Heidi Chronicles: End of Another Summer

Omg, a broken drill bit in your mouth?! You poor thing!
I go to Petsmart every Sat. with a rescue group, and we do pet adoptathons. I will look for that toy, thanks!
I love cream of mushroom soup, and it's been on sale lately. My mother had a tooth extraction, so we stocked up. Yummy!

The dentist didn't just break the bit off in my tooth. Once that happened, he had a bigger, more immediate problem because the bit was up there in the 'canal' blocking the area and preventing him from getting in there to make sure all of the material was removed properly (i.e. properly completing the root canal he had started). Because it was essential that he get the root/canal cleaned out so as to avoid infection, after he broke the tip of the drill bit off in there, he then used another bit to push the broken bit farther up into my 'head' (actually into the farthest end of the root up in the jaw) so that he would be able to get the new bit into the area to complete the root canal. Not surprisingly that wasn't a bit, shall we say, uncomfortable. He and I got into a nasty disagreement when I didn't approve of him holding me down and torturing me to try to 'fix' his mistake. Naturally, that was my last visit to him.

A specialist, not oral surgeon, forgot type right now, had to go in and repeat the root canal because it wasn't completed properly. I had enormous pain in the entire lower part of my face on that side for about 2 years. That tooth was the one just past the upper canine, so its roots, and thus the drill bit, reached up into the sinus area. That caused all manner of havoc. I would have horrible sinus pain in the area beside my nose and under my eye. Sometimes it would swell and there was even some risk of involving the eye.

The specialist went in again repeated the root canal AGAIN just to be sure there was no necrotic tissue left behind (due to the presence of the bit) causing the pain and swelling. When the problem persisted, he went in surgically above the gum up around the jaw to cut the ends of the roots off (leaving the tooth still intact) in order to retrieve the bit. Even that didn't fix the problem. Eventually, tired of the pain, I had the entire tooth removed. That finally fixed the problem.

But I walked around for close to 2 years with a drill bit in my 'head' (jaw). (Bet everyone is really looking forward to their next root canal now. Like I said, choose you Dr/dentis/surgeon wisely.)

KyWoods,

The raccoons play with that toy every day and drag it around regardless, but every now and then I drop a few bits of dry cat food in their to add to the fun. That way they have to chase the cat food around with the ball in the way and so forth.

Just to be sure I don't forget...

On behalf of myself, Widget, Heidi, and the whole raccoon and opossum gang, I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving*!


*P/C Disclaimer: Now I know we are a multi-national community, and some of you may live in countries or cultures that do not observe Thankgiving Day. That's ok, but it won't hurt you to have a nice day anyhow. ;-)

Yikes, I can't believe they didn't schedule surgery immediately to remove the bit!!! Oh, my, can you say 'malpractice'?
Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating it tomorrow!!

Hi Cheryl,
Great to read your posts with some regularity again. I was getting worried.

A drill bit in your head. Oh pain pain pain.....I am the one who scrunches down down down, even when I am only at the dentist for cleaning. You know how sometimes babies slide down/scrunch down in seats....well, like that. I very nearly have to be sedated to walk into the office. I cannot imagine the pain you must have been in.

Same for Marylyn....I cannot imagine.

I enjoy this thread and am thankful for the smiles it brings me, and I enjoy the comments from all the readers. Thanks Cheryl for all you do for our furry friends, and for keeping the threads going.

I wish for all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe in your travels and enjoy your day.

KyWoods,

In the end I'm afraid I'm just to a fault not at all litigious. Whether I like it or not, I've somehow been imbued with an over abundance of empathy. I see the Dr's side, and think "accidents do happen". Other dentists told me that drill bits do break sometimes. This dentist was in the wrong though, so I probably would have prevailed. He was a dentist not a endodontist (the root canal specialist I couldn't think of in my prior post). He didn't have the advanced equipment the specialist would have. He saw that my canal, to paraphrase his words, turned sharply. He got out his shiny new titanium bit, never used before. He thought it was strong enough to bend and not break - wrong. Since he lacked the equipment to see around the bend in the canal and the experience to deal with the situation, he should have referred me to a specialist.

