Improvement :D

Life has been on quite a set schedule for us lately.  We've had to add a couple of other medications.  So we get up around 5:00-5:30 for their breakfast and then I sleep again until 9:30 when we do his clavimox (antibiotic).  I've had to stagger when we do the medicines because he was vomiting a lot from gagging and straining against taking them. :S  So, then at 10:30 we do the alternagel (phosphate binder) - this is the one he has the hardest time with - and the TumilK gel (potassium supplment).  Then at 11:30 I give him some pet tinic drops (iron and vitamin supplement) so he doesn't get anemic.  If he were to get anemic the blood flow would focus on the vital organs and be less strong throughout the rest of him so we need to make sure to keep his iron level up and check his color (at his gums and eyes) regularly.  These drops need to be with food so right afterward I feed him - first the kidney formula wet food and then tuna (getting him to eat is important because when I found out he was sick he was barely eating at all and his bowels hadn't been functioning for a while and we had to give him an enema to help him get things moving again).  And I make sure he has plenty of water.  Then at 12:30 I give him his famotidine pill to help soothe his gastrointestinal system so he doesn't develop ulcers due to the change in acidity inside him because of the kidney problems.  At 2 p.m. we do 100cc's of his subcutaneous fluids.  It's getting more difficult because since we do it every day he's sore all over his shoulders from being poked with needles and is getting more angry about it each time. :S  But I still manage to out-stubborn him and have him sit there with the needle in for the several minutes it takes for the fluids to pass through the tubing and into his system.  Then he eats again.
Then I am freeeeee! =D  I usually eat first thing because I often don't eat anything or just get in a granola bar during the medicine times.  If he vomits - which he frequently does - it causes me to feel pretty nauseated (well, he eats tuna... 'nough said) and I have to clean it up.  I also get really nervous to do the fluids every time still and food settles better if I just wait until afterward.  So then I have time to do laundry and dishes - which I am forever trying to get caught up with mainly because of all the towels I go through wiping off Miles after medicine - they cause him to foam at the mouth a little and drool a lot due to the bitter taste - and the towels I lay down on the floor to try to catch the splatter of meds if he shakes his head - my bathroom is speckled. x.x  So, I usually eat and do some chores and grocery shopping and litterbox cleaning (daily since he urinates so much more now).  He eats again in the evening and then I do again, too.  And then the medicines all happen again starting at 9:30, since most of them need to be given every 12 hours.  And he eats after his iron drops at 11:30 and I stay awake - often I call my mom and chat since it's earlier for her - until I give him his pill at 12:30 and then I can go to sleep so I can get a few hours in before he wakes me up for his breakfast.  It's a little like having an infant. xD  ... That you stick with needles. :|
We added some hairball medicine once or twice a week to help reduce the vomiting.  We've also started doing shots of epogen to help his red blood cell count.  It had been down to 22 which is getting low so we gave him .22.  But then a few days later when we went back to the vet, his level had dropped to 19. D:  This was upsetting.  So we figured out a dosage to be administered 3 times a week so I gave him the shots 3 times a week for about a week and a half.  Then when we checked, his blood count had gone up to 40! =D  He was back in the normal range!  So we did the same dosage 2 times a week.  And his blood count has stayed at 40!  Also, his weight has increased to 9 lb. 15 oz. (he was at 8 lb. 4 oz. - down from 12 lb. 4 oz. - when I first took him in).  So now we are going to do .17 on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening and see how that goes. =)  2 of the vets I've been working with both met with me together yesterday to let me know how happy this is.  With the kind of numbers he was at when I first brought him in and to get to these numbers is really great and that I'm a very good nurse. =D  Yay!  So this week I did his epogen shot yesterday evening and keep administering his other medicines and the fluids and do his next shot on Sunday morning and I just will call the vet on Monday to let them know how he's doing. :D  I expect we'll go in to draw blood for a blood count on Wednesday.
This is all probably very uninteresting to everyone. Lol.  But, it's been my life for the last 5 weeks or so.  He was almost to kidney failure so that eclipsed anything else in my world.  I stopped going to see my therapist temporarily because it interfered with the medication schedule and also because I'm freaking exhausted. xD  The vet is pretty far away and I have to go on the roads with the heaviest traffic to get there so on the days I don't go to the vet or to the store I want to stay home.  I'd only talk about Miles in therapy and worry about him while I was there, anyway, so might as well postpone it for now.  I'm so glad he's doing better.  I thought I was losing him.  Every cuddle I was afraid was our last.  If he was sleeping I worried if I touched him he'd have stiffened in death.  He's been such a good boy letting me take care of him this way.  If he really hadn't wanted to allow the medications and needles he could have freaked out enough to make it impossible.  But, he knew I was trying to help him so he lets me (with some small hissing and grumble growling lol).  We'll still need to continue treatment and keep tracking everything - and I won't even tell you how much all of it has been costing x.x - but I'm really happy and feeling so optimistic about our boy. =)

