Thank you DannyMom

The last time I consulted with Dr. Mills (via the nurse on the phone) I was told it's most likely not life threatening, but should be dealt with as soon as it can be. I was going to have the procedure done at my regular Banfield, but was told (again via a nurse on the phone) the new attending vet is not comfortable doing it. Seriously?! What kind of vet is she?! That is my location where I always go, and I feel I should be able to have it done there w/o the extra expense of having to go across town. She said she'd look into Dr. Mills coming there one day to do it, but I'm not holding my breath. They really just don't seem to care like they used to. I'm still going to push to get a competent vet at MY location to do it if it's Dr. Mills or someone else. If nothing else, I will at least get him in for his exam and shots. See if they can give me some medicine to give him some relief.

I'm sorry to hear your AC is acting up. I hope you can get it working right soon. Sighing is one thing, but if Mindy and Shelley start panting, then it's HOT. I hope both you and they are doing well. TTFN

TTT

Hi, Tracy, good blistering hot Caturday greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang from Noah and me. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well and in good spirits. I know you are at work as I'm writing to you, but hopefully soon your day will be coming to an end and hope your travels home will be safe and uneventful. Please take it easy in your walks to and from bus stops as it is 101 degrees here at the moment with a heat index of 108 degrees (the heat index is down 2 degrees from an hour ago).

Adding my congratulations to DannysMom's on the compliment you received from the customer you supported yesterday. I hope this helps boost your confidence in your continued "learning curve" with the job.

As you can see it's hot here today. This time last week Noah and I were "surviving" through the power outage staying as still as we could not to stir up any unnecessary heat inside. With the help of the AC today I expended the energy to clean the bathroom. Fun, right? I would have done this last weekend but got a temporary reprieve with the power outage. I'm glad I finally have the job done for awhile. Noah was a bit upset during the process though because I was interrupting his routine of getting up on his bathroom window perch. I closed the door while I was cleaning because I did not want him investigating with the cleansers in use. When I finished he immediately got up on his window perch and kept me company as I took my shower. He was a happy camper once again.

I hope today is treating you, your precious Theresa and little Tang kindly, my friend, and that you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful, blissful, and cozy evening. I hope you are able to get the proper medical assistance for your little Tang's ear, and please do let us know how things go. Thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious fur tribe. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you moon_beam

It was certainly hot. As I write this it's still 85 out and humid. We are supposed to see some relief starting tomorrow. Doing my laundry now and looking forward to spending the day with the kittles. So tired from yesterday. I hope you and Noah have a great day! TTFN


TTT

Hi, Tracy, hot Sunday afternoon greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang from Noah and me. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well and in good spirits. Hopefully by now you have the laundry done and you and your precious furkids are enjoying a lazy Sunday together.

Noah and I are keeping a low profile today. He is stretched out next to me taking a nap as I'm writing to you. The A C is humming quite nicely, too, for which I am very thankful. Some folks had their AC units fried with the power outage, and are now having to pay prime dollars to get them repaired.

Ants have been invading the basement living quarters since the power outage, particularly in the kitchen area. So yesterday I placed several ant traps under the sink and stove to try to persuade them that they are not invited guests. A couple of weeks ago I put fresh ant traps behind the fridge but I guess that wasn't enough to discourage them. I think they have been coming in through the drains. So far today I haven't seen any, so I hope the invasion is over with. I guess it's too hot outside even for the picnic pests. Like you I am looking forward to the cooler temps forecasted for this week.

I hope today is treating you, your precious Theresa and little Tang kindly, my friend, and that you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful, blissful, and cozy evening. Thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious fur tribe. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you moon_beam

I'm sorry to hear about the ants. Your power being out during a heat wave may be partly responsible. I hope you can get it under control. We may all be God's creatures, but not all of us are compatible to coexist in one place. I'm gald your AC is functioning though.

It's been a "low profile" day here as well. Got the laundry done and zonked on the sofa for hours, with either Theresa or Tang coming along here and there for snuggles. This new schedule is making Sundays very much a day to recharge as it were.

I'm still waiting for the loan money to show up in my account. Tomorrow most likely. Then I will make an appointment for Tang's check up and shots etc. At that time I will see about at least getting some medicine to keep out infection. I think that's what Im seeing and cleaning. I have to admit with the tresiderm it looked much better. I'm still battling with Banfield about getting the surgery at MY location. Even if that means they have to trade one day. I know for a fact that they do this from experience. I fired off an email to corp. HQ about it.

