Saying Good-Bye

When I got up this morning, I found that Lexie's mammary wounds had bled through her doggy bed during the night.  I can't believe she even found the strength to get up, go down the front steps, and walk into the yard to pee, but she did.  She did it for me.  She fought so hard for me for so long, but she collapsed on the sidewalk before she could make it back into the house, and I knew at that moment that I wasn't going to make Lexie fight any longer. 

Justin sat with her and said his good-byes while I got ready to take her to Dr. Ellis.  Then, before I left, we held each other and cried as I thanked Justin for taking such good care of my Lou.  I told him how much she loved him.  It broke my heart to see him crying so hard for her, and for me, but it also made me realize just how lucky I and my girls are to have him in our lives. 

Unfortunately, Dr. Ellis wasn't at Animal Care Clinic today, so they sent us to Dr. Mark Ayers' office.  All of the staff and Dr. Ayers were so kind to me and Lou.  I'm glad that she was surrounded by so many kind, happy voices in her final hour.  I'm also so glad that I decided to stay and be with her while she was euthanized.  I put my forehead against hers and held her face in my hands as I thanked her for loving me and told her what a good girl she was.  She was peaceful, and I also felt at peace as I finally let her go.  I made her promise to find me again someday, though.  I have a feeling she will. 

Oh, Moomie.  I'm going to miss you so very, very much.  You'll always be my little turd, and I'll love you until my last breath.  Thank you for making me so happy for so many years. 

Horrible News

I just got a call from Dr. Kennedy at MedVet.  Lexie's biopsies came back from her double-mastectomy.  She has Stage III mammary carcinoma.  All of the details are a blur to me right now, but Dr. Kennedy said something about her type of cancer affecting the vascular and lymphatic systems.  He also said there is a 50/50 chance that another tumor will either come back in her mammary glands or appear elsewhere within 12-15 months. 

He said that I could speak to someone in their Oncology department about possibly starting chemotherapy, but I know there is no possible way I could afford to give her chemotherapy treatments after already spending thousands of dollars on her eye treatments and surgeries.  Not only that, but there is a consultation charge just to speak with Oncology about chemo options for Lou. 

I'm too shaken up to really talk any more about this.  All I can tell you is that right now I'm heartbroken and angry.  I'm angry that they weren't able to see a Stage III carcinoma on her X-rays, abdominal ultrasound, or any blood work.  If they had, I probably wouldn't have put her through all of these surgeries and racked up another $2000 in debt on my brother's Care Credit account.  I don't mean that to sound cold or sound like all I'm thinking about is money, because it absolutely isn't.  It's just one of the things I'm so angry about right now.  Mainly, I'm feeling horrible for putting Lexie through all of this.  Recovery has not been easy on her, or any of us, and now it doesn't even feel like "recovery."  It feels more like I'm putting us all through torture.  I thought that this tough recovery period would be 100% worth it once she was all better and was able to adjust to her new life as a blind Dobe, but now....

Still Not Eating

Yesterday evening, I decided to take Lexie for a ride to the store to get her some canned dog food.  I thought the car ride might lift her spirits, but she immediately laid down in the back seat and didn't even try to look out the windows.  I was afraid she might panic a little while I ran into the store, but she didn't even get up.  I decided to try to feed her some of the Purina One Lamb and Rice canned food right there in the car because I knew if I tried to feed it to her when we got home, Jocie and Sam would probably try to eat it out from under her. So, I sat in the back seat and held the opened can as she licked and nibbled at it.  She actually ate about 3/4 of the can, which made me VERY happy.

A little later that night, after I took Lexie out to pee, I decided to try feeding her the rest of the canned food.  Once again, she licked and nibbled at it until there was only a tiny bit left, and I was very pleased.  However, when I tried to feed her her evening dose of pain medication in a couple of Greenies Pill Pockets, which she normally loves, she turned up her nose and wouldn't eat them.  I decided to wait a few minutes, then tried again, but she still wouldn't eat them.  I tried putting the pills in a piece of the crab meat she loved so much the night before, but she turned her nose up at that, as well.  Finally, when Justin returned home a couple hours later, he managed to get her to eat her Tramadol by putting the pills in some tuna.  We were also able to coax Lexie onto the couch, although her back legs were so weak that I had to hoist her up.