Because the bit was very small and made of titanium, both the dentist and the specialist thought it best to wait and see. They said it might cause pain or it might not. Honestly, it was hard for me to image a situation in which the drill bit would not cause some form a irritation, like a pebble in your shoe only in this case the pebble had a sharp point. Seems like even a very small, pointy, metal object somewhere in the upper roots of a tooth would be bound to cause pain at least when you tried to chew.

The pain from the bit/tooth wasn't constant, and it didn't feel like a 'toothache'. The tooth, having had 3 root canal procedures, had no ability to hurt. It was essentially dead at least to sensation. The pain was coming from the tissue around the tooth, the jaw and the sinus cavities, and was apparently due to inflammation caused by the presence of the bit. I had very frequent, sometimes almost daily throbbing headaches and intense pain always on that same side of my face and always seeming to originate from the area just above the tooth - the area where the bit was lodged.

I didn't want to have the tooth pulled if it wasn't the problem, and even specialists couldn't (or wouldn't) say for sure if the tooth (or bit) was the cause of the pain. They could see the bit on x-rays, but they couldn't say if it was the cause of the problem or if I was just experiencing sinus problems - always on the side with the bit. Aside from removing the tooth, the only way to get the bit out was to go in surgically at the jaw, above the gum, and cut the ends of the roots off to find it. That would further weaken the structure of the tooth, so the endodontist wanted to wait to see if the bit actually caused me problems before doing that procedure. In the end, when I finally gave up and removed the tooth, the pain went with it.

Hi Sharron,

Oh, I'm sorry to have told you that scary story. I don't have the greatest teeth; a family trait on my father's side. As a result, I've had a number of root canals along with a host of other procedures. With the exception of that one tooth, all of my others have been a breeze. In the beginning, I was terrified and hugging the chair like you. When the 1st root canal was over, I thought, "Wow, I didn't even realize you had started yet." After that I learned to relax. Some days I even found root canals more pleasant than my job. On a bad day at work I would be thinking, "Boy, I can't wait to get out of here and go to my root canal appointment."

Even after that one bad experience, I'm still calm at the dentist or dental specialist these days. In fact, on my 1st visit to the oral surgeon (to have that tooth pulled), he said he could put me to sleep, but I would have to come back another day and bring a driver, or he could give me nitrous and yank it right out of there on the spot. When I said "do it now", he wanted to be sure that I understood that while there wouldn't be any pain, I would feel him yanking and pulling (just pressure, no pain at all) and I would hear scary sounds that make some people "freak out". I was like, "if you only knew what I've been through already! As long as there won't be any pain, I'll be fine. I might even catch a nap. Let's do it."

I'm telling you this in hopes that someday maybe you, too, will be able to relax at the dentist. I used to try to rip the arms off the chair myself, so I understand the fear, but I've learned that pretty much nothing they do hurts anywhere near as much as we imagine it will. Even the drill bit experience didn't hurt THAT much, especially not during the actual procedure. None of it, from my experience, really warrants the kind of fear I used to have or the kind you describe.

I've actually come to the conclusion that my fear (early on) of dentists stemmed from my experiences with them a few decades ago when things really did hurt. I wonder if yours might also? Dental science has come a LONG way in the last few decades. Virtually everything is painless now. It just took me a while to realize it.

As for Thanksgiving, I hope that you will have a wonderful holiday, too.

As for the thread, thank you. I'm glad that all of you are here. Even though I've been too fatigued to be around much lately, I look forward to our time together. I haven't seen the raccoons for a few days now, but I left them a nice feast tonight for their pre-Thanksgiving meal. I had to clean out the fridge to make room for the holiday food. 2 days before the onset of that awful flu I had bought groceries. I had bought lots of yogurt and fresh fruits and veggies, some cheese and so forth and had promised myself I would be careful not to let any of it spoil this time. 2 days later I was down for the count. Even when I was able to return to work 2wks later, I still couldn't bring myself to eat anything except chicken soup and crackers. Pretty much everything I had bought either spoiled or passed its expiration date, so I gave the raccoons 1/2 a shelf in the fridge where I stacked the things they could eat in the coming days and packed the rest up for tonight's buffet: one whole rotisserie chicken, a chicken carcass, slice of chocolate dipped cheesecake, slice of caramel pie from local restaurant (caramel sauce, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate chips. they're going to love that), expired yogurt, expired package of Munster cheese, expired brick of feta cheese, and 2 overripe peaches. There may be more, but that's all I can remember right now. So now we can all enjoy the holiday feast safe in the knowledge that everyone at the Backyard Buffet will eat well tonight.