It's been cooling off from the cold front; briging thunderstorms with it. The rumblings of which I'm hearing now. That, of course has Tang antsy. But I assure my boy that it's not like the night he was rescued and that he's safe now. He's kissing my leg as I tell him that. And reminding me it's can food supper time. I hope you and Noah are well. TTFN

TTT

Hi, Tracy, good evening greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang from Noah and me. I hope this finds each of you doing well and in good spirits. Hopefully soon it will be time for you to begin your travels home to share a peaceful and blissful evening with your precious furkids. And I hope your travels home will be safe and uneventful.

I hope you received your advance today so that you can proceed to make the vet check for your little Tang. I know the sooner you get him evaluated and his immunizations up to date the better you will feel. And I hope the Banfield office closer to you will be of service to you.

We are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. tonight. I sure hope that the storms lose their intensity as they pass through the region and the immediate area because there are some folks who have just gotten their power back today. I hear some thunder in the distance on occasion, and there's a light rain outside at the moment. Temperatures are cooling down quickly, and hope the AC will have a chance to rest for a few days.

Today I did a catalog of my VCR tapes as it will be easier for me to read the contents of the individual tapes from a printed catalog than off the labels. I discovered that I have two classic recordings of The Phantom of the Opera - - one version with Claude Rains and the other with Herbert Lom. So I have included in the catalog which tape holds which version. This is another project I have been wanting to do for awhile, so it is now crossed off the "to do" list.

Otherwise today has been a very low key day finally getting caught up on e-mail correspondence. Noah is doing well and is keeping me company as I'm writing to you. I hope today is treating you, your precious Theresa and little Tang kindly, my friend, and that you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful, blissful, and cozy evening. Thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious fur tribe. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you moon_beam

I hope the T storms miss you and that you don't lose power again. Way to go getting your VHS library organized. I'm sure that will make life easier.

I did get my funds today and made Tang's appointment for Wednesday at 9AM when I'm off. I tried to discuss the surgery again, but was given the run around (again) Let's see them blow me off in person. I'm not above bringing up the butcher that hastened poor Tom's demise. I figure if I say that around other patrons, I will be heard. I will let you know how it goes.

I finally cancelled my newspaper subscription. They tried to talk me out of it again, but I said unless they are willing to fire the carriers and distrobution managers that have been so terrible, no thank you. So, it's done. I'll just stop and buy a paper when (or if) I want one.

One more day until I'm off and can see to Mister Tang. I hope you and Noah have a great evening. TTFN

TTT

Hi, Tracy! Greetings to you and your fur kids. I hope everything goes well for Mr. Tang on Wednesday, and that you'll be able to get a good vet to do the surgery. I'm waiting for the maintenance guys to install a new compressor in the air conditioner tomorrow (hopefully). I was told that they should get the part in tomorrow. We really need some relief. Me and my girls are just so exhausted from the heat in here. My thermostat is still up to 84 now. I've got a portable AC in the bedroom, but it runs all the time and only cools the bedroom down somewhat. Mindy is trying to stay close to the bedroom to get some relief. I've been crying because it's just me and my girls here and nobody seems to really care. Just feel so all alone and am so tired of always fighting all these battles alone.

Hello DannysMom

I hope they get your AC fixed stat. I'm glad at least you have your window unit. But you are right, it only does so much. I feel your frustration in fighting uphill battles all alone. That's what usually makes me finally go ballistic on the uncaring folks. A fact I will remind the good folks at Banfield of Wednesday. But, know that it's not true nobody cares. I care. *HUGS* I hope you and your girls are OK and can keep cool. TTFN

TTT

Hi Tracy,

I hope your workday is going well. I'm glad that awful heat wave has ended. We did not get a drop of rain Sunday night and none yesterday. The rain and storms were all around us, but none for us and we really need the rain.......Blackie came back and is doing okay. He comes and goes.

I hope Tang's vet visit goes well....I'm sending my good thoughts and prayers your way. Give little Theresa and Tang a special pat for me......I'm always thinking of Sir Thomas too.....TTFN..


God Bless you and furbabies,

LoveMyMickey

Hi, Tracy, cooler damp afternoon greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well and in good spirits - - that your day at work is treating you kindly.

I hope you will obtain satisfaction for your precious little Tang at Banfield tomorrow. Do you have a Plan B just in case you do not get what you and your precious Tang need - - including peace of mind that the veterinary staff has the level of competency YOU feel comfortable with doing the surgery? Please know you and your precious Tang are in my thoughts and prayers and will eagerly look forward to knowing how things go tomorrow.

Sorry you have continued to have the hassle with receiving your newspaper. Having been that route I can honestly tell you I do not miss not getting the newspaper anymore. I can access it online without having to pay for a subscription, and that suits me just fine. You don't need the added aggravation of having to deal with poor service with the delivery of a newspaper. So whether you buy one from a stand or view the paper online - - at least YOU will be in control and not the circulation department.

