Long post for a long week

No significant news on the neuro front. My feet are still numb, now my left hand is numb on-and-off with muscle twitches, and the hand sometimes feels like someone is pouring hot water on it. The neurologist has ordered nerve testing for tomorrow, and I start physical therapy on Monday for my spine problems. Some of the screwed-up discs are pressing on my spinal cord.

But here's where this business gets weird. Up to this point I thought my doctor was okay. Not a Nobel laureate, mind you, but who is? After I read my MRI report, I asked my doc friends to read it and they gave me their input. I consulted with the MS clinic, and they still want to see me (I'm on the wait list). I read the medical journals and medical society positions, and came up with a list of questions for the next day's appointment. In a nutshell: my spine is screwed up, but not to the point where it should be causing this much trouble.

The doctor told me that he's sending me to physical therapy, because he thinks my posture is affecting my spine, which in turn is causing the numbness. My posture. My posture is making my feet numb, my hand twitch, and giving me double vision. I told this to my friend (also a neurologist) who laughed incredulously and said, "I really hope you get a second opinion. Like, tomorrow."

So that is on my list of things to get done ASAP. I have a few messages in, but I think I might be able to wait until I see the neurologist at the MS clinic. The problem with that is that getting in sooner rather than later relies on a cancellation, and there's no controlling that. A third neuro might be in the works.

On to other types of doctors. I took Butterball to the vet today. The good news is that he is over his upper respiratory infection. We think he's over his bladder infection, but we can't be sure because when they went to obtain the sterile sample, he peed everywhere. All over everyone. Sigh. Cute cat, but whew. They took X-rays and he either has reeeaaally small kidneys or a huuuuuge honkin' bladder. Either way, it could explain why he's always sucking down water and peeing. I should hear back from the veterinary radiologist tomorrow. On top of that, his gums are inflamed from stomatitis, so he's now on clindamycin. I am getting very worried that he may have something life-shortening and we will have trouble finding an adopter for him.

The happy highlight of the week: about two weeks ago, the rescue received a call that a woman was at the vet asking that her cats be put down because she's moving. She agreed to hold off if we could re-home them. I put out a rescue SOS to the local shelters, who in turn sent the message out over the network, and we got a hit! Yesterday I drove up north to get the cats and then down south (somehow I managed to arrange this during rush hour; I don't know what I was thinking) and delivered them to a different rescue that will find them new homes (we're waaay past full with another group coming in this weekend). One of the cats is a gorgeous, fat male short hair, and y'all know how I feel about those kitties. But if I bring home another cat then I'll be getting divorced before I get married, so I properly delivered him to his new residence. It was a very rewarding experience that renewed my faith in this whole rescue business and was the highlight of this crappy week.

Send me some good news y'all! What was the highlight of your week?