This past Friday I had the opportunity to get together with 18 friends and former Salem staff to commemorate the sale of our station one year ago. It was so good to see all of them again... like a family reunion. However, it was pointed out to me how bad I am at sharing thoughts and updates on a regular basis... Evidently a few people actually read this blog - who knew?!
I guess the biggest thing going on in my own life right now is that I finished my graduate degree in December. I'm tempted to say, "FINALLY," but I know it only seemed like for-ev-er because I went straight through after college and was starting to feel really burned out towards the end (I partly expected to have a nervous breakdown - like the occasional marathon runner who collapses from exhaustion and/or dehydration just a few feet short of the finish line.) Well, I made it to the finish line and, for the first time in 20 years, there is no homework in my nearly foreseeable future (I'm eventually planning to pursue a PhD, but not until I've paid off my student loans and my brain has had time to recharge :) I have to say, it is a pretty amazing feeling to be 25 and be able to add "MBA" to the end of my name on my resume.
Speaking of resume's, I'm finding the search for a fulltime job to be quite elusive. It seems I am either too inexperienced or too overqualified for everything I apply for. It's mentally exhausting to be constantly searching and getting rejected (sounds like my love life ;) I just have to keep reminding myself that God has a plan and the right job will come along in His perfect timing - not mine. Patience has never been one of my gifts, as many of you have experienced first hand ;)
Hmm, what else is up with me? I bought my first car that is 100% mine. An older model vehicle with very low mileage and lots of bells and whistles... plus it's not one of Mom's old boats that I grew up driving... very exciting! My grandpa found her (yep, it's a girl - Geraldine, after Grandpa,) made a few repairs, and sold her to me for cost. Last week I put air in her tires (all four of them) all by myself - first time ever!
Other than that, I continue to baby-sit every day and am continually amazed by how quickly children can absorb information - like sponges, or ShamWOW's! I think I might be finally catching up on all the sleep I missed toward the end of graduate school, and I'm trying to re-learn the art of socialization... Not that I haven't always been on the more outgoing end of the social spectrum, but I've been such a nerd the last several years that I'm a bit rusty, a.k.a. boring... It's so tempting to just put my PJs on as soon as I can and spend the rest of the day vegging out and watching Netflix on my computer (which is not nearly as enjoyable when you don't have homework to procrastinate on.)
I guess that brings me to the closing, and a few prayer requests... First, for my Uncle Steve, who was recently diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a cancer of the bone marrow) and is not only feeling the effects of the cancer (something like 4 collapsed disks in his back!), but is also starting a Chemo/radiation treatment program that is planned to last a year before culminating with a bone marrow transplant (the Docs will actually be re-planting his own bone marrow that was harvested and is being genetically altered as I write! The wonders of modern science!)
Next, that God will lead me to the right job, and that I would be patient and have the sense to follow where He leads. Also, for my parents, as the company my step-dad works for is being absorbed/closed. They aren't going to leave the rest of the family in the mid-west and relocate to Boston, which leaves him to search for a new position at a very inopportune time. I think it may actually be harder on my mom, if you can believe it. She just feels completely overwhelmed by their very large, empty house, and the desire to move closer to us kids, but knows that it is not really the time to think about trying to sell.
Finally, and most importantly (though I know all prayers are equally important in God's eyes,) my very good friend, Jon (who is doing very well, health-wise, since his heart problems this past fall :) and his family are in great need of God's comfort and strength right now. On Tuesday Jon called to tell me that the family had decided to stop his sister, Angela's, Chemo treatments. At the time they were giving her a month, but she had a really rough weekend and went Home to Jesus yesterday morning - almost two years to the day from her original diagnosis. The cancer was so spread throughout her body - she was so sick and in so much pain that the thought of how healthy and happy she is in Heaven now makes me misty, but my heart is breaking for her family, who will miss her so much. I know time will pass in an instant for her before she is reunited with them all, and her family has such a solid faith - they know they'll see her again, but her three little children who will grow up without her... it's almost too much, and that is exactly why they need to feel God's loving arms around them during this time of mixed emotions - the mourning and majesty.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Healing Prayers for the Hemmer Family...
