Tree frogs and even MORE updates: neurologists and neuroses

[la_belle_laide]

And yet more updates, I apologize.

Yeah, I always have to mark down in my journal the first night I hear tree frogs, and they were out tonight.

My Uncle came to my Mom's house and I went to meet them outside, then we drove to the hospital to see Gran. Chrissie stopped to pick up Celie and they followed about a half an hour behind.

As far as Gran's condition, I don't have to describe it any more than I have. She's barely lucid and mostly incoherent. It's terrible to see her like this. Everyone hung around trying to talk to her and not having much success.

Then, this fantastic neurologist came in. I don't say that lightly, either. He was the kind of dude where, after he leaves, everyone in the room goes, "I like that guy." Well, he said that Gran's GP sent him but he was unsure of why. We started describing the situation. He was very optimistic, because he was so certain that this incoherence is a result of the infections she's fighting, and the massive homeostatic imbalances (CAUSED BY PILLS.) He was super nice, and he totally reminded me of Gene Wilder. I asked him how familiar he was with Lewy Body disease and he looked a little surprised and, at first, dubious. Then he said, "Did she get worse with Haliperidol?" and everyone was like, "OMG YES." And I added, "And she has these insane dreams and she acts them out." He practically leaped out of his chair saying, "R.E.M. BEHAVIOR DISORDER!" and I was pointing frantically at him going, "YES!" The he said, does she walk like this?" and he imitated her exact walk: small, shuffling steps with hunched shoulders" and we all went, "YES!"

He said he was pretty sure in that case that she did have LBD, and that even though this current behavior would clear up by flushing out the toxins and getting her hydrated, she would still have it afterwards. But it is NOT as bad as she is now.

Then he asked me, "What field do you work in, if you don't mind me asking?"

I told him I was in school for alternative medicine and he said, "Oh, in Syosset?" I was like, "OMG, yeah! But I'm kind of rethinking it. I think I'm more western than that."

Then he told me, "You just have to do whatever works."

Anyway it was very interesting.

When her cardiologist came in, he was a lot less optimistic and a lot more worried. She nodded off in the middle of a sentence and he got really nervous. He was like, "That's just not normal." (I wish doctors would talk to each other.) He also said that her liver values were elevated consistent with a gall bladder attack, though she is likely too weak for surgery. And although she is in dire need of fluids, her heart isn't strong enough to deal with too much fluids so they had to go really slow.

He also admitted that most of this was doctor error. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT TALK TO EACH OTHER.

At one point it seemed like Gran wanted to sit up in her bed. (This was after Uncle Don left.) Mom and I decided that we would use the sheet behind her to pull her up. Only, I thought she wanted to sit up straight and my Mom thought she just wanted to sit up higher. So in three, we both pulled. Mom pulled the sheet up and I pulled it over, and Gran looked like, "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

It shouldn't have been funny, but it was. Then all of a sudden, Mom, Chris, Celia and I were laughing hysterically. Like full on, can't-breathe, eyes-tearing hysterical laughter. And Gran sat up and went, "oh ha ha!" which just got us all going even more. I felt guilty about laughing--not because she was hurt or anything, but because I always feel like I should never laugh when I'm worried--but I couldn't help it.

I don't know what that is about me, where I always feel as if I should be morose when I'm worried, and that I shouldn't even smile, because if I do, somehow I'm not acknowledging whatever I'm worried about, and things will go badly.

Right now--having more hope about Gran being okay, or at least back to how she was before last week--my real worry is Haku. not only do I hate leaving him there, and for an MRI and spinal tap no less, but I just know it's going to be something so weird and unexpected. I can just about hear the doctor explaining this to me already, and I don't even know what it is yet. The phone has that ring to it when it's something bad, and while tomorrow can't come fast enough, I'm also dreading it. I spent much of the day looking up all the different reasons for dogs to have seizures, and none of them are anything good, and some of them are really bad. How strange to go from thinking it was such a common and treatable thing to just feeling like it's going to be the worst. And yet I also get the feeling that it will be something totally unexpected, something that will lead to more questions and tests. The vet who did his surgery was really confident that it was idiopathic epilepsy, and she said that the other options were pretty remote. But Haku's neurologist was concerned because salukis hardly ever get epilepsy, and also because of how his hind legs were responding.

More than that, you know that if something has a remote chance of happening, it will happen to this dog.

And here's how much of a dickwhistle my ex boss is. I read the report on Haku's surgery and it looks like the surgeon requested Haku's records from him about his freaking bizarre chryptorchid surgery three years ago, and he never sent it to her. I suspect it's possible that he just got rid of the records. The write-up says that they were just "not available at this time" so I suppose it's possible that in all the hustle and hurry she never got around to requesting them, but OTOH it is so him to ignore a request like that out of spite.

If only people knew the kind of douche he truly is, and the levels to which he can sink.

Dick.

Well, now I'm just stalling for time because I don't want tomorrow to get here. I should stop that.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know what to say, I just want to let you know I'm reading you and love you and am thinking about you and Haku.
I forgot to sign ME on the comment to the other entry. ME

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Aww thanks Mom, you don't have to say anything; it is what it is.

How about that douchebag though? OMG.