Why yesterday sucked
Apr. 19th, 2011 08:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiSo, yesterday morning, I finally did our taxes. We knew that we'd owe more this year because 'song was working all last year, and because I made more freelancing than I had the year before. I'd prepared for those. What I hadn't prepared for was some utter financial upfuckery, the sort that is caused by someone else, but which we still should have caught. Suffice to say, it was not a fun financial hit.
And that was the good part of the day.
At about 2:30,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shadesong noticed that middle cat Jack's tongue was sticking out and that he was drooling. We laughed at first -- he's the dumbest of the house's cats, so it seemed like a perfectly normal thing for him, but the tongue wasn't going back into the mouth (and the drool wasn't stopping). And googling pet medical issues is as scary as googling human ones. And we verified that his attempts to eat a treat all ended in failure, and starving/dehydrating him wasn't an option. So we called the vet, who got us in at 4:30. After short exam, they told us he'd need dental work and might have a broken jaw, and that we should take him to the emergency hospital.
The drive there was harrowing, to say the least. Elayna had come with me, and was in the back seat to calm Jack, but he did not like being cooped up in his cardboard carrier. To the extent of not only meowing at the top of his lungs all the way there, but managing to tear through the carrier twice, destroying it in the process (and anyone who knows me and driving has to know that this was well out of my comfort zone, range wise, and involved lots of cursing at both drivers and city planners; it also involved tears streaming down my face most of the way there, which is another reason I'm glad Elayna was in the back and paying attention to the cat). To get him into the hospital, I needed to scoop the carrier and hold it closed while Elayna ran ahead and opened doors. As it was, we barely got him to the front desk, where a nice lady got him into a metal carrier (where he was much calmer).
After another wait, the doctor checked Jack out, and verified that he had an abscessed back tooth which will need to be extracted (along with other teeth, possibly). She couldn't be sure this was the only cause, as his jaw seemed to be misaligned, but since any tests they can run (other than palpating, which revealed nothing) required Jack to be sedated, they'll have to run tests while he's out (including a test for cancer, which is exactly the sort of thing one loves hearing when a loved one is being examined). The end result is at least one night's stay in the hospital, possibly two, and a whole bunch of work. To the tune of around $1800. Of course, I didn't blink. Jack's family; if they'd said "$10,00, and we'll need to chop off your left hand," I'd be typing slower right now.
Long story short*, Jack's in the hospital, and that's kicked us in the teeth, financially (and between taxes and Explo, it wasn't like we were exactly swimming in dinero). 'song has more info on Jack at her journal, including updates on how the afternoon went, as well as fundraising info. This post has the fundraising info, and this tag has all of the Jack-related posts. In a nutshell, 'song's accepting donations for writing prompts, and we'll be auctioning a bunch of stuff later today (including copies of the Subterranean hardcovers of Triskell Tales and Seven Wild Sisters, for the de Lint fans). And regardless of whether you've can help financially, any good thoughts you can send Jack's way are appreciated.
*"Too late!" /Clue
And that was the good part of the day.
At about 2:30,
shadesong noticed that middle cat Jack's tongue was sticking out and that he was drooling. We laughed at first -- he's the dumbest of the house's cats, so it seemed like a perfectly normal thing for him, but the tongue wasn't going back into the mouth (and the drool wasn't stopping). And googling pet medical issues is as scary as googling human ones. And we verified that his attempts to eat a treat all ended in failure, and starving/dehydrating him wasn't an option. So we called the vet, who got us in at 4:30. After short exam, they told us he'd need dental work and might have a broken jaw, and that we should take him to the emergency hospital.The drive there was harrowing, to say the least. Elayna had come with me, and was in the back seat to calm Jack, but he did not like being cooped up in his cardboard carrier. To the extent of not only meowing at the top of his lungs all the way there, but managing to tear through the carrier twice, destroying it in the process (and anyone who knows me and driving has to know that this was well out of my comfort zone, range wise, and involved lots of cursing at both drivers and city planners; it also involved tears streaming down my face most of the way there, which is another reason I'm glad Elayna was in the back and paying attention to the cat). To get him into the hospital, I needed to scoop the carrier and hold it closed while Elayna ran ahead and opened doors. As it was, we barely got him to the front desk, where a nice lady got him into a metal carrier (where he was much calmer).
After another wait, the doctor checked Jack out, and verified that he had an abscessed back tooth which will need to be extracted (along with other teeth, possibly). She couldn't be sure this was the only cause, as his jaw seemed to be misaligned, but since any tests they can run (other than palpating, which revealed nothing) required Jack to be sedated, they'll have to run tests while he's out (including a test for cancer, which is exactly the sort of thing one loves hearing when a loved one is being examined). The end result is at least one night's stay in the hospital, possibly two, and a whole bunch of work. To the tune of around $1800. Of course, I didn't blink. Jack's family; if they'd said "$10,00, and we'll need to chop off your left hand," I'd be typing slower right now.
Long story short*, Jack's in the hospital, and that's kicked us in the teeth, financially (and between taxes and Explo, it wasn't like we were exactly swimming in dinero). 'song has more info on Jack at her journal, including updates on how the afternoon went, as well as fundraising info. This post has the fundraising info, and this tag has all of the Jack-related posts. In a nutshell, 'song's accepting donations for writing prompts, and we'll be auctioning a bunch of stuff later today (including copies of the Subterranean hardcovers of Triskell Tales and Seven Wild Sisters, for the de Lint fans). And regardless of whether you've can help financially, any good thoughts you can send Jack's way are appreciated.
*"Too late!" /Clue
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 01:10 pm (UTC)I just finished paying down my darling dog's $3K vet bill, so I am with you guys.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 02:50 pm (UTC)*hugs*
Date: 2011-04-19 01:11 pm (UTC)I've already donated and can probably contribute more once my own taxes are sorted out.
*BIG HUGS* Try and take it easy.
Re: *hugs*
Date: 2011-04-19 02:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 02:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 02:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 02:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 02:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 03:48 pm (UTC)~*::Meow::*~
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 03:52 pm (UTC)The test for cancer is probably to rule out squamus cell carcinoma, which is one of the things Benedick had at the end. It manifested as a tumor under his tongue, and caused many eating and drinking problems for him. It's good they're checking Jack for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 04:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 03:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 04:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-19 10:28 pm (UTC)I'm so sorry you're going through this with Jack. I'll have to take a look at my finances before I know whether I can donate, but I'm definitely thinking of all of you.