Tabby is feeling better....

I don't know how many of you have been lucky enough to witness Tabitha's obsession with paperbags but it is a site to behold! We put our medications for animals going home etc in brown or white paper lunch bags. One day Tabby stuck her head in one and was pawing at it etc for HOURS. She does this every now and then, lately hasn't been feeling too hot so she hasn't been doing it. Well today she decided she needed to, was pawing at the paper bag so I got her out one to play with:



And Videos:

And More:

Enjoying the sunshine

Rob had his sleep study tonight so I wasn't going to get to see him after work so I made some Beef Enchiladas and took them out to his work for his lunch. They turned out REALLY good. We were able to eat them outside on a park bench in front of his work. It was a nice spring sunshiney day.



Here is the Beef Enchiladas I made:

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb Ground beef
1 Med onion, chopped (1/2 C)
1/2 c Sour cream
1 c Shred Cheddar cheese (4oz)
2 t Chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp Ground pepper
1/3 c Chopped grn bell pepper
2/3 c Water
1 t Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Chopped fresh or
1/2 tsp Dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
(2 whole green chilies, chopped)
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 Tortillas (5-6" in diameter)

---

Garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream, &

Chopped onions, if desired

Preparation

1. HEAT oven to 350*.

2. COOK beef in 10-inch skillet over mediumheat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. STIR in onion, sour cream, 1 C cheese, the parsley, and pepper. COVER and REMOVE from heat.

3. HEAT bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, (chilies), garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling in 2-qt saucepan, stirring occasionally; REDUCE heat. SIMMER uncovered 5 minutes. POUR into ungreased pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches.

4. DIP each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. SPOON about 1/4 C beef mixture onto each tortilla; ROLL tortilla around filling. PLACE seam side down in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 inches. POUR remaining sauce over enchiladas.

5. BAKE uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

GARNISH with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onions

Jasmine Eleanore Louise at Rainbow Bridge

Jasmine Eleanore Louise, was able to cross Rainbow Bridge this morning peacefully with our help. She wasn't responding to treatment, was not able to maintain her temperature (she went into hypothermia), and was extremely bloated this morning. So we made the decision to end her suffering. Her bowels this morning were straight liquid almost looked like pee they were so loose. So Dr Sims put her to sleep, she was ready to go, she went quickly and peacefully. She wasn't even purring today, and she was on Wednesday and yesterday. She hasn't eaten anything since Tuesday. He did a necropsy/autopsy as we were concerned she might have FIP which is highly contageous to other cats, her Autopsy showed, NO heartworm, although did have some heart issues, her bowels were thickened and she had lymphadenopathy in her messenteric lymph nodes. Her bowels were VERY smelly. We took some sections and looked at them under the microscope and she had Lymphocytic, Plasmacytic Enteritis, unresponsive to treatment and with Malabsorption (she wasn't retaining ANY nutrients). There were NO FIP Lesions, dry or wet, so the fluid we pulled off of her could have been from the steroids and/or the infection in her bowels. Normally this type of enteritis will respond to steroids but hers didn't. It was a sad day at Camelot Pet Resort, Jasmine is now with Greaser aka Juicer :), Neville, Chester Cheetah the other clinic kitties we've had. Maybe now she won't have nystagmous in her eyes any more :)

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Meal time made easier

I am trying something new. Menu Planning. Rob and I always spend a good portion of our time playing the "What do you want for dinner?" game. This is how it goes:

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Rob: Food
Me: What kind of food?
Rob: Good
Me: What kind of good food do you want?
Rob: The kind that you eat
Me: ARGH!

So I've learned that I just need to ask Rob "What kind of good food, the kind that you eat, would you like for dinner?" I just love being married to a perpetual smart butt!

In my 'blog' reading addiction I stumbled across this site Organizing Junkie who does something called Menu Plan Monday:
http://orgjunkie.com/2009/03/menu-plan-monday-march-23rd.html
Basically you put your menu on your blog, link back to her site etc etc etc. So I figured we'd give it a try here's this weeks menu:

Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas (easy and yummy)
Wednesday: Minestrone Pasta (Something new I tried out of a cookbook, this was not a keeper recipe)
Thursday: Taco Beef Bake with Cheddar Biscuit Topping
Friday: Cream of Mushroom Soup added Mushrooms, Chicken over Rice (I'm having it over Cauliflower Rice) Really easy, 1-2 cans Crm Mush Soup, Mushrooms, Shredded Chicken, about 1/2-1 cup of sour cream then either put over rice or mix in with rice.
Saturday: Beef Enchiladas or Low Carb Spaghetti haven't decided yet
Sunday: Homemade Mini Pizzas, Rob has invited one of his friends from work and his wife over for dinner so we are making homemade pizza's using Pita's from Costco as the crusts...amazingly YUMMY!

