Saturday, January 5, 2013Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. Mattie was home recovering in a hospital bed in our living room. As you can see Mattie had company with him, Patches! For the first couple of months while Mattie was battling cancer, Patches remained in our home. However, as Mattie's battle got more intense and we were rarely home, we had to make some decisions about Patches. No one wanted to take her in, and given her thyroid condition, we had to make sure she was in good and capable hands. So we boarded Patched for over one year at the vet. That may sound inhumane, but on the contrary it was the safest alternative. We kept her alive and in a place where we knew they understood and loved her. Patches is very demanding for a cat and this is most likely while her first owner abandoned her on the streets of DC. Patches is VERY vocal at all hours of the day and NIGHT! She has a 3am screaming ritual which takes a lot of love to deal with and get used to. But she has been with us for 17 years, so you learn to absorb such idiosyncrasies. Not unlike the adjustments we make for the people we care about in our lives. When we brought Mattie home to recover for a couple of weeks, Patches appreciated our presence and stayed close to Mattie. Patches understood Mattie's significance in our lives and therefore NEVER tried acting out or to scratch or harm Mattie in any way. Patches is a loyal and constant companion, who has been with us through the length of our marriage as well as through Mattie's battle and death. Patches is my "nurse Patches." Whenever I am ill, she seems to know, and comes to lie down with me. Which is a remarkable quality for a cat!
Quote of the day: In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. ~ Phil Collins
Before I went to Los Angeles, I noticed that Patches right eye was tearing. In addition, it appeared that she had a small bump on the right side of her face. However, with age, sometimes Patches bumps into things. So I figured perhaps that is what happened and in time it would heal. I pointed my observations out to Peter, but both of us tried not to get alarmed by the symptoms. When I saw Patches upon my return from LA, I was NOT pleased with her swollen face. I noticed her eating was non-existent, which for a cat with hyper thyroidism is HIGHLY unusual. So Peter and I decided that she needed to go to the vet immediately. Of course when I see such a swollen area, I think cancer. The problem is I now know TOO much!
This afternoon, Peter and I were scheduled to see White Christmas, the musical, at the Kennedy Center. We both love the movie and Irving Berlin's music, so I was looking forward to this. However, when I called the vet, the only time she could see us was during the time of the play. Since Patches' health supersedes the play, I did not give it much thought. As the morning wore on, I was emailing Karen and my parents back and forth. Karen encouraged me to try to exchange the tickets for another time. If Karen hadn't said this to me, it wouldn't have crossed my mind. The Kennedy Center has a 48 hour exchange policy, so I figured they could care less about my situation. Before heading to the vet, I walked to the Kennedy Center and explained to the box office person that I had a sick family member and couldn't attend the matinee and asked if she could consider exchanging the tickets for the evening performance. She spoke with her manager, and thanks to Karen, I am seeing the play at 7:30pm today! Peter and I could use the diversion ASAP! Now you may say that Patches is not a person, or a family member, but on the contrary she is a vital part of our family.
After the exchange of tickets, Peter picked me up at the Kennedy Center with Patches in the car. Together we went to the vet. The vet is located in a part of DC where parking is IMPOSSIBLE. So I jumped out of the car and brought the cat in while Peter circled around for parking. Patches' vet and I haven't been on the same page about a lot of things. The most recent being that she wanted Patches to see a cardiologist to check our a heart murmur. The reason for this was to see if Patches' heart was strong enough to tolerate sedation for teeth cleaning and an extraction. Peter and I elected to spare Patches all of this since she seemed to be comfortable and eating. The cardiologist and dental extraction would have cost over $5000 in total, and though that was daunting in cost, the main reason we did not do this was because I wanted to avoid anymore stress in Patches' life. When I met with the vet today, I was very direct. I told her that something had to be done about Patches' pain and condition. That if she needs surgery she is going to have it without the approval of a cardiologist. Because the issue now is a matter of quality of life. The vet got me immediately. Remember this whole office knows that we lost Mattie to cancer.
The doctor took one look at Patches and said that she feels the swollen face is a tumor, and not an infected tooth. We will know more answers on Monday when she gets x-rayed. The doctor did give Patches a shot of antibiotics, so if it is an infection, we should see a change no later than Monday. But she also sent us home with pain meds, which to me is very humane. The pain meds are helping already and Patches seems happier and actually eating.
Peter and I are attached to Patches in different ways. Patches is VERY close to Peter and if you talk to Peter about Patches, you will see immediate tears in his eyes. I get it! As I said to Peter, this is cancer round two. So it hasn't been the best of days for us, but we are taking it one step at a time.
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