Your backyard buffet just made me hungry!!

Nitrous oxide helps, but my dentist tells me he gives me enough to knock out a good sized football player (I am about 5' and weigh accordingly), yet I still try to tear the handles off the seat and continue to try to tell him how to do his job, all the while bringing my knees up to my chest. I am sure he loves to see me coming.

I do the same thing when I have injections in my back, but they know now to give me something (can't remember what) that puts me under for about 15 minutes, so I don't know what hit me. Ingrained fears are the worst.

Have a good day tomorrow.

You deserve a happy Thanksgiving Cheryl! I am glad you are back, I so enjoy your posts!

Big hug!!

Susan
=^..^=

Going Back in time now to the end of Oct 09 to catch up on posts I didn't respond to while sick.

Sharran,

Your post (warning me about dehydration) was right on target esp since I did end up severely dehydrated. You suggestions were great. I'm taking all of this down for future reference (and planning). Unfortunately, when I read it I was already in trouble and going down fast. By that time I pretty much couldn't tolerate much of anything 'foodwise'. The thought at the time of V-8 (which I had on hand and usually like) was 'yuck, no possible way', frozen or not.

The only juice I had in the house at the time was grapefruit juice, my favorite when well. I'm not sure I would have been able to consume any kind of juice, even frozen, but the thought of grapefruit juice at the time was nauseating.

Don't know if I would have been able to tolerate Pedialyte at the time. For some reason, I find the taste of that stuff almost totally intolerable even when well. There is rarely anything that I can't force down when well, but Pedialyte is definitely one. Even when I know it is good for me, and I want to consume it, every single sip is a nearly insurmountable obstacle.

You were absolutely correct in your advice to me though. The day I received the IV fluids for dehydration the Dr directed me to drink Pedialyte and Gatorade. I was battling severe nausea and barfing at the time - and actually carrying a small plastic bucket around everywhere I went. I kept that thing on the corner of the bed while there, carried it around the house with me any time I got up to get something, and carried it in a green/tote bag when I went out to the Dr. Anyhow, I told him that Pedialyte would make me barf even if I weren't already sick. He said I really needed to try to drink it what I could of it, even if only a sip for now.

The biggest obstacle of all those I faced was the fact that there was no one in the house to help me, I wouldn't let anyone in for fear of making them ill, and I was far too sick to take care of myself at all well no matter how hard I tried. By this time, I was just too sick and too weak even to do such seemingly small tasks like filling ice trays with juice. The few times I managed to get up and get something, or take the dog out just a few feet from the door, it was all I could do to manage these things and get back in bed.

It's hard to describe how very ill I was at the time. I should not have been alone. I should not have been trying to take care of myself and I absolutely should not have been making important decisions regarding my health. At the Dr's office I found that I was too weak to hold my body up and step down from the examining table even using that little step in between. The Dr's/nurses had to help me down supporting much of my weight for me.

Oddly enough, just being severely dehydrated was apparently making me less able to tolerate any fluids. I know that seems counter-intuitive. From the day one of the flu, I kept bottled water in the bed with me and tried my best to stay hydrated - even though I clearly failed. Even when I went to the Dr, that day included, I carried a bottle of water in my purse and tried to sip it as much as I could (ignoring the 'no food or beverage' sign), but I really couldn't tolerate much of the water.

Then while I was lying on the table receiving IV fluids, after about 1/3 to 1/2 of the 1st bag was in me, I suddenly felt very thirsty for the 1st time so much so that while lying there with the IV in my arm I retrieved my water bottle and started drinking at a pretty good clip. I drank almost an entire bottle of water then - even while getting the IV. It was interesting to me to see that being severely dehydrated had made me less able to tolerate water and that, most ironically, I needed to get a good bit of water in me in order to reach the place where my brain could register thirst and I could tolerate water.

Getting the IV fluids in me made me instantly more amenable to drinking and eating. On the way home that day I went through the drive thru at the drug store and asked for Pedialyte. They gave me apple juice flavor. I still don't like the stuff, but I found the apple juice flavor tolerable, much more so than any other flavor I had tried before. I was still only able to get about 1/2-1 single serving container down a day, but it was a start.

