small reprieve

The vet visit last night was lovely, though sad. Dr. Randy pretty much echoed my assessment -- that the tumor has grown and Juliet's time appears to be near. We talked about next steps. He surprised me by asking what I wanted to do, and almost by rote, I said "Keep her comfortable and minimize suffering."

We agreed not to take her blood pressure, though he noticed on his own that some vision has returned. We agreed that she doesn't need to be on kidney diet right now. He gave me some tips about what to look for, and we decided I'd come back in half a week, on Monday, to reassess. (I'm as always just hoping we get through Sunday, his day of rest.)

Then he gave her an acupuncture treatment and very lovingly did moxa (heating of the needles, which is a slow process). She kept settling in and getting comfier. I watched and tried to just breathe and not to cry -- there's plenty of other time for that. He also gave her aquapuncture, and the magic brew he used included Vitamin B12 and prednisone, a steroid, to reduce swelling.

And it did work magic. This morning, after several days of disinterest in food, her bowl is nearly licked clean. Her eye is far less googly, and she seems perhaps more alert. She was a little active for my tastes last night, leaving me still feeling tired, but it's really hard to complain about that.

For a while, I was saying that we were going two days by two days, that I was fairly certain she'd be alive two days out. Now we're living day-by-day. But we have a tiny bit of relief, and a little more comfort.

And in a spectacular gesture of caring for the caregiver, Robert got takeout last night from a new middle Eastern restaurant near where he works. It was over the top delicious and totally fed my soul -- just what my inner doctor would have ordered.