When I got up around 8:00 this morning, I got Lexie up and ready to take her outside to pee.  However, she stopped at the front door and seemed very hesitant to go down the front steps.  This was new.  She hasn't had any problems going down the front steps ever since she came home from MedVet.  She seems very weak right now, though, and I think she was afraid of stumbling down the steps.  She finally came down, although she used a pretty inventive new "side-step" technique, but hey, whatever works.

After she came back inside, after much coaxing to get  her to walk back up the steps, I tried feeding her a half a can of food.  She nibbled at it a little bit, but barely ate more than about 1/4 of a can.  She needed to take her antibiotics and pain medication, but no matter what I tried, she wouldn't eat them.  Finally, I decided to wake Justin up to see if he had any ideas.  (Lexie was trembling a little and I worried that she was in pain, which may be causing her weakness and lack of appetite.) Justin put her medications inside cut up pieces of hot dogs, which thankfully she ate without any protest.  Then, Justin laid down beside Lexie to pet her a little, and a few minutes later I found my two babies cuddled up together sound asleep:

A little later, Justin and I decided to go to Petco to see if we could find a type of dog food that was suggested to me on my previous post, and to see if anyone at the pet store might have any other suggestions for helping Lexie's appetite.  Well, they didn't have exactly what we were looking for, but the Petco employee suggested we try Vita Gravy over Lexie's regular dog food.  I also bought two sample sizes of Natural Balance dog food rolls to see if she'll like them.

When we returned home, Justin tried to take Lexie out to pee, but once again she hesitated at the front steps.  In fact, it took her so long to go down the front steps that as soon as she reached the bottom, she just peed right there on the sidewalk.  Justin tried walking her around a little bit, but she was very shaky, and at one point she kind of just gave up and laid down in the grass.  She also wouldn't eat when we tried to feed her after she came back inside.

So, at this point I'm very worried.  It would be one thing if she just wasn't eating very much, but it's the fact that she's so weak that's upsetting me.   Justin and I are going to take Lou up to his parents' house a little later this evening.  I'm hoping that her pain medication will be worn off enough at that point that she'll feel like eating a little.  I'm also hoping that going on a little adventure to their house without her sisters might perk her up some.   Either way, I'm probably going to call MedVet tomorrow to let them know that she's not eating and she's getting weak.  After all, they still haven't called me with the biopsy results from her mastectomies yet.

:(

One Week Post-Surgery

Well, we've made it a WHOLE WEEK without having to rush Lexie to the vet!  Hooray!!!  I am also happy to report that, as of this morning, the swelling above Lexie's right eye looks like it may have gone down a tiny bit.  It hasn't improved much, by any means, but some progress is better than no progress.  I'm not worried about it being an abscess, either, because it's not tender, it's not seeping at all, and it doesn't feel warm to the touch.  In fact, her incisions actually look really good!  She's such a good patient, too.  She never protests when I apply a warm compress to her eye, and last night she even let me clean some of the dried scabs off of her cheek and the bridge of her nose without whining or even moving a muscle.  I figure Lexie's been poked and prodded so much at this point that she probably understands that people are actually trying to help her whenever they mess with her face and eyes like that.

As far as adjusting to being blind, Lou is definitely getting around the house a little better than she was a week ago.  She still gets a little lost from time to time, and she still refuses to go out onto the back deck or use the bathroom in the back yard for some unknown reason; however, she does a much better job of finding the water bowl in the kitchen all by herself, and Lexie has even established a preferred route from the kitchen into the living room, which is through the dining room. 

Lexie is also finally becoming more confident about climbing onto the couch, which makes me very happy because that has always been her favorite spot to snuggle and sleep.  For a while, she would only get up on the couch at night, after Justin and I had gone to bed.  We had tried coaxing her onto the sofa with us several times over the last few days, but she would always just lay down by our feet instead.  Then, last night this happened:



I still tear up when I watch that video.  Haha! 

We also decided not to give Lexie any pain medication last night, as she seemed more alert and hasn't really been showing any signs of pain (when we first brought her home, we knew it was time for her pain medication whenever she would kind of start trembling).  Our plan is to cut back on her Tramadol and only give it to her once in the morning because it will help her sleep while we're at work.  If she starts showing any signs of pain, of course, we will give her another dose at night, but I really don't think we'll need to.

