4.26.2005
4.25.2005
I have good news - it appears Hannah's story is going to end well. On Friday we got word that her titers showed she does in fact have Lyme disease. She has not had a Lyme vaccination in over 4 years, so I would assume that it's out of her system and is not giving a false positive on the titer. The vet had started her on doxycycline, the preferred treatment for Lyme, on Wednesday just in case it turned out she had a tick-borne illness. Well, when I got home from work on Friday I checked her gums, which have been a very pale pink for quite a while, and I could tell they were a deeper pink. Yay! Our regular vet has been out of town, and I have some questions and things I want to discuss with him, but it looks like we're on the right track. You can already tell she's feeling more energetic. It is so good to see her prance around the yard again, instead of being slow and sluggish.
Other things are going well, too. We had our home inspection on Friday and nothing too major came up. We are supposed to get a copy of the report today. Now I feel like I can start to relax about the whole process. I am really looking forward to moving in and seeing our stuff again. I've almost forgotten what it looks like. I never expected that it would take 8.5 months for us to get into our own place. Mom and Dad have been extremely generous by putting us up (and putting up with us!) since the end of October.
I managed to finish our Virginia taxes over the weekend, which were a bit of a bear because I had to do them by hand instead of using my beloved TaxAct. Next year I will be able to use TaxAct - apparently Virginia isn't too big on letting part year residents do anything electronically.
I also got a lot of laundry and other tasks done, and I got a lot of sleep. For the first time in a really long time, I kind of feel on top of the game.
Other things are going well, too. We had our home inspection on Friday and nothing too major came up. We are supposed to get a copy of the report today. Now I feel like I can start to relax about the whole process. I am really looking forward to moving in and seeing our stuff again. I've almost forgotten what it looks like. I never expected that it would take 8.5 months for us to get into our own place. Mom and Dad have been extremely generous by putting us up (and putting up with us!) since the end of October.
I managed to finish our Virginia taxes over the weekend, which were a bit of a bear because I had to do them by hand instead of using my beloved TaxAct. Next year I will be able to use TaxAct - apparently Virginia isn't too big on letting part year residents do anything electronically.
I also got a lot of laundry and other tasks done, and I got a lot of sleep. For the first time in a really long time, I kind of feel on top of the game.
4.20.2005
Okay, an update on Hannah... her bloodwork showed that she is anemic. She tested negative for heartworm, Lyme disease and Erlichosis (?), and the x-ray of her lungs looked fine. The x-ray of her heart showed that it was a little bit enlarged, so the doctor had us bring her in right away to do an ultrasound of her heart. He was afraid that she could be bleeding into the sac around her heart, which would probably be caused by a tumor, which would not be good at all.
I just called to check up on what was going on and apparently they've done more x-rays and taken more blood, but I'm not sure whether they did any ultrasounds as he had mentioned. At any rate, somehow or another they found that there was no fluid around her heart, so we are good to go there. WHEW! He is waiting on results of the additional bloodwork and will call me back before 4:30.
All of this is like a game; as I get information from the vet I take it to the internet and read until I'm scared silly. But I'm guessing the additional bloodwork might be a more definitive test for Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, a condition in which the body attacks its own red blood cells. He did mention this when we talked on the phone earlier this afternoon.
Anyway, I should know more within the hour.
I just called to check up on what was going on and apparently they've done more x-rays and taken more blood, but I'm not sure whether they did any ultrasounds as he had mentioned. At any rate, somehow or another they found that there was no fluid around her heart, so we are good to go there. WHEW! He is waiting on results of the additional bloodwork and will call me back before 4:30.
All of this is like a game; as I get information from the vet I take it to the internet and read until I'm scared silly. But I'm guessing the additional bloodwork might be a more definitive test for Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, a condition in which the body attacks its own red blood cells. He did mention this when we talked on the phone earlier this afternoon.
Anyway, I should know more within the hour.
I'm so worried about Hannah. Lately she just hasn't been herself. She will run after the ball but doesn't run it back, and she gets out of breath and pants pretty heavily after just one short run. Sunday we tried to go for a walk and she got out of breath and had to sit down after we went up the first hill. So we took her to the vet yesterday, and they ran a bunch of tests. They did an EKG and we got to see the printout yesterday. The vet said that the heartbeat pattern looked regular, which was good, but that the spikes were about half as high as he would have expected them to be for a dog her size. I don't really know what this means. They also took x-rays of her heart and lungs and did bloodwork. I think they also did a heartworm/Lyme test. The vet is supposed to call anytime to discuss the bloodwork and x-rays with me. I am on pins and needles.
I did some reading online yesterday and it appears to me that he's trying to rule out CHF and TVD among other things. The fact that there are no heartbeat irregularities is a good sign, because that appears to precede/coincide with CHF and TVD. The x-rays should tell us if there is any fluid buildup around her lungs or heart.