Keeping On

I saw this when I got to the top of the stairs today. xD  Then a moment later, I saw this:

I think Miles is starting to feel a little better. ;)
We've been to the vet three times this week.  When we went on Monday, his red blood cell count was even lower than before, so he's going to need shots three times a week for a while.  I was a little shaky on Wednesday so the vet did the shot that day and today I was able to do it by myself under observation.  So, Monday I'll be doing the shot on my own at home.  I'm only a little nervous.  I'm starting to get used to using needles.  That makes me sound like a druggie. xD  I'm just glad that he is doing some better.  He and Zoe are resting now. :)

I've become addicted to The Big Bang Theory lately.  It helps keep my tension down. (I get really nervous before I do the subcutaneous fluids, so watching something funny helps me stay more relaxed, hence keeping Miles more relaxed.)  I love watching a smart show.  Especially when I understand stuff. Lol.  It also makes me feel cozy. :3

Also, they have a lot of cool guests!  Neil deGrasse Tyson, LeVar Burton, George Takei, Stan Lee, and Stephen Hawking. =D  I revel in my nerd status. xD
Only a couple of months until Johnny will be home. =)  I'm just going to keep doing my best to keep Miles going and to keep myself going until then. :)

Doing a little better. :)

We've been to the vet two days in a row this week.  Happily, Miles's creatinine level went from 11 to 7.4.  We need it to get down to 2.5, though, so we still have a long way to go.  His potassium level is back up to normal, also, so giving him the potassium gel has been helping.  However, his red blood cell count is getting low, which is to be expected.  So we went back to the vet again yesterday for a shot to help the red blood cell count and a shot of B12 to help his metabolism and appetite.  So every 12 hours we're still doing antibiotics, a phosphate binder (to help so no more phosphate will build up in his kidneys), and the potassium gel supplement.  Then we wait two hours and I give him a pill that should help his gastrointestinal system so it doesn't become too acidic and cause ulcers and also to help him with nausea.  And once each afternoon we do the subcutaneous fluids (an iv is intravenous but for this we just put the needle under the skin - I'm starting to learn the words! xD ) to keep him hydrated.  He hasn't had much of an appetite for his regular dry food so he's on a diet of a canned kidney formula food and tuna (because he'll eat tuna and we need him to eat) and therefore so is Zoe because she HAS to do everything Miles does and it causes too much uproar trying to separate them for meals. x.x  Miles has gained a few ounces of weight back and his appetite is doing better. :)  Zoe, I think, has gained a little weight, too. xD  It's cute.

I found him like this, hiding in a blanket I had folded up and set on the bed while I was folding up my load of laundry and he couldn't resist the warm blankey. xD
The vet did warn me that if Miles becomes at all lethargic to bring him in right away. o.o  I'm doing my best to be a good nurse for him.  Because of the every 12 hours situation and the times getting messed up from appointments I feed him at 8:30, give him meds at 10, and his pill at 12 in the morning and at night.  I usually wake up around 5:30 or 6 to give him a drink though because he needs to drink a lot.  (This makes cleaning the litterbox super fun.  xD  If I miss a day it's awful. x.x)  Scheduling in my meals is tricky because I wait a little while after each little meal (every 2 or 3 hours) to make sure that he doesn't vomit cause if he does and I've started eating I might lose mine, too. lol  So, we are all living on quite an agenda! :3 The cutest thing is that even though Miles gets so mad at me for forcing him to take medicine and for poking him with a needle, as soon as it's over he stops being mad and is cuddly again.  He is such a sweetheart.  I love him so so much.
Zoe is trying to help take care of him, too, which mostly annoys him. xD  But she has started "cleaning up" the bits of tuna that get on the floor by pulling them all into a little pile with her paw.  And they usually nap near each other.  There's a sweater of mine that I allow to be on the floor because Zoe loves to sleep on it so much and Miles threw up on it. v.v  She was sad but just has been sleeping by me more while it has been in the wash.  I wash a lot of blankets, towels, and clothes of mine - all of which get covered in medicine or vomit - so we just threw the sweater in with the next batch.

