Miyagi Update

First, we want to thank everyone for your thoughts and well wishes. For those who have donated to help us pay Miyagi's medical bills, you have a very special place in our hearts. So here's an update on what's been going on the past few days around here.

As you know, Friday I woke up to Miyagi howling in pain and very sick. I monitored him for an hour to see if he would get better, and he didn't. I called our vet to try and get him in. Those of you who follow me on twitter may know how this story goes...the vet told me that I could make an appointment for Saturday or Monday. That wasn't going to happen. I could tell that he needed help immediately. They took my information down and told me that they would call me back after consulting with the doctor. Thankfully, they agreed to see him at 12:30. At that point it was 11:00. Waiting for that appointment time was HORRIBLE. He just kept pacing around the house in pain, howling and getting sick.

I packed him up in his crate, and off we went. The doctor couldn't feel anything wrong while examining his abdomen and told me he thought that Miyagi was either working on an epic hairball or ate a spider. He gave him some fluids and anti-nausea medication, and after paying the $86 bill, sent us on our way.

We got home and he wasn't getting better. The anti-nausea medication was obviously not working because Miyagi continued to get sick all afternoon. M came home from work and checked on Miyagi, who was laying under the coffee table (something he hardly ever does). M noticed that Miyagi had started to PROFUSELY drool. It was dripping from his mouth. That's when we made the decision that he needed to go to the Emergency vet.

We brought him in and he was so lethargic and in such obvious pain, it was heartbreaking. They examined him, then took him in the back to run blood tests and x-rays. The x-rays showed no obvious obstruction in his intestines, but because of the pattern of gas build up shown, the doctor couldn't rule out that there was something stuck in there. So they recommended we leave him there overnight to be on an IV, be monitored and re-x-rayed. We said goodbye to him and went home without him. Which killed me. I cried the whole way home.

The doctor called at 1:30 am to tell us that she had taken new x-rays and there seemed to be improvement, and that he  hadn't vomited a single time since he had been admitted. Good news! I was able to sleep well.

In the morning I called for updates, they said he was doing much better, he had perked back up, he was being very vocal (which is normal for him), and he had started purring when people would come see him. Basically it sounded like he was back to his old self. But he still wouldn't eat, so they wanted to keep him longer to make sure he would eat and not get sick again. Around 3:00, he still wouldn't eat, so I brought some of his food from home over and visited with him. He was 100% himself, trying to climb out of his crate and on to my shoulder. He was ready to go home. But they needed to see him eat. So I left him there again. At 7:00pm, I was FINALLY allowed to come pick him up, I was so happy! 

I brought him home, and took off his bandage, revealing his shaved leg where they had put in his IV.

Styles was happy to have his little brother back home.

And this morning, I woke up to Miyagi sleeping at the foot of the bed. Best sight ever!

There have been people who think we are INSANE for taking him to the Emergency vet and paying so much money to make sure he would be ok. But he's our BABY. He's not even 3 yet, he's got a long, happy life to live. And even though we can't afford his medical bill, there is no WAY we could just let him suffer and do nothing about it. It will take us a while to pay this off, and we are so thankful for those who have already offered help. We are thankful he didn't need surgery, but the bill for the overnight stay ended up being a little over $1000. Which is a lot of money for us, especially with me having been unemployed since March.

But eventually the bill will be paid off, and we will still have Miyagi here, which is what matters most <3

or make a purchase at the CAPow! Etsy shop (all proceeds from sales going to help Miyagi)

This week...

...heatwave induced impromptu frozen yogurt date with M.
...dinner at DeJohn's: delicious Soba Noodle Salad, but very disappointing $9 frozen margarita. It was 70% foam (foamy does not equal frozen, FYI) and they had dumped salt in the bottom of the glass. Sent it back and the waiter didn't remove it from our bill. DATE FAIL.
...spent a lot of time drawing in our central air to avoid going out in the heat.
...visited with M's Aunt and got to see some of her antiques!
...crazy thunderstorm and sunset!
...had my first "are you a blogger? I read your blog!" experience < Hi, K ;) >
...woke up to a very sick Miyagi and anxiously awaited being able to have him seen by the vet :(
...took Miyagi to the emergency vet, where he was admitted to stay over night.

