Mystry Cat is off the hook but man it hit the wallet hard (by sarah)

Here is a picture of Hydrogen just before she went off to the vet this morning - some of the blood and puss is just visible.

It turned out not to be a bit or scratch - instead she had a piece of twig lodged in the side of her neck that must have been there for ages and took some removing, in hind sight Albert (Barbaras gardener was commenting on the fact that she didnt like the side of her head chuckeled and she had kept mewing at us but we had thought she was just looking to be stroked.). Saddly if she'd been any of the other cats we would have noticed before it got to that state becuase they all sit on laps but Hydrogen is too energetic and kittenish still for that. We thought she was being sad because she hasnt really grown up and her sisters stops playing with her.

She is also apt at climbing trees especially the black thorn looking for birds - poor thing it must have been really apinful 🙁

Due to our normal comedy of errors we fialed to get the cat box that I had organised and so had a hug cardborard box in which to try and bring her home in - this didnt work and I ended up hugging her many as she was endanger of hurting herself. She's wearing one of those funny collars and has what appears to be a drinking straw stuck into her (for fluid drainage) but the poor thing couldnt eat with it on as its longer than her head so Al had to initially hold her plate of food up for her (the same went for the water and boy was she hungry when we got her home).

This obviously wasn't a very practical solution as Al couldnt stay there all night with her so we jury rigged something out of our spice rack thing and a couple of F-clamps, it has worked suprisingly well!

Tomorrow the antibiotics start which means we have to somehow feed her pills - hmmm I can see that being loads of fun :/

Poor Hydro-puss (by sarah)

Well we took her to the vets this morning and it is an absess that has burst probably from a bit or scratch that became infected from fighting. The vet thinks it is unlickely to be one of our own cats (which due to terratory stuff includes tim and betsy) so that only leaves mystry cat 🙁 I thought he was getting on well with the other cats - him and tim just mew at each other all the time, but then hydrogen is the stupid friendly one out of the cats and has no concept of personal space or boundaries and is always being batted by the other cats for being in their face.

Poor little thing. I had organised a cat box to take her in but then we couldn't fine the house this morning so she had to just be wrapped in a towl and taken in on my lap. Fortunatly (and unfortunatly) the trip Al was supposed to be on was canceled so that ment Jean still got to nursery as dad was here aswell. Hydrogen meowed pitteiously all the way there but stayed very still nestled in my arms rather than really making any attempt to escape.

We thought they'd just clean her up and maybe do some stitches and give an injection but instead she's got to go under and have ther area shaved and cleaned and then drained. She was also running a temperature from the infection. So we have left her there and the vet will phone us later.

Mauled (by sarah)

Poor Hydrogen has been mauled by something she has appeared with a nasty looking cut on the side of her neck and smells funny, there was initially lots of blood but now only slime. I have made her an appointment at the vets for tomorrow morning first thing but unfortunatly I am here on my own today so I can't take her straight in. She seems quiet distressed and keeps mewing and weeing everywhere :'(

Poor little thing. I've made a little bed for her though and shes carmed down abit. I cant even get a taxi as Al has the baby seat and with my back I couldnt make it to the bus stop with baby and cat even if our cat basket wasnt in storage due to flood 🙁

I hope she'll be ok.

I also feel guilty as I have been feeding a rather fine looking stray cat - could he have attacked her? Or some animal she was trying to kill? Or has she just got cut on some wire somewhere? I dont know 🙁

Of Infections, Bad Backs and the Curse of the Builders (by sarah)

Mum came and stayed with us last week - it was Als week in London - it occures to me that we propably havent posted about the fact he is now away in the booming capital every other week which is a bit difficult but working out. Mum's wound from her operatation managed to get infected the week after the operation - the stitches were dissolvable and so dissolved and the scab cracked whilst she was being naughty and trying to wash her own her.

She came up here with a course of anitbiotics and some dressings but the wound was just getting worse and the antibiotics where nearly finished so it was off to mine and Als Dr she went. She's been put on two lots of antibiotics and the dosages increased. Also the nurse thought she needed more stitches done but becuase mum was not going to be here that long she couldnt really do them with out having mum back for the after care. My docs recon that the stuff she was given to clean the wound with was two harsh and that she shouldnt have been cleaning and dressing it herself anyway.