 Miles has been more active and wanting to get up in the window (he does need a boost up though, lol) and he and Zoe love hanging out and looking outside together. =)  Whenever they play it makes me really happy cause I know he's feeling well.
We've been having some really scary thunderstorms here lately.  I was driving to the vet in one Monday to pick up medicine - thank goodness Miley wasn't with me, cause he is terrified of storms - and it rained so hard I could hardly see.  The thunder woke us up at 4:30 this morning, it was so loud.  O.O  But it's sunny now and both kitties are soaking up the sun by the patio doors. =)

 The days feel like they are going by so slowly but then I'll look at the calendar and realize we're halfway through May already. :D  I am so excited for Johnny to be back soon.

Staying strong.

This has been a really hard week and a half.  Miles seemed to not be feeling well, so I took him to the vet.  He has chronic kidney disease.  His kidneys have become smaller and are round-shaped now.  His body is functioning with only about 1/3 of his kidneys being functional.  The creatinine levels in the blood is high for a cat at a 3.  Miles's level is at 11.  So, it's pretty serious.  He also has a substantial heart murmur.  He lost 2 lbs. (he went from 11.4 to 9.3) in a month.  So, we've been at the vet a lot and now twice a day I give him two liquid medicines, a gel, and a pill.  And once daily I administer fluids under the skin - which is basically hooking him up to an IV at home.  I'm not a fan of needles, so it's a difficult thing for me to do.  But, love is a great creator of courage.  So, I'm doing my best to take care of him.   I ache inside all the time now because I love him so much and it's so hard to see him sick and not knowing if he will get better.  I've had people make fun of me about him in the past.  But, he has been like a child to me.  And I don't care if the comparison bothers anyone.  If it does, they don't have to talk to me.  He has sat up next to me while I was sick and sleeping all night.  He comes running from anywhere in the house if I sneeze so he can check on me.  He is my adorable sentinel while I am in the shower, sitting on the bath mat protecting me.  He kisses me on the face regularly, he sits by me in the evenings and we watch movies together or I read by him.  He has shown me more love and kindness than most of the people I've known in my life.  And I love him so very much.  The first time I heard him cry as a kitten trapped in that thorny hedge it awakened a mother's instinct in me and I knew I would take care of him for the rest of his life.  I promised him that when we took him in.  And he and Zoe are what keep me going while John is in Afghanistan.  The idea that Miles might not be here when John comes back is agonizing.  I'm going to do all that I can, I will give all of my time, I will give all of my money, everything to take care of him.  Because that's what you do for someone you love.  I am honored to have shared our home and lives with him.  He's our family.  I'll keep you posted.

Old but New

It's been blissfully rainy here lately. =)  I love that about Spring.  Clouds and rain give such a refreshed feeling.
My finger is healing, but I'll have an ugly fingernail for many moons. Hahaha.  I've had insomnia leftover from the last medication I tried, so I finally gave in and tried melatonin to help me fall asleep earlier.  And it worked. =D  It's so nice to be awake at a normal time today.  It makes such a difference.
Life's been pretty quiet here.  Though not dull.  Life can't be dull when you have this in the same room with you:

She looks like a little turtle!  And she figured out if she runs like that it will stay on her like a little cape for a few seconds so that has become her new favorite thing to do with the gift bag. xD  Miles is usually watching from around the corner of the couch like he thinks she's crazy. :3  It's so cute.
I've heard a lot about Mad Men, so I decided to see what the fuss is about.  And now I'm hooked. :7  The sexism and racism is a little jarring, but realistic.  The fashion makes me feel like getting pretty clothes and wearing accessories. xD  Also, because I grew up watching my mom's movies and listening to her music, I understand most of the references they make to the early 60s in the show.  It's pretty fun. =)

It makes me miss some of the bombshells from that time.  Like Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, etc.  When I was little I used to watch To Catch a Thief sometimes and just be in awe at how beautiful and sophisticated Grace Kelly was.  And I wished I had her hair. xD

Matchless.
Johnny just signed a new contract for 5 more years, so we should be staying here for the duration of that time. :)  We're settled here and I actually unpacked everything when we moved into this apartment so it's a relief not to have to pack up and move in the near future.  The cats love chasing each other up and down these stairs, too. xD

Mixed Week

I hope everyone had a happy Easter and are enjoying Spring. =)
My back has been all better, so this week I promptly hurt myself again. x.x  I lost my balance on my back porch steps as I lifted a heavy bag of garbage into my big garbage can and the plastic handle twisted around my finger and sorta flayed part of it as it dropped into the garbage, bending it the wrong way against the edge of it. :(  It pulled the bottom of my nail away from my finger and pulled off skin around it, as well.  So my nail is partially purple and where there's missing skin looks frightening. v.v  So, that's been lots of fun. :S  You can only kind of see it in the picture.