Friends, I need to ask you all for some big time, heavy-duty prayers for the Hemmer family. In my last post, I mentioned the sister of one of my best friends who just had brain surgery, and is dealing with a lot of complications with cancer. Things have been so crazy for their family lately, that it has been hard to catch a free moment from my friend to get caught up on how she's doing, other than to be told that it's not good and the doctors can really only try to keep her as comfortable as possible from this point on. She came home from the hospital on Friday, almost two weeks after her last surgery.
As always, my prayers are with her, but now even more pressing is the condition of my friend, Jon. Jon had a heart condition as a child that had him in and out of doctors' offices and on life-long medication. This experience inspired him to enroll in a two-year program to become a pediatric echo-tech and work with other children with heart conditions after our beloved radio station was sold. However, with the return of his sister's cancer, he put that on the back burner to concentrate on helping with his niece and nephews. His family is incredibly close... His mom raised him and his sister on her own since Jon was a toddler, and he has really been their rock through all of the turmoil surrounding Angela's battle... which has left him, understandably, extremely stressed.
I was supposed to see Jon on Friday night for a VeggieTales event, but received a call from him that afternoon telling me that he wasn't going to be able to make the drive up because his back and shoulder had been bothering him, and also because Angela was coming home from the hospital that day. On Saturday I received a text from him asking me to design a poster for the band I have been working with, and for which he is the drummer/acting manager (Chad James)... I texted back that I could work on it on Sunday if he e-mailed me the specs. I never received an e-mail, but figured it was just "Jon being Jon" and spacing because he had so much else on his plate. Then, while baby-sitting on Monday morning, I received a call from the lead singer, Chad, and figured he was calling to ask about the poster, so I didn't listen to the voicemail until I was done babysitting later in the afternoon. I was shocked and saddened to hear that Jon had suffered a massive heart attack on Sunday afternoon!
From what I have learned, he was driving alone when it happened, and either went off the road, or pulled over. Someone passing by stopped, found him unconscious, and called 911. The doctors are not sure how much time passed before he was found, but they are estimating his brain was without oxygen for around 30 minutes. An initial brain scan was quite bleak, and doctors thought he may have also had a stroke. Fortunately, further tests showed that he did not also have a stroke, but they were keeping him on a ventilator in a drug-induced coma and were lowering his body temperature to 90°F. Yesterday, his condition was so critical that they were concerned that he wouldn't make it, or if he did, that he would have a very diminished quality of life... this as his sister is fighting cancer and he and his wife haven't even reached their one year anniversary...
Today, they started to bring him out of the coma, initially very gradually, so that they can do another brain scan tomorrow and hopefully receive some better results. As of this afternoon, he is off the ventilator, awake, and talking (only a little, which is very unlike Jon :) but he's pretty confused and is having trouble with his memory... he knows who people are, but if they leave the room for a while and come back, he won't remember that they were already there... Still, this is amazing progress given that only yesterday they were not sure he'd make it! Things are still touchy, but the fear that he won't make it has near dissolved, and they are now concentrating on getting him better and preserving a much quality of life as they can... as close to "normal" as possible...
This, to me, is so blatantly miraculous! Nothing, no amount of medical science could cause such a quick, however seemlingly small, turnaround in such a short amount of time except for God and all the prayers that have already been sent up on his behalf. He is still in the ICU in IL, and it looks to be a slow road to regaining his strength, so his family does not want a lot of friends making the trip down and tiring him out. Right now, what they really need is continual prayer. The whole Hemmer family has a strong collective faith in God, and I know that now, when they feel like they've just had the rug ripped out from under them, they will lean on him for strength, so please keep them in your prayers.
As always, my prayers are with her, but now even more pressing is the condition of my friend, Jon. Jon had a heart condition as a child that had him in and out of doctors' offices and on life-long medication. This experience inspired him to enroll in a two-year program to become a pediatric echo-tech and work with other children with heart conditions after our beloved radio station was sold. However, with the return of his sister's cancer, he put that on the back burner to concentrate on helping with his niece and nephews. His family is incredibly close... His mom raised him and his sister on her own since Jon was a toddler, and he has really been their rock through all of the turmoil surrounding Angela's battle... which has left him, understandably, extremely stressed.
