilled to see how much perkier she was!  Even the ladies at the front desk could tell she was feeling a lot better.  The plan for the day was to do the Addison's test, give her her first shot for it, and hopefully get her to eat.

Around 1:00, I texted Sarah for an update.  She said Lolli had eaten some baby food chicken and also some real chicken.  Yay!  They were trying to go easy on her little stomach and didn't give her much, but considering she hadn't eaten anything since last Tuesday, that was huge improvement!

When I arrived this afternoon to pick her up, they had her IV taken out.  They said by that afternoon, there was no more tearing the chicken into little pieces, that she was stealing it from their hands!  They also said that she had growled and barked at a few dogs that had passed by, so she must've really been feeling more like her old self!  

At home, we were greeted by a happy dad and an excited little girl!  There was lots of gentle petting and exchanging of kisses.  :)

Lolli has already run circles around the house and gone outside to use the bathroom.  She sat under the highchair during dinner and ate a slice and half of cheese.  While she is still not back to 100%, she is MUCH better than she was on Saturday and we could not be happier.  We still don't have the official results from the Addison's test back yet, but that will come in the next day or two.  We have some medicines to continue giving her right now while she builds up her strength and gets used to eating again, but hopefully we'll get to where she just needs the monthly shot and no daily meds.

THANK YOU to everyone who has asked about and prayed for her.  We are indebted to so many people who have helped her get better in any way over the last week! 

What. A. Week.

Sunday evening we picked up the weekend's toys and straightened the house to prepare for a busy week.  After two short work weeks due to the holidays, we knew it'd feel like a long week.  On top of that, Katie Wynn was starting daycare for the first time which we knew would take some adjustments.  We went to bed early feeling prepared and ready for the week.  Little did we know just how stressful this week would turn out to be...

Monday

• Up early, Matt is dressed and gets Katie Wynn ready to leave.  His front driver's side tire is low and needs airing up.
• Katie bug is excited about her new backpack but doesn't know where she's going.

• Katie Wynn bawls and screams at daycare drop off.
• I hurry to get ready in time to drop Lolli off at the groomer's before work.  My hair dryer starts smoking mid-blowout.
• Lolli is dropped off at groomer with a request to clean up her matted fur but not to completely shave her if not necessary.
• After work, Matt picks up Lolli.  All of her fur has been shaved off on the coldest day of the year.
• Katie Wynn bursts into tears when I arrive to pick her up.  She has not eaten a single thing all day.
• I leave Matt with a fussy baby to go have dinner with friends.  Enjoy dinner, but am so uncomfortable from pregnancy indigestion that I stop at a gas station for medicine on the way home.
• Climb into bed, thankful to have made it through the day.

Tuesday

• Katie Wynn breaks down again at daycare drop off.
• Matt drops his car off for scheduled service.  After waiting for 40 minutes, he finally receives a loaner car and can head in late to work.
• Hear from a friend after dropping off her child that KW's tears had stopped and that she was eating her breakfast.  Feel relieved.
• At work, realize that I need to come in the next day (my normally scheduled day off) in order to meet a deadline.
• Matt's car is not ready to be picked up.  He heads home in the loaner.
• Katie bug cries again when I pick her up but her daily report says she ate both breakfast and lunch.  
• Due to no afternoon nap, we still have a very tired, fussy baby on her hands.  While Matt cooks dinner, I entertain her with selfies on my phone.

• After our selfie session, my little mama runs to her room to get supplies to change Baby Doll's diaper.  Within moments, she has opened the butt paste and smeared it all over her face and in her hair.

• Despite the car service frustrations, fussiness, and butt paste incident, we call Tuesday a good day.

Wednesday

• Matt is up early again.  Because the loaner car doesn't have a car seat, he takes my car to drop of Katie Wynn and then has to drive back home to switch cars.  He is running late to work.
• While getting ready for work, I realize that Lolli has not been outside yet.  I pick her up from her bed and notice that something is not right.  She is limp in my arms.  I put her down and instead of standing up, she flops over.  I cannot get her up to her feet.
• Panicked, I throw on clothes and head to the vet.  Send text to coworker that I will be late to work.
• Lolli lets me cradle her like a baby - something she usually hates - and lays her head on my chest to rest.  She is lethargic.  I start to have flashbacks of Minnie's last days almost exactly three years ago.

