Friday, May 13, 2016

My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond #1733: Recovery

Yesterday was a tough day. Even though everything turned out alright, it was very emotionally draining. I am very happy to have it behind me, and I look forward to moving on ahead from here. 



Nothing really tragic happened, but my dear kitty Pancakes needed to have some oral surgery done. I realize that many of you may think that this is an ‘extravagance’, but I assure you it is not. Any one of you who has suffered tooth pain should realize the importance and necessity of something like this. To me, it is the only option.



About a month or so ago, I noticed that my kitty Pancakes had changed his eating habits. While cats are known to do this (they love a particular type of food until you purchase a large quantity of it) I suspected that this was somehow different than the usual games they play. Pancakes was always acting hungry, yet when we fed him, he only took a few bites and then left the bowl. A half hour or so later, he would again dance around and beg for food as cats do. While this happens from time to time with all of them, this episode was particularly consistent, and it seemed to go on for a week or more.



One day when I was getting frustrated with him, something told me to check his teeth. As I peered into his mouth, I saw that his teeth were loaded with tartar and both gum lines over his back teeth were red and inflamed. Not good. I even compared them to the other two cats’ gums by looking at their teeth. Both had a little tartar, but the gums were pinkish white and nice. 



I immediately called the vet, but with Keith’s mom’s surgery just days away and still no car for me (another story for another day) I wasn’t able to get an appointment until last week, which was about three weeks from when I called. It is funny how all these things come at you at once sometimes. 



I brought him in for his appointment last week and it was confirmed that he needed a “dental” surgery to remove the tartar and see what else was going on. Fortunately, I had scheduled that when I initially called just over a month ago, so I didn’t have to wait long. Yesterday was his day scheduled for surgery. 



Needless to say, the previous night was not restful. I probably got about two hours of sleep total, as I get nervous any time anyone has to have anesthetic. I was the same way a couple of weeks ago when Keith’s mom had her knee surgery. There is something about getting 'knocked out’ that is hard for me. I am not sure why, but it is a fear I need to overcome. 



As we drove to the vet yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but feel that I was abandoning him.  The ride is about 45 minutes and while we keep a carrier for transporting him from the car to the office, he sits on my lap for the ride. It is more comforting to him, I think.  



He stayed in “ostrich mode” most of the time, burying his head under my arm. Every once in a while he looked up to see the passing trees through the car window, and immediately buried his head again.  It is sad to see them go through this anxiety. I wish they understood. 



After leaving him off in the early morning, Keith and I went home to sleep again. Neither of us had a good night and we were both so exhausted that we ached. Once we awoke, we were out the door again. We had time to grab a quick lunch and do a couple of errands before picking Pancakes up in town. It helped the time pass quickly. 



When we got him, we found out that his one tooth was indeed infected and they had to remove it. This was one of the large, jagged molars in the back and he required several stitches. I felt bad for him, thinking of the pain he was suffering, and I was very, very happy that I thought enough to bring him in. It was a bit costly, but he was well cared for and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Part of the responsibility of having pets is to make sure they are safe and comfortable. They are certainly like family members to me. 



Pancakes will be on anti-biotics for another week. He still isn’t eating much, but when I sat down to draw last night, my muse was right there next to me:



This morning, he is still quiet and not quite himself, although he is snuggled up on my lap as I am writing as he usually is in the morning. He loves his 'grammie’ and I love him. I hope he has many good years left, and at the age of 10, he should be with me for a while. 



I made a little progress on my daffodil drawing, although I didn’t work on it long:



It still needs a lot of work and many more layers so I can blend it nice adn it won’t look 'grainy’.  I was still tired from the events and worries of the day, so I didn’t work on it long, but I wanted to push the pile a little and at least accomplish something. I went to bed earlier than usual and I actually did sleep good. 



Keith got some work done as well. He has a new set of plaque patterns for you all to enjoy:



He calls this one SLDK673 Faith, Hope, Love “Makes” pattern set for obvious reasons. You can click the link to get to it on our site. 



I hope to get back to “normal” today. One would think that I had the surgery myself, as I felt so drained even last night after it was done.  The older I get, the longer it takes to recover from some things that are somewhat emotional to me.  I plan on cutting some new scroll saw designs out this weekend. Those of you who have been waiting for them have been extremely patient. I hope you like them when finished. 



I just realized that today is Friday the 13th. I am not superstitious, but I love to see all the photos of the beautiful black cats that people post on days like today. I may post a couple myself, featuring my lovely black kitty, Coco. I wish you all a wonderful day and a great weekend ahead. The weather here is slowly warming up, and I am looking forward to the warm summer days ahead.  



Happy Friday to you all. I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Thank you, too for those that wished Pancakes a speedy recovery. I know he appreciates it (as I do) from the bottom of his heart. 



via Tumblr http://davidpires578.tumblr.com/post/144294543004

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