Monthly Archives: June 2006

Peanut update

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I had been hoping that this would be the last update for awhile, but it seems today’s vet visit was just another chapter in the saga.

Dr. G doesn’t think Peanut has made any clinical improvement. Which came as quite a blow considering she is visibly better than she was two weeks ago. She’s eating and drinking on her own, her poops are finally up to size (bunny people will understand that one), and she’s hopping around like a normal bunny, albeit leaning just slightly to the right.

She did lose 1/4 pound, which coming off of a 5 pound rabbit is a fairly significant amount of weight. If it was due to her decrease in appetite, and subsequent hand feedings, then she should gain weight back before their next appointment.

The rabbits are both going to see Dr. G again in two weeks, Peanut for a re-check and the standard annual exam for both of them. Depending on how well she is doing, we may very well end up testing Peanut for Pasteurella and E. cuniculi. For what I hope are understandable financial reasons, this is not something I’d consider lightly.

Aside from treating the ear infection, Dr. G doesn’t feel that the antibiotics did anything for her overall condition. She’s adjusted to having the world off-kilter, but it’s adaptation, not improvement. This was evident when he picked her up for a closer look at her face and mouth, and upon placing her back on the exam table she flopped over like a sack of potatoes, her carefully balanced world thrown completely out of whack.

His diagnosis of facial palsy confirmed that there is something different about the right side of her face. Her teeth and jaw are perfectly fine, no sign of misalignment, molar spurs, or abscesses, but I knew that something was “off”. The palsy would also explain why the right side of her face has been a little crusty since she started eating on her own (and since mommy stopped wiping her face). She’s dribbling slightly when she eats and drinks.

I’m reeling, to say the least. This was not what I expected to hear at all.

just what I needed to hear

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Our local independent radio station had Great Big Sea on live tonight…

In this beautiful life, there’s always some sorrow,
And it’s a double edged knife,
but there’s always tomorrow,

Oh, you know;
It’s up to you now if you sink or swim,
You just keep the faith that your ship wll come in,
it’s not so bad.

And I say:

Way, hey, hey, it’s just an ordinary day,
And it’s all your state of mind;
At the end of the day,
You’ve just got to say it’s all right,

`Cause I´ve got a smile on my face,
And I´ve got four walls around me.

Things are rapidly approaching the breaking point of craziness. Mom got a call from my uncle and aunt; they visited my grandfather this weekend and called us to basically say that they’re really concerned and we need to get him up here as soon as humanly possible. We’ve been working on this addition project for nearly a year, and now the pressure is on to get it completed enough to have Papa move in within two weeks.

Yikes.

It’s been a very long, very trying, very exhausting weekend. I’ve got to get some sleep in order that I might seize tomorrow by the ya-ya’s…

movies

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I rented four movies this weekend, three foreign and one documentary-ish: Ma Vie En Rose, Ponette, Maria Full of Grace, and What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?

Ma Vie En Rose was by far my favorite of the bunch, possibly one of my all-time faves. Since I share Robert Ebert’s view of the film, I’ll just link to his review and spare myself the typing. While we’re at it, here’s his take on Ponette as well. Both of these films showcase some of the best child acting I’ve ever witnessed. Makes me want to go out and adopt a little French kid…

Maria Full of Grace sets a slightly more serious tone, by giving an intimate portrayal of a young Columbian woman who decides that her only option for a brighter future is to become a drug mule. It’s gritty and fascinating. I highly recommend it.

Standing in stark contrast to the nuanced brilliance of the aforemention films, What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? is just too full of itself, a bizarre amalgamation of a PBS documentary and a low-budget-Lifetime-meets-SciFi movie. A little film with a very big ego, it’s really not as groundbreaking as it would like you to believe. The film does offer a good cursory overview of quantum physics, but then again, if you’re into that sort of thing you’ve probably heard it all before.

393

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Just after two o’clock this morning I found myself pacing in small circles inside a very small room, a combination of too much caffeine and not enough to do. It’s really quiet at the switchboard.

I’ve got a lot on my mind. When I pray, it feels like I’m spilling over and it’s all I can do to keep my thoughts in coherent order.

After this past week, I’d love nothing more than to curl up and sleep this rainy day away. But John and Amanda are getting married today (they’ve been “John and Amanda” for as long as I’ve known them) and I’ll be attending both the ceremony and the reception with my guest, aka my brother. Stephen and I will be going to Kohl’s after I get out of work this morning so we can buy him a new pair of pants.

Then it’s the wedding. Then sleep.

Then both services at my old church on Sunday. It’s my dad’s last time preaching there, a final good-bye. So even though they left the church two months ago, and I’ve been gone for nearly a year, it’s the church I – we – grew up in, and where my dad pastored for nearly 25 years. I’ll be heading to church straight from working third shift, mind you. Luckily, I’m pretty sure Sunday afternoon is free (good thing Christine doesn’t mind me collapsing into a heap on the couch)

And, of course, someone thought it would be a brilliant idea to schedule a vet’s appointment first thing Monday morning. Can you say ‘intravenous caffeine’?