I hope my girl is okay. She's only 5 and a half - way too young for this kind of thing to be happening. Augh, I wish he would call soon, with good news.
I did some reading online yesterday and it appears to me that he's trying to rule out CHF and TVD among other things. The fact that there are no heartbeat irregularities is a good sign, because that appears to precede/coincide with CHF and TVD. The x-rays should tell us if there is any fluid buildup around her lungs or heart.
I hope my girl is okay. She's only 5 and a half - way too young for this kind of thing to be happening. Augh, I wish he would call soon, with good news.
4.13.2005
Are you sitting down? We have a contract on a house! It's a brick/vinyl ranch with a sunroom, screened porch, and awesome kitchen. It's technically 4 BR, 3 baths, although one bedroom and one bath are in the basement and probably won't be used the way we will use the ones on the main level. It's about 2700 square feet total, on a little over a half an acre. It's at the end of a cul-du-sac in a good neighborhood with good schools. There are a few drawbacks, but overall I think we did pretty well. We close July 14 to give time for the owners to move into a retirement community. Right now I'm breathing a big ol' sigh of relief.
4.11.2005
Well, another weekend has come and gone, and with it another house. We saw a house we liked on Friday (it had listed on Thursday). Visited it again on Saturday. Made an offer on Sunday. It was rejected Sunday night, in favor of one of the other two offers that were put in over the weekend. Apparently what led the sellers to choose someone else was the fact that we asked for a risk assessment due to lead-based paint. The house was built in 1945, so that's why we asked (lead-based paint used prior to 1955 was even more toxic than that used between 1955 and 1978, when lead-based paint was banned). It would have been our expense, but the other contract was "cleaner" because they didn't ask for any inspections. We don't know if this means they didn't even ask for a home inspection and radon, or if it just refers to the lead-based paint.
And you know what? I did something with this offer that I swore I'd never do: we offered more than what they were asking. And it still wasn't enough. In addition, our offer made no mention of the asbestos-backed floor tiles in the basement or the very real possibility that the pipes are made of 100% lead. Apparently I have to sell out on my values too before I can put a roof, albeit a potentially toxic one, over my family's head.
That's all I'll say about that. I'm not happy, but I'm getting back on the house-hunting horse, and I'm trying to think out of the box to find a way to get us in a house of our own.
Tonight Chris and I are going to the symphony. We've had this night planned for a long time. It should be a very cool program, especially since I am a big fan of "The Planets."
And you know what? I did something with this offer that I swore I'd never do: we offered more than what they were asking. And it still wasn't enough. In addition, our offer made no mention of the asbestos-backed floor tiles in the basement or the very real possibility that the pipes are made of 100% lead. Apparently I have to sell out on my values too before I can put a roof, albeit a potentially toxic one, over my family's head.
That's all I'll say about that. I'm not happy, but I'm getting back on the house-hunting horse, and I'm trying to think out of the box to find a way to get us in a house of our own.
Tonight Chris and I are going to the symphony. We've had this night planned for a long time. It should be a very cool program, especially since I am a big fan of "The Planets."
4.06.2005
Katherine's House Style Definitions: A Guide For House Hunters
Ranch: Walk in and you are right where you need to be. You can eat, sleep, and find the bathroom without ever coming near a flight of stairs.
Split foyer: Walk in and you are forced to choose: up or down? You don't know what awaits you either way but you'd better hurry up and decide, the door is smacking you in the behind. If you need to hang up your coat, good luck finding the coat closet. Try to ignore the dust bunnies on the floor that's at your eye level. Oh and watch out for dead guys.
Lower entry: Walk in and wonder for a second where you are. If you have to sleep immediately or need a quick trip to the bathroom you are probably in luck. Have fun carting your keys, mail, purse, diaper bag, etc. up a full flight of stairs every time you come home. Woe unto you if it's grocery day and you have children who can't climb the stairs without supervision. If you purchase this type of house, be sure to put in a call to your local dumbwaiter installer.
Ranch: Walk in and you are right where you need to be. You can eat, sleep, and find the bathroom without ever coming near a flight of stairs.
Split foyer: Walk in and you are forced to choose: up or down? You don't know what awaits you either way but you'd better hurry up and decide, the door is smacking you in the behind. If you need to hang up your coat, good luck finding the coat closet. Try to ignore the dust bunnies on the floor that's at your eye level. Oh and watch out for dead guys.
Lower entry: Walk in and wonder for a second where you are. If you have to sleep immediately or need a quick trip to the bathroom you are probably in luck. Have fun carting your keys, mail, purse, diaper bag, etc. up a full flight of stairs every time you come home. Woe unto you if it's grocery day and you have children who can't climb the stairs without supervision. If you purchase this type of house, be sure to put in a call to your local dumbwaiter installer.
