An Update on our Patient, Hamlet

Hello, all. Sorry I've been MIA the last few days, but as you know, we've been in the middle of kitten drama. We were able to visit him in the kitty hospital last night, and he was discharged into our care while we waited for the results of some cell samples they took from his colon, which was thickened. The concern was/is that it was/is a tumor which was/is the result of lymphoma. Of course, John and I were pretty much inconsolable at that possibility, but we are determined to do what we can to get Hammy feeling better. Another main concern of the vets' was his lack of interest in, and thus lack of intake of, food. He hadn't eaten a real meal since Friday night's dinner, which he vomited up Saturday morning. But he ate pretty well yesterday afternoon while still in the vets' care, and he nibbled some kibble while we visited him. Once we got him home, he perked up and we saw that immediately he was more comfortable and happier. His tail, which had been down and apprehensive popped up like a little periscope--he was curious. And boy was he ready to eat! He gobbled a regular-sized meal of mixed dry and wet food. His personality was pretty much back, though he was sleepy from the anesthesia he had while they were doing the abdominal ultrasound.

So we were very happy to have him home, but also nervous. We are sure to watch him closely, and we have to give him some medicines, an antibiotic as well as an appetite stimulant.

This afternoon Mom came to visit and keep me a little saner, and while we were in Bed Bath and Beyond, I got a call from one of his doctors and she said she had just gotten the lab results from the pathologist and couldn't wait to call me. She said, as suspected, the fine needle asperit test didn't yield very many cells, but it was enough to make a pretty good preliminary call. She said based on what they saw, it doesn't look like lymphoma, but rather a bad inflammation. She said, of course, something more serious can't be ruled out cuz it was a small sample from an isolated part of the colon. But his behavior at home is very encouraging, and he'll have a follow-up exam and new ultrasound in two weeks to see if he's improved, worsened or stayed the same and we'll figure out the next step(s) from there. Some exploratory surgery may still be recommended based on how that goes, and that would include a full-thickness biopsy of the colon, which means major (read: expensive and scary) surgery. So we're just taking it one hurdle at a time and helping our little guy to feel better.

He's currently curled up with me on the couch, snug as a bug in a rug. He snuggled us all night last night, and we can just tell he's overjoyed to be home with him mommy and daddy.

So keep sending good thoughts our way, and hopefully Hammy will keep on the path to recovery. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for all your love, support, and well wishes,

Maureen, John, and Hamlet

Are We Done Yet?

Those of you reading this probably already know what a trying weekend it's been for me and John. Saturday morning at 4:30, Hammy started throwing up, and didn't stop until 9:00 that night. We took him to his regular vet at Banfield, who wasn't sure what was causing the vomiting. They treated him for the upset stomach, re-hydrated him, and gave him a dewormer in case he had picked up a parasite or something, and after watching him for a few hours, sent him home into our care. He threw up almost as soon as we got him home, and started going into the litter box almost religiously every half hour. He'd do nothing more than a sprinkle of pee, and then he'd gimp back to his crate in the office to rest some more. It wasn't until around 11 when I heard him crying in the litterbox and watched his muscles tense that I realized he's probably walking funny cuz he's constipated or blocked. I immediately called Banfield to get the 24-hour ER vet's number, and we took him there at 11:30. The staff at NorthStar was amazing. Not only were we glad they were so attentive with Hammy, but they were also great at soothing our worried little human minds.

So, he's been there for almost 2 whole days now, and while he's stopped vomiting (last time he did was last night when we got to the ER vet's) and is now peeing regularly, we're still waiting for him to poo--he ate something that has been stuck in his GI tract, and our humble theory is that once he goes potty, everything else will start to get better, too. He hasn't eaten since Friday night, but if you were having tummy troubles, would you be interested in food?

So it's been really hard on us, and today when we visited him and met with the vet I just lost it. I had been suppressing a lot and it just needed to come out. So if you can think healing thoughts for Hammy, send them our way. I want him home, healthy, and happy ASAP. : (

Home, Sweet Home

Well, as of tomorrow, we'll have been here a full week, and the new place is fantastic. It felt like home almost as soon as all of our stuff was in the door, and while it took Hamlet a few days (and a few rough nights) to get used to his new surroundings, he's quite settled and happy now. Today we bought an area rug for the living room to make it a little more barefoot friendly, to add some extra (visual) warmth, and also to give kitten a place to play where he doesn't have to worry about ice skating or running in place on hardwood. Playtime has been a challenge. haha

Here's a quick video tour with my usual idiotic narration, and stay tuned for some photos that are in my camera but I'm too lazy to upload presently. : ) Next weekend we'll have our first party--my 24th birthday celebration!--so it'll be great to welcome a few of our closest friends.

Moving Day Countdown: 1 day

[begin transmission...]

Yes, we are able to start the move tomorrow! And I'm really excited cuz--and remember, I'm a real math genius--I apparently mis-measured the bedroom, and shorted myself 3 feet in width (again, I remind you--whiz with the numbers!). So now that I have accurate measurements, our furniture will fit with no problem! Yay!

I probably won't post on here till we're settled in, and I'm glad for the long weekend. John has off tomorrow and Monday, which of course makes a happy Maureen.

Peace out, and commence radio silence...now.

[end transmission]

Moving Day Approaches

I've been shuttling things from current home to future home over the last 2 weeks, and finally, this Friday, we are able to move in. We have a storage unit downstairs in the basement, which is where most of our non-essentials are hibernating until we can move. I was able to get into our apartment today and take a peek around and get some measurements. Most discouraging is going to be figuring out the bedroom, which, it looks like will be a VERRRRRRRRY tight fit, and we actually won't be able to fit everything in there. ::sighs:: But that should be our only big challenge, so we'll see how it pans out.

Here's a sneaky peek at the new digs:

More to come!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday! Wow! We celebrated over the weekend with friends, and this is my favorite moment. They tricked Dad with those candles that never go out, and when he got tired, my godfather stepped in to lend a hand...or, lung. Also, please enjoy Nancy trying to extinguish a candle by slapping it with a metal cake server.

I present to you Gary versus Candles!

Welcome, 2010!

John and I rang in the new year at Donna and Rachel's with a few good friends. It was relaxed, fun, and Wii-rific. We also checked out Dublin Square for lunch, which was delicious and awesome. Here are a few pics from Christmas and New Year's.

Cheers!

Christmas Eve Eve in Ventnor.

Kitten checks out his Christmas gift.

My stack of Paula Deen cookware! Whew!

John's big gift from me: flat screen monitor!

Dublin Square Pub and Restaurant in your very own Bordentown.

Look. I know my birthday is coming up, but really? I'm not even halfway to 50 yet! Come on. We know I'm the queen of thinking ahead, but, uhm...leave me alone! How ridiculous.

Happy 2010, everyone! Hope it's a good one.