Sick Call

It's been a rough few days, Near Philadelphia. The malady of my last post persisted through the weekend, keeping me at home all of Sunday. Monday I came to work and coughed and coughed and coughed. That afternoon, at Sharon's suggestion, I went over to the pharmacy for a new vaporizer. While I was there, I had a chat with the pharmacist. I told him that last winter when I'd had a cough that was of the tickle-in-the-throat type, his colleague had recommended a specific product, and it had really hit the spot. It wasn't doing the job this time around, however. "Tell me about your cough," said the pharmacist. I told him it was from way deep down somewhere between the chest and the abdomen.

He walked me down the "cough and cold" aisle and stopped in front of a different product. "This is what you need for this kind of cough," he told me. There was one option that was liquid and relatively inexpensive; the other was a great big "horse pill" that cost more and, he said, would "pack a wallop." The wallop was the solution. I took the first one that night (they last twelve hours) and began to improve right away.

Stayed home from school yesterday and today I'm not exactly back to normal, but so much improved that I can comfortably be part of society. So I'm here to sing the praises of pharmacists -- they seem to me to be cut out of the same kind of cloth as librarians -- all about helping people to find the right thing.

On another front, Bodacious has been ill as well, and his situation is less easily (and less inexpensively) resolved. He started on Sunday afternoon to get into a peculiar position and kind of "freeze." Then there would be a vocalization of discomfort. He seemed to be cold and unhappy. We found a soft warm blanket. He couldn't get comfortable. Nothing was happening in his litter box. First thing Monday morning, Joe called the vet and got an appointment. Bo had something blocking the tip end of his urethra. He needed sedation, catheterization, and hospitalization. We learned that this condition, if not treated promptly, causes uremic poisoning and can lead to a painful death.

Bo came home from hospital today at lunch time, and Joe says he's on three different medications and a new diet. But vastly improved. Both Joe and I are going away this coming weekend (More About Which Later), and ordinarily we'd leave Bodacious home with a generous portion of Deli-Cat. We've decided the right thing this time is to board him at the vet's, just to be on the safe side, so soon after this problem.

Comments

swooze said…
Glad you are on the mend. I hope Bo quickly follows suit!
Kim said…
Poor kitty and poor you! I had that cough on a road trip with my dad in Cooperstown last month, both of us up all night coughing- I thought my sister would kill us-lol.
Be well
Cindy said…
Glad to hear you and kitty are mending. What was the name of the cough pill. I had bronchitis and still have a little cough
Juliann in WA said…
Glad the medicine is working - sounds like you need to be back in full swing in another day so take care.
The Calico Cat said…
Glad to hear you both are on the mend. Did the vet recommend an Rx cat food? My girl had urinary problems, her girl cat cat food has done the trick to make that all better. (The boy has boy cat cat food for "food allergies.")
Laurie Ann said…
So glad you caught Bodacious' problem soon enough to get him fixed up. Good idea leaving him with the vet. You'll worry less!!
Nicole said…
Oh Nancy, you and Bodacious have really been through a rough time! It does sound as if you are both on the road to recovery, so that is good. Take care of yourselves and get lots of rest!
Tanya said…
Oh dear! Poor Bodacious! I have had three cats who had/have this condition and it makes me wonder what they are putting in that cat food! It seems that male cats are prone to it and with a change of diet it can be controlled. Unfortunately that dumb special cat food costs an arm and a leg! I pay what, $7.00 for a big bag of regular cat food but the special stuff costs $60! (in Japan) Right now two cats are on it but all the cats (females too) want it! Costs too much! Sorry girls, you'll have to eat the cheap food!