So, overall, Lexie's first week of recovery has gone fairly smoothly.  We're still about another week away from being able to have her stitches removed, but in the meantime these are the next signs of progress that I'd like to see:

• I'm hoping that the swelling above Lexie's right eye will greatly improve within the next week.
• I want Lexie to eat better (we're completely cutting out table food for all the girls). 
• I'd love to see Lexie's mood improve.
• We'd eventually like to ween her off the pain medications completely.
• I expect Lexie to become even more familiar with the layout of the house and bump into walls, furniture, etc. much less.

An ER-Free Weekend!

That's right, we made it through the entire weekend without an emergency trip to the ER!  Woo hoo!  Lexie's incisions barely even had any oozing yesterday.  (By the way, I wish there was another word I could use besides "oozing," because that just sounds so gross to me, but I really don't know what else to call it.) 

Sam has continued to be a little pouty, but usually only when Lexie is actively receiving more attention than her, especially from Justin.  For example, I took these photos yesterday of Justin giving Lexie a little bit of lovin's and also helping her eat (it's difficult for Lou to reach the food in her new elevated bowl when she's wearing her E-collar, so we have to kind of tilt the bowl towards her so she can get the food):

After I took those photos, I turned around to find Sam laying on the couch in full-pout mode as she watched HER Justin giving Lexie all of his attention:

Yes, I know.  She's pitiful.  Don't let her fool you, though.  Sam knows what she's doing.  She knows that as soon as we see her in such a pitiful state, she will immediately receive some undivided attention from either or both of us, which is exactly what happened after I took that photo of her.  At least she's just being pouty in order to receive attention, though, and she's not actually being resentful toward Lexie.  Just a few moments after the above photo was taken, I found Sam curled up with Lexie in the new doggy bed:

Earlier, I had experienced another "awwwww" moment when Zach and Kristy came over to watch True Blood.  Lexie loves Kristy, who was her running partner before Lexie went blind, and Kristy loves Lexie.  So, as soon as Lexie heard Kristy's voice last night, she got up from her doggy bed and tried to find her.  Kristy had followed Zach into the laundry room and didn't realize Lexie was looking for her, but I watched silently from the couch as Lexie found her way through the kitchen all by herself and finally reached Kristy.  When Kristy felt Lexie kind of run into the back of her legs, she spun around and said, "Hi, Lou!" then bent down to pet her.  As I saw Lexie do the infamous "Dobe lean" into Kristy's arms (the equivalent of a human hug for Dobermans), I immediately teared up. 

The best moment of the night, though, came when Justin and I were taking care of Lexie before bed.  While administering her last dose of pain meds for the night and making sure her E-collar was secure, both Sam and Jocie came over to "help" me and Justin tuck Lou in:

All in all, it was a very good, drama-free weekend at our house...for a change!  We've still got a long road ahead of us, as right now we're just sort of in the initial "stitches-watching" phase, which is going to last about another week and a half until her stitches come out.  Then, we can REALLY dive into helping Lexie adjust by taking her on walks with her sisters, trying new games, and just working with her in general to help her become as independent as possible.

A Little Forward and a Little Backward

I'm definitely considering Lexie's unwillingness to go into the back yard to use the bathroom a step backward for now.  I don't understand it.  She managed to find her way around the back yard before her enucleation (when she first went blind), and even after her enucleation Lexie has gone down the back steps into the yard, used the bathroom, and found her way back up the steps without much difficulty, but only a couple of times.  Since her enucleation surgery, she just does not want to come out onto the back deck, let alone find her way down the steps to the yard.  I just don't get it!

The only way we've been able to get Lexie to use the bathroom since she's come home from MedVet is to put on her harness and walk her out to the grassy median in front of the house.  For some reason, she has no problem manipulating the two sets of steps leading from our front door and down to the walkway, so I'm totally puzzled about why she won't do the same for the steps in the back yard.


Anyway, Justin and I had the best, laziest Saturday with our Lou.  She spent most of the day zonked out due to her pain medication, but during the times she was awake she was all smiles.