Can you tell we love Mexican? We have decided what we are going to do is have 5 days of our 'favorites' or trusted and tried recipes, and then 2 days where we try something new, either from cookbooks or online. I'm excited, it has made meal time SO much easier already. Dinner on Rob's work days for him is a Slim Fast Shake/Fruit Smoothie combo as he gets home at 10:00pm and doesn't like to eat a heavy meal that late, so he takes whatever I make for dinner the next day for lunch at work.

Jasmine Clinic Kitty Update :(

Jasmine is not doing good and is currently hospitalized much to her shagrin...she's NOT happy with the situation and is protesting in any way she can, she rearranges her blanket, dumps her water etc. She's losing more weight, pooping STRAIGHT liquid with hardly any form to it, and is hardly eating. She's lost 1# in 20 days she's down to 7# now. She is skin and bones. She is dehydrated, running a fever and has ascites (fluid in abdomen). We tapped her abdomen and got an exudative type fluid out of her tummy. My dad did say that her heart sounds better and is not as rapid as it was a few weeks ago. Her fecal analysis wasn't really conclusive of anything other than she's not absorbing her nutrients.

Causes of Exudative fluid are:
1. FIP which is Feline Infectious Peritonitis and is unfortunately a fatal disease.
2. Heart disease. When the heart begins to fail, pressure can build up in the chest cavity or the abdominal cavity. When pressure backs up in the abdominal cavity, this is called portal hypertension and it leads to fluid accumulation in the abdomen.
3. Blood from trauma or a bleeding tumor.
4. Cancer in the abdomen causing a fluidy "exudate" - this is known as carcinomatosis
5. Toxoplasmosis or other infection

So for now we have stopped the Vetalog as it suppresses the immune system and can make things like Toxoplasmosis and FIP more apparant. We have switched her antibiotics and have her on Chloramphenicol for the time being. We will continue monitering her vitals, temp etc and see if we see any kind of improvement. We just worry as where she has lost this much weight she is at risk for Fatty Liver Disease.

Here are some pictures taken today:

It's hard to tell but you can see her backbone sticking out. Her coat should be a LOT thicker and more grown in than it is, she was shaved almost 4 months ago.


We will be evaluating her more tomorrow and Friday, we are hoping she responds, if not we may have to put her to sleep so she's not suffering.

Spent day at Dr's w/Rob today

Rob and I basically went from one doctor straight to the next today.
Cardiologist: He was somewhat helpful, agreed that Rob's heart isn't pumping the fluid back up from his legs like it should, and that it could be due to lots of things:
a- Verapamil (one of 2 bp pills he's on) causes fluid retention
b- Rob's weight (which we already knew was an issue and we are working on)
c- Could have heart damage that is making the heart weak so it's not able to pump it all back up
d- Pulmonary Hypertension (which we will get checked out more at Pulmonologist the end of April).
e- He also explain that when you are sitting down a lot for your job your legs pinch off the vessels (or something) so you are more prone to water retention.
He ordered an Echocardiogram for next Monday, with an appt on the 13th for a followup to discuss the results and go from there. He does want to get Rob off of the Verapamil though as it is known to cause fluid retention and it interferes with us getting pregnant too. So he said he would see what the results of his Echo are and go from there

Internal Medicine/Sleep Disorders Clinic:
Rob definitely went lower during the night on his pulse ox, had one where he spike REALLY low, but his average was 86-93%, so he didn't feel it was the 'panic' level they let on to us on the phone and getting the oxygen right away, but Rob is feeling lots better with the oxygen so that's a good thing, yesterday he said he was able to go down the stairs like a 16 year old. He was very in depth explained a lot about Sleep Apnea, and the causes behind it, again putting the fact that Rob is overweight and that he also has it running in the family (dad and 2 sisters) so they are having him do an overnight sleep study and if they get enough info they will wake him 1/2 way and have him try a CPAP machine on and see if levels improve with it. This is scheduled for this Saturday with a follow up the next monday (6th)

So we did get some answers but have to wait for further testing before we know more. So it looks like poor Rob is going to have a Dr's appt every week on Mondays in April except the 20th....poor guy!