Thanks very much for your support and suggestions.

June,

When I read your post at the time, there was absolutely no possible way I could drink/tolerate Ensure, but that 'rice water' actually, at the time, sounded more tolerable to me than anything. I found myself wanting a DH to make me some. Unfortunately, there was no way at the time I was going to stand up long enough to make anything that complex or even bouillon for that matter.

When you are well, you can't possibly imagine the obstacles presented by all the steps involved in 'cooking' anything. Things like find the rice or bouillon, get a spoon from the drawer and a pot from the cabinet...were all exhausting and daunting tasks at the time. There was no way they were going to get done.

Thank you very much for your suggestions and support. I will remember these things for future reference.

goldfinch,

Thank you for your support at the time and for sending much needed prayers for my recovery.

Susan (lincolnitess)

Thank you so much for that very useful recipe for rehydrating solution. Unfortunately, as stated above I wasn't able at the time to get up and make anything that 'complex' (at the time that was as complex as an advanced physics formula). But I am definitely going to keep that recipe on hand both for times when I need it and am well enough to make it and also for helping others.

Given the quantity of Pedialyte needed to stay hydrated at such times and the cost of the stuff let alone the possible difficulties in obtaining it, it is very good to know how to make a good substitute from things most of us have on hand.

The Pedialyte bottle says a child should drink one of those single serving containers after every bout of barfing or diarrhea. If you are really sick, that could be a lot of bottles per day, and that's for a child. An adult probably needs even more. Yikes!

Thanks for your support and suggestions.

Terese,

Thanks for being there and for your support. I hope all of you know that even though I didn't have the strength to respond at the time, I did read your posts from time to time, and your 'presence' and words alone were very comforting to me during this trying time.

A few days into my sickness, I had forced myself to bring the laptop to the bed because I had to have it to find things like the Dr's phone # and to find a 24hr pharmacy I could call in the middle of the night for advice needed to avoid medication overdose and or bad interaction. After that I left the laptop standing on end against the bed. I didn't check in with you guys every day, but I did check a few times, and it was good to have you all there.

Ruth,

Thanks for being there for me and for your support during that horrible time. I did manage to hand in there, but at the time I was a good approximation of that kitten on the 'hand in there' poster just barely holding on to the end of the rope.

Still doing catch-up. I'm at Nov 5 now. I want to take a moment to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all of your thoughts and prayers, your suggestions, your support, and for just being there during my recent illness with the flu.

KyWoods,

I thought that, too, that I would call for help if I felt I was in real danger. When it was over I realized the one flaw in that logic is the fact that a sick person with a high fever doesn't always make the best decisions and, as I learned, doesn't always realize when she is in danger.

That day when I went to the Dr and he gave me IV fluids, I was definitely in danger. If I had waited another day to go, I probably would have needed an ambulance. What is very scary to me even now is that I didn't even have a clue that I was severely dehydrated and in real danger. I actually thought I felt a little better that day. I only went to the Dr because I had promised a friend I would. I hadn't eaten for days at that time, and she was afraid if I waited I would get too weak to go.

Wow, what a horrible illness! I'm so glad you're doing better now, and will be sending more prayers for continued recovery and good health.
I have a rotten cold but that's it, and I went to the VA for cough med with decongestant, and it's helping.
That must be scary with nobody to help you out. It would be good to have neighbors willing to help, but there's the contagious issue that would be considered. Yep, the only time I ever think it would be good to have a DH is when I am in dire need, LOL.

Hi KyWoods,

A cold can really make you misserable. Hope you will be feeling better soon. Very glad it isn't flu.

One of my next door neighbors is awesome. When I had my 1st knee surgery, I went out using a walker to get the mail a few days later. My neighbor who was outside at the time came over and asked what had happened. Before that I had been very active, so seeing me that way was very shocking. He offered to get the mail for me. After that he started mowing my lawn, trimming hedges, and edging everything every week when he did his. I had to stay in bed mostly but would hear his power tools running for an hour or so after dark to get both yards done.