All day yesterday, Justin and I tried to get Lexie to get up on the couch with us, which has always been her favorite place to sleep and cuddle.  However, she just seemed too nervous to try.  This morning, however, I came downstairs and found her sound asleep on the couch.  Her E-collars were on the floor, so I checked her stitches immediately and was relieved to find them perfectly intact.  Then, after replacing her hard E-collar, I proceeded to cuddle her like crazy on the couch for the next three hours.

While we were cuddling, the "old Lou" made her first appearance since before her surgeries.  One of the reasons why Lexie earned her reputation as being "our little turd" is because of how demanding she can be when it comes to receiving cuddles and attention.  As you can see in the following video, if I stopped petting her for more than a few seconds, she'd start groaning in protest:



By the way, I realize that some people may find Lexie's incisions a little hard to look at, but, if it makes you feel any better, her incisions look really good, especially compared to after her last surgery.  Here is a side-by-side comparison:

So, I guess that's the update for now.  She's happy and her wounds all look good, but we haven't made a ton of forward progress yet in terms of her adjustment to blindness.  It's only been two days, though.  I can tell you this much:  it's going to be SO HARD for me to leave Lexie and go to work tomorrow.  I'm probably going to worry about her all day, but at least Justin always comes home for lunch and he can check on her for me.

Lexie's Second Homecoming

Lexie was SO happy to be going home last night!  As you can hear in the video, though, I was a little disappointed when they brought her out without a hard E-collar.  The inflatable one she's wearing belongs to me, but it doesn't protect her from bumping her face when she bumps into things.  However, when I asked (once again) if I could have a hard E-collar to take home, the vet tech told me that the inflatable one should be enough to protect Lexie's stitches.  I was too excited about taking Lexie home to insist or argue about it, so I didn't push the issue.  After all, I own a hard E-collar that she could wear that night, and I could always go to Dr. Ellis at Animal Care Clinic if the collar I have doesn't work out for her.

I couldn't see her repaired incisions because her head was already wrapped with bandages, but at first glance it didn't look like her wounds were oozing half as much as they were the last time I picked her up after her second surgery.  Lexie also looked like she had had a tummy tuck!  After her emergency C-section due to pyometra last summer, Lexie was left with a saggy, flabby belly.  It didn't bother me, but people would sometimes ask me if Lou had just had a litter of puppies.  Haha!  "Nope.  She's just fat."  Anyway, I'm just saying that having a mastectomy has left Lexie looking very svelte.  

As we left MedVet (hopefully for the last time), Lexie was so excited that she was swinging her head from side to side while she walked, like a little Lexie Wonder!  When I opened the car door, she recognized that sound right away and knew exactly how to climb up into the back seat all by herself.  I had her new doggy bed laying in the middle of the back seat, and she plopped right down on top of it.  I climbed into the back seat and sat behind her, but that wasn't good enough for me.  I wanted to cuddle her little face!  So, I maneuvered my way down to the other end of the back seat where Lexie's head was laying, and as soon as I sat down by her face, Lexie immediately laid her head and put her paws in my lap.  It was a total "awwwww" moment.  Then, after we got back on the road, I noticed she was shivering a little bit because the air conditioning was blowing on her.  Luckily, I had brought her favorite comforter, and so Lexie and I snuggled under the blankets during the entire three-hour ride back to West Virginia.

Once we were home, Lexie knew EXACTLY where she was, and she was so happy!  I decided to take her out to the back yard with her sisters before taking off her harness, just in case I needed to help her find her way up and down the deck steps and the back yard.  She did really well, though!  She was a tad apprehensive about going down the steps, but as soon as she found the yard she peed immediately, and then successfully made her way back up the steps and into the house without much difficulty.

When I removed Lexie's bandages, I did notice some blood (or "bloody fluid," I should say), but not nearly as much as after her last surgery.  In fact, her incisions look pretty good!  There's some swelling above her right eye, and that right incision still oozes a lot more than the left, but I think that may have something to do with the fact that her right eye has the vertical incision.

On a side note, one thing I hadn't really considered while preparing for Lexie's homecoming was the fact that Sam is now going to go through a new adjustment period, too.  This may sound awful, but Sam actually acted a little hurt or upset about Lexie being home again.  To be fair, Sam LOVES attention, but has always been perfectly content to sort of take the back seat to Lexie, who is a little more demanding about receiving attention whenever she wants it, which is just about always.  So, while Lexie was at MedVet over the past couple of weeks, Sam gradually became more and more assertive about receiving attention from me and Justin whenever SHE wanted it.  As soon as Lexie walked through the front door last night, though, it's like someone completely let the air out of Sam's tires.  She kind of curled up in the corner of the couch and pouted while everyone fussed over Lexie (Zach and Kristy came over to welcome Lexie home, too).

