WOOF!
Yesterday SUCKED!
I'm just dicking around on my computer, minding my own business when BAM! My cat walks in the room stumbling like she just woke up from hardcore surgery. Could not walk. Kept falling to the left.
So I looked around and she had vomited as she was walking through the cat door from the garage... then vomited two more times in the kitchen before she walked around the corner and I saw her. AKA extreme crippling vertigo.
So I rushed her into the vet... which was weird because now there are 6 parking spots out front marked A, B, C, D, E, F and everything is curbside and talking on the phone because of COVID.
Vet wanted to run blood and urinalysis tests to rule out poisoning, as the furball has access to the outside and the garage... and also has a habit of chewing on stupid things. They asked about antifreeze, which triggered me because I had recently but a gallon into my car, but it would have been impossible for her to access it.
While all this was going on, my girlfriend was already getting a second opinion from another vet she knows personally, and she said it sounded like vestibular disease.
vestibular disease
Vestibular disease is a condition in which a cat suddenly develops incoordination, falling or circling to one side, involuntary darting of the eyes back and forth (called nystagmus), a head tilt, and often nausea or vomiting. These clinical signs usually appear suddenly, often in less than an hour.
Checks all the boxes...
So I talked to the vet and the urine was clean so no signs of poison... The bloodwork is still pending. The vet asked if it was possible that she got a concussion in the garage, which seemed like it definitely could have happened because there is so much haphazard stuff stacked everywhere that she is always climbing over.
THE BILL
The awkwardness of dealing with the bill was palpable. I can imagine that a lot of people can't really afford such things during these harsh times. There's also the issue that sometimes medical care seems so cold and assembly-lined, like there may be charges getting racked up simply because you can't really say no because they are the expert and you're just a know-nothing.
Kind of like taking your car in to get fixed... you never know if they are trying to charge you for some shit that you don't actually need. Once again, we see these themes of trust pop up just like in any aspect of the economy.
So they said the bill was going to be around $400-$600... uh, ouch. They gave her an injection of cortisol just in case it was an allergic reaction or a concussion to reduce swelling. They also wanted to do three different x-rays and possibly do a consult with another vet if they couldn't figure it out.
So I brought up the Vestibular Disease possibility... because technically I already had a second opinion from a vet and this "Vestibular Disease" thing is basically like:
We don't know what it is but it's temporary and it goes away by itself (AKA gets healed by the body via magic).
Classic doctors
Doctors are obviously smart and educated, but they don't know shit because the complexities of biology are far to expansive to understand fully. Too many variables (just like the economy). Again, it all comes down to guess and check and attempting to reverse engineer symptoms into the illness. Give 10 doctors symptoms and all 10 can return with a different answer.
THE BILL: PART 2
So anyway the bill comes back and it's in the low $200's, and now I'm scratching my head wondering why they decided to not do the three x-rays in the initial quote. Was it because they legitimately considered the results of their analysis and felt it was no longer necessary, or was it because they knew I was actively researching this issue on my own and getting advice from unknown outside sources? I love a good conspiracy, and it's impossible to know for sure, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt... they seem like good peoples.
But that just goes to show that you always must be your own advocate. Need car repairs? You had better trust your mechanic or know enough (or pretend to know enough) about cars to keep them honest. Same thing is true for doctors or any other essential service. Sometimes essential services come at the premium of exploiting those who trust authority implicitly. Again, with the trust issues. Never trust a stranger 100% if you can avoid it.
I feel like that just goes without saying for the crypto community, but we need to remember that there are a lot of gullible trusting people out there. Is this a feature, or is this a bug of humanity? Where would we be today without so many obedient drones? Can't just decide it's a bug the moment it inconveniences us. Evolution is not random, and if feels like we may be on the brink of serious changes in society.
https://kingofthehill.fandom.com/wiki/The_Accidental_Terrorist
When Peggy needs a new car, Hank insists they buy from Tom Hammond, his go-to salesman for 25 years. With her heart set on a convertible, Peggy begins the negotiation behind Hank's back and gets the price down considerably.
Hank catches her and agrees to buy the convertible, provided he can make the deal himself. Tom jacks the price back up to sticker and tells Hank he's getting a deal. When Peggy discovers how much Hank paid, she realizes he's been swindled on every car he's ever bought. She tries to keep Hank from finding out, but he does and becomes disillusioned and depressed.
Scroll to minute 4:00
Damn car salesmen!
King of the Hill was before its time. But this episode shows the trust issue quite well. Hank Hill is an honorable trustworthy Murican, and he expects others to have the same values as himself. He often finds himself getting into positions of being exploited by others (especially his womanizing alcoholic of a boss), and in this case thinking he's getting a good deal paying sticker price on all the cars he's bought over the years.
Unexpected expenses.
These things happen, and they always catch people by surprise. Because most live paycheck to paycheck or are even drowning in debt, an expensive doctor or vet visit is usually quite stressful. I'm gonna say I got off easy, this time...
Although the signs are typically the same as those associated with other types of peripheral vestibular disease, they are transitory, arising abruptly and then gradually improving over the course of several days. Most cats will be completely recovered within two or three weeks.
Hopefully that's what it is... I was almost hoping for a concussion, but it's been 24 hours and she still can't walk... just hiding under the bed. A concussion would have gotten at least a little better by now. I'm told that it not getting worse is a good sign, so... silver lining. As long as she's responsive I'm not supposed to be too worried about it just yet.
In the devastating event that this is permanent not sure what to do about it. There's always the possibility of permanent damage caused by a stroke or, even worse, malign cancer. She's only 4 years old though and the average age for cats to get vestibular disease is 4 so... fingers crossed on that front I guess.
Conclusion
Pity the kitty.