• The vet can immediately tell that something is very wrong.  I leave her with him for bloodwork and x-rays and drive to work, forcing myself not to think of the worst.
• I have a very busy work day.  
• Mid-morning, I hear from the vet.  Lolli's glucose levels have bottomed out, she is dehydrated, and her body temp is dangerously low.  She is too dehydrated for an IV, so he has given her medicine rectally and has her laying on a heating pad with hot water bottles to bring up her temp.  She will need to stay overnight.  I beat myself up for having her shaved when it's so cold outside.
• Matt's car is still not ready to be picked up.
• I work late to meet my deadlines and so I don't have to come in the next day.  My mom picks Katie Wynn up since Matt will also be late getting home.  KW did not eat at daycare.
• Matt has dinner with the big kids so Katie bug and I eat over at my parents.  She scarfs down some cheese tortellinis and we discover that she's a big fan of cucumbers.  
• We are late getting home and don't get Lil Bit in the bath tub until well after bedtime.  She is cranky but finally dozes off to sleep.
• We call it a night.  It is weird without Lolli in the house.

Thursday

• Katie Wynn is exhausted from three days at daycare and sleeps past 8.  I force myself to get moving but despite my best efforts, don't get us out the door until nearly ten.
• Thanks to poor planning on my part, we arrive at daycare right at nap time.  Katie Wynn wails as I leave her.
• I call the vet.  Lolli's levels are getting better but they want to keep observing her throughout the day.  She should be ready to go home late in the afternoon.
• I spend the day working at my mom's house and am able to complete several embroidery machine projects that I'd been putting off.  I'm amazed at how productive I can be without my tiny helper.
• Around 4, I make the rounds to pick up my girls.  Once again, Katie Wynn did not eat her lunch.  I am thankful that I had given her a good breakfast.  The vet is on the fence about letting Lolli go home.  Her levels are still borderline but he thinks she'll perk up in her own elements.  We leave the vet with medicine, special food, and instructions to feed her karo syrup three times a day.
• Back at my mom's house, Lolli greets everyone with tail wags but then settles in on the couch.  She is weak and cannot stop shaking.  We let her nap.
• Finally, Matt's car has been completely serviced and he returns the loaner.
• Matt watches Wyatt's basketball game after work so he is late heading home.  Mom has already cooked dinner so we eat over there.  Lolli will not eat but, using a syringe, we manage to get a dose of karo syrup in her.
• It's another night off-routine for Katie Wynn.  After a quick bath, she settles in for a story with Daddy and then falls right to sleep.

• We try to get Lolli to eat again.  She has zero interest in the special food, so we try her regular food.  It's a no-go too.  I get out cheese, her favorite treat, and though she wags her tail and acts excited about it, she will only lick it.  She continues to shake.
• Unsure of what to do, I call the vet.  He instructs us to give her another dose of the karo syrup and see if she will eat in the morning.  "Don't hesitate to call at anytime tonight," he says.
• We are both nervous about going to sleep.  Instead of curling up in her bed, Lolli stays in the chair in our room.  I make sure she has plenty of blankets.  We put a heating pad under her bed in case she ventures over to it, and keep her food and water close by.
• Katie Wynn is teething and wakes up several times.  Each time we get up to check on her, we check on Lolli too.  She stays put in the chair all night.