He wouldn't let me pay him. Later, when I got back on my feet, I did the yard myself for a short while and then hired his teen son to do it for a year or so. Remembering all the work the father had done for me when I was unable, I payed the son a little more than was customary at the time. When the son got older and no longer needed the job, I hired a landscaper who now keeps the front yard manicured to keep the HOA off my back.

While I was largely bedridden after the surgery, they would also come over sometimes or call to ask if I needed anything from the grocery store, etc. The wife managed one of the large grocery stores in the area. Since she worked there daily, it was easy for her to bring back items I needed without making an extra trip. She would send the kids over with the stuff and would never accept any money.

While I was down and out with the flu, there were times when I wanted or needed things but did without because I lacked the energy to get up and get them - sometimes even when I knew those things were in my cabinet but lacked the energy still (like to warm up some chicken soup in the 1st few days when I was coughing so hard). Actually, I went a day or so w/o eating at the beginning of the flu just because I didn't feel like getting up to prepare anything. Later I went w/o eating because I could no longer eat.

Anyhow, I thought about calling them once. I knew they would gladly help me, but (and remember I was thinking all that clearly due to high fever) there again I didn't want to risk making them sick. It would seem like an awful way to repay all that kindness. I say I was thinking clearly because I couldn't figure out how I could give them money for the stuff w/o contaminating them with flu germs plus I don't think I had more than a few dollars on me since I use my debit card most of the time. I wasn't about to ask them to bring stuff and pay for it themselves - no matter how much I needed it. In my feverish state it didn't occur to me that under the circumstances they probably would have been willing to let me pay them when I got well, so I didn't ask. I'm sure they never even realized I was lying in bed over here so sick. If they had, I'm sure they would have insisted on helping.

I also need a DH when I need furniture moved or a light bulb replaced (very high ceilings) or something like that. LOL here, too.
I didn't even tell you guys that, as luck would have it, the smoke detector just outside my bedroom started this annoying, high pitched whistling thing that it does when the batteries need to be changed. It's wired in but also uses batteries. I don't know how that works, but the whistling is enough to drive you batty. I can't reach it w/o a ladder. It started whistling the 2nd week of my illness, during the time when I was dehydrated, unable to eat anything, and very weak.

I wasn't about to get up, go out to the garage, get the ladder down off the wall, drag it through the house, find the batteries, and climb up there to change them. Thank goodness, the thing was only whistling intermittently in the beginning. If the noise wasn't enough, it would upset Widget and start him barking. I could only talk just above a whisper, so I couldn't shout down the hall to tell him to stop - turns out dogs can hear much better than we think. He heard me whisper 'no barking' all the way from the bedroom.

As time goes on, the whistling become more persistent. I lay in bed sick listening to that thing whistling for days. Sometimes when I was blissfully asleep the shrill, piercing whistle would jostle me awake again. After a few days the whistling had become pretty much non-stop. I was SO glad when I was at least well enough to change the battery - still sick, mind you, and too sick to be dragging that latter around much less climbing up 10 ft, but well enough to tackle it. Whew! Living alone can be a hassle at times.

Oh, nooooo, that would be unbearable!!! Sheesh! When I did live alone, it was in a duplex, and the landlord and his wife lived in the other half. They weren't always reliable, but it was a comfort to know that all I had to do was call (or even yell) and they would be there if I truly needed them. I had to move out after 5 1/2 years, as they built the country's largest drywall company right across the street. That didn't bother me, but the train across the street suddenly was required to blast it's horn due to the railroad crossing at the factory's driveway. It blasted me out of my sleep two or three times a night, and I couldn't take it.

KyWoods,

I lived in an apartment for years before I finally got over my commitment phobia, realized I probably wasn't moving to some other state, and bought my house. I loved everything about having my own space, a yard, the garage I can no longer get the car in, etc. The things I still miss, however, are being able to call 'maintenance' to come over and fix things, not having to miss work to be there for repairs, and not having to pay the bill (as in the $13,000.00 A/C replacement last summer).

