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Patti,
Hope you are feeling better because your little girl is going to need you at 100 percent. She's going to be running and playing soon and no time for headaches...lol.
Seriously, please feel better and let us know when you are up to it how things are going...much cyber hugs and belly rubs for Tipper today and always.
Thinking of you and Tipper and sending love
Hi Everyone:
Sorry to keep you waiting, but I was really sick. Just everything is catching up to me. This will be a long post so here goes. I need to start off where the story begins. On Sunday my neighbor lady called me. She is alone, and always needs help of some sort, so I am her life line to the world. When I go to the store etc. I always help her by getting stuff she needs, she has no car. Anyway she is talking to me and it is about 7:30 at night and she says someone is at my door, I have to see who it is and she put the phone down. I heard my neighbor across the street come in as she thought she hung the phone up and she didn't she just sat it down. I kept yelling for her to hang the phone up, as I could not use my phone or hang it up. She did not hear me and they kept talking. He said he came over to bring her a piece of pie. She starts eating the pie he brought her, and he sat down and said so what's going on with the dog across the street now? I was floored that a neighbor I say hi and goodbye to would come there to find out my business. She then proceeds to start telling him everything she knows about what is going on with my dog including where I take her to for laser treatments. After he gets all the information he says to her "you know she is making that dog suffer." They both then talked about me making the dog walk so much, and both laughed about it. I was burning. This man does not even know my dogs name, but knows that I am making her suffer?? After he found out what he wanted to know he left and went home. I help this woman on a daily basis. I paid for her cat to go to the Vets once because she did not have enough money, and I felt sorry for the cat it had a bladder infection. To say the least I cannot believe this. So this morning I just went to her house before posting this and told her I knew she was telling my business to the neighbors and talking about my dog. She tried to say it never happened which set me off like a rocket. I told her exactly what happened and how she did not hang up the phone. You know what she said to that? Why did you listen?? I said don't put this on me like I am the one who did something wrong here, don't blame me for what you two did, and try to turn this around on me. I told her how many times I yelled hang the phone up, to no avail, until I heard my name being used. I know she has probably already called the neighbor to tell him I know all this. I told her when she calls the neighbor to tell him I know all of this, to also tell him when he pays my bills and lives in my house then he can find out my business and I left there very angry. To tell me you are praying for my Tipper and do this and laugh about it to another neighbor, you better be kidding me. She better hope the neighbor will do all her errands for her because I am done. When you laugh about my Tipper, as much as her and I have struggled thru all this, I will just cut you off period.
So from Sunday to Tuesday morning when I took Tipper I had basically no sleep, and my face is full of this rash again from my nerves. Between what they did, and worrying about my Tipper I was a nervous wreck. Tuesday morning we made the 3 hour trek. Tipper was off the wall because of no food, and begging me the whole time. It was so hard for 3 hours on her. So we get there and I leave her in the car, and go tell them at the hospital we are there. The girl at the desk hands me a packet and asks me to please fill it out and bring it in when done. I go out to the car luckily for me and fill it out so I can be with Tipper. At the end of the paperwork is yet another estimate- the 3rd one so far, and it is higher again than the last one. I was so glad I was in my car, as I wanted to scream or cry, so I did both. I took it to her and said there is a problem. I said I went over the last estimate and they told me that as long as I had the money on the high end of the estimate that I was good to go. Now they give me an even higher one??? She said wait and I will call someone to talk to you. I had to leave Tipper in the car. They took me into a private room, as I think they knew I was about to explode or implode either one. Then my biggest nightmare comes true. The original IMS that was so rude and terrible to Tipper and I, comes in loaded for bear. I said excuse me but I don't understand why I am talking to you when I requested another Dr. because of your behavior with us on the previous visit. She said the other IMS is sick and I am here in place of her. She starts in yelling at me real loud about this is a hospital and this is just an estimate not etched in stone. I said I did not drive 3 hours and fast my dog to put up with this, and who gives someone 3 estimates?? I said are you going to make another one when she is on the operating table and run out and give me that one too?? She kept yelling at me and so finally I put her in her place. She then became more calm. She started explaining what happened on our last visit, and that she had been stretched to the limit at this hospital with emergencies, people calling off, etc. , etc. I said that should have had no bearing on what you said and how you treated us, you are supposed to be a professional. She then started talking normal to me and explaining things that went wrong on the last visit, and why she told me certain things that she did. I said I have empathy for you, but not enough to let you kill my dog. We talked it out. She said she was the most experienced IMS there, and she would not let anything happen to Tipper under any circumstances. We