Friday

• I am determined to get KW to daycare before nap time, so I don't let her sleep late.  (I took her all five days this week to hopefully help her adjust to it.)  We make it there by nine.  She cries when I drop her off.
• I have Lolli bundled up in the car and we head to my mom's house for another day of working on projects.  She still has not eaten and continues to shake.  Mom and I wrap up her pill in cheese and try to feed it to her.  She spits it out three times.  The pill finally starts to dissolve to where she can't spit it out and it makes its way down.
• She spits out every piece of cheese we try to force her to eat.  We get the syringe and give her more karo syrup.
• Worried that she's not eating and aware that the weekend is coming, I call the vet.  He will be out of town for the weekend so wants me to go ahead and bring her back in so he can check her out before he leaves.  I bundle her up and drive over.
• The vet and I talk about how weird it is that she seems to want to eat but won't.  He's concerned about blockage and wants to put barium in her to watch it go through.  I sign more paperwork and leave her with him.
• At Mom's, I spend the day working on an art project for my niece's room.  I am exhausted and take an afternoon nap on her couch.
• I wake up panicked that I have not heard from the vet yet.  I call to check on Lolli and she's getting ready to have one more x-ray done.  
• Katie Wynn did not eat her lunch yet again.  But, she doesn't cry when she sees me there to pick her up and she waves bye-bye and high fives her teacher.  I take it as a small sign of improvement.
• We head straight over to the vet's and are led back to their workroom.  Lolli is in a big cage that's low to the floor and Katie Wynn runs straight over to her.  She waves and talks to her.  
• The vet and I look at her latest x-ray together.  He sees a big mass that hasn't been passed; could be hard feces, could be something else.  I start racking my brain for any missing toys around the house.
• He needs to give her an enema and wants her to stay until she uses the bathroom.  He thinks once she does, she'll feel like eating again.  He is leaving to go out of town, but his staff will take care of her overnight.
• Katie Wynn is precious and leans against the cage to give Lolli a kiss.  The vet melts.  In typical mom fashion, I wish I'd gotten it on camera.
• A very big dog that's fresh out of surgery is laying on the floor (under covers).  As we leave, Katie Wynn gently pats him on the head.
• We meet Matt at home and have dinner together as a family.  I have to clean KW's crumbs off the floor since Lolli is not there to do it for me.
• Bath time is slightly delayed as our naked baby takes off running through the house.  She's found the butt paste again and doesn't want to surrender it or Baby Doll in order to get in the tub.

Clearly, not eating at daycare is having zero effect on her big belly.  :)

• We survived the week!  We drift off to sleep thinking this saga is nearly over.

Saturday (Today)

• I wake up hungry and text my friend Emily to see if her family wants to meet us for breakfast.  Our first restaurant choice is not open so we end up in two booths across from each other at Huddle House.
• On the way home from breakfast, our favorite vet tech, Sarah, calls.  Lolli is not doing well.  I tell her we're in the car and will come straight there.
• Back at the vet, we're led to their work room again.  While we wait for Sarah, I get Lolli out of her cage so we can pet her and love on her.

• Sarah updates us on what has happened since Friday afternoon.  Lolli did use the bathroom (no hidden toys, thank goodness) but then passed a lot of blood and sloughed some tissue.  Sarah is concerned that she has developed pancreatitis.  Because they still can not get an IV in her dehydrated veins, they have been injecting fluids under her skin.  Her body is quickly absorbing it.  Sarah tells us she needs more care than they can give over the weekend and recommends her going to the emergency animal hospital.
• Luckily, Sarah also works part time at the hospital and has a shift today from noon to midnight.  She takes Lolli and her paperwork over with her and gets her admitted.
• I am teary all day.  Had we not chosen to admit her to the hospital, the other option was having her put down.  Obviously we did not want that, but Sarah was also clear that she may not even make it through the weekend at the hospital.
• I occupied myself with projects in the woodshop while Matt hung out with Katie Wynn at home.  Around three, we got cleaned up and ready to go to the animal hospital.  My parents kept KW since we didn't know what was in store for us at the hospital.
• At the hospital, Sarah greeted us at the front desk and told us there was a bit of good news.  In an exam room, we met with the vet on shift.  She was incredibly nice but also incredibly scientific and over my head.  Through tears, I tried hard to keep up with what she was telling us.  She had gone through all of Lolli's files from the week and had done more bloodwork.  All of her symptoms were pointing to one thing: Addison's disease.
• Addison's disease is an autoimmune disease where her body has attacked her adrenal glands until they are no longer working.  It is very rare and the vet told us she was lucky in catching it only because she'd had a case of it come through her office this past week.  Because the symptoms can also be so many other things (see everything else from this week above), it's often called the Great Imitator and is misdiagnosed or not caught quickly enough to treat it.  Poodles are one of the top three breeds susceptible to it (Lolli is a maltipoo so she has poodle in her) and it is more common in females.  
• There is a test that can be done to prove the diagnosis of Addison's disease, but because it is so expensive, the emergency hospital does not keep the supplies required for it on hand.  We will have to have the test done Monday morning at our regular vet's office to be sure.  But since all the symptoms line up, the vet at the hospital is going ahead and treating her for Addison's.
• While we're thrilled to have somewhat of a diagnosis, Lolli is still in critical care.  Normal sodium to potassium level is around 27.  Sometimes a sick dog can go down to 26 or 25.  When Lolli arrived at the hospital, her level was 12.9 which the vet said, multiple times, is not even equal to life.  By the time we got there, she'd been receiving the correct fluids (finally in an IV) for two hours and her levels had already started adjusting but were still not where they needed to be.
• She will continue to have fluids pumped and receive steroids every two hours.  If she continues to respond well, they'll start tapering off the dosages or spreading them out.  We hope that by Monday morning, her levels will be much, much better.  Going forward, she will have to have a monthly shot and possibly take a daily pill to treat the Addison's disease.
• We were thrilled when all the talking and paperwork was done and we could finally go back and see Lolli!  She was laying pretty lifeless in her incubator until she heard our voices and she immediately picked up her head and pulled herself up to her feet.

