10:50 a.m. - 2004-11-25
What to do when you are sick.
I haven't updated for what seems like forever. I've been sick, folks. I don't want to go into all the gruesome details, (actually, I don't want to go into all the whiney, cranky details) but basically my lupus is acting up in a big way. For the first time in many years, I'm actually kind of scared about my health.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
I've been trying not to let it stop me, which is stupid because what I really need to do is spend some quality time with our bed and some books. But instead I've been trying to continue on with life as I know it.
Because seriously folks, what would you rather do? Lay in bed with a book, or clean rabbit litter boxes?
Obviously the litter boxes rule!!
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Poor Snookie helped me stay active this week. The little guy developed gastrointestinal stasis on Monday night. Since stasis can be fatal, this was cause for running around like mad people.
I stayed up much of Monday night, alternating between giving him subcutaneous fluids and syringe feeding him and trying to keep Babs from eating my hair while I lay on the floor massaging his stomach and collapsing on the sofa with a box of tissues next to me.
Snookie seemed in good spirits through all this, but by Tuesday morning still wasn't eating. He would have to see the vet.
Since this lupus flair up has involved my having seizures, I can't drive. Which meant we had to navigate around Bruce's insane class schedule so that he could take us to Birmingham.
You know what? On this Thanksgiving day I am most thankful for my husband. Wotta' man!! Who else would drop everything to drive a sick bunny two hours in the pouring rain to see a vet?
Bruce, you rock!!
Alvin wasn't in, but the new vet he is training, Dr. Stephanie, was happy to see Snookie on short notice. Of course, he was in stasis, but in the early stages. The prognosis looked great, but he would have to spend the night.
We had brought Babs along, too, since they have never been separated. Heartbreakingly, Dr. Stephanie said she couldn't stay because they would have to carefully monitor Snookie's "output" (read: poop) and with Babs in the cage it would just be too confusing. So for probably the first time in their lives, they were separated.
Linda had offered to take them at the main foster house after Snookie was released. Stasis can be a recurrent problem, and since she is so close to the vet's office it seemed that Snookie would be better off in her care for awhile. So reluctantly we left Snookie and brought Babs to Linda's.
They were reunited last night. Linda said they were obviously thrilled to see eachother, and were grooming eachother like crazy!
I miss them so much. I have made the mistake of getting attached to my foster bunnies! In exchange though, we now have Ginny, a big, beautiful New Zealand. She is somewhat overweight, and Linda was hoping I could get her slimmed down a bit.
She has the personality of an old Yankee farm woman - no nonsense, just give me the food. What is all this cuddling garbage anyway? I don't need my ears rubbed, I just need that piece of kale, thank you.
And by the way, my litter box is dirty. You need to clean it. Now.
I think I'm going to like this big girl. I like being bossed around by ten pound rabbits.
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As part of my bid to be the most active sick person on the planet, I'm also going out on Sunday to help Bruce with his endangered species survey. Since I'm not as hail and hearty as I'd like to think I am, Bruce felt it would be a good idea if we finally invested in some chest waders for me, since the water is likely to be pretty cold.
He announced this out of the blue yesterday morning. And we had to get the waders immediately!! I very seldom see Bruce in a totally spontaneous state, so, gape-mouthed, I obliged him.
So we made the pilgrimage up to Scottsboro, to a place called Hammar's. It's an old fashioned "dry goods and other cheap weird stuff" type store, and I really love it. It's straight out of 1950, just like Scottsboro itself!!
The drive up was hell. I developed a migraine halfway there, and by the time we got to Scottsboro I was moaning. Bruce had to pull into a church parking lot so I could barf into a plastic bag.
You know what is so weird about migraines? The minute lunch is disposed of, you feel sooooooo much better!! After retching for a few minutes I actually felt I could face the hip wader question.
I also faced the pajama question. I desperately need new sleepwear, and Hammar's had pajamas for $7.98!! Really nice, thick, flannel pajamas!! They were "irregulars", with the "offending problem" marked in red tape. My "offending problem" was the tiniest of spots on the back hem of the top.
For $7.98, I could live with that. Besides, I washed them when we got home, and the spot is now gone.
We also got a big jar of raspberry jam for a dollar, and some "chow chow".
Ya'll know what "chow chow" is? It's a Southern type of relish.
This particular chow chow is made by a local company, and is a frightening shade of lime green. I'm really looking forward to it on tofu dogs. Red ketchup, yellow mustard, and lime green chow chow on a tofu pup!! Now there's a lunch to lose when you have a migraine!!
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