I was supposed to see Jon on Friday night for a VeggieTales event, but received a call from him that afternoon telling me that he wasn't going to be able to make the drive up because his back and shoulder had been bothering him, and also because Angela was coming home from the hospital that day. On Saturday I received a text from him asking me to design a poster for the band I have been working with, and for which he is the drummer/acting manager (Chad James)... I texted back that I could work on it on Sunday if he e-mailed me the specs. I never received an e-mail, but figured it was just "Jon being Jon" and spacing because he had so much else on his plate. Then, while baby-sitting on Monday morning, I received a call from the lead singer, Chad, and figured he was calling to ask about the poster, so I didn't listen to the voicemail until I was done babysitting later in the afternoon. I was shocked and saddened to hear that Jon had suffered a massive heart attack on Sunday afternoon!
From what I have learned, he was driving alone when it happened, and either went off the road, or pulled over. Someone passing by stopped, found him unconscious, and called 911. The doctors are not sure how much time passed before he was found, but they are estimating his brain was without oxygen for around 30 minutes. An initial brain scan was quite bleak, and doctors thought he may have also had a stroke. Fortunately, further tests showed that he did not also have a stroke, but they were keeping him on a ventilator in a drug-induced coma and were lowering his body temperature to 90°F. Yesterday, his condition was so critical that they were concerned that he wouldn't make it, or if he did, that he would have a very diminished quality of life... this as his sister is fighting cancer and he and his wife haven't even reached their one year anniversary...
Today, they started to bring him out of the coma, initially very gradually, so that they can do another brain scan tomorrow and hopefully receive some better results. As of this afternoon, he is off the ventilator, awake, and talking (only a little, which is very unlike Jon :) but he's pretty confused and is having trouble with his memory... he knows who people are, but if they leave the room for a while and come back, he won't remember that they were already there... Still, this is amazing progress given that only yesterday they were not sure he'd make it! Things are still touchy, but the fear that he won't make it has near dissolved, and they are now concentrating on getting him better and preserving a much quality of life as they can... as close to "normal" as possible...
This, to me, is so blatantly miraculous! Nothing, no amount of medical science could cause such a quick, however seemlingly small, turnaround in such a short amount of time except for God and all the prayers that have already been sent up on his behalf. He is still in the ICU in IL, and it looks to be a slow road to regaining his strength, so his family does not want a lot of friends making the trip down and tiring him out. Right now, what they really need is continual prayer. The whole Hemmer family has a strong collective faith in God, and I know that now, when they feel like they've just had the rug ripped out from under them, they will lean on him for strength, so please keep them in your prayers.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
4:00 a.m. Wake-Up Call...
Long time, no blog... I guess time just got away from me... Life has been so busy lately that it constantly seems I am running out of time... Here are some updates:
Kara and I had almost two more months to enjoy Teppy before her tumor grew large enough to cause difficulty walking and she stopped eating. We had to euthenize her (though Kara voted for letting her go outside, where some animal could eat her)... We took her home to our parents' house in Stevens Point and buried her in a rubbermaid container by the stump of one of my Matthew trees. I know it seems silly to bother burying a hamster, but I couldn't do anything else.
About a week later Kara and I moved to a new apartment... actually the bottom half of a duplex... making it the 7th summer in a row I have packed up my possessions and relocated... It almost doesn't seem worth unpacking anymore, but I am determined to stay in the place for at least three years... hopefully longer. Our situation is quite unique as I am working as a Resident Counselor at my alma mater, and the duplex is included as part of my stipend... Yep, "free" rent, not to mention utilities, a meal plan, and a decent cash stipend as well... This is a GREAT job and I love being part of Res Life again! I oversee a group of 5 RAs, all with apartments on the upper-campus, 9 buildings, and about 100 or so residents... Of course there are the responsibilities like going on rounds at 3am, making up mandatory residential meetings at 5am, writing disciplinary sanctions, breaking up students guilty of pelvic "grinding" at the homecoming dance (Which is now referred to by a group of students as "The dance that Kate ruined!"... It has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?) ...but it is also incredibly rewarding in a way I do not think I could accurately describe...
