I dropped Eomer at the vet Monday morning. Nikki laughed her ass off because she had a checkup scheduled for 3:40, and Eomer took her appt!! Thankfully, our vet lets you drop off in the morning for a later appt for a nominal fee. Eomer seemed pretty chipper that morning considering, but still he was having diarrhea and getting dehydrated. It's really nice that Andrew & I know enough about ferrets that we could keep him at home and *not* have to pay an emergency vet over the weekend.

Basically, the vet said that the blood work showed that some of his liver & kidneys values weren't good (ie, the organs aren't doing what they should). His albumen is low so fluid is seeping into the cavities of his little belly causing a fluid build up. She did a abdomincentisis and the fluid was yellowish which also indicates liver problems. The diarrhea can be a result of liver problems too. When he had his partial pancreas-removal surgery several months ago to treat his insulinoma, it turned into a spleenectomy as well because it was about to rupture. The ultrasound back then showed a spot on his liver so Dr D seems to think that the cancer spread to his liver. Liver cancer ain't good. No, cancer is good, but liver cancer *sure* ain't good.

Dr D gave Eomer some Baytril (anti-infective) & Flagyl (anti-biotic) to help combat the diarrhea. On top of that, he's getting subcutaneous fluids 2x a day. (Thankfully, I just bought a case of fluids for Nikki.) Plus, he's still taking 1) Enalapril (ACE inhibitor) which basically helps lower his blood pressure & helps prevent/treat his congestive heart failure by dialating his blood vessels, and 2) Lasix (diuretic) which helps flush the fluids out.

All this and he doesn't weigh 2 pounds. Poor fellow.

By Monday night, Eomer was doing pretty well and even ran around the den a bit. He seemed better able to control *where* he went to the bathroom so we even let him sleep in his favorite afghan in the corner. Tuesday at lunch, Andrew came home and checked on him, and he was doing well. Right after work, Andrew stopped by the house on the way to D&D and all was well. However, when I came home at 7:45, all that I could do was get my dinner cooked & barely eaten before Eomer started having problems. He was straining to go to the bathroom, but there was nothing there......so he was experiencing rectal prolapse. Finally, I put him in a sleepy sack and just held him so he would stop trying to go and calm down. Thankfully, the inversion was a temporary problem that would stop when he stopped straining. As you can imagine, Eomer was very upset, and I couldn't be sure if he was crying in pain or frustration. Slowly, he began to calm down. Thankfully, Andrew was home from D&D soon after that to lend a hand. Once Eomer fully calmed down, the whimpering stopped. Meanwhile, Nikki was in the bathroom throwing up from constipation. Yee-ha. One child with diarrhea, and one with constipation. I was exhausted.

This morning, I found him sleeping pretty good, and he hadn't made a mess in his bed......but neither had he gone on the paper.....which was puzzling. Andrew does his morning meds so he just messaged me that, after I left for work, Eomer took his meds, ate well, peed, and seemed to be doing okay. I hope today turns out to be a good day for Eomer. If not, I so fear that the end is coming.

Flu bug or more?

Eomer is still not out of the woods. For almost 24 hours, he has been lethargic and he's had diarrhea. Last night, he seemed to perk up after having rec'd subcu fluids 3x yesterday and having eaten lots of Nutri-cal & chicken gravy. He definitely seemed to feel better and even drank some water on his own. Andrew & I didn't go to bed until 2pm. Almost an hour ago, I found Eomer seemingly back where he was yesterday morning. I woke Andrew & we gave him more subcu and cleaned his bedding. By the looks of the dry newspaper, he hadn't gotten out of the bed all night. I held him until he settled back down. Like anybody, Eomer gets very upset when he poops & pees himself.

So, I guess today we wait & see again. If he doesn't improve today, we'll call Dr D. She & her awesome tech are out of the office this weekend, but we have Dr D's cell for emergencies.

Never ready

My sweet ferret is not doing well today. Eomer grunts sometimes when he's snuggling into his bed, when you're holding him, or when he's going to the bathroom, but lately he seems to do it more than he used to for unexplained reasons. This morning, my husband & I heard him this morning grunting in his bed in his cage, and at first, we didn't think much about it. However, then we realized that Eomer was going to the bathroom in his sleepy sack.

Today, Eomer's congestive heart failure may be getting the best of him. Only time will tell. He doesn't seem to have enough energy to stand to go to the bathroom. I have held him up for him to do so, and I've had to clean him up a few times. It makes him very upset when he has to go and can't adequately stand which may explain the grunting earlier today. He has eaten some magick ferret chicken gravy and some Nutri-cal, and now he's sleeping.

The plan for today is to keep an eye on Eomer and hope for the best.

Back on track.......

Overweight and on the home stretch for 39 years old..........

Recipe for disaster. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, & diabetes all run in my family. Which one do I want?

No, really....either I pay for getting healthy now or I pay for it in medical claims later. I already pay to exercise...sort of....since I pay the Ranch each month for my skate pass. I really thought when I started skating this year that it would help me lose weight, but it hasn't. I guess when you've really worked out, you tend to eat everything not nailed down if you're not careful. I've been really good at offsetting any good that skating has done me in that way.

