long time coming...

Things have been crazy around here the last few weeks. School started off with a bang. I adore my kids. They are just precious, and so incredibly sweet. Of course, I've had some complaints about people breathing on each other, dropping pencils and not knowing what to do about it, and tattling for people cutting in front of each other. I guess that's the typical second grade drama. However, I only made it a few weeks of school before being put on disability by my doctor. :(
I'm super bummed. We thought I suffered a stroke, because I had every symptom of one. Drooping of the left side of my mouth, slurring of speech, couldn't walk, weakness of my arm and leg on the left, memory loss, etc. After lots of tests, it was concluded that my complex migraines had once again shown up in a severe way with all the signs of a stroke. The only way for it to be treated is to treat the pain at the hospital. Last week I went to the ER 3 times, and was admitted for 2 days the 3rd time. They did a battery of tests, physical, speech, and occupational therapy. I now walk with a walker if I have to walk a decent distance. I can walk from the car into a restaruant, or from the couch to the restroom without feeling weakness, but not too far. I'm off for at least another two weeks, but it could be longer. I see my doctor this Friday, and still have to get in to see a specialist, so I think I may be off longer.
So, that was my health story of last week. On Saturday morning Russell woke up sick, and went to the clinic and got antibiotics. He never gets sick, so when he complains I know he's sick. When he got home, we noticed our cat was crying and being very clingy. We called the vet, and they said bring him in asap. So, we loaded the cat in his carrier and headed to the 24 hour vet hospital. Turns out, Maverick's bladder was about to rupture because it was blocked, and he could have died if we had not taken him in. The doctor told us he needed surgery right then and she walked out with him. We just stood there and looked at each other, wondering how much this was going to cost. They came in with an outrageous estimate, which involved Maverick staying in ICU for 4 days on a constant IV. They've done this before with Maggie, and we took her home that night and just watched her at home and she was fine. We ended up paying 1/3 of the cost (still a huge amount!), and brought him home the next night. He had surgery, a catheter, IV, two baths, pain meds, and lots of love while he was there. He's now on a special diet and refuses to take his medicine, so I get lots of scratches while I force him to take it. He's not a big fan of his new (more expensive) food. They also suggested we get him a water fountain, and she told us they usually run about $50.00, but we found one for about half the price, so we were happy. She said having fresh running water would help this not happen again. I'm just looking at it as an investment so we don't end up with crystals in his bladder ever again!!
Man, pets are expensive, but I guess so are my medical bills. Sometimes I wonder how Russell puts up with all of us! :)