Sick dog and stressed Ally
(yes, this is the same thing that is cross posted on home dec conversations. One of the quirks here is I can't cross post anything, I have to do individual posts on each forum. Sorry folks...)
It's been an awful last 9 or 10 days.... so many twists and turns, so much worry.
The shortest summary I can give is that I have otherwise perfectly healthy 7 year old dog who started regurgitating water and food. He's a bottom feeder and he's fast. I try hard, but he does occasionally get things he shouldn't, so my first fear was an obstruction.
I took him to my local vet. We tried their suggestions/medications. They did xrays and found one tiny "thing" in his stomach which was not obstructing anything, but they agreed further work-ups would be necessary if the meds didn't resolve things. The situation deteriorated, so we ended up at Cornell's Animal Hospital ER, where he was admitted for 2 days. Endoscopy found no obvious structural abnormalities and no obstruction in his stomach, but his esophagus, stomach, and small intestines are inflamed, and they took tissue from all 3 for biopsies. Ultrasound was also normal - no obstructions to be found anywhere.
The list of potential diagnoses seems long at this point. We are in a holding pattern until the biopsies come back. In the meantime, he still is now (only occasionally) regurgitating and burping/chewing down stomach contents (despite several meds/different approaches trying to help). He's on a novel protein in case it's that, he's on meds, and apparently he's presenting with a weird mix of things so they're puzzling it out. After a week of chaos, he is now mostly keeping his food and water down so that's good - but the risk of aspiration pneumonia is a legitimate concern until we can completely stop the regurgitation. I'm following Cornell's advice, and they've been accessible and great in helping to figure out what to do next, etc.
Those of you who know me well know my furry kids mean more to me than anything in the world. I would do anything I can to help them and not knowing what is wrong or how to help is very hard. And yes, I hit Defcon scales of worry whenever it involves my kids, so there's that too.
Anyway, just wanted to explain my sudden absence (in case anyone even noticed, not likely ha ha) - and also to ask for prayers and/or good thoughts sent out into the universe for my sweet boy.
Gratuitous photo of my beloved boy. Isn't he perfect?!
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KD / potential contractor = stress
Comments (14)First of all - YOU should NOT have to be going through all of the CRAP!!! In a perfect world - this whole process should )actually) be FUN - However, since this is NOT a "perfect world" - there MAY be set backs, delays and/or cost over runs - but generally speaking (IMHO) this process should still have a reasonable amount of "fun" still in the contents.... Zeebee said what I was going to say too - red flags with your present KD.... Also - there's TONS of wisdom being put out here by the likes of Cheri 127, Zeebee, Live Wire Oak and Kitchenconfidential 2.... I'll add my own .02 cents on this as well - There are MANY people who will pretend to be KD's - maybe because they did a whole ONE remodel of THEIR OWN kitchen, or have watched some TV shows on remodeling, or are really good at researching stuff on the internet - THESE attributes DO NOT qualify folks to be real honest to goodness KD's. The folks that actually ARE the "real deal" (real Kitchen DESIGNERS - NOT "decorators") ACTUALLY have CREDENTIALS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE to back up the "talk they talk - with the walk they walk".... Sounds to me like you have "gotten in bed" with a "pretend" KD - a "decorator" (IMHO) that may know "pretty" - but does not have clue about how "looking pretty" gets executed into BEING pretty - the actual application of each trade and the materials that are used - along with how things go into place, and "the order of battle" - TO MAKE A FINISHED PRODUCT THAT IS YOUR KITCHEN PROJECT. Most "decorators" are really good with color, and can pick out drapes, but when ot comes to laying out a kitchen in CAD for cabinets AND countertops - they're "looking like a scared deer in the headlights" :-o They're clueless when it comes to "what gets done first, then what, and so on. I despise "decorators" they make guy's lives (like mine) in the trades - A LIVING HELL, and.... There's days where I'm sure that other guys like me fantasize about - "if MERCY KILLING were LEGAL" - "decorators" be the on the TOP OF THE LIST!!! But alas - as the saying goes: "Decorators - Can't Live WITH 'em - Can't KILL 'em" HA!!!! Anyways - all playful kidding aside........ It also sounds to me - like (from the amount of time that you are waiting on two or three other bids - that EITHER the other GC's don't want to work with you beacuse of your current KD imposter - OR - business is really good in your area.. I hope it's the latter - because here in AZ = GC's are breaking the sound barrier to get bids back to customers - so they can get more volume of work. Your in a tuff spot, but if you stay cool and READ everything that gets put in front of you to sign - and UNDERSTAND IT - you will be ahead of the curve..... I'd be looking for a REAL KD in the mean time - contact NKBA to find some other prospects in your area.... a link is below for you to check out... hth kevin...See MoreFollow up to 'I am so stressed out'