Today I went into town to the vet's office to restock Noah's dry food. There was a light rain falling on my way into town, and when I got closer to the vet's office I saw some of the evidence of the storm that caused so much havoc almost 2 weeks ago. Some trees had split in half - I mean HUGE trees split in half and are still waiting for contractors to tend to them. I asked how the vet office did and was informed it lost telephone service for one day - - the Saturday of the weekend of the storm - - but that was all. On my way home the light rain had stopped, so I stopped off at the recycle site to empty the bag of plastic bottles I have been collecting for awhile. So my errands are run for the week. The monthly finance-a-thon is coming up in a few days, and there are always other projects to keep me busy. Through all the activities my precious Noah is by my side keeping me faithful company.

Once again, my friend, I hope today is treating you kindly at work, and that your travels home will be safe and uneventful. I know your precious Theresa and little Tang are eagerly anticipating the familiar sound of your footsteps in the hallway, the click of the key in the lock, and the exuberant reunion that daddy is home. I hope you and your precious furkids will have a very peaceful, blissful, and cozy evening. Thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious fur tribe. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Tracy, I know you care! Thank you for reminding me and thanks for the cyber-hugs. I needed those! I just get so tired of fighting all my battles alone. Every time I turn around it is something else. They got the part for the AC in today, but couldn't fix it because of the rainy weather. Just my luck! But hopefully it'll clear up tomorrow. The portable AC is VERY noisy. It is not a window unit. It is a standalone thing on wheels with a hose that goes out the window. Today it hasn't been quite as hot as yesterday so I'm thankful for that. I had to take my poor girls to the vet after Shelley pooped on the floor outside the box and I saw some white things moving around on her poop. Turns out they were tapeworms. The vet tech said she has never seen so many tapeworms on a cat. Poor Shelley! No wonder she has been so fussy.

Thank you LoveMyMickey, moon_beam, and DannysMom

LoveMyMickey, glad Blackie's back. moon_beam, hope you and Noah continue to avoid the storms. DannysMom, so sorry about the tape worms (posted on your thread)

Tomorrow I take Tang to the vet. The one lady that's been there a long time and introduced us left me a VM on my cell making sure the appointment was for real. I called back and got some air head that really does not have a clue (sigh) I hope the first lady is working tomorrow. I intend to make my case about the procedure. Many times in the past when Dr. Mills was resident at my location, I'd be told he had to go to the other location to do a surgery. Now that he's resident there, I don't see why that can't work both ways. I've been going there 7 years starting with Tom, and I feel me and my babies deserve better. I'll let you know how it goes. My regular cabbie must have started his vacation early because I got a message that his phone is not accepting incoming calls. So, I called the company and scheduled ahead. Wish us luck. TTFN

TTT

So, OK. The good news first. Tang's mass is not as large as I thought. Most of what I was seeing was infectious matter for which he has an RX for Clavimox (antibotic liquid, oral) and Tresiderm that goes directly in the ear. The Clavimox is also for a slight bladder infection.

Which leads to the bad news. Blood work and urinalasys revealed he is in fact diabetic I have an RX for both insulin and Hills low carb food for diabetic cats which I got today and is 5.00 cheaper per bag than what I had Tom on. The insulin I will probably pick up at the Kroger by where I work on my lunch hour and put in the break room 'fridge. Two units a day for two weeks before recheck.

The vet is ordering me a self tester so I don't have to go every week like I did with Tom. Dr. Mills can come to do the surgery but not for at least a few weeks or more. Which works out because of the diabetes, he's not a candiate for surgery until the glucose is under control (You hear that, certain "vet"?) Which is also good because today's price tag came to 130.00, just 30.00 shy of the surgery estimate; I thought it a bad idea to borrow as much as I did, but see now perhaps not. I'll probably be "juggling" between the two loan companies for a while until I'm stabalized (sigh) Oh, and Both Dr. Harris and Dr. Mills agree the mass is NOT cancerous, which is a relief.

Now, I just have to figure out when I can get Theresa in for what I hope is a text book comprehensive exam. She has always been my "rock" health wise. This is my day so far, with a nice little dose of gout pain in my right big toe. Thank goodness for Alopurinol and ibprofrin. I'll post more as news becomes available. TTFN

TTT

Hi, Tracy, greetings to you, your precious Theresa and little Tang from Noah and me. I hope this finds you and your precious furkids doing well - - as well as possible under the circumstances - - and in reasonably good spirits.