• We left the hospital feeling much better than we did on our drive there.  She still has a long road to being fully recovered, but we are thankful that a full recover is possible.  
• At nine tonight, I received an update from Sarah.  Lolli has been moved out of her incubator because she is maintaining her temp and her bloodwork  is improving.  Yay!  She still is not eating yet though.  I know that's ok right now while she's on the IV, but we've got to get her eating before she leaves there.  We plan to visit her again tomorrow after church and will be taking treats with us.

This roller coaster ride has just about done me in this week!  I am emotionally drained.  Please keep Lolli in your prayers.  Fellow pet owners know how much dogs (and cats, etc) can become a part of the family and we are ready to have Lolli home with us where she belongs!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy heart day, friends!  I hope your day has been full of hugs and kisses and roses and chocolates and balloons and cards and anything else that Hallmark encourages us to buy this time of year!  I, for one, got some brand new socks from my Valentine!  I love me some soft new socks and I love even more that Doc was paying attention last week when I offhand said I needed some new ones.  Yay for practical gifts!  (Not that I would have turned down chocolate.  I love that too.)

I mostly wanted to pop in today to show you the Valentine I whipped up late Saturday night.  Since we got Lollipop on Valentine's weekend last year, it only made sense that she was the star of our Valentine card this year.  And yes, this is a picture of a picture.  I could've uploaded the original .jpeg file, but then you wouldn't have gotten the full effect with the lollipop!  (It's supposed to look like its in her mouth, by the way.)

 

Sticking the sucker through made the card (picture) a little wavy, but I still think it turned out pretty cute for a last minute idea.  And my coworkers seemd to enjoy them so I call it a success.  Yay!

That's it.  Hugs and kisses and all that other Valentine-y stuff!

Weekend In Review

Even though nothing spectacular happened, this has been a really great weekend!  The weather was nice, we got to sleep in, I got lots accomplished, and there was nothing we HAD to do.  I love a weekend like that. Friday night we party-hopped.  We started out the evening with a surprise party for my friend Kim.  (You may remember that I have helped with a few rooms in her house, seen here, here, and here.)  I actually remembered to bring my camera and guess how many pictures I took....one.  Whomp, whomp.  Me and the birthday girl?  Nah, just a picture of this balloon.

Happy birthday, Kim!  Don't worry, I won't tell anybody how old you are...

Doc and I ducked out of the surprise party early because we had 9:00 dinner reservations.  Yes, 9 PM.  Yes, I had to take a nap after work so I could stay awake long enough for dinner.

The meal was good, but the company is what made it so great.  We were joined by 16 of our favorite people.

  

  

  

 

Since our reservation was so late, we met up for pre-dinner drinks.  A few of the guys got things going with some Jameson and Butterscotch Schnapps shots followed by an orange juice chaser.