The wound itself is several centimeters in diameter and shows the raw shinny pink flesh that lies under our skin. There is a strange white gloop oozing out of it but it seems alot better than it did. The nurse said that the amout of fluid she's losing through it would have ment having to lance her breast if the wound hadnt of opened up. She had to go back for more dressings and cleaning etc... by the nurses on Thursday and they dropped the bomb shell that the radiotherapy which is scheduled to start on Weds day, can not start until that wound has healed properlly and by the looks of it its going to take a while.

Mum is also in a wheel chair at the moment which was interesting as there are many many hills round here, now I only pushed her on the flate to the loos but I've done something chronic to my back (yes again) I dont think it was pushing the wheel chiar but more lickily the picking Jean up and carrying her - something dad or Al normally does but of course dad had to push the wheel chair and there wasnt room for the pushchair in the car aswell. The mysterious hernia lump has also been acting up and has decided to double in size which is apt to make me a bit narky. I also slipped on the stairs jarring myself slightly along with twisting my knee as I came off the pavement - one or all of these things has caused my lower mid back to thrumb with pain.

I wake up relatively pain free but by the everning can bearly walk, crawling is fine I can do that but sitting (especially in cars) or walking just cuase the pain to get worse and worse until I feel nueseas. Last night I had a bath and did some gentle excersises to try and ease the pain, it started to really bother me on friday and has just been getting worse each day since. I also used a hot water bottle to try and releive the pain with little affect. I was beginning to think I had a kidney infection again but it doesnt feel quiet right for that and ibuprofen rub helped alot so I think its going to muscular.

I am currently awaiting a drs appointment but the earliest is monday next week - I'm afraid I cried after I put the phone down becuase this added to the normal shoulder, pelvis, wrist and mysterious hernia lump ment that I got less than four hours sleep last night and the previous nights havent exactly been brilliant. Standing up straight is the thing that hurts the most and arching backwards is right out - the pelvic tilt offers me a little bit of restbite (ie flatening the small of my back so there is no hallow between it and the bed) but that hurts the mysterious hernia lump.

Then just too cheer things up Thursday saw the Builders visiting, the much awaited for appointment was at 12 noon and lo! he was early - good sign me thinks but then he tells me the sedule - first off he needs to find what gangs he has avalible in the area and when. They will strip the plaster off for 1 m and then the dehymidifers and heaters (instead of fans) have to be set up and the drying process has to start again. This will hopefully be done before their down time for Christmas and then the walls will need to be replastered with a drying time of about a week and then the restoration/new kitchen and floor goes in. Oh and of course the bottom steps have to come out too as they are wood and where soaked in the water.

So I had to break the news to Al - no new kitchen for christmas and the wall units arent covered by the insurance meaning we'll end up with mish mash cupboards which I dont want. Still I have a budget of £500 to pick out replacement units.

I managed to miss his call back to say when they could actually start becuase I was dealing with Jean and Mum and Dad thought I'd left the radio on rather than clicking it was my ring tone and everytime I've called back I get a woman who doesnt know anything about me. Sigh.

I will attempt to be more upbeat next post - promise.

One out of Seven (by sarah)

Mum's lymph nodes where mostly clear of the cancer bar one but that is still good and means it has been cuaght very early on. Her bone scan was cancer free as well but she still has to go through the radio therapy and a little bit of chemo (I assume becuase it was in one of the lymph nodes). Apart from that she'll have to take tomoxifen for the next five years - there isn't an entery on wikipedia for this drug nor on NHS direct. I've found a canadian breast cancer group who mention it as having side effects of hot flushes, weight gain and low energy levels but not what it's actually for.

I have however found a tamoxifen so am wondering if I miss heared but this drug (which is used for brest cancer patients and has the same side effects) is only allowed to be prescribed for six months in the UK according to NHS direct so I'm wondering whats going on to be honest. http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=64&sectionId=11 sorry I don't normally worry like this but its just after our experiences in the past with this hospital trust (name change or no name change) I feel things have to be checked up like this.