I've always felt like I was bigger than most people my age from when I was a little girl. I grew in height really fast so in my preschool class pic, I'm a head taller than everyone else. It wasn't until maybe my pre-teen/teen years that I became "average tall".....not the tallest, but not average either. About this time, thanks to adolescence, my appettite kicked in and I was a little pudgy in 8th-10th grade. However, by the time that I graduated high school, I think that I weighed 145 which was normal for a high schooler who was 5'6"ish. That's not how I felt though. I always felt fat.

Finally, in college, I probably felt as normal as I have ever felt. I had skinnier friends and I had larger friends so I felt like I was somewhere in the middle. I had lived long enough to learn that there was some one for everyone, regardless of their size. Therefore, I learned that my weight was not the single factor that could be used to calculate my chances of getting a date! Then, again, my dumb ass college boyfriend used to tell me that I was the biggest (ie fattest) girl that he'd ever dated. Well, thanks a lot, dickhead.

When I started my adult life, I was right around where a person my age/height should be. However, after a particularly long, drawn out first bout of depression in the late '90s, I put on 75 lbs. Ick. I had really given up then that I would ever find anyone to spend my life with......so why did it matter how big I was? Upon getting my life spark back in the early '00s, the weight began to peel away as I began to live life again. By the time that I met Andrew in 2001, I was about 10-15 lbs lighter than I am now.

In January of 2002, I started bellydancing which did WONDERS for my body image. I embraced my body and women of all sizes. I immersed myself in the beautiful bellydance community and wasn't ashamed to let my belly hang out.....like women of all sizes so commonly do in bellydance circles.

In early 2004 with a year until my wedding day, I joined Weight Watchers (WW) at work and lost 40 lbs that year. It was incredible. I was nearly in a size 14 by Christmas. I have good wedding pictures & good honeymoon pictures to look back on, but in WW's eyes, I still had 20 lbs to reach the *top* of the range for my age. Regardless, I was happy, and I didn't understand.....get this----> I didn't understand *why* people ever gain weight back. Har har. Well, I figured that out as the months passed after the wedding. Of course, I quit WW because I thought I could do it myself. Well, I couldn't. By my first anniversary, I had gained nearly all of my hard earned pre-wedding lost weight back.

Eventually, I definitely gained ALL of the hard earned, pre-wedding lost weight back, and unfortunately, in the process I had lost my positive body image. I haven't been happy with my body ever since. And I guess as I continue to struggle with derby, I've zeroed in on the fact that if I was lighter, I could skate faster and longer without being so tired. If I were lighter, it would make my knees happier. I have muscles under all this fat from the months of skating so I know that this fat isn't doing anything good for derby. Somehow this was the last straw..........

Last Tuesday, I rejoined WW, and tonight is my first official weigh in. It's been a good week. I've done really well attempting to retrain myself to eat better foods and watch my portions. I really, really feel better about myself for getting "back on track" like they like to say in WW.

I'm writing this blog partly to motivate myself and partly to share this with those I care about.

Here's to getting more healthy!

Within my grasp

Level One assessment report:

I'm pleased, just not thrilled.

I passed everything except the mohawk turns and side stepping. It doesn't really upset me to not pass these because neither were skills that I had to pass previously and I haven't had a lot of practice at them.

For now, I'll just focus on them, master them, and that will be that.

Thanks to Kitty, Leadfoot, Chad, & Tomahawk for coming out early to assess.

Just got back from the chiropractor to be treated for torticollis. Yee ha. I've seen my God-like doc for over 5 years now for a chronic neck/back problem. Basically, my muscles tense up and pull my spine out of alignment. Usually, the result is a slow, increasingly painful, dull ache, and a limitation of movement. Today was A-freaking-CUTE! All that I did was stretch/twist a bit in the shower this morning, and, by doing so, I aggravated my already slightly stuck condition. I've done this before.....not by stretching/twisting in the shower exactly......but by other movements so I've been here before.

from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/torticollis/article_em.htm
Torticollis is one of a broader category of disorders that exhibit flexion, extension, or twisting of muscles of the neck beyond their normal position. In torticollis your neck tends to twist to one side. The condition can either develop slowly if you have a family history of the disorder, acutely from trauma, or as an adverse reaction to medications.

Bending or twisting your neck too far can lead to acute torticollis. This condition appears with few symptoms, although often you will appear uncomfortable and will hold your head straight or rotated to one side. It will hurt to move your head to the opposite side. Your neck muscles on the side that hurts often are tender to the touch. The doctor will check your nerve and motor function to rule out spinal cord injury.


Now, with two days before my assessment, I was advised to not go to practice or I'll lose my adjustment. Losing it would not be good for lots of reasons. Namely, I have my assessment to make it through Saturday morning, but I also have my 20th high school reunion this weekend. I'd hate to be miserable through these weekend activities.

After 8 months and 7 days, I should say that I'd better be ready for this damn assessment. Hopefully, the requirements to pass haven't changed too much on me. I can *do* everything on the list, but I just hope that I do it the way that's now required to pass it.