It's been a week!
May. 7th, 2007 01:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stonebenderMy dog Gilly is sick. It started as a little red bump on her gum line. I assumed it was an abscess of some kind. Something that needed to be dealt with soon, but not life-threatening. We decided to use the opportunity to change our vet. We have been going to "our vet" for over 20 years. The clinic had seen all three of my dogs. When my first service dog, Isaiah, died suddenly and unexpectedly of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They did everything they could to revive him. They helped loracs get through it and they donated money to the SPCA in his name. When it became necessary, they put my second service dog, Klipper, to sleep. Until I found my doctor Steve, I used to joke that if I could find a doctor as good as my veterinarian I would go to the doctor a lot more often. However our old veterinarian was in El Cerrito which isn't a long drive from Berkeley but is starting to be a long drive from San Leandro. so we ended up going to VCA in Oakland on the recommendation of a very good friend. They just had more after five and weekend office hours.
We saw Dr. Tammy Maggie (her real name) who seems to be a very sweet and caring doctor. She gave Gilly a course of antibiotics, but warned us that it didn't look like an abscess it was hard to the touch (not a good sign). The antibiotics seemed to take care of the little bit of infection but the bump got larger after week. She scheduled us for a biopsy, but their schedule makes the first available appointment the 17th of this month. They don't seem to be particularly concerned about the wait, but the bump is getting bigger quicker. So we're probably going back to our old vet at lease for a while. We think will be able to get a biopsy sooner there.
A good friend ofloracs just died today. It wasn't completely unexpected. She has been having significant health problems for years. Being in the hospital much more than being out these days. We went to visit her yesterday and picked up her power chair because the hospital had insisted it be taken away and our van made it easier to pick up. It was a little thing that we could do to make things easier.
Then there are the ongoing health worries of another person close to me (people might guess who, but I'm uncomfortable talking about other people's health stuff specifically). So far everything is fine and I have no reason to believe that they won't turn out just fine, but the waiting is a killer.
Normally, I would expect to be really depressed about all of this. I hate my loved ones to be sad. I hate it when Gilly isn't well. I disliked the stress that many of the people in my life are going through. I should be depressed, but I'm not. I'm still worried and want everything to go well, but I feel pretty good. I think part of why I'm feeling good is that I feel like I'm taking care of the people I love. I feel like there are things that I have done and that I will do that are real and will really help the people I love. I think I'm a good partner in stressful situations. Surprisingly to some I'm strong in those circumstances. It feels good that I am needed and I can help.
So much of my life is about others helping me. I like when I can care for those I love some. Even those I just like. :-) So, all of this is to say that life hasn't been easy lately but we are handling it. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost. My fingers are crossed for my silly Gilly girl. I'm glad I know such remarkable people who I know have and will make my life easier. I am especially glad that those people are good about accepting help from me when I can offer it.
loracs get through it and they donated money to the SPCA in his name. When it became necessary, they put my second service dog, Klipper, to sleep. Until I found my doctor Steve, I used to joke that if I could find a doctor as good as my veterinarian I would go to the doctor a lot more often. However our old veterinarian was in El Cerrito which isn't a long drive from Berkeley but is starting to be a long drive from San Leandro. so we ended up going to VCA in Oakland on the recommendation of a very good friend. They just had more after five and weekend office hours.We saw Dr. Tammy Maggie (her real name) who seems to be a very sweet and caring doctor. She gave Gilly a course of antibiotics, but warned us that it didn't look like an abscess it was hard to the touch (not a good sign). The antibiotics seemed to take care of the little bit of infection but the bump got larger after week. She scheduled us for a biopsy, but their schedule makes the first available appointment the 17th of this month. They don't seem to be particularly concerned about the wait, but the bump is getting bigger quicker. So we're probably going back to our old vet at lease for a while. We think will be able to get a biopsy sooner there.
A good friend of
loracs just died today. It wasn't completely unexpected. She has been having significant health problems for years. Being in the hospital much more than being out these days. We went to visit her yesterday and picked up her power chair because the hospital had insisted it be taken away and our van made it easier to pick up. It was a little thing that we could do to make things easier.Then there are the ongoing health worries of another person close to me (people might guess who, but I'm uncomfortable talking about other people's health stuff specifically). So far everything is fine and I have no reason to believe that they won't turn out just fine, but the waiting is a killer.
Normally, I would expect to be really depressed about all of this. I hate my loved ones to be sad. I hate it when Gilly isn't well. I disliked the stress that many of the people in my life are going through. I should be depressed, but I'm not. I'm still worried and want everything to go well, but I feel pretty good. I think part of why I'm feeling good is that I feel like I'm taking care of the people I love. I feel like there are things that I have done and that I will do that are real and will really help the people I love. I think I'm a good partner in stressful situations. Surprisingly to some I'm strong in those circumstances. It feels good that I am needed and I can help.
So much of my life is about others helping me. I like when I can care for those I love some. Even those I just like. :-) So, all of this is to say that life hasn't been easy lately but we are handling it. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost. My fingers are crossed for my silly Gilly girl. I'm glad I know such remarkable people who I know have and will make my life easier. I am especially glad that those people are good about accepting help from me when I can offer it.