What Really Matters

Hi y'all! How is the year almost over?! Is it just me or the older you get the faster time flies? It makes me cherish the time I spend with my loved ones, knowing that at any moment, everything can change.

What I'm Wearing:

ASOS Ruffle Dress [similar] | Ivanka Trump Carra Heels [similar] | Henri Bendel Waldorf Satchel | Nexgen L6 Santiago dip powder

My social media friends and subbie family already know this but I wanted to get words on paper (really, on blog) about this past month to remind myself when I'm becoming impatient. We decided to have Juicy's teeth cleaned after holding off for a couple of years. The last time, she had a hard time recovering, stopped eating for a couple of days, had to get fluids for a day but then went back to her normal self. I remembered how worried I was and how painful it was to see her like that. So I put it off. And put it off. And put it off.

The past year she's had to deal with some cray things, getting bit by a poisonous bug (I think it was a brown recluse but can't be sure) causing necrotic skin and the vet having to cut the dead skin away. She had a drain in the suture and first time she had to have stitches other than when she was spayed as a baby. It was awful but we got through it. I promised myself I'd be more patient and not take time for granted.

But then life gets in the way. I started falling back into old patterns. Taking things that in the grand scheme of life, had zero importance in my life but allowing them to have an effect on me.

So then we decided to get her teeth cleaned. We were faced with a decision to allow her to continue to have bacteria forming in her mouth which could lead to a weakened immune system. Or take the risk of having her put under anesthesia and maybe having a hard recovery. We decided to take the chance.

I don't want to rehash it all, it's all pretty fresh in my mind so I'm just going to do a quick recap. We fed her 1/2 her food and 1/2 her insulin the morning of the dental cleaning. Her cleaning went well and I made sure to carry her up and down the stairs or up and down the bed (which my vet didn't warn me of the first time so I attributed her getting sick to that). That evening she ate 1/2 her food, 1/2 her insulin and the following day was back to the full amounts. I was feeling hopeful that it was the right decision. Around 2 am she started to have severe diarrhea. Brought her back to the vet the following day. They watched her, gave her some meds and thought that would fix it. It didn't. The next day I brought her back again. They put her on subcutaneous fluids and when I picked her up she had a fluid pocket under her skin that worried me (it eventually absorbed into her skin). They were able to coax her to eat.... stew cat food. But whatever, she was eating so I fed her that.

Over the weekend, we fed her some cat food and then boiled chicken once she was over it. I thought we were going in the right direction, at least she's eating. Mind you she's not getting her insulin because it was all out of wack without her eating. Saturday and Sunday morning she threw up after jumping off the couch first thing in the morning but was interested in eating after so I tried not to worry. Monday she doesn't want to eat at all. So I take her to the vet yet again and they finally diagnosed her with pancreatitis. The throwing up part definitely was a symptom of it. It could have been caused by the stress of it all, switching her from this food to that food... lord only knows. They give her more fluids, more Cerenia. But yet she's still not wanting to eat. She was getting so itty bitty. I was trying to keep it together but inside I was falling apart.

Tuesday she was shaking, not wanting to move. I knew it was something more. So back to the vet I go and they finally recommend that I go to the animal ER. Thankfully it was a few mins down the street. I knew it was going to be a huge bill but I'd sell my house and car to do whatever it takes (I'm being dramatic... but seriously. I would). She was in so much pain and discomfort she would even more out of her car seat. So I just carried her entire car seat into the ER. They did tests on her and on top of her GI tract being irritated by the anesthesia and the pancreatitis, she also was in DKA because of her glucose levels being so high for so long. They ended up hospitalizing her for 36 hours, hooked her up to fluids and took it from there. I visited her every day while she was there. I prayed. I postulated. I kept having faith that she would get better, she had to get better.

And now, a couple weeks later, she is better. She's eating full meals and is on a smaller dosage of insulin although she needs a glucose curve soon because all the issues made it unregulated again. She's pooing solid and is her wonderful, sassy self. I am so grateful. So thankful. I know it's not completely normal yet but we'll find a new normal. I'm taking this as a win.

Ok that was not a short synopsis of what happened but oh well. Hope this will teach me and inspire you to enjoy life, not worry about unimportant distractions and focus on what truly matters in life. I know all of this has nothing to do with the outfit I'm sharing but I'm working on taking a little me time to play with my creative side. Thank you for listening to me vent.