I do feel bad that Sam's not receiving as much one-on-one attention now that Lexie is home, but unfortunately it can't really be helped right now.  Lexie is going to need extra attention as she heals and learns how to safely navigate around the house and back yard.  Justin and I are trying to be as mindful as possible of Sam's feelings and give her extra cuddles whenever we can, but I think it's going to be a bit of a delicate juggling act with those two for a while.  (Jocie, by the way, hasn't been affected at all by anything that's been going on, but that's just Jocie.)

Anyway, after watching Lexie bump her face on a couple different things in the house, I decided to fasten the hard E-collar I had over top of the inflatable E-collar she was already wearing.  (That way, she can't pull the hard E-collar off.)  At first, Justin and I felt bad for Lexie because of all the stuff around her poor little head, but once we saw how much better the hard E-collar was protecting her from bumping her face into things, we didn't feel so bad anymore.

Unfortunately, as soon as Justin and I went upstairs to go to bed last night, Lexie managed to pull both the hard and inflatable E-collars off.  Justin discovered this when he ran back downstairs to get something.  So, we decided it might be best to sleep in the same room as Lexie for at least the first night.  Justin slept on the couch, but I chose to sleep on Lexie's new doggy bed in the floor with her (the purple pillow in that photo was mine).  Haha!   It was uncomfortable and blissful all at once, but she barely moved all night long.

When I tried to get Lexie to go out this morning, she acted like she wanted to at first, but as soon as she made it to the back door, she became very apprehensive about going outside.  I tried calling her for a while, but when that didn't work I decided to try leading her out with her harness and leash.  At first, that seemed to be working, but as soon as Lexie reached the steps, she decided she didn't want to go down them.  I told her that was fine, that she didn't HAVE to go pee right now if she wanted to hold it, but when I tried to get her to go back inside, she wouldn't budge.  In fact, I think she was a little disoriented at that point and wasn't really sure which way she was facing.  I jokingly informed Justin that Lexie was "lost on the back deck," but I knew she would figure it out eventually.  She did, but it took a LONG time for her to come back inside.

So, getting Lexie to go out to use the bathroom during the day is apparently still going to be a challenge, but I'm hoping she'll become more comfortable with that routine over time.  For now, she's sleeping a lot, but she's eating and drinking like a champ.  She's also SUPER cuddly, which you'll never hear me complain about.  In fact, as I began typing this blog post, Lexie followed the sound of my typing, found me on the couch, and did this:

:)

Surgery #3 Was a Success, But....

The last time I received a "but" after one of Lexie's surgeries, it was, "Lexie's surgery went really well, but we did notice she has developed an infection...."  That infection, of course, turned out to be extensive and actually two different types of bacteria (staph and serratia), which caused Lexie's incision to pull open just approximately 14 hours after she was discharged from MetVet.

Dr. Kennedy called me last night around 9:30 p.m. to tell me that Lexie's surgery to repair the incision and also remove two mammary growths (not just one, as it turned out) went well, "but the anesthesiologist did make a note of some twitching that occurred during anesthesia."  I asked Dr. Kennedy if this is a reason for concern, but he didn't seem too worried about it.  He said he just wanted to mention it simply because the anesthesiologist noted it on Lexie's report, but he didn't think there was any reason to be concerned.  After all Lexie has been through, though, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a grand mal seizure a few hours after I get her home.  (Oh God, I didn't mean that!  *knock on wood!  knock on wood!*)

Anyway, Dr. Kennedy just called me again this morning to give me another update, and apparently Lexie did really well overnight.  He said that there was some swelling, but nothing like she had before.  He also said there was a little oozing from the incisions this morning, but that is to be expected.  I asked him if her eyes were going to ooze bloody fluid non-stop like they did the last time I brought her home, and he said he didn't think it would be as bad this time. 