I also got hit on obnoxiously by a very drunk 65-year-old man (he felt the need to tell me his age) while I tried to eat some lunch at a restaurant while I waited for my car's safety and emissions to get done. -_-  It was 3:30 in the afternoon and he was already that drunk. :\  He kept saying he wasn't hitting on me and then would tell me I was gorgeous, which was very awkward - especially since I made it clear I am married.  >:|  So, I ate all the good stuff off my salad and left fast. Hahaha.  Gloriously, my car passed safety and emissions so I didn't have to get new brakes or tires or anything this time. ^_^  That was very happy.
Johnny's birthday was April 6th. :)  I had sent him beef jerky and cookies and got him gifts here for him to have when he gets home.  And we played computer games online together for fun. =)  I miss him so much!  I miss getting to spoil him on his birthday.  But, it won't be too much longer before we're together again. =D
I found the most adorable anime on youtube called Chi's Sweet Home. o.o  It's the cutest thing ever!  It's kind of difficult to find all the episodes with English subtitles, but if I can't I can usually catch what's going on from what Japanese I understand.  It's a children's anime with cute 3 minute episodes about a family that takes in a kitten and an adorable little voice narrates the thoughts of the kitten.  This kitten - Chi - is so much like Zoe!  It's uncanny. :3

Speaking of Zoe, she has been naughty in the cutest way this week. xD  She took my pajama pants into the bathroom and put them by her water bowl/fountain.  She loved that she could put the drawstrings in the water and pull them out again.  I laughed so much when I found the situation she didn't really understand she shouldn't do it, but oh, well. Hahaha.  I'll just make sure she can't get to them.

Zoe has also been loving a big gift bag from one of my birthday presents.  She spends most of the day on it, in it, or under it.  It's adorable. :3

Miles gets a little jealous and lays on the bag whenever Zoe isn't playing with it. xD 
Well, I'm going to get a cold pack for my finger and watch some As Time Goes By. =)

Things I love. =)

It is definitely Spring here.  For a few days it actually looked like someone dusted the world with green confectioners sugar because there was so much pollen everywhere. However, Christine is allergic to all the pollens. D=  So, I have been a sneezing and sniffling girl for a while.  When I sneeze it upsets Miles, though, and he comes running over to check on me. :3  It's so cute!  It's nice to be looked after.
Lately I have had a mineral addiction. x.x  I found that you can buy minerals for a little money (or for a LOT of money, depending on your budget and/or obsession) on eBay and now I have expanded my collection a bunch. :D  It makes me happy.

This is a piece of lab grown chalcanthite I ordered. 8D  I love it so much!!!

My pyritized ammonites! <3  Pyritization is a kind of replacement, a kind of fossilization where the mineral that makes up the organism is replaced with another mineral, in this case pyrite (also known as fool's gold).  Pyrite naturally forms in cubes (due to the way the molecules bond and form a crystal lattice - so cool!) so the chambers inside the ammonite end up having minerals grow in and fill them and look like lots of little geodes.  Ammonites are one of my great loves. ^_^
I am doing pretty well without any medication. :)  I'm paying close attention to everything, though, to see if it is the best thing for me.
I threw my back out of alignment a little bit this week. x.x  I wasn't sure if I should seek medical attention or not, but it started to do better after I had put heat on it for a while and my shower head has a massage setting which helped the pain a lot.  In celebration of doing better today I made shepherd's pie. Hahaha.
I discovered something new about myself over the past couple of weeks.  I have never really had a favorite fruit.  When pressed I usually would say pineapples or strawberries.  However, I realized that my actual favorite fruit is lime. =D  Savory or sweet, I love it. :D

 Recommendation: Ciao Bella Key Lime Gelato and Graham ice cream sandwiches. So. Good.  Also, black bean tacos.  Corn tortilla (I lightly fry mine), black beans, avocado, tomato, cheddar cheese, squeeze lime juice over it, and shake salt over that.  Then taco it up. :D  One of my favorite meals.
I like that I still learn things about myself. :)
Happy Easter in a few days! =D