I have also taken a position as a part-time nanny for one of the other RCs. He is the campus pastor at a local high school, and his wife teaches third grade... they have three daughters: one in 1st grade, one in 4-K, and an incredibly strong-willed 18 month old who. Every weekday I come over to "play" (makes the kids feel more independent if I don't call it "baby-sitting"...) with the toddler from 7:30am-2pm... I know I'm probably a bit biased, but she is cute as a button and I miss her (and the other girls) over the weekends. What's the most fun is that so much is new to her and she is so easily amazed, plus now I have an excuse to be watching Curious George and VeggieTales (who I'll be meeting in two weeks :) I try to take her for a walk outside everyday because she thinks we're going "exploring" but I know that a short walk for my long legs is a long walk for her short legs and then she goes down for her nap pretty easy... Actually, she's napping right now... I usually bring my computer and homework and get work done while she sleeps, but I am soooo sick of homework.
Speaking of which, I am so close to finishing my graduate degree I can almost taste the huge beer I'm going to celebrate with after... I only have two weeks left in my current class, Managerial Accounting, and then my 8-week capstone, in which I will be creating a portfolio and doing a research project rather than a thesis. I have already received all my graduation garb and was quite disappointed to see the ugly hue of the hood... the piping for an MBA is a light shade of brown that I have only see in diapers (which I've been changing a lot lately)... still I will wear that hood with pride for graduation before probably taking a two-week nap... I'm currently looking for teaching positions and have applied for one teaching communications at an area tech school. It starts in January, so it seems ideal... please pray...
And since we're lifting up prayer requests, yesterday was a big day for people I know to have brain surgery. A cousin who is just more than two years younger than me had her second operation in a year to cauterize an artery that was "choking" a nerve and causing severe debilitating pain. She's been struggling with this for around three years now and all doctors seem to know is that it was spurred by a virus that irritated the arteries or something like that. It has been so terrible that she has fallen way behind in college (she should've graduated last year but is only a junior) because she cannot concentrate and reading (one of her favorite activities) is too painful. She is honestly the smartest person I know and is such a gifted writer, yet even writing papers was too hard because she couldn't concentrate enough to put her thoughts into sentences on paper. This summer she had to make the tough decision to drop-out of her dream school :(
Also on Wednesday, the sister of one of my best friends from my former job had surgery to remove tumors in her brain that were pressing on her spinal column and causing a radiating pain throughout her body. Sadly, these were all cancerous tumors and she has been battling cancer for almost two years now. She first found out she had breast cancer when she was pregnant with her third child. She started chemo during her third trimester and radiation immediately after he was born. Since then it has metastasized to her lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and now brain. She is determined to fight this to the end so her children will know she did everything possible to stay with them as long as she could, but what she's gaining in time, she's giving up in quality because she's so sick from the treatments and in so much pain from the cancer. Her husband has to keep working for the insurance, so my friend and his wife have basically stepped in as surrogate parents when need be, but it is all just so incredibly sad, especially when I think of their three young children who need their mom... but the good part in this is that they all have such amazing faith that has only continued to grow...
Now finally, for the first time in 26 years, my beloved Milwaukee Brewers are in the play-offs. I was there last week to see them clinch the NL Wild Card and will be in the stands on Sunday if the NLDS makes it to four games (which it will have to for the Brewers to win since Philly won game 1...) I am just so thrilled!