The Buzzard, The Bat, The Bumblebee...

THE BUZZARD:

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and
is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its
ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a
run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable
nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level
place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it
can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully,
until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can
throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like
a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there
until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the
means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find
some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will
seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys
itself.

PEOPLE:

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the
bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and
frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look
up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution
to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

My brother's family

I just posted their pictures on my Mom & Dad's blog, go check them out, they are adorable!
http://danjanicesims.blogspot.com/2009/03/dannys-family.html

Sacrifices or Investments?

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." --Gordon B. Hinckley

What wonderful words of wisdom! It seems like lately there have been a lot of sacrifices here.
As Rob and I have been facing his difficult health challenges, we are very blessed to have a skilled Dr, whom when I think about it, I believe I was 'lead' to him, as I didn't really get a recommendation for him just was checking out the list of 'approved' providers near our house, and The Alpine Clinic was one of the closest to our house and they had a picture of their doctors on the website (always a bonus you know :) . But I honestly believe we were lead there, it just felt right. When I called to make my first appointment they wanted to make sure I knew they were more 'natural' as opposed to conventional medicine. Fine by me, Rob calls me the 'supplement' queen.

Without this doctor, Rob may have died in his sleep. We have been going to another Dr for 4 years, as well as Rob had been seeing him before, I don't think he took Rob serious. We found out today that his oxygen levels drop so low at night he's VERY lucky. Talk about a scary thought. We will find out just how low they are on Monday when we go in for his consult with the Sleep Clinic. We have been working with the home health care place and our Dr. since Wednesday trying to get the Oxygen delivered as they want him on it right away. Well Rob was a little late to work today as they were having a potluck and he was making a hamburger gravy for the baked potatoes, they called while he was making it and the driver was in the area and was just going to stop 'just in case' someone was home as they were so concerned about it. So he will start on oxygen at night tonight. I'm hoping it will help him sleep better, so that he may wake up renewed and refreshed instead of tired all the time. He is still continuing to do well with his weight loss, he said yesterday that he didn't have to 'stretch' out his pants like he normally does after they are washed! YEAH! He also had to put a new notch in his belt to make it smaller! I am so incredibly proud of him!

I pray that we will be able to get him healthier so he may be around for a long time to come...long enough to see his Grandkids go on Missions! First we have to have kids, but I think I know now why we haven't been blessed with them yet, we need to get Rob's health issues under control first. I'm crying as I write this, it's like I'm being told by the spirit what is the 'plan' for our future, and what lays ahead. Goodness, I know that may sound weird but wow, I'm overwhelmed at the moment. He works in mysterious ways!

I've been tagged....

My friend Kelly 'tagged' me (well I read her blog, so I guess I was tagged...) I was instructed to take the 6th picture in the 6th folder on my computer, post it and tell about it....not so glamourous a picture of me, but the furkids were having fun. We have Zoey the little spotted chihuahuas, Duncan the black poodle (now lives with my brother Danny in Canada), the little white one in the middle is Sebastian a little Toy Poodle puppy we puppy sat for Duncan's breeder, then Jakob the Westie who crossed over to rainbow bridge last year (cancer). Anyways sorry for the 'scary' no makeup/sweats picture of me. We were outside having a barbeque when we still lived with Rob's mom.

I'm gonna follow Kelly's lead....if you are a reader of my blog YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED now....so post the 6th picture from the 6th folder on your blog and tell about it!

Are you Fireproof?

I posted this on my Diet Blog: No Time To Weight But I'm not sure all my 'family' blog readers read that one so I wanted to share it here as well because I was SO touched by this movie.

If you have not watched this movie, I STRONGLY encourage you to do so! It is amazing! I cried pretty much through the ENTIRE thing. I was so touched by the spirit of it. I even cried for a good while after wards. My husband is VERY good to me, he is constantly doing the 'little' things such as making sure I am covered up at night, so I don't get cold, running me a bubble bath (if he's home) after a long day at work, taking care of my boo boos & cuts with a cool head. I need to follow his example and love him more with the Love of Christ. This movie made me realize that I do not rely on HIM enough in my life. I tend to take Him for granted. I have decided that I not only need to Fireproof my marriage, and become closer to Him and my husband, but in other aspects of my life as well. I don't rely on him enough, I don't ask for the help and guidance from him in my daily life as I should. I think that I have definitely taken Him for granted in my life, BUT no more. My life is going to be centered around Christ in all aspects of it. I am doing the love dare with my husband Rob, not because our marriage is failing or that, but even with a 'perfect' marriage there is always room for improvement :)