I want to say first how happy I am that the growth in your precious Tang's ear is definitely benign, and that it is smaller than what you had anticipated it to be. I know the medications will help to clean up the infections (both ear and UTI), and the Tresaderm once again to help keep the ear clean. And I'm very glad Dr. Mills will be able to do the surgery when it is appropriate. I know you will want him to do the surgery now more than ever with Tang's diabetes.

And now I wish to try to offer you some words of encouragement and comfort about your precious Tang's diagnosis with diabetes. You had wondered about this during the spring, and I am so very sorry your fears have been confirmed. Did Dr. Harris mention how severe the diabetes is at this time? I am hoping the combination of insulin and food will stabilize your precious little Tang's blood sugar quickly, and that you, your precious little Tang and Theresa will enjoy a long and healthy earthly journey together.

Now for dad: I'm sorry that you are having a flare of gout to contend with. I know you are very concerned about Tang, and want to be strong and healthy to take care of him - - and the last thing you need is to be in pain and discomfort. I hope the medications will offer you relief so that you can focus on taking care of your precious Theresa and little Tang - - AND yourself.

I hope your travels to and from the vet office went smoothly for you and your precious Tang, and that you and your precious furkids are now being able to enjoy a pleasant day together, and will have a very peaceful, blissful, and cozy evening. Thank you for the blessing of your friendship, Tracy, and of your precious fur tribe. Please know you, your precious Theresa and little Tang are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I always look forward to sharing your news and your treasured memories of your beloved Sir Thomas.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam

Thank you moon_beam

Dr. Harris said his glucose count was up in the high 400s - worse than when Tom was diagnosed. Am I forever cursed to have male cats with diabetes and living on borrowed time? Does God think this is funny somehow? At least she (Dr. Harris) is very much aware that you NEVER put a cat under when their counts are off; and that that butcher is no longer employed with Banfield. But why does ths keep happening to me? One more reason he's lucky I took him and not someone else I guess. But do the Fates think I'm MADE of money? Will I lose my job again to complete the pattern of cruelty? To top it all off, the lady I'd hoped would be there was, but informed me she and one other are the only original staff left there; and she herself is looking for another job. They, like me, are fed up with the "new" people and way of doing things that's geared more toward money and less about caring for the fur kids.

The pain in my toe is not a "full blown" gout attack, thank the Alopurinol for that I suppose. But it still stinks. I'm still trying to process it all. Not much more to post now. I hope you and Noah are well. TTFN

TTT

Tom's Dad,

I hope that Tang's condition will improve and stabilize with the insulin. Maybe you can find some insulin cheaper online from pet stores or pet pharmacies. Sorry to hear about your experience with Banfield today. I once took Danny there because my regular vet was closed and he had diarrhea. I let them talk me into signing up for their wellness plan. BIG MISTAKE! One day he was supposed to have blood drawn for something. Danny was still a little kitten then. The ditzy blonde vet took Danny in one hand, and in the other hand she had the needle and was trying to stick him while singing some hippie song from the 70s. I almost asked her if she was on drugs. She missed with the needle and hurt Danny. He screamed out in pain, and I gasped. She gave me a look and said:"Who are you concerned about, me or the cat?" In that moment I wanted to slap her. I complained about her to Banfield, but it didn't really do much good other than she was barred from treating Danny again. They only exist to make money, and their computer system never seems to work right.

Hang in there, Tom's Dad. With the right food and insulin you should be able to get Tang's diabetes under control. I hope that Teresa will be okay when you take her for her check-up.

Thank you DannysMom

I suppose I saw this coming, but was in denial. Much as with his ear. But at least that turned out not nearly as bad as I had thought. I was not able to avail myself of my usual cabbie, but got someone very nice. He said that given a choice, he'd rather his pet was diabetic than to have cancer. I suppose there is a higher lesson there. At least the former is more under my control than the latter. But still, it's hard not to see it as a mixed blessing at best.

I seem to recall your horror story about Banfield in one of your posts. Fortunately, by bad experiences have not been as beyond the pale as yours (Tom's death not withstanding). Cindy (the vet tech who introduced me to Tang) did say Dr. Harris is VERY good with cats, and her word carries a lot of weight with me. Another reason I trust her is that she made me aware of the survey and that would be a good place to voice my concerns. I do hope she stays, but I understand her reasons for wanting to leave (sigh)

Thank you again for caring. I hope you and your girls are doing well. I also hope your AC is fixed. TTFN


TTT

Tom's Dad, my AC is fixed! I forgot to mention it. My girls are very happy and comfortable, and Shelley is happily running around again, chasing after toy balls. Mindy is napping, but I'm hoping she'll play chase later on with Shelley to get some weight off her. Every bit of exercise helps!

DannysMom

Glad to hear the AC is fixed. Let's hope we don't have too many more 100 plus days!