ChloeWatts.com

Wednesday, July 9th:

July 9th, 2008 Posted in Daily News Post

After three violent vomiting episodes Chloe had a fairly restful night, although not a lot of real sleep.  I know, I was on the couch all night checking on her.  Interesting sleeping style we all have lately.

Because she threw up her newly placed feeding tube she was without any meds or feeds all night.  We tried a little bit of melting Tylenol but never got a full dose without upsetting her stomach.  Even with nothing in her she felt like coming out in the living room to visit all morning.  Her temperature had subsided, like it has been doing in the mornings.

She was scheduled for the IV nurse visit today at 11:30 and then Dave was going to bring her to her clinic appointment to have yet another tube placed.  Believe me, this is her least favorite procedure.  If you’ve ever seen it done I think you will know why.

The IV team was late, about an hour, but came and was very informative.  They showed us all about the IV materials and then changed her dressings.  The nurse even let Chloe flush her own IV line.  She liked that although it hurt her thumbs a bit.

Dana asked her if she still wanted to be a vet and Chloe, sheepishly answered, ah… maybe. 

We called the doctor to make sure we could move her appointment a little bit and, of course, there was no problem.  We’re talking about their favorite patient after all.  So Dave left with Chloe about 1pm. 

At the clinic they asked about a new type of feeding line, the G tube.  This would go directly into her stomach through the skin.  Chloe likes that idea, however, it does come with its own risks.  They placed another NG tube, and again it was not quick and easy.  Some of the nurses have the wrist action and correct amount of lube to make it happen the first time.  Others don’t quite have the moves down to my liking.

Chloe said Dad was a great coach to have there today.  After the tube the doctors decided they wanted another cat scan to see if the fluid had built back up at the incision site again.  This is common.  If it has then we will need to have it drained again.  We have two appointments set up for Monday just in case.  Tomorrow is also a possibility if it’s really full and they think it shouldn’t wait.  That damn tumor is right in the wrong spot, a spot that could promote nausea.  With the extra pressure of fluid it’s an uphill battle.  They did give us a new anti nausea medicine that Dana is pushing tonight.

Dave missed work today, but, I believe, he was very happy to have been able to be with her today.  They even ran into The Iceman, Dr. Dorsen, the surgeon, today, as they were leaving the office.  I did yesterday.  Good timing.

Dave returned Chloe to the house and then ran to the airport to pick up his mom.  Then he returned to Dana’s house to leave Grandma Lee there to learn the what needs to be done for Chloe when she goes to Dave’s house soon. 

Aunt Laura and neighbor Cindy showed up with food tonight.  With the alone time Dana had today she bar-B-Qed some chicken and hotdogs for dinner.  I guess there was quite a feast there.  I was home trying to make some money…

Chloe ate some of many things.  At one point she looked at Dana’s hotdog and opened her mouth.  So Dana obliged and Chloe ate some of that.  Then she went after some other things like apples and even two thirds of an ice cream sandwich.  That’s what we need!

Her fever is back for tonight.  101.4 is not anything to sneeze at, so Dana is chasing it with everything she can.  The melt-aways are the easiest if Chloe can eat them without getting nauseous. 

All in all it was a much better day than yesterday… but that’s not much of a comparison.  Chloe even came home from the doctor’s office with a couple new books they gave her.

Once again, thank you for all your emails of love and support.  They mean so much as does all the help that everyone is jumping in to provide.

I even stopped by her auto mechanic today.  He’s worked on her cars for years.  The owner was off today but I’m going to try and get them to finally fix her little ’85 Toyota Celica.  It’s her favorite car and it’s been in her garage all winter.  I’m hoping they will fix the heater, the radiator leak and get it so it will pass inspection, all gratis.  This would be a big boost for Dana.

Thanks for all the concern you all have expressed that we need to take care of ourselves as well.  We are doing the best we can for now but it’s always nice to be reminded.  That’s probably the best thing we can do for Chloe also.

Blessings,  Ron.