Here are a couple of links with more info about "The Love Dare"
http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/
http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/

Update on Rob

Well we have been playing phone tag with the Dr for a week, still haven't been able to get through to them, but he did the overnight pulse oximetry test last Monday, and the Dr told the Home Health Service they want a sleep study to determine what type of sleep apnea he has and what he would need to be one, in the meantime they are so concerned about him, they are putting him on Oxygen at night until he is able to do the sleep study, they are working with the oxygen company to get something set up ASAP, but need more info from Dr, so will be calling them 1st thing in the morning (Dr's office closes at noon on Weds/Fri). We have an appointment next Monday with the Cardiologist (for his Blood Pressure), then the Sleep Study place also that day for a consultation and to set up his overnight study. We have an appt with the Pulmonologist in a month. (That was the soonest they could get him in).

As for him right now, he's doing pretty good, his weight is starting to come down, he has to make an extra notch in his belt as his belt is too big for him. He has been eating a lot more fruits/vegetables and is eating a slimfast smoothie at night instead of dinner since he gets home so late. I'm really proud of him. His BP is also doing better as he has a lot less water retention in his legs, and they are 'squishy' now instead of tight, he's been taking the Heart Health Pack from Costco. Anyways just wanted to post a quick update. He tells me he's 'mad' at me for making him go see my 'witch' doctor, but at the same time very grateful we now have a Dr who has half a brain, and is getting him the help he needs.

Do you Tweet?

I'm fairly new to twitter, but am having fun with it, especially since I just realized I can make updates from my phone...this is gonna be fun! Click on the birdie to follow me (Heather) :)


More button @TwitterIcon.com

Jasmine

For many of our blog readers you worked at or are familiar with Camelot Pet Resort, Jasmine another one of the office cats has been sick, she is losing weight (you can see her back bone), throwing up all over the place, diarrhea, her hair coat isn't growing back (not just because of Jon's urging...) Jasmine quit cleaning herself so had to be shaved Dec 30th (believe it or not for her 1st shave in 9 years she was better behaved than TIKI who gets shaved every few months). Her hair coat is still very thin and hardly growing. So we did bloodwork thinking she might have kidney disease like Tabitha. The ONLY Thing on her bloodwork that was off was her White Count was extremly high, so we put her on antibiotics about a week ago. We rechecked her and her heart was slightly 'muffled' but not really a murmur, and it's very fast between 300-360 beats per minute. So we xrayed her and she's showing some changes in her heart, has fluid in her heart sack. And much to our 'embarassment' as we ARE a veterinarian we have a couple rule outs:

1- Feline Heartworm Disease (she will be the 2nd cat we have diagnosed so far in 2009).
2- Endocarditis (Inflamation and infection around the heart)
30 Hyperthyroidism

Either one of the heart ones can be fatal. We have diagnosed more cats than dogs with Heartworm Disease, and several have been diagnosed on Autopsy. We are ordering in some Feline Heartworm Tests and will hopefully be testing her to find out for sure. We did put her on Vetalog to try and help her more. You can be sure that all 4 of the clinic kitties will be getting their monthly prevention FAITHFULLY each month from now on! What an eye opener!

Tabitha on the other hand is doing remarkably well with her kidney disease, she's gaining weight, (has gained 1#), is more perky (jumping up the door frames) and starting to get some of her 'attitude' back (smacking your face when you hold her).

The Verdict is in....

I broke my finger! Just got back from the Dr. He looked at the X-rays an it took him a while to find it, but I have an oblique angled fracture in my pinkie finger that is already starting to heal so probably happened about 2 weeks ago or so. It's lined up right and everything because of the angle, but the inflammation my dad was seeing on the xray is the new osteoblasts that are forming. I also apparently sometime broke my middle finger on that hand too as there is noticeable changes on that finger as well. I'm thinking I injured/broke my pinkie finger when I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago.

I confused the heck out of his assistants trying to give my history...lets see I fell around the first of the year 3 times in one week, gave myself a concussion, so my dad x-rayed to make sure nothing was fractured, then last week I had a bruise but my middle finger hurt to move so we x-rayed again, and noticed the pinkie, then Saturday my cat bit me, but that's already healing and taken care of so we are just here for the pinkie finger bone :) I think they were ready to boot me out the door. Anyways I'm relieved that it wasn't anything more serious. I guess now I can say that I've broken a bone before as I've never had a broken bone.