Lastly, the title of my post... One of my favorite things in the world to do, is sleep... I don't think I could ever get enough... I am an incredibly heavy sleeper and can fall asleep almost anywhere... put me in front of the TV and I'll be out as if I were hypnotized... Lately, however, I have been experiencing a great deal of insomnia and have stayed up way later than I would like to, considering I have to be chasing around a toddler at 7:30 in the morning. Last night I finally put down my book and turned off my lamp at midnight. I woke up when it was still dark out and was not the least bit tired. I LOVE the feeling you get when you wake up, look at the clock, and realize you have an hour left to sleep... well when I looked at the clock, it was only 4am... giving me three more hours of blissful rest... except that I could not fall back to sleep... I was NOT tired! So, after tossing for another 10 minutes or so, I decided to just get up... at 4am! I washed two loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, took a nice looooong shower, ate a big breakfast and watched "Transformers"... I loved getting so much done before the sun came up! I expected to tucker out early and crave a nap by the time the baby went down, but I am still insanely wired... what's up with that?! At first I had this feeling of impending doom, just because it was so unusual for me, and I prayed for pretty much everyone I know, but I haven't received any devastating phone calls, so for now I am just going to feel blessed that God gave me so much extra time today... I hope yours has gone just as well...
Kara and I had almost two more months to enjoy Teppy before her tumor grew large enough to cause difficulty walking and she stopped eating. We had to euthenize her (though Kara voted for letting her go outside, where some animal could eat her)... We took her home to our parents' house in Stevens Point and buried her in a rubbermaid container by the stump of one of my Matthew trees. I know it seems silly to bother burying a hamster, but I couldn't do anything else.
About a week later Kara and I moved to a new apartment... actually the bottom half of a duplex... making it the 7th summer in a row I have packed up my possessions and relocated... It almost doesn't seem worth unpacking anymore, but I am determined to stay in the place for at least three years... hopefully longer. Our situation is quite unique as I am working as a Resident Counselor at my alma mater, and the duplex is included as part of my stipend... Yep, "free" rent, not to mention utilities, a meal plan, and a decent cash stipend as well... This is a GREAT job and I love being part of Res Life again! I oversee a group of 5 RAs, all with apartments on the upper-campus, 9 buildings, and about 100 or so residents... Of course there are the responsibilities like going on rounds at 3am, making up mandatory residential meetings at 5am, writing disciplinary sanctions, breaking up students guilty of pelvic "grinding" at the homecoming dance (Which is now referred to by a group of students as "The dance that Kate ruined!"... It has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?) ...but it is also incredibly rewarding in a way I do not think I could accurately describe...
I have also taken a position as a part-time nanny for one of the other RCs. He is the campus pastor at a local high school, and his wife teaches third grade... they have three daughters: one in 1st grade, one in 4-K, and an incredibly strong-willed 18 month old who. Every weekday I come over to "play" (makes the kids feel more independent if I don't call it "baby-sitting"...) with the toddler from 7:30am-2pm... I know I'm probably a bit biased, but she is cute as a button and I miss her (and the other girls) over the weekends. What's the most fun is that so much is new to her and she is so easily amazed, plus now I have an excuse to be watching Curious George and VeggieTales (who I'll be meeting in two weeks :) I try to take her for a walk outside everyday because she thinks we're going "exploring" but I know that a short walk for my long legs is a long walk for her short legs and then she goes down for her nap pretty easy... Actually, she's napping right now... I usually bring my computer and homework and get work done while she sleeps, but I am soooo sick of homework.
Speaking of which, I am so close to finishing my graduate degree I can almost taste the huge beer I'm going to celebrate with after... I only have two weeks left in my current class, Managerial Accounting, and then my 8-week capstone, in which I will be creating a portfolio and doing a research project rather than a thesis. I have already received all my graduation garb and was quite disappointed to see the ugly hue of the hood... the piping for an MBA is a light shade of brown that I have only see in diapers (which I've been changing a lot lately)... still I will wear that hood with pride for graduation before probably taking a two-week nap... I'm currently looking for teaching positions and have applied for one teaching communications at an area tech school. It starts in January, so it seems ideal... please pray...
