Simone Update 10/6

It's been another crazy 24 hours. We woke up yesterday to find Simone in serious discomfort from her enlarged abdomen. Her breathing had become labored, and she was stuck under the bed because of her increased girth. We debated about whether to take her to the emergency clinic (our old vet) or wait until the OSU hospital opened up. We decided to try and wait for the latter since the staff there is more familiar with what's been going on. I kept an eye on her until I left for class at 8:30, and then Gary was able to get her in at 10:30 am. Dr. Gordon said her abdomen did look distended, but she didn't know it was absolutely necessary to drain the fluid. Gary emphasized that it was affecting her breathing, and the doctor agreed to perform the procedure. Gary left Simone at the hospital and then went back to work to wait for a call.

He went back at 4pm and found a happy, energetic, bright-eyed Simone. They had inserted a tube into her abdomen and drained out 1.5 liters (nearly 6.5 cups!) of a clear fluid. No wonder she was so uncomfortable! They also did an echocardiogram to check for clots in her heart/lungs, but didn't see any. Less pressure on her abdomen helped her appetite to return, and she ate some of their dry dog food while we were there (something she hasn't done voluntarily in about 2 weeks). They sent her home with revised medication instructions, and will go back in on Wednesday for a recheck. There is a chance her abdomen will need to be drained again, but we're hoping that with the increased dose of blood thinner (stepped up again from the other day), all of her blood components will be able to stay within the vessels and not be forced out. We'll see. At least for now, things are looking up (yes, again), and we continue to be hopeful that they will stay that way!

So, we are headed to the coast today for an overnighter at a pet-friendly motel in Yachats called the Fireside. We have decided that we need a little family get away from all of the stress and chaos that is our life these days. We are looking forward to a nice walk on the beach and hopefully a good night's sleep.