Update and miscellany
Apr. 6th, 2006 05:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urocyonSurprise: I'm still in Virginia! Light is showing at the end of the tunnel, though, and I hope to get back to merrie olde England late this coming week.
Mamaw finally had her feeding tube removed Monday, and is supposed to come home tomorrow. I definitely wanted to see her home and settled in before I hopped on a plane. Most of the delay seems to have come from her picking up the (highly antibiotic-resistant) human version of kennel cough--on top of the aspiration pneumonia--in the hospital. This is apparently why one nurse denied that the lady had any sort of breathing problem, while the rehab center staff insisted that we don masks before entering her room. Yes, I'd imagine that a lot of people would get cranky about being charged for treatment and further days in the hospital, thanks to a disease they'd picked up in there. Ah, the joys of fee-based medical treatment and plummeting hygeinic practice standards thanks to 50+ years of antibiotics. Good thing the lady has the constitution of an ox.
We will be extremely glad to have her home, though this delay wasn't all to the bad. It's been just a couple of days now that I've felt completely recovered from this last bout of Another Weird Virus. Probably a combination of stress and--as my mother suggested--no longer being accustomed to common viral strains here, managed to make my immune system go on vacation for a while. This last one was one of the icky kinds of flu-like things that will give you some chicken pox-like blisters, then bouts of fever every afternoon/evening and swollen lymph nodes, even once you think you're mostly better. But, finally, I do have a normal energy level back. Mamaw really didn't need to come home to a house riddled with seemingly endless bouts of flu, after what she's been through lately.
I was feeling exceedingly lazy there for a while--and no wonder!--but am gratified to have been able to take care of some other necessary business. B.B. has been microchipped and revaccinated for rabies, and had a marvellous time at the vet's, as usual. It's an exciting voyage, even if it usually involves at least one shot. :) Our usual vet wasn't doing microchips, at last check, so we went to a newish practice which is a lot closer to home. They were pleasant enough that we're considering transferring the cats there, since it is more convenient than driving 10 miles or so with a yowling and slobbering Bungee. Tempting as it may be otherwise, cranky old Queen Bungee would not enjoy moving into a household with other established kitties. Even staying with her "sister" wouldn't make that tolerable; the two of them grew up together and have always acted like interspecies siblings.
I was glad to get confirmation that B.B. is in remarkably good health for a 12-year-old dog. She isn't even starting to get cataracts. She does seem healthy as a horse, but it was comforting to hear the vet confirm it. The chip manufacturer this vet practice uses is AVID, which works on a different frequency than their UK ones. With any luck, we won't need to shell out $250+ for a scanner, though the US site says nothing about providing rental scanners for travel, as the UK one does. I may have to bug them to find out if this is a possibility. If not, needs must, and we may be able to pick one up cheaper through eBay. In about three weeks now, they can draw blood for the rabies antibody test, and then the six-month waiting period begins. They were enough on top of things so that they found out that an international veterinary certificate is also required, though the Defra site didn't mention it.
Since I've been back in town for a while, and noticed that Shaun Carroll who did some work on me years back has his own shop now (when I drove by it), I decided there was no excuse for me to put off getting that tattoo touched up any longer. It was dense enough work that some of the color bled out during healing, as Shaun warned it might--a little late for the free touchup now, though. *shakes head* Shaun is great, and I'd certainly recommend him to anyone coming near the New River Valley--do plan to get him to do more work the next time I'm back here and have the cash. I got over my reticence to use the phone* long enough to call and make an appointment for the touchup Saturday evening. So I'm rather pleased to finally get it spiffed up, with several days for healing before I head back to the U.K.
Please excuse the bit of rambling, possibly due to the Vicodin I had to take earlier for the wonky knee. Just thought some folks might enjoy an update--and assurance that I have neither dropped off the face of the earth nor left Ingvar. :) My mom's cousin Barbara was actually selected by some other family members last week to do an "Oh, by the way" inquiry when she was calling for a dream interpretation from Mom, who is apparently considered the family expert on things related to the Sight. A couple of the others must have thought Barbara would get a better reception, asking such things. I couldn't help going into a fit of the giggles. What would some people do with their time if they didn't spend it being nosy?
* It only recently occurred to me that this ten-year-old phobia might have some connection to an annoying stalky ex who made the phone ring nonstop for almost a year--when he wasn't driving back and forth by my house and breaking my car windows--and who didn't get the hint after several episodes of cursing at him and telling him I never wanted to hear from him again. (I only avoided more direct confrontation because he wasn't worth going to prison over if I lost control.) Go figure.