And since we're lifting up prayer requests, yesterday was a big day for people I know to have brain surgery. A cousin who is just more than two years younger than me had her second operation in a year to cauterize an artery that was "choking" a nerve and causing severe debilitating pain. She's been struggling with this for around three years now and all doctors seem to know is that it was spurred by a virus that irritated the arteries or something like that. It has been so terrible that she has fallen way behind in college (she should've graduated last year but is only a junior) because she cannot concentrate and reading (one of her favorite activities) is too painful. She is honestly the smartest person I know and is such a gifted writer, yet even writing papers was too hard because she couldn't concentrate enough to put her thoughts into sentences on paper. This summer she had to make the tough decision to drop-out of her dream school :(
Also on Wednesday, the sister of one of my best friends from my former job had surgery to remove tumors in her brain that were pressing on her spinal column and causing a radiating pain throughout her body. Sadly, these were all cancerous tumors and she has been battling cancer for almost two years now. She first found out she had breast cancer when she was pregnant with her third child. She started chemo during her third trimester and radiation immediately after he was born. Since then it has metastasized to her lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and now brain. She is determined to fight this to the end so her children will know she did everything possible to stay with them as long as she could, but what she's gaining in time, she's giving up in quality because she's so sick from the treatments and in so much pain from the cancer. Her husband has to keep working for the insurance, so my friend and his wife have basically stepped in as surrogate parents when need be, but it is all just so incredibly sad, especially when I think of their three young children who need their mom... but the good part in this is that they all have such amazing faith that has only continued to grow...
Now finally, for the first time in 26 years, my beloved Milwaukee Brewers are in the play-offs. I was there last week to see them clinch the NL Wild Card and will be in the stands on Sunday if the NLDS makes it to four games (which it will have to for the Brewers to win since Philly won game 1...) I am just so thrilled!
Lastly, the title of my post... One of my favorite things in the world to do, is sleep... I don't think I could ever get enough... I am an incredibly heavy sleeper and can fall asleep almost anywhere... put me in front of the TV and I'll be out as if I were hypnotized... Lately, however, I have been experiencing a great deal of insomnia and have stayed up way later than I would like to, considering I have to be chasing around a toddler at 7:30 in the morning. Last night I finally put down my book and turned off my lamp at midnight. I woke up when it was still dark out and was not the least bit tired. I LOVE the feeling you get when you wake up, look at the clock, and realize you have an hour left to sleep... well when I looked at the clock, it was only 4am... giving me three more hours of blissful rest... except that I could not fall back to sleep... I was NOT tired! So, after tossing for another 10 minutes or so, I decided to just get up... at 4am! I washed two loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, took a nice looooong shower, ate a big breakfast and watched "Transformers"... I loved getting so much done before the sun came up! I expected to tucker out early and crave a nap by the time the baby went down, but I am still insanely wired... what's up with that?! At first I had this feeling of impending doom, just because it was so unusual for me, and I prayed for pretty much everyone I know, but I haven't received any devastating phone calls, so for now I am just going to feel blessed that God gave me so much extra time today... I hope yours has gone just as well...
Friday, June 6, 2008
Teppy Update...
Well, as my previous post reflected, Teppy had her first vet appointment today. She weighs a whopping 51 grams! However, a lot of that may not even be her own weight... it turns out she may not be as fat as Kara and I thought because the vet has determined the red, swollen bulge near her left shoulder is a mammary tumor, the only kind of tumor that would also affect her hormones to cause the patchy hairloss... Fortunately, we did not have to euthenize her today, but unfortunately, her cancer is terminal, and there is no way of knowing how long she has without having a very expensive biopsy done. Surgery is not a likely option because she is so small that the surgery alone could kill her, and it would cost about 12 times what she cost when we adopted her. We couldn't do that to her. There is also the option of giving her some prescribed drops that could temporarily keep the tumor from growing, but hamsters do not like the medicine, and it would only prolong the inevitable... eventually the medicine would stop working.