My ouchie!

Saturday night I got bit my cat. It was an accident and entirely not her fault. Visit: http://notime2weight.blogspot.com/2009/03/ouchie-ouchie.html for details. Rob has done a wonderous job of doctoring me up so far, we put a part of a tongue depressor under my finger as the bite is right on the knuckle so everytime I was bending my finger it was reopening the cut. OUCH!

That is weird....

My post about Rob last night got deleted...I'll see if I can't figure out what happened. Thanks for all the 'happy' thoughts we've gotten so far. GREATLY appreciated.

Keep Rob in your thoughts please...

Just got back from the Doctor. He was very thorough and addressed a lot of Rob's needs. He was VERY concerned about Rob's health and is sending him to 2 specialists and having a Sleep Apnea test done on him next Monday night. This all would be a lot less scary if he had been aware of some of the issues all along...apparantly his health hasn't been 'maintained' like we trusted our previous Dr too.

Here's the jyst of what's going on:

1- Asthma Pulx/Ox levels were at 89-91% which is very Low, they should be at 97%, he said Rob is on the verge of needing oxygen all the time. (This is the FIRST time Rob has had a Pulse/Ox done since he was in 3rd grade...which is NOT normal for people who have chronic asthma).
2- Sleep, he's having a Sleep Apnea test ran on Rob, said he probably may need Oxygen at night, this is scheduled for next Monday night
3- Asthma he is sending Rob to a Pulmonologist to get a better idea of the oxygen saturation levels in his blood and for better controlled Asthma, right now Rob is on Symbicort (steroid), hit's his rescue inhaler at least 4-5 times a day, and sometimes his nebulizer every day.
4- Hypertension/High Blood Pressure, his blood pressure is in normal ranges, however he was very concerned with the amount of edema in his legs, and said there was some Hemo (can't remember the rest) condition that was causing a breakdown and deposits of something in his legs (purplish color) so he is sending him to a Cardiologist for that as well.
5- Weight, of course he was VERY concerned about this and suggested 2 different Weight Loss Programs
1- HGH (I think that's what he said, anyways it's a Human hormone that women get when they are pregnant, anyways he said it can cause rapid weight loss of about 40# a month Drawback $600-$800 a month, we are thinking we might do this in May when Rob's normal hours return.
2- Firstline Therapy, which addresses the health issues of 'weight' problems instead of just the weight issues, so they will help with the risks for Cardiovascular Events (Heart Attacks) which he said Rob was at HIGH HIGH risk for, and it is usually covered by insurance. They said you are 'fully' evaluation by body composition, your level of metabolism, then put on the diet, which is basically shakes, bars and then a healthy dinner. You go meet with a counselor once a week. It's about $200-$300 per month for the shakes/food which isn't covered by insurance but the visits are. http://www.metagenics.com/tlc_programs/firstline_therapy.asp, this is a meal plan I found: http://www.drfeely.com/Documents/Ctrl_Hyperlink/Menu_Plan_Worksheet_uid8292008357392.pdf and more info: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healtheduc...e-therapy-diet they said it is a slower process of about 15-20# a month, maybe more.

Rob is planning on signing up for the Firstline Therapy weight loss program. I am so proud of him. He is probably going to adjust his schedule so he has Mondays off so he can go to the Dr each week, without having to lose sleep. He is also having about 10 different blood tests/panels ran on him, but they couldn't find a vein at the Dr's so he has to go to the Hospital to get that done. He HATES having blood drawn. He hasn't had a good blood panel ran on him for quite some time. It was nice to have a 'real' Doctor treat Rob with respect and concern instead of just skimming over his problems.

Going to the Doctor....

Yesterday I had a bruise about the size of a quarter between my middle finger and my ring finger on my left hand, the bones were EXTREMELY tender so I had my dad xray it (he's a veterinarian....on of the perks is not having to go see a Dr all the time LOL!) Anyways no broken bones in my hand however the pink finger metacarpal bone is swollen, and sort of 'bumpy' on the edges and not as dense in the middle. We compared it to x-rays he took 2 months ago when I slipped on the ice and sprained my wrist really back, and there are some definite changes. Here are the radiographs it's on the pinkie finger

Notice the pinkie finger (bottom finger) in the x-ray see how it's all bulgy?

These were the ones taken before about 2 months ago, notice the pinkie finger.....it's normal.