Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Ok crafty friends, so I don't generally post personal stuff on my blog, but the month of July was most definitely not life as usual.  I thought I might explain why I've virtually disappeared from my blog and all social media.  First of all, my pet boarding business went insanely crazy busy!  I'm so exhausted I'm tripping myself!  More importantly, I'd like to say a few words about my beautiful kitty boy Oliver.  He has been very ill, was hospitalized for 4 days, and has made many trips back and forth to specialty hospitals.  He has more doctors than I do!  His doctors include an internist and an oncologist.  We began the journey back in mid May with a really bad episode of Pancreatitis which almost killed him.  Following the test for pancreatitis, and a diagnosis, things progressed and he got worse.   We did x-rays, ultrasound, endoscopy, biopsy, and it all led to a cancer diagnosis.

For the two years prior, Oliver was in stage two of kidney disease, so were already treading on thin ice before all this happened, trying to manage the kidney disease and keep it from progressing.  Let me make a long story short....the kidney disease spiked rapidly, going from stage two of the disease to stage four kidney failure.  With lots of care, the kidney values have gone down, and so far seem to be settling in stage three.  I'm hoping that as general health improves the kidney disease will improve and settle back into stage two status.

Oliver is on chemotherapy, and is being tube fed to get his weight and strength back.  The trips to the vet are time consuming (it's 35 miles), and the multiple medications and tube feedings just about have me stretched to my limits.  No matter how I manage his and my schedule, I'm only left with four hours to sleep at best.  Basically, I'm too tired to create, it's just not in me right now.   No inspiration, no mojo. I hope that as things settle down in my boarding facility, maybe I'll get my mojo back!

Here's my boy, all proudly displaying his feeding tube!  The tube is the only way his life could be saved while the chemotherapy drugs do their thing, it's been a blessing.