The doctor said that she is about 40 years old in hamster years, so she is basically middle-aged, and we would likely only have her for another two years if she were healthy. He did say that she doesn't appear to be in any severe pain right now... she's not limping and she's still eating regularly and running on her wheel, so all we can really do is keep an eye on her. There is a chance that we could wake up tomorrow to find a dead hamster in her cage, or she could live another year, simply adapting to the mass growing out of her side. We did purchase some vitamin drops for her water, and added a more antioxidant-rich mix to her food to attempt to slow the tumor's growth, but if she ever looks like she is having trouble moving, breathing, or she stops eating, we will have to have her euthenized... it's quite a sad thought :(
The doctor said that she is about 40 years old in hamster years, so she is basically middle-aged, and we would likely only have her for another two years if she were healthy. He did say that she doesn't appear to be in any severe pain right now... she's not limping and she's still eating regularly and running on her wheel, so all we can really do is keep an eye on her. There is a chance that we could wake up tomorrow to find a dead hamster in her cage, or she could live another year, simply adapting to the mass growing out of her side. We did purchase some vitamin drops for her water, and added a more antioxidant-rich mix to her food to attempt to slow the tumor's growth, but if she ever looks like she is having trouble moving, breathing, or she stops eating, we will have to have her euthenized... it's quite a sad thought :(
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Providence > Temperance...
In the grand scheme of things, I know that this is completely trivial, but that doesn't make it any easier... our (Kara's and my) precious pet hamster, Dr. Temperance (Teppy) Brennan-Booth Jaeger (named after the title character from "Bones") has fallen ill with a mysterious ailment, and I am taking her to her very first veterinarian appointment tomorrow not knowing what to expect...
She has been slightly irritable, and biting lately, but we figured it was because we'd given her too many treats, so when we'd put our hands in the cage to pet her, she was probably conditioned to expect a treat, so she'd bite at our hands expecting it to be food. Then, a little over a week ago, we noticed small bald spots on her right cheek and left thigh. She's always been a scratcher, so we couldn't really tell if that was a cause, so I researched hairloss in hamsters on the internet. The most common cause is mites, but she didn't have any of the other symtoms (yellowish skin, scaliness, etc...), so the most likely possibility seemed like it might be a protein deficiency. This seemed feasible since she has reached her maturity and has been eating less of her cereal, yet drinking more of her water. We decided we'd get her some vitamin drops for her water to ensure that she was getting enough protein, but before we had a chance to get to the pet store I was changing her food dish and noticed that she her front left leg was completely bald, revealing a red, swollen bulge near her shoulder, and she was biting at herself :(
Needless to say, we've determined that the hairloss is likely the result of something more serious than a simple protein deficiency, so I resumed my research to see what could cause both the hairloss and the red, swollen mass... The two most likely causes are an abscess (likely caused by a scratch that became infected) or a tumor. If it is an abscess, the vet will simply drain it and prescribe an antibiotic. If it is a tumor, we will have to euthenize her :(
It was hard enough finding a vet in the area that will see hamsters (most are "dogs and cats only"), but I found two, and only one was able to fit dear Teppy in this week. Although she isn't acting as if she's in pain, the thought that she might be made us want to get her in as soon as possible, unfortunately, Kara works all day every day this week. So I will be taking Teppy to the vet by myself at 9am tomorrow, knowing I may have to drive home with an empty cage :(
Teppy was just a tiny baby when we got her... too small to even run on her wheel. We just celebrated her one-year adoption anniversary on May 26, and surprised her with a treat ball. Kara and I have been giving her lots of attention and treats this whole week, and Kara even let her try her first cupcake sprinkle this afternoon... we took pictures, and a cute little video, but tonight is harder than I expected because I know there is a possibility tonight will be our last night with her. If I have to euthenize her tomorrow, I will know it's what's best to end any potential pain she might be in, but it will be so hard... I just know I will bawl, which seems silly, because I know that losing a pet hamster is nothing compared to the struggles others face on a daily basis...
Just this week, one of my former co-worker's lost her husband unexpectedly... another co-worker's wife has an inoperable tumor the size of a football on her spine, and yet another is dealing with the frustration of his sister's recurring cancer... my sick hamster is nothing compared to what they are going through, but I am still sad... at 24.5 years old, I have never actually experienced the death of a pet, other than a fish or a zebra finch, which don't count because you can't play with fish or finches. They are not social pets... both cats and the dog we've had during my life never died while we had them, we had to give them away to better homes when our circumstances change, so even though I know it's unlikely any of them are still alive, and I know for a fact that one of the cats isn't, I never had to "say good-bye"... which is something you'd think I'd be used to by now, considering the number of people in my life who I've lost without warning.