I love the distant rumble of a train going by, something I no longer get to hear, but I agree with you on not living that close to a blaring train horn. The 1st apartment I moved into was new and was nicer than the one I ended up in. After a long weekend of carrying furniture and boxes (with help of x), I sat down in my new apartment and for the 1st time realized how noisy the adjacent street was. It was late on a Sunday night, and I could hear nothing but road noise and the constantly screeching tires of cars trying to get into traffic on a difficult street. Realizing if it was that bad on a Sunday night, it would be worse the rest of the week, I was at the office 1st thing the next morning demanding to move away from that street. After 3 days of moving stuff, we had to take off from work and spend 2 more days moving it again, but I wasn't about to live by that noisy street, so I know exactly what you are talking about.

You may miss some of the privacy of having your own place, but you are probably better off there with family than alone. I'm finding that living alone gets more difficult with age - in part because there are fewer guys standing in line for the opportunity to help with stuff and because I'm less inclined to want to deal with them if they are.

June,

Oh how I wish we did have shopping services and/or delivery services for grocery and drug stores but no such luck. We do have maid and cleaning services. I've been debating that idea for a while now but am wary of the idea of possibly having things pilfered. I'm also a bit concerned about damage, things I may not notice right away. I hired someone to come in and look after me for a few days after my 1st knee surgery. While I was in pain and waiting for the meds to kick in, I heard her dragging heavy furniture around on the hardwood floor to vacuum. I had to get out of bed (in pain) and hobble in there to ask her to stop - and point out the 2ft scratch where she had just dragged something across the floor. While I appreciated her attempt to be thorough, I asked her to just forgo cleaning. I didn't want to incur any more damage, and I wanted to be able to stay in bed and rest w/o worrying about what was going on elsewhere in the house.

Thanks for your prayers. I'm still debating that maid thing.

Susan (lincolnitess),

I hear about the cats (there were others) dying of H1N1 on the news. At that time they said there was no evidence (yet) that it might effect dogs. Oddly enough though, after I had been very sick for several days, coughing, barfing, and other GI issues, Widget started barfing not just once but repeatedly and every 10-15 min or so. Much like me, he was only barfing up a little fluid, no food.

At that time I hadn't heard about the cats dying. Seeing Widget barfing at the same time I was barfing rather terrified me at 1st because I thought maybe there was something dangerous in the house somewhere that was effecting us both, but I was too weak and too sick to get up to try to do anything about it.

Any other time, I would have rushed Widget to the ER after several bouts of barfing like that (it was night time), but I was too sick. I love Widget, but I just lifted my head off the pillow, looked at him, and said (to myself) that he would have to make it on his own or die because I was just way too sick to help him. I could barely do the absolute essentials for myself.

THAT is just how sick I was, so sick that I couldn't help Widget, so sick that while I prayed he would survive, I was willing to let him die. I couldn't bare to think of waking up to find him dead, but I just couldn't help him. There was no way I could drive him to the vet. I did consider that if he made it until morning and was still sick I might drop him off at the vet's office on my way to the emergency care center where I was going.

By morning he had stopped barfing. I never knew what was wrong with him. I did think it very odd that he was sick at the same time i was. He stays inside. Sometimes I give him some of my food when I'm eating fresh fruits, veg, lean meat, and such, but during that time he was only eating his regular, dried dog food which surely would not have upset his stomach.

When I read your post, I couldn't help but wonder if Widget really had been effected by the virus. Dogs don't appear to have died from it like cats, but I wonder if they may get a less life threatening version that people just haven't noticed in connection with H1N1. I am so thankful that Widget did survive the illness whatever it was. I would probably never have forgiven myself for letting him die, otherwise.

While we are on the subject of Widget...he is a 4yr old male, hyper energetic, possibly ADD. Unlike his female predecessor, Widget had never shown any sign of compassion during any of my illnesses. Sassy, my prior dog had a strong nurturing, mothering instinct and shown extreme concern for me when I was sick or in pain. She would up against me at such times as though to comfort me and be sure I was ok.

Widget, on the other hand, when I was sick or in pain would turn away and even leave the room acting as though my groaning or coughing or sneezing or whatever was actually bothering him. He was like "could you P-lease be QUIET over there! Oh, forget it, I'll just go down the hall", and he would actually storm away in frustration.

During my recent bout of H1N1 all that changed, however. I can still see those images of little Widget lying on his stomach beside the bed and looking up at me with such an expressive face. His eyes said, "Oh, you don't look so good at all. I'm not sure you're going to make it." There was so much concern written all over his little face. He lay there looking up at me that way for much of the time while I was extremely ill. He couldn't get up onto the bed, and I was too sick to get up to put him on the bed, so he lay there by the bed.