The bartender swore that the combination tasted like pancakes.  I think that sounds disgusting but those that gave it a try said it was pretty good.

I really have no comments about this next picture, but I do feel that it should be posted.

The weather was so nice Saturday that I got up and went for a long morning walk.  I spent the bulk of the day working in the shop and made good progress on a lot of my projects.  I even finished a couple that I'll show you this week.  (I promise I'll post more than once this week...)

That afternoon we stopped by my brother's house to check out something he'd been working on.  We had Lolli with us, which absolutely thrilled Bren.  She LOVES Lolli.  I'm not sure if the feelings are mutual.  Bren likes to hold Lolli and it's usually not in the most comfortable position for poor Lolli, so it looks a little something like this.

I know these picture are awful quality - I was using my phone - but bear with me because I think they're pretty funny.

So Bren likes to hold Lolli but Lolli doesn't really love it.  At one point, we walked in Bren's room to see her standing on her bed, holding a squirming Lolli, and smiling at herself in the mirror above her dresser.  I guess sometimes you just need to see how you look holding a puppy dog.

A few minutes later, Bren got so excited.  "I put her in my box!  Now she can't get away!"  The "box" she was referring to?  Her laundry hamper.

Poor Lolli.

We're dog-sitting my parents' dog, Henry, this weekend so we had him with us too.  Bren had Doc put Henry in the "box" with Lolli, but she decided he made the "box" too heavy so he had to get out.  You know what's coming next, don't you?

Bren got in the "box."

Oh man, that girl cracks me up.  (This morning at church, she had on a headband of feathers that she'd made in Sunday School.  "Hey Bren!  Are you a little Indian?"  She told me no so I asked her what she was.  "A chicken!")

Tonight, after getting out of the shower, I walked in our bedroom to see that Doc had taken a page out of Bren's book.  I saw this on the floor.

Doc had a smirk on his face and even Henry was sitting on the bed, looking a little smug.  I got closer and sure enough, poor Lolli was trapped underneath.

Before anyone runs off and reports us to PETA, let me assure you that Lolli was not harmed in any of these laundry hamper escapades.  She's perfectly fine and is as wild and crazy as ever.  I just won't be surprised if she runs under the bed the next time I start doing laundry.

I'm pleased to say I have officially started my Christmas shopping AND our Christmas cards have been ordered.  I don't know why, but having those ordered makes me feel so much less stressed!  I'm excited for the next few days: 3-day work week, Thanksgiving food, and getting to see all of our family.  Should be a good week!

A Post Without A Point

I couldn't think of a good title.  Mostly because I don't really have anything to write about, just a couple of pictures to share.  So, a post without a point. I bought a new pumpkin decoration to officially ring in the fall season.  Isn't it cute?

Oh wait, here, let me zoom in.

I think I'm slightly obsessed with door decorations.  It's ridiculous how insanely excited I get over a cute new doormat, and I was the same way about this pumpkin.  It's bright, it's cute, it pops against the house.  Oh, and it's reversible!  When it gets closer to Halloween, I can flip it to this:

Love it.

Last Saturday, I was chatting with my mom and both of my sisters-in-law when we lost site of Bren and Parker.  It didn't take us long to find them.

Even if there hadn't been lots of giggling going on behind there, the little feet sticking out would've given them away.  Three-year-olds are so funny!

You know who else is funny?  Lollipop.  I think the expression on her face in this picture kinda makes her look like a cartoon character.

She's feisty and still has lots of puppy energy, but she has sweet moments too.

(After the last time she got groomed, I thought her new haircut made the hair on her ears look really long, so I took out my scissors and gave them a little trim.  Now she's rockin' a "triangle" do.  Oops.)

She still hasn't lost all of her baby teeth, but her adult teeth came in anyway.  She's got front row and back row teeth.  I think it's kinda funny.

Fall tv is back and I'm glad.  This could be bad for my blogging because there are so many new shows I want to watch, plus all of my old regulars, and it's hard to type and watch at the same time.  In fact, I'm signing off now so I can get to watching.

Happy fall, y'all!