Take a Moment To Breathe

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time in the car because I had to take Cali to the vet, which is 109 km away. I tried to get a closer vet, but the customer experience wasn’t good, so off Cali and I went to see the vet she’s been seeing for many years.

I’m glad I did because after dealing with Cali’s current problem, she mentioned that her heart rate was irregular and had an odd sound. She said that this is often caused by a heart issue. She suggested blood work and an X-ray. Which I agreed to. Cali already has pancreatitis, which has been helped by a very learn diet. I always say that I should be on Cali’s diet. Cali is only 5 pounds, so if she gets sick and loses weight, it’s a significant concern.

The blood work came back, and it showed she was fighting an infection, which was the original reason for the visit, and the pancreatitis was in check, but the X-ray showed an enlarged heart. I was shocked because Cali has always had so much energy (one of the reasons we went in was because she wasn’t her energetic self), and she loves to walk. Now, next Monday, she’s scheduled for an echocardiogram to see exactly what’s going on, as the X-ray revealed some shadows, and then I’ll find out how I can help her.

By the end of all this, I was a basket case. One of the things I do while driving is listen to audiobooks, and the one I was listening to did help. It was Take Control of Your Life by Mel Robbins. I listen to a lot of self-help books… what can I say? But this one did help. In the book, it talked about fear and that out of fear we think and sometimes we overthink, and this can lead to a type of paralysis…

It went on to say that instead, sometimes we are so busy thinking and panicking that what we should be doing is taking a breathe. Calming the thoughts, and after calming, stop thinking and just start doing, and that’s what I’ve done today since the vet visit. I’ve done some research about what an enlarged heart means and what I can do to help Cali now and in the future.

I learned some tricks to encourage her to drink more water, as it’s challenging when you have a cone on your head. So, I’m putting an ice cube in her food dish and feeding her frozen veggies, and she’s getting syringes of water (she’s not keen on that idea). I can tell you one thing: her appetite is still good, and I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

I think the most important thing is that, even though I thought I had a million things to do, they have all been pushed aside, and I’m just relaxing with Cali and enjoying the sun, being with my friend. She’s having a nap now, and that’s why I can write this blog.

On Monday, I’ll learn more, and if you have any experience in this area, I’d like to learn from you in the comments. But for now, I’m just taking a breath eand chilling with Cali.

Note: The cone on Cali’s head is due to a procedure related to the infection she has.

Disclaimer: This blog contains an affiliate link, for which I receive a small commission. This helps me support the blog, and I use some of the money to donate to the Alzheimer’s society because isn’t our genealogy all about memories.