There were times during the 2wk period when I would put him up on the bed when I got up for something else. Later I would be sleeping and would wake up with Widget standing beside me with his little nose about a centimeter from mine apparently checking to see if I was still breathing.

This was the sickest I had been in his life and very probably even in my life. It was the 1st time he had ever shown concern. He seemed to realize that I was perilously ill.

I go to work 5 days a week and go other places. Widget is quite accustomed to seeing me leave and to knowing I will return. Usually, he stands at the door quietly to see me off. During the flu thing, however, the few times I left to see the Dr, Widget would whine and cry and jump up on me and try his very best to dissuade me from going out. I think he realized I was too sick to be going anywhere and feared I wouldn't make it back. He did that every time I left while I was sick, but as soon as I was well again, he returned to normal allowing me to leave w/o all the whining and drama.

I guess it's no secret that I find animals immensely interesting. They are so much smarter than we tend to realize and so much more like us than most people care to believe.

Thank your for all the help and for warning about the possible threat to Widget. Perhaps it was a good thing that I couldn't make it out to feed the raccoons and possibly spread the virus to the wild ones.

Hi Judy,

Thank you for being there with me through that awful time. I usually feel like I can do whatever has to be done and like I can take care of myself and others. This was one time when I knew I was at the edge of the abyss. I just didn't have any energy to get up for much of anything.

I let the dog poop in the house, something I would never have done before and about which I am still not proud. I was willing to let the dog die. If the city had said, "unless you get up we are sending a wrecking crew to demolish the house." I would have said, "Ok, send them, just please leave the bedroom untouched." Although we know the city would never do that, I'm not kidding that I was so sick I didn't care what happened to the house or anything else for that matter as long as my bed was untouched so I had a place to rest.

By the end of the 2nd week, I didn't have much strength left and I knew it. I wasn't far from hospitalization, and I knew it. I knew I was near the end of what I could do for myself and then it would be in the hands of others.

Thank goodness I made it through. I'm feeling very good now.

Hi Debbie,

Good to hear from you. Thanks for being there.

>>I've read of 2 ferrets dying from the H1N1 virus and at least one cat that has a confirmed case.

Cheryl... i read your comment on the H1N1 and Widget being sick.... i had to scroll back to find the above comment....

there was a gal in the Pets forum... she's from northern IL ... long story short... she lost all FIVE of her cats in 2 days time. It was such a heart wrenching story... when she talked to her vet, he/she was so surprised at how quickly the cats passed, and the H1N1 was thought to be a possibility... but with no autopsy, they'll never know.

How's lil Widget doing now?? [sorry -- sometimes when there is A LOT of text, and i dont have a lot of time... i just scan the messages... ]

T.

Hi Terese,

I totally understand the need to scan. I'm happy to see you with us. Read what speaks to you, and skip the rest. No problem. As soon as I get threw responding to emails, I'm going to start a new thread and try to stay more on track. However, I've not seen the raccoons lately. It's wet and icky out there and now it's even cold. The raccoons aren't hungry enough to wait for me (or sure enough that I will show up), and I don't feel like sitting out there very long these days. Tonight my fingers were freezing fast.

I heard about the cats dying twice on the news. The first time I heard it they said they weren't sure. The 2nd time it was presented by a one of those doctors (you know the ones who do regular spots on cable news). He presented it as fact although he didn't give any supporting evidence. But both times they said there hadn't been any problems with dogs.

Widget is fine. He stopped barfing the next day. I was too sick to notice if he was still showing subtle signs of illness, malaise, etc. By the time I was well enough to pay much attention, he was fine and begging me to play with him. Thanks for asking.

Terese, Ruth,

I didn't really think the raccoons would forget me, but I did worry that they would loose their sense of comfort around me. Some of the things, aside from my high fever and incorrect sense of how long I was missing, that made me worry about that were:

(1) The fact (like Terese said) that I usually have to go through some minor period each spring while they work on getting used to being around me again. I have noticed, however that the break in period is shorter and easier each spring and we get closer each year. Even when I was well enough to go back to work and go out there to feed them, I wasn't feeling well enough to sit around out there for an hour cajoling and such.

