Laughter is the best medicine

I’ve you’re a regular reader you may have noticed I’ve been pretty quiet lately. I’ve had a few great guest posts from fellow bloggers, but just haven’t had the energy to put together a post of my own. Long story, short, we took our cat Liam to the vet a few weeks ago and got some bad news. Like his brother, Patty, who passed just a month ago, Liam his kidney failure.

He also has a mass on his liver that may be cancer (they can’t tell from the biopsy, and even if it was cancer, it would be too dangerous to remove). Liam spent 4 days at the cat ICU, and we thought we were going to lose him. Thankfully he’s now at home, and with the help of our primary vet and the internal medicine vet, he’s comfortable and acting like himself.

Eric bought this IV stand online and it sure does make things easier

Basically, the “cat room” (our spare bedroom) has been turned into a cat infirmary. Liam gets subcutaneous fluids once a day and is taking multiple medications to help him eat, lower his blood pressure and keep his stomach acid under control (all things we just learned about). He’s an incredibly tough cookie and really has taken all of this in good stride. We are incredibly thankful to have him home and even if his time is limited (we’re not even sure how limited), we want him to be at home with his family (us and the dog).

OK, on to a humorous story, because laughter is the best medicine

When I was picking up Liam’s medication at CVS, the pharmacist asked me for his date of birth. It’s not a question I get asked frequently, so I had to think about it…2014-12=2002.

Basically, the pharmacist looked at me like I had three heads because I had to think about his birthday (I can only assume he thought I was picking up blood pressure medication for my sig other and didn’t know his birthday). I felt the need to explain myself and we both had a good laugh when I told him the medication was for our cat. I wasn’t laughing when I found out how much the medication costs, but I needed that little release.

Aside from a sick kitty, here’s what’s been going on in my world:

My sister finished her PhD and I flew out to North Carolina for her graduation party. My folks and my older sister also flew to NC and we got to spend the weekend together. I swam with my nephew and played with my niece and we all went to a Durham bulls game.

My Nephew eating a huge hamburger at the game

Eric was supposed to come with me, but ended up staying at home to give Liam his fluids. I left for NC the night after Liam came home from the ICU, so I was pretty nervous that Eric was going to have a hard time giving Liam his meds. When I got back from NC, he was already a pro at administering the fluids and showed me step-by-step how to do everything. When he was finished giving the fluids he kissed Liam on the head. It was such a sweet moment, I almost cried.

This weekend Eric has been in Michigan for his sister’s birthday. All weekend he’s been texting me photos and funny texts, and although I’ve been missing him, I’m so glad he’s visiting with his family. We spend a good deal of time with my family and I hope in the near future we’ll be able to spend more time with his family too (two of his sisters may be moving to the US very soon :-)).