Shit Week II
6May2003 Filed under: JournalishMy rat tried to chew her sutures off last night. After spending three useless hours at the vet today (their suggestion was totally unsuccessful, and I left them saying “we don’t know what to tell you”), I did my own research, and Tejasa is now sulking in a body vest made of gauze and surgical tape. It works, though! When she tries to bend over to chew at her incision, she physically can’t bend far enough to get to it. Why doesn’t the vet know this technique? I called them to tell them about it.
I called my dental surgeon to confirm that it wasn’t too weird that I’m still oozing a tiny amount of blood. The hygenist said no, that wasn’t weird. I off-handedly mentioned that I’m down to only 3 ibuprofins twice a day! She then got quiet and told me that by now I shouldn’t be on any painkillers and that I should come into the office tomorrow.
Fuck.
7 Responses to “Shit Week II”
Leave a reply
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
You're reading a page from the archives. Check the homepage for current content.
tlc
May 6th, 2003 at 6:23 pm
I tried to refrain from comment, but I’m too curious, why are the dry sockets trademarked???
Ariel
May 6th, 2003 at 6:48 pm
Because they’re so infamous, it’s like they’re some sort of trademarked brand.
eve
May 6th, 2003 at 7:24 pm
the weezies you might want to look into, it could be the beginnings of the accursed respiratory thingy that plagues most ratties… (esp if they’re more than 2 years old).
and here’s hoping tejasa heals good.
Ariel
May 6th, 2003 at 7:29 pm
I already had the weezies looked into…it’s mycoplasmosis, and she was on antibiotics 2x/day for a week. Thanks for the heads-up, though!
donut
May 7th, 2003 at 5:55 am
To keep guinea pigs from chewing on sutures, some people cut off the ankle of an athletic sock and use that as a vest. But piggies and ratties are shaped a little different, so it might not work for you.
Good luck to both of you!
ericalynn
May 7th, 2003 at 8:53 am
((( hug )))
i wish good health and good luck to you and your extended family : ) cheesy, I know, but they don’t make “Get Well Soon From Your Possible Dry Socket(tm) and Tell Your Rat to Get Well Too, While I’m At It; Also Much Love and Luck Goes to Your Mom” cards…
Ariel
May 7th, 2003 at 4:17 pm
Donut, the problem with rats and and that guinea pig solution is that rats are so dexterious with those little hands…they can quickly risrobe from anything even remotely stretchy. The joy of the body wrap is that since its core is surgical tape, it’s actually lightly adhered to their fur. There’s gauze around the wound and Tejasa’s middle, but then a cast-like wrapping of tape around that.