Miyagi needs some help

Hi Friends,

I have some bad news about our favorite little buddy, Miyagi. Yesterday I woke up to the sound of him howling in the kitchen. I came out to see what was wrong with him, and he had thrown up several times. After monitoring him for an hour, and seeing him get worse, I took him to the vet, where he was given fluids and anti-nausea medication. 

When we got home from the vet he didn't get better, but kept getting worse and worse. So M and I made the decision to take him in to the Emergency vet for x-rays. Apparently, he ate something (we're thinking a piece of one of his toys) and it is now stuck in his intestines. He had to spend the night there last night to get IVs, be monitored, and x-rayed again to see if the blockage is moving. If he doesn't start getting better sometime today, they are going to have to perform surgery to remove whatever is stuck in there.

I haven't mentioned this on the blog, but I was laid off in March. We don't have the money to pay for his overnight stay, let alone the surgery he might have. So if any of you would like to donate a dollar (or more, if you are comfortable doing so) via paypal to help us pay Miyagi's medical bills, we would greatly appreciate any help you might be able to give. 

If you can't donate money, your thoughts and well wishes are greatly appreciated too.

Hopefully he'll be back to his old self soon.

xoxo,

CAPow! & M

or make a purchase at the CAPow! Etsy shop (all proceeds from sales going to help Miyagi)

suggestions

An ode to the city I love, and the weekend I will be spending there.

1.  NYC Subway Map Coasters

2.  BR (HEARTS) KLYN tee

3. In Brooklyn painting

4. More Light 18" pendant lamp

5. Williamsburg 8x8 print

6. Bushwick 4x6 framed photo

letters

Dear Self,

Waiting for things that you are excited about it really hard, I know. But the old cliche is true: good things come to those who wait. Just be patient and wait for everything to fall into place.

Dear Brooklynite Bestie,

Guess what? I will be visiting you in two days! See, it wasn't that long after all :)

Dear Renegade,

I'm checking you out for the first time this year, and I couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to wander through McCarren Park and look at all the booths of brilliant members of the handmade community!

Hometown Hearts: Wrexham, North Wales

Hi, I'm Polly and I blog over at Pixie Mama. I live in Wrexham, North Wales. I moved here almost 7 years ago with my husband and daughter. We came for my husband to study and have ended up staying on. Now we have 3  daughters, a bunch of good friends and a love for the Welsh countryside. Here are 5 of my favourite things about living here:

 1. St Giles Church. We live right next door to this church (literally - our house adjoins the parish offices!) St Giles Church was built around 500 years ago and is one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. It is also the resting place of Elihu Yale, the founder of Yale College, USA.

 2. Bellevue Park - a beautiful open space, a five minute walk from our house. There are two play parks and lots of grass to picnic on. We spend loads of time here when the weather is nice.
 

 3. Erddig River. Another favourite spot to spend a sunny day. We take a picnic, and fishing nets and spend the day paddling in the river and lazing in the grass.

  4. Wrexham Museum. My girls are fascinated by history, so the museum is the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon (and even better now they've just added a cafe on!) They have the remains of the 'Brymbo Man' there - the skeleton of a 3500 year old man who lived locally.

5. Castell Dinas Brân. It is a medieval castle standing high on a hill. It is also the site of a iron age fort from around 600BC. We love to climb up here and look over all the valley below us - though it gets incredibly windy at the top! My husband camped up there one night with his brother - and we're pretty certain they saw some ghosts!

* * * * * * *

Thank you Polly for sharing why you love Wrexham!

If you would like to contribute to Hometown Hearts by writing a guest post about the city or town you love, please email us!

windshielddiaries at gmail dot com