(2) All this time I have worked hard at keeping the signals straight in order to communicate with them. I only turn on that one lamp and the outside lights when I'm planning to go out and feed them. Unfortunately, that Friday, the 1st day of my illness, I still thought I could make it out there to feed them even if I didn't stay. I turned all of the lights on to alert them to gather, then went to take Widget out front, my usual evening ritual. On the way to the front door, I started barfing and realized I wasn't going to be able to do any of this. I went to bed right away w/o even taking Widget out. The flu had been escalating my sickness all day that day. Suddenly, I was not only too sick to go out and feed them but also too sick to get back up and turn the outside lights off. After that I went downhill fast. They lights stayed on for days, something I never do. That's one big reason I didn't expect the raccoons to pay much attention to the light signal.

(3) Lastly, they are just very sensitive to change. When anything changes, whether its behavior or something physical in the landscape, they become cautious. I figured after weeks of not having me out there, when I showed up again it would be a major change in their routines and would result in the usual caution.

But I like reading your posts of reassurance that the raccoons were probably happy to see me again.

goldfinch,

Awwwhhhh! I loved the images evoked by your post of Nov 16. The one where the raccoons are wondering "Did she forget about us?...Think she'll still let us take things out of her hand?"

Catbird423,

Can't recall if I responded to either of your posts while I was sick, but I wanted to be sure to tell you that it's nice to have you with us. Thanks for being there to support me during that awful time. Feeling much better now.

June,

I went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving. She was using the finger. The thing I did notice though is that she has now become almost OCD about cleaning things that came from the world outside. When fixing me stuff to take home - she took out a new package of those reusable/disposable type Gladware dishes, filled the sink with fresh dishwater, and washed them all thoroughly before letting me fill them.

I asked if she always washes things like that (new, from the store). She said, "I do now, since my run-in with germs and the finger. We don't know who touched them before they got here or what might have crawled on them. Better to be sure."

She always kept a clean house, but now I notice that she is rewashing everything.

Still haven't seen the raccoons. Although I'm sure they will be happy to see me again and get some goodies if our paths cross, they don't seem to be hungry enough to wait for me. Looks like they are still finding enough in the forest - and that's a good thing.

That one night when the kit came to the door to look for me and the two of them sat at my feet eating cookies was just so incredibly precious. That alone was enough to get me by until spring if need be.

However, I have acquired some additional buffet guests lately. Yep, I've been adopted by cats, two of them now. They don't actually interact with me. They just hang out in my yard and around my house. They don't appear to be strays but well-loved house cats on the prowl and probably attracted now by the daily offerings of chicken and other high protein foods at my buffet.

The 1st cat to appear was a female chocolate point Siamese who appeared to have given birth recently. I came home from work one day to find her in my flower bed. She hangs around my door pretty much daily now. That 1st day I call her. I just wanted to pet her and make friends. She was coming toward me, moving her body in the friendly posture. Just as she was inches from my hand Widget started barking, and she took off. (He was inside, but we were near the door.) She really seems to have adopted us though. Some nights I go out to walk Widget and look back to see her curled up in the pine straw in the flower bed.

A few days ago, another cat showed up, a mottled gray/black one that I've seen before, often creeping by the side yard on the way to check the backyard. I don't know for sure that these cats are eating at the buffet. I haven't seen them do so, but I have strong suspicions that's the reason they are showing up at my house so regularly now. They probably eat cat food at home, and now they've found a fairly regular source of chicken & chicken bones, eggs, and the odd block of cheese. What more could a cat want?

Tonight I put out some more of the things that expired during and since my illness: Chick Fillet chicken salad sandwich, 2 eggs, 2 peaches, block of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 block of Asiago, block of firm bean curd.

Now the buffet is not only seating wildlife but now appears to be drawing well-fed, neighborhood pets in pursuit of a different culinary experience.

If I missed anyone's post(s) during the response phase, please know that I read them all back around the time when they were posted. While going back to respond, I may have missed one sandwiched between posts somewhere, but I definitely read and appreciated each and every post around the time they were posted, maybe a day or so later when I was sick.

Ok, we are moving to a NEW THREAD, finally: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1059026/

THE END (of this thread)

Please, Everyone, remember to watch the new thread!
Hope to see you all there!