Of course I would love the chance to see them once more and tell them what they mean to me, and say good-bye, but would knowing it was the last time make things even harder? I don't know, but it's pretty hard not knowing the fate of my hamster, and she is only a pet... not an aunt and uncle, or a grandparent, or a best friend... they have souls... animals don't, and sadly, I doubt that all hamsters go to heaven...
She has been slightly irritable, and biting lately, but we figured it was because we'd given her too many treats, so when we'd put our hands in the cage to pet her, she was probably conditioned to expect a treat, so she'd bite at our hands expecting it to be food. Then, a little over a week ago, we noticed small bald spots on her right cheek and left thigh. She's always been a scratcher, so we couldn't really tell if that was a cause, so I researched hairloss in hamsters on the internet. The most common cause is mites, but she didn't have any of the other symtoms (yellowish skin, scaliness, etc...), so the most likely possibility seemed like it might be a protein deficiency. This seemed feasible since she has reached her maturity and has been eating less of her cereal, yet drinking more of her water. We decided we'd get her some vitamin drops for her water to ensure that she was getting enough protein, but before we had a chance to get to the pet store I was changing her food dish and noticed that she her front left leg was completely bald, revealing a red, swollen bulge near her shoulder, and she was biting at herself :(
Needless to say, we've determined that the hairloss is likely the result of something more serious than a simple protein deficiency, so I resumed my research to see what could cause both the hairloss and the red, swollen mass... The two most likely causes are an abscess (likely caused by a scratch that became infected) or a tumor. If it is an abscess, the vet will simply drain it and prescribe an antibiotic. If it is a tumor, we will have to euthenize her :(
It was hard enough finding a vet in the area that will see hamsters (most are "dogs and cats only"), but I found two, and only one was able to fit dear Teppy in this week. Although she isn't acting as if she's in pain, the thought that she might be made us want to get her in as soon as possible, unfortunately, Kara works all day every day this week. So I will be taking Teppy to the vet by myself at 9am tomorrow, knowing I may have to drive home with an empty cage :(
Teppy was just a tiny baby when we got her... too small to even run on her wheel. We just celebrated her one-year adoption anniversary on May 26, and surprised her with a treat ball. Kara and I have been giving her lots of attention and treats this whole week, and Kara even let her try her first cupcake sprinkle this afternoon... we took pictures, and a cute little video, but tonight is harder than I expected because I know there is a possibility tonight will be our last night with her. If I have to euthenize her tomorrow, I will know it's what's best to end any potential pain she might be in, but it will be so hard... I just know I will bawl, which seems silly, because I know that losing a pet hamster is nothing compared to the struggles others face on a daily basis...
Just this week, one of my former co-worker's lost her husband unexpectedly... another co-worker's wife has an inoperable tumor the size of a football on her spine, and yet another is dealing with the frustration of his sister's recurring cancer... my sick hamster is nothing compared to what they are going through, but I am still sad... at 24.5 years old, I have never actually experienced the death of a pet, other than a fish or a zebra finch, which don't count because you can't play with fish or finches. They are not social pets... both cats and the dog we've had during my life never died while we had them, we had to give them away to better homes when our circumstances change, so even though I know it's unlikely any of them are still alive, and I know for a fact that one of the cats isn't, I never had to "say good-bye"... which is something you'd think I'd be used to by now, considering the number of people in my life who I've lost without warning.
Of course I would love the chance to see them once more and tell them what they mean to me, and say good-bye, but would knowing it was the last time make things even harder? I don't know, but it's pretty hard not knowing the fate of my hamster, and she is only a pet... not an aunt and uncle, or a grandparent, or a best friend... they have souls... animals don't, and sadly, I doubt that all hamsters go to heaven...
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