Mamaw finally had her feeding tube removed Monday, and is supposed to come home tomorrow. I definitely wanted to see her home and settled in before I hopped on a plane. Most of the delay seems to have come from her picking up the (highly antibiotic-resistant) human version of kennel cough--on top of the aspiration pneumonia--in the hospital. This is apparently why one nurse denied that the lady had any sort of breathing problem, while the rehab center staff insisted that we don masks before entering her room. Yes, I'd imagine that a lot of people would get cranky about being charged for treatment and further days in the hospital, thanks to a disease they'd picked up in there. Ah, the joys of fee-based medical treatment and plummeting hygeinic practice standards thanks to 50+ years of antibiotics. Good thing the lady has the constitution of an ox.
We will be extremely glad to have her home, though this delay wasn't all to the bad. It's been just a couple of days now that I've felt completely recovered from this last bout of Another Weird Virus. Probably a combination of stress and--as my mother suggested--no longer being accustomed to common viral strains here, managed to make my immune system go on vacation for a while. This last one was one of the icky kinds of flu-like things that will give you some chicken pox-like blisters, then bouts of fever every afternoon/evening and swollen lymph nodes, even once you think you're mostly better. But, finally, I do have a normal energy level back. Mamaw really didn't need to come home to a house riddled with seemingly endless bouts of flu, after what she's been through lately.
I was feeling exceedingly lazy there for a while--and no wonder!--but am gratified to have been able to take care of some other necessary business. B.B. has been microchipped and revaccinated for rabies, and had a marvellous time at the vet's, as usual. It's an exciting voyage, even if it usually involves at least one shot. :) Our usual vet wasn't doing microchips, at last check, so we went to a newish practice which is a lot closer to home. They were pleasant enough that we're considering transferring the cats there, since it is more convenient than driving 10 miles or so with a yowling and slobbering Bungee. Tempting as it may be otherwise, cranky old Queen Bungee would not enjoy moving into a household with other established kitties. Even staying with her "sister" wouldn't make that tolerable; the two of them grew up together and have always acted like interspecies siblings.
I was glad to get confirmation that B.B. is in remarkably good health for a 12-year-old dog. She isn't even starting to get cataracts. She does seem healthy as a horse, but it was comforting to hear the vet confirm it. The chip manufacturer this vet practice uses is AVID, which works on a different frequency than their UK ones. With any luck, we won't need to shell out $250+ for a scanner, though the US site says nothing about providing rental scanners for travel, as the UK one does. I may have to bug them to find out if this is a possibility. If not, needs must, and we may be able to pick one up cheaper through eBay. In about three weeks now, they can draw blood for the rabies antibody test, and then the six-month waiting period begins. They were enough on top of things so that they found out that an international veterinary certificate is also required, though the Defra site didn't mention it.
Since I've been back in town for a while, and noticed that Shaun Carroll who did some work on me years back has his own shop now (when I drove by it), I decided there was no excuse for me to put off getting that tattoo touched up any longer. It was dense enough work that some of the color bled out during healing, as Shaun warned it might--a little late for the free touchup now, though. *shakes head* Shaun is great, and I'd certainly recommend him to anyone coming near the New River Valley--do plan to get him to do more work the next time I'm back here and have the cash. I got over my reticence to use the phone* long enough to call and make an appointment for the touchup Saturday evening. So I'm rather pleased to finally get it spiffed up, with several days for healing before I head back to the U.K.
Please excuse the bit of rambling, possibly due to the Vicodin I had to take earlier for the wonky knee. Just thought some folks might enjoy an update--and assurance that I have neither dropped off the face of the earth nor left Ingvar. :) My mom's cousin Barbara was actually selected by some other family members last week to do an "Oh, by the way" inquiry when she was calling for a dream interpretation from Mom, who is apparently considered the family expert on things related to the Sight. A couple of the others must have thought Barbara would get a better reception, asking such things. I couldn't help going into a fit of the giggles. What would some people do with their time if they didn't spend it being nosy?
* It only recently occurred to me that this ten-year-old phobia might have some connection to an annoying stalky ex who made the phone ring nonstop for almost a year--when he wasn't driving back and forth by my house and breaking my car windows--and who didn't get the hint after several episodes of cursing at him and telling him I never wanted to hear from him again. (I only avoided more direct confrontation because he wasn't worth going to prison over if I lost control.) Go figure.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-07 08:32 am (UTC)