On a side note, I asked Dr. Kennedy if they had ever received the results of Lexie's Von Willebrand's test (I noticed on her bill from her last surgery that I was charged for that test).  He said he wasn't sure if they had received the results back yet, but that he'd check.  I know that it takes a while for that test to come back, so I'm not going to be upset if they don't have the results yet.  Besides, at this point I'm kind of convinced she doesn't have Von Willebrand's because bleeding wasn't an issue in either of her last two surgeries.  I'm starting to think that Dr. Corbett's theory for why Lexie almost bled to death during her initial enucleation surgery is probably true:  She said that it's possible that all of Lexie's bleeding simply resulted from the fact that the eyes are very vascular organs with lots of veins and blood vessels that have to be surgically cut during an enucleation. 

So, technically, Lexie is allowed to come home tonight, but I told Dr. Kennedy that I would prefer to wait until Saturday to pick her up.  I reminded him that the last time I brought her home the day after her surgery, her stitches burst 11 hours later.  He said he completely understood and thought I was making a wise decision.  I know that leaving her two more nights for observation is definitely a better decision than picking her up this evening, but it's also killing me to know that she could come home tonight.  I want my Lou home with me so badly!!!!  I'm going to be strong, though, and hold off until Saturday morning to go get her, because I know it's for the best.  Well.....maybe tomorrow night.....

A Deal Is Made...Minutes Before Surgery

I finally got a phone call from MedVet a little after 6:30 p.m.; however, it wasn't Dr. Kennedy calling to discuss the cost or hear my decision about Lexie's mastectomy.  It was just some girl calling to say, "Ms. Bell, we're just calling to let you know that Lexie is going into surgery now."

I asked, "Well, what exactly is she about to have done?" to which she replied, "Ummm....I don't know.  They just told me to call you.  Let me get someone else."

The next girl who came on the line told me that Dr. Kennedy was unavailable to speak because he was in surgery, but asked if she could help me.  Oooooohhhhh.....that poor girl.  I basically WENT OFF.  I will spare you all the minute details of my psychotic rant, but here is a run-down of some of my major speaking points:

• The doctors knew that Lexie's wounds were infected the day they performed her surgery.
• The doctors know that an infection can sometimes cause an incision to pull open.
• The doctors had not yet received the results of Lexie's bacterial cultures the day after her surgery, so they were not aware at that point that she actually had both staph and serratia infections, which were quite extensive, and yet the doctors told me that Lexie was "stable" and ready to go home when she clearly was not. 
• The doctors sent us home with Cephalexin, an antibiotic to which staph and serratia infections are resistant.
• Lexie's stitches pulled open just approximately 14 hours after she was discharged from MedVet, and now she has had to stay there for another seven nights and have another surgery as a result.

I told that girl that I did nothing wrong.  I simply came and picked Lexie up when the doctors told me she was stable and cleared to go home, which was obviously too soon.  I felt like I was having to pay for THEIR mistake.  I also launched into a big rant about how I've been told by five different doctors all week long not to worry about the cost of this visit because they were "doing all they could to keep the costs minimal," so I honestly wasn't expecting to pay more than $1500 TOTAL.  I told her I was perfectly fine with the fact that I would have to pay full price for Lexie's mastectomy IF I was actually being cut a break on everything else.  I even went so far as to say, "I'm even willing to pay the $1800 that I was quoted for this surgery if that's ALL I have to pay."


She put me on hold for about 20 minutes while she spoke with Dr. So-and-So, who apparently has the ability to approve or deny discounts.  Finally, she came back on the line and told me that my total bill for Lexie's stay and surgery, including the mastectomy, would be $1800.  I said, "That's all I wanted.  Thank you."  


Lexie is in surgery as we speak.
'

THIS Is My Discount?!?

I have made it very clear to the doctors at MedVet that money is a HUGE issue for me at this point.  They have all seemed very understanding and sympathetic and have been telling me since I brought Lexie back last Thursday that they were going to do everything they can to make the charges "as minimal as possible" for me.  I wasn't required to leave a deposit this time, either, so I trusted that the doctors at MedVet really were going to cut me a break.  After all, they had sent Lexie home before knowing she had TWO different bacterial infections (staph and serratia), which they later told me were the reason why Lexie's stitches burst.  Furthermore, not only was Lou sent home with the wrong antibiotics for her type of bacterial infections, but she was also sent home without an E-collar to protect her stitches, even after I specifically requested one!  (The vet tech, Amanda, told me that they "generally don't think an E-collar is necessary" and added that "it may get in Lexie's way as she tries to find her way around the house.")