talked for maybe 40 minutes, and she had to go out of the room for a call. These Dr's all have assistants that follow them around. When she went out of the room her assistant said to me. I am sticking my neck out talking to you and telling you this , and she will kill me if she finds out, but she is the best Dr. in this hospital. She may get mean and nasty, but people actually request her because of her skills. She said you will never regret using her, and I would not tell you this knowing how much you love this dog, if it were not true. So the Dr. came back and I said ok I will let you do the procedure. I said I only have one question. Why didn't you want to see any of Tipper's records the last time I was here. Since she has issues with Cushings etc. don't you feel that is important??? She said didn't your Vet tell you I requested Tipper's whole file and took it home and read the whole thing? I said no nobody told me that and that was a large part of my hesitation. She said she understood. So I told her if I entrust Tipper to you I expect anyone that handles her to be told in advance about her rear legs being bad, and she cannot go on slippery floors etc.,. That she has been getting laser treatments, and if I bring her home and she can't walk what good is that?? She said trust me I will handle it. Well I went to the waiting room. Talked to 2 other people whose dogs have Cushings, one passed. I am amazed at the amount of dogs that are afflicted with his disease. The assistant came out and told me when Tipper went in for her CT scan. Then came back out and told me she was doing well under anesthesia. I told her I forgot to tell the Dr. when they see Tipper's pituitary tumor that not to tell me ths size as I would melt if it were Macro. I said I would rather not know anything. She said she would tell her. She came back then when they took her in for the scoping and told me the Dr. was starting her procedure. I immediately felt sick and headed for the restroom. It seemed like hours passed as I paced and prayed and cried and sat there emotionally drained. Finally the assistant came and said Tipper is out of the O.R. and she woke up. I just burst out crying knowing that my girl was still alive. She took me to a private room and said the Dr. will come and talk to you. She said oh by the way don't worry aboout Tipper's back legs as this Dr. is so anal about what she does that everyone in the hospital was instructed by her that they had better take precautions with Tippers legs or they would be answering to her. It seemed like an hour passed and finally the Dr. came in. Before she said anything she came and hugged me, told me not to cry that she had good things to tell me. As I still cried she came and hugged me and sat with me until I composed myself. That did show me something then and there. She said she did one of the most thorough checks on Tipper from her nose to her tail. She said I have to tell you it's a shame she developed Cushings as the inside of this dog is like looking at a 2-3 year old dog. She has been kept in excellent condition. She was shocked that as long as Tipper has had acid reflux, that she went into her stomach and she had no ulcers, and none in her esophagus. I told her I have used Manuka honey for years on her and she said it saved her from some real trouble. She had not one lesion. Also her larynx, and trachea are functioning normally. She said there was no need to biopsy anything in her nose or sinuses as they were perfect. She said this is one healthy resilient dog, with the exception of the Cushings and if she didn' have it she would have lived to be 20 no doubt in her mind. She said she may still surprise you at how long she lives, because of her condition. I told her I could only pray to God she does. She said she even went up over her soft pallete for me with a camera and found not mucus, no growths, no suspicious things of any kind. That is why no biopsy. So my greatest fear of her larynx, or trachea completely closing and cutting of her air and smothering her has greatly diminished. I have learned to much to discount it entirely as I came upon an article from a renowned Dr. stating that when a dog is under anesthesia it is extremely diffiicult for only 1 person to tell if the trachea is functioning properly, that you need 2 people, and the amount of anesthesia also can effect this determination. She does have some narrowing of the nasal passages, just as I had told her and she told me it wasn't possible. Well she consided that I was right. She said the sticky sound I hear in Tipper's mouth at night could be acid creeping up in her mouth while she sleeps. The noise snoring etc. may be the nasal passages, and her soft pallete vibrating. She changed the fomatadine I give her to Zantac. She said it had properties in it to strengthen the muscle around her valve to make it close tighter so no acid escapes. I got it yesterday. I am nervous to try it before I check out the side effects, and am worried about her reaction to it as she can be allergic to anything. She told me to get the generic. Went to Walmart and got it. It was only .97!!! Yahoo what a deal!!!!. So this Dr. told me whatever I need for this dog to call her and she will help me any way she can. She told me with all she did with Tipper it would have been over 4000.00, but that she cut me a break. She said she sees so many people with their dogs, and I am undoubtedly the most diligent and anal person with their dog she has ever seen . She said that is a compliment, not a bad comment. I then went to the car and got my purse. They said it would be about an hour for Tipper to go home as the anesthesiologist had stayed with Tipper the whole time at the insistance of the Dr.!! I got out the old check book and got ready to be floored, instead I was in shock when she gave me the bill. As I started reading over all the itemized charges I realized as I compared it to the estimates I had, that the Dr. only