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Friday, July 8, 2011

It Figures

Later in the day the boys were playing.
Just when I start to think things are going well and Zephyr is going to start getting back to normal he has another seizure.  It was like the others, early this morning, 4:20,  while he's sleeping.  I was able to give him the diazepam to stop the seizure pretty quickly.  The main part was about 2 minutes or so, it's always hard to time exactly even when I look at the clock.  Then it takes a minute or so for him to wake up.  And then he is very anxious, confused and concerned, and his eyesight and coordination are off.  The eyesight and coordination seem to come back within about 30 minutes, but he is still anxious and upset for about another hour.  I really think that each dose of diazepam, which is valium, should come with a courtesy dose for the person who just had to administer it to their animal.

I came into the room to find Zephyr had the pile of poop bags on the floor at his feet.  So I let them tear two up and it led to this rousing romp.
So, after corresponding with Dr. Knowles, Zephyr is scheduled for his follow up MRI and possible spinal fluid tap next Tuesday morning.  I'm waving Bye Bye to my savings as I have been since March.  But, I'd rather have him anyway.  I do get the 50% recheck discount.  WooHoo!  I've known she wanted to do this but was trying to put it off a bit.  She says this will tell us if the encephalitis is gone or not and whether we can proceed to eliminate the prednisone or if he will need more chemotherapy.  The MRI might also show scar tissue which is possibly what is causing his seizures.  This is all a huge expense, but since I'm in it this far I think I need to stick with it and follow through with everything.

Luckily he seems to be okay after the seizures.  He and Astro were playing a few times today.
I am already totally nervous about what the MRI and maybe spinal tap will show.  I'm also worried that something will happen while he is under anesthesia or afterward.  Like it triggers the encephalitis or a cluster of seizures or worse.  Again, a complementary dose of diazepam for the parent of the patient would be really nice.

11 comments:

Greyhounds CAN Sit said...

*sigh* poor you and Zephyr. It's kind of a living nightmare. You must be so on edge wondering if and when the next seizure is going to come. I hope you get something from the MRI and maybe spinal tap. I can only give you sympathy, wish you good luck and admire your ability to cope!

genji said...

That sucks! Hopefully this next vet visit will give you something definitive to work with. Fingers and paws crossed that it's all good news.

Angela J. said...

I agree, the complimentary dose would be a great idea! It seems the patient has forgotten all about the seizure and had lots of fun tearing up the poop bags, but it always seems harder for the humans. Short memories and living in the moment are the way to go I guess.

Anonymous said...

That is ruff :( Paws together and the best of vibes coming your way!

Waggin at ya,
Roo

The Barn Door said...

Oh no, so sorry to hear. Will be thinking about you and Zephyr and hoping for good results!

Sue said...

Hope everything goes ok and the tests show only good things for the future.

Michelle said...

That just stinks, totally stinks!! I think you are doing the right thing. We will be hoping for positive news from the vet visit. You are in our thoughts!!

houndstooth said...

I'm sorry! I know you were hoping you had the seizures under control. Knowing what you're dealing with might be a help at this point. If it is caused by scar tissue, is there anything that can be done on that front? Will it be something that you just try to continue to manage with medicine or is it something that would rule the meds out as unnecessary? I guess I'm asking things that I'd want to know when I went in to see a doctor. I've been offered a lot of tests by vets that while they offered answers to questions that I or they wanted to know the answers to, the answers weren't going to change anything for us. If you decide to do an auction or something like that, let me know and I'll wrack my brain for some things that I know of that you could put up or contact people for that might help!

P.S. Bunny here! You guys look like you're having an awesome slumber party there! Can I come over? I promise to be good!

Whippet Lover said...

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I hope all the tests come back in his favor. I know it isn't easy. Who knew a dog could get encephalitis. You are in our prayers.

Elaine Pritchard said...

Our hearts go out to you. I can't imagine how scarey that must be. I hope the news gets better soon.

Looks like Zephyr and Astro were having a good old game.

Take care - all of you.

Love and licks, Winnie

bbes tribe said...

Sorry to hear seizures are still happening to poor Zephyr. We will keep our paws crossed and hope things improve SOON and that the MRI AND a complementary dose of the diazepam for you will help!
Thoughts are with you. Seizures are scary.
Ernie,Sasha,Chica,Lucas