So, I really wasn't THAT worried about cost at first, but every time I asked a doctor for an estimate over the phone, I was told that they "didn't have one yet."  I started to get a little concerned when I learned that Lexie's surgery was being pushed back another few days AND Dr. Kennedy was recommending she have a mastectomy.  I specifically told Dr. Kennedy that I wanted an estimate so I could decide whether or not I could afford to have the mastectomy performed at this time.  Dr. Sawyer told me yesterday that Dr. Kennedy had spoken to Administration, and they had given him the go-ahead to discount Lexie's services.  She said that he was going to "crunch the numbers" that night, then call me with a cost estimate for everything today.  She also said, "Believe me, we're doing everything we can to help you out, so you don't have to worry...."  I truly believed at that point that I would end up owing maybe $1000-1500 when it was all said and done, which is still a lot, but I was trying to stay realistic.

Well, I waited all day today, but never got a call from anyone at MedVet.  So, I called a little before 6:00 p.m. to find out what was going on.  After all, Lexie's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, and I didn't want them to perform the mastectomy if I can't afford it.  Mind you, I have NO money left.  The only way I'm able to "pay" for this next surgery is because my brother, Zach, was kind enough to open a Care Credit account for me to use (I was turned down for one).  His credit limit is $3000, but, like I said, I was pretty confident that I'd only need about half of that.

Well, I was wrong.  First of all, Dr. Sawyer said that Dr. Kennedy had a family emergency today, which is why he didn't call me.  He told her to tell me, though, that the estimate for Lexie's surgery, AFTER the discount, is going to be around $1800!!!!  That includes the mastectomy, but does NOT include the charges that have accrued from Lexie having to stay there for so many nights.  Dr. Sawyer said the balance for Lexie's care and overnight stays so far was at around $1400, but she also said that a discount has not been applied to that amount yet.  Even so, Lexie still has to be there for two more nights!

I told Dr. Sawyer that I was expecting to not have to pay more than about $1500 TOTAL because everyone has been telling me this whole time not to worry about the cost and assuring me that Administration was going to "help me out."  I also explained to her that I HAVE to stay under Zach's $3000 Care Credit limit, to which she replied by assuring me that they'd do all they can to keep my total under $3000.

REALLY?!?!?!?  Gee, THANKS!!!!!!  I know that $3000 must not seem like a lot of money to these doctors or the big wigs in Administration, but that's almost two whole months' salary for me!  How can they not take into greater consideration the fact that I just paid MedVet $3500 (thanks solely to the generous donations of others) last Tuesday, plus a $1250 deposit a couple nights before that, AND I paid them around $1000 during two separate visits prior to Lexie's enucleation surgery?!?!

Seriously, I cannot freaking believe they are acting like they're doing me a favor by ONLY charging me another $3000 to repair her incisions, which never should have opened in the first place!!!!!!  WHY did they send her home one day after her surgery before they even knew the type and extent of her infection, especially knowing that infection sometimes causes incisions to pull open?

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not happy.  I'm in shock.  This can't be right, can it?!?!  I keep thinking that this additional 7-night stay and need to perform an additional eye surgery could have all been avoided if the vets had simply kept Lexie there for a couple of days while awaiting the results of her bacterial cultures.  I am SO disappointed right now because I truly do believe that MedVet provides excellent medical care.  Therefore, it's such a shame that my opinion of them may now be tainted due to their inability to accept more responsibility for all of this.

Still on Schedule...Still No Estimate

I just got a call from Dr. Sawyer, the doctor who's name I couldn't remember from my previous post, but there's nothing really new for me to report.  Lexie was really good when they changed her bandages yesterday, and the wound still looks good.  So, as of now, her surgery is still scheduled for Wednesday.

Dr. Sawyer then told me that Dr. Kennedy has spoken with Administration about my bill, including the cost of performing Lexie's mastectomy while she is under anesthesia on Wednesday.  She said that Dr. Kennedy is going to "crunch some numbers" tonight, and then call me with an estimate in the morning. 

In the meantime, I don't think Wednesday has ever felt so far away...