charged me for the O.R., the anesthesiologist, the drugs used etc. No hospital charges, no charges from her for anything she did at all!!Everything she did was free. I was overwhelmed and just broke down crying. She above all sent a message to me that she is a good Dr., and knows the extent of my love for this dog. The bill was very affordable to say the least. When I went up to the desk to pay it, the girl looked at me and said before you ask, no it is not a mistake. Those are the real charges! I could hardly maintain my composure. Before you knew it the assistant brought out my girl. She was groggy and her head was wobbly, but she saw a German Shepherd sitting beside me on the floor and she growled and lunged at him. The shepherd just laid down and everyone in the whole waiting room laughed and cheered for Tipper. It was unbelievable, my girl was still going to protect me even if she couldn't walk yet!! We had a good ride home, at which point I explained to her that the bad nasty Dr. was now our hero, that we are indebted to forever!! As we were almost home and it was late, I stopped at the drug store that has a drive thru. I asked the girl if she would do me a favor and go in the store and get me the nicest Thank You card she could find. She said she would and brought it out and I paid her thru the window and we went home. As Tipper ate and rested the very first thing I did was sit down write the Dr. and tell her how I could not even articulate my gratitude into words for what she had done. It is in the mail, and I am glad for once I had a second chance to judge someone. Now that you ask how could this post be much longer- well it is just a tiny bit. I saved the tear jerker for last. As you all know I have voiced my opinion on Tipper's Macro symptoms many times, and have been always very fearful of this being true. We all live with this in the back of our minds. As stated I told the assistant I did not want to know Tipper's tumor size, and it would always remain a mystery to me. The last thing the Dr. told me before I went out the door was. I want you to have some peace of mind so I am telling you against your wishes that your Tipper has a very small tumor, and it is not a Macro tumor. So everyone there are miracles, and I am luckier than the person who is about to win the biggest lottery in history. I am so blessed to know this I cannot tell you how I feel. My only regret is that everyone does not have the knowledge about their baby. Thank you all for your continued support, and for reading Tipper's very long story. God Bless You All and Please Still Pray For Everyone To have A Miracle.
A very thankful Patti and Tipper
That is such great news!! i am sorry the day was such an emotional roller coaster for you. But, the best news is now you can be worry free. enjoy the time you have with Tipper & look forward to the future with no worries. ;)
hugs!!
Oh, Patti, the tears are just flowing. What a wonderful experience, what GREAT news. I am just so, so happy for you and Tipper both. I approached your long awaited post with much fear, then got very angry at your neighbors behaviors, then the more I read, the relief and joy overcame all else...and the tears started to fall. I am going to light a candle in gratitude this morning for ya'll. Now where are our "happy dancin' mama" and "group hug" icons?! This will have to do -
:cool::):D:cool::):D:cool::):D:cool::):D:cool::):D :cool::):D
Patti,
Your story gave me chills!! ;) I am so happy for you and Tipper. :):)
It gave me faith knowing there are talented, compassionate vets out there, even though they don't always appear to be.;)
Love and hugs to you both,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:
Patti-
I'm SO HAPPY to hear the news of your visit!!!! :D:D:D:D:D
I'm sitting here at work (my students are at P.E.) crying, and of course my coworker walked in. Luckily we're good friends and she knows all about my "Cushing's site," so I told her it was because of that. At any rate, you had so much wonderful news! I'm so happy to hear you came to a new understanding with the doctor, and that she was so kind that she didn't charge you as much as she could have. And what awesome news you have, knowing that Tipper doesn't have a macro tumor or any nasty problems in her esophagus! I sure hope the new med will be the answer for her.
Julie & Hannah
Patti,
the prayers worked!!!! With the delay in your reply, honestly feared the worst - that you got terrible news or that something happened to Tipper.
Everyone has an off day and the stress of people calling out sick must be horrendous when you're dealing with emergencies all day long.
I'm so happy that you worked it out with the doctor and that she turned out to be GREAT! I'll bet that she'll be overly conscious of her demeanor with other patients now. She obviously had forgotten what it's like to be on the other side.
I'm ecstatic that she ignored your request to tell you the opposite of what you were thinking about the tumor!
Zantac works well. My father took it until he needed something a little stronger.
What do you use the manuka honey for and where do you get it?
Your neighbors obviously don't have enough to do since they have so much time to discuss your situation with each other. Suggest that they get part-time jobs and I wouldn't bust my butt for that woman again either.
Now, relax and get yourself back into good health.
xoxoxo
I had to go to my home away from home this morning - PetCo! :p - and the young lady who checked me out is one who has seen me often lately and noticed how sad I have been, worrying over Squirt. This morning she noticed I look happier and ask after Squirt. I told her Squirt was much better AND that a friend just learned her baby was in much better health than we had feared so it was a GREAT DAY! :)
I can't articulate how pleased I am this was the outcome. I too have tears flowing knowing she doesn't have a macro
Hope you are feeling a bit better today too
Mel
Xxx