Comments (2)What do you do around your house with the kids? DS is 3 and we're home most days. Most of the time when I ask if he wants to go somewhere he says he wants to stay home! LOL We go outside and play on his slide or swim in our small Easy Set pool. He likes to watch TV, play with his toys, paint and color or really anything. He's into helping around the house and being helpful, too. Try involving your son in stuff you're doing. Sometimes it may take longer or you may have a mess to clean up but the kids have so much fun and enjoy it. We try to get out at night or on the weekends. Even then, it's not a lot of time at the store. (He even likes going to the grocery store...he reminds me of things we need to get! LOL) We usually visit family or friends on the weekends one or twice. You could easily just take rides just to look for animals or whatever. Our son isn't around a ton of kids and yet when he is, he makes friends quickly and they get along so I"m not all concerned about him not being in daycare or preschool. Also, I've found that just sitting down and talking to your kids makes them happy and can be fun. Our son will ask a question...like today it was, "Can we take our dog to the fair this week?" and I explained dogs weren't allowed and reasons why. So now he can share that with Daddy when he comes home. I"ve also had to explain why it has to rain or why it thunders (so he's not scared anymore I said that two clouds are fighting over whether it should stay hot or cool off) or why the pool was getting slimy.. A lot of the time that we are talking, I'm also doing something else like preparing supper and he feels he's getting attention and I"m getting my work done, too. Or we can be driving in the car and he'll ask what a road sign means and I've taught him a few and he'll tell us now! Include your son in every day simple stuff and to him it can be fun and it may take care of his boredom. Good luck and no you're not alone. All parents, even parents with seemingly good kids have bad days. We all have days we would like to go on strike, too. You just have to figure out the best way to deal with those days and get through them....See MoreThe kitchen stress support group - come here and vent, laugh, cry....
Comments (66)Pardon me while I crash this thread to vent. Today's main vent is tangentially related to kitchens: we designed an eat-in kitchen in our remodel, so our formal dining room is now a guest room, and the workman I'm venting about is doing finish carpentry in that area. He's taking two days to do what should be about a four-hour job, he's been over two hours late each day, and he's pushing me to pay the balance of the job in cash due to some income restriction/tax dodge that's, frankly, not my business OR my problem. I was mildly sympathetic to his plea, but when he emailed at 9.50am for our 10am appointment to say he'd be here at 11am IF he could find parking; then emailed at noon to whine about not being able to find a spot.....let's just say my sympathy dried right up. Today's minor vent: we've been at substantial completion on our kitchen-plus job since December 2014, GC has done about half the punchlist and the longer he waits to do the rest (and get paid his retainer), the more problems crop up: a tile might be lifting off the bathroom floor, a kitchen cabinet door is hanging improperly, we suspect the bathroom vent is not quite doing its job because there's a musty smell that takes a while to build up but is definitely there. Will this danged job EVER end???????...See Moredog a little sick
Comments (18)I just had the same thing happen to my 1 year old cat. We had let him out on Sunday. When he came in he was just fine. On Monday morning I could tell something was wrong. I waited until in the afternoon to call my friend a vet wannabe. I was going to take him up there, 40 miles but it was blowing and snowing. I said if he isn't better in the morning I will bring him up. Tuesday he wasn't any better. He checked him and the only thing he could find was that he had a tender spot on his stomach. I had noticed it too when I picked him up. He didn't know what it could be. He decided to give him an antibiotic in case he had infection. I brought him home and he just laid around. He hadn't eaten in 2 days or went to the litter box. I started praying to St. Francis the patron saint for animals in the Catholic church. I had looked the prayer up on the internet. Then I thought of using holy water. I sprinkled some on him, and I thought maybe he will lick it and get some inside. I don't know if he licked himself or not, but within a short time he got up and started eating a little and drank a little water. It took a couple of days for him to start running around like he always did and now I can't even tell he was sick. I don't care if anyone else believes this or not. All that is important is that he is OK. I will pray for your dog. Good luck....See More- 11 months ago
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Ally DeOriginal Author