One Last Race: (for 2008) Following the IndyCars in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia via indycar.com. Aussie Will Power (real name!) grabbed his third straight pole at this race, which airs live on ESPN Classic tomorrow night. Lots of stories – Franchitti’s back and in the Ganassi #10; Dan Wheldon’s in the Panther car now; and, Vitor Meira is now at Foyt racing. Looking forward to the race!

Baby boy kitty needed some dental work and had one tooth extracted today, so now he’s the last of this household’s members to be in the hospital this month – we’re complete! He’s awfully groggy and very hungry this evening. Poor baby…he’ll feel much better soon, though – the tooth was really bothering him.

Sunday evening, I started having chest pains that wouldn’t stop and decided to go to the ER to get it checked out. My friend Deb was out and about and grabbed a taxi, collected me and we went to St. Francis – closest hospital to my place. Due to my family history, they admitted me for observation and tests. Everything came out normal and I was discharged late Monday afternoon with a teensy tiny bottle of nitro tablets. Still having an occasional twinge of pain – I’ll have to chase down the cause with my doctor.

This last week or so has been an awfully big adventure – one I hope not to repeat any time soon.

My Sabrina-angel’s on Plavix (or will be, as soon as the prescription’s filled). She’s to take 1/4 tablet a day, as well as 1/4 of a baby aspirin tablet every three days (kitties don’t metabolize aspirin well, so it takes a while to flush from their systems). She’s also taking Lasix (a diuretic) to keep the fluid from building up in her lungs too quickly. All the drugs run the risk of renal failure, eventually, but that will be when I know it’s time to say goodbye to my angel. I’m glad to have a little more time with her – could be weeks, could be a year or so – but I can’t tell you how hard this is hurting my heart…

The news we really didn’t want. My little angel kitty, Sabrina (some of you may have seen her hiding under my quilt when you visited) threw a blood clot Sunday that lodged in her left front paw. While that has dissipated, we’ve run tests to find out what has caused the clotting and discovered fluid in her lungs. She’s in early-stage heart failure. The fluid is not concentrated enough to cause her discomfort now, and she’s taking a diuretic to help slow its advance. But its presence in the xray blocked a good view of her heart, so she’s going in for an ultrasound Friday. They will be able to tell the shape and function of the heart right away, and also see if there might be a tumor causing some of the trouble. They can draw some fluid and test it for cells, as well. If there is a tumor, there’s no good news, even in the short term. We will say goodbye forever on Friday. If no tumor, she can stay on diuretics for a little while, until the fluids make her uncomfortable – that’s weeks to some months.

Please keep my angel in your thoughts. Whichever way it goes, I want her to feel no pain, so will make a firm decision when the first sign appears.

My angel with the funny face

(2 a.m.) Sabrina has eaten nothing since Monday morning, and is listless most of the time. I’ve made a bed on the floor so I can be near her and her water supply. Since midnight, though, she’s been a lot more active, walking across my bed into the living room a couple of times (I’ve followed to see what she’s up to), rubbing against my legs, against her Sebastian while he ate, etc. Her little paw is still cool, but much warmer than it was on Monday, and she’s more stable when she walks. She has a vet appointment later today to get some more tests done.

UPDATE (9 a.m.): The little one was active most of the wee hours of this morning, walking into the living room/kitchen several times, drinking lots of water, using her litter box twice, and this morning, she batted a string around for a few minutes (not a full-out romp, but definitely a good sign), then ate a few bites of kibble and a few bites of tuna. I’m happy to see her more active and eating (!!!), but I have been awake for all but an hour or so as a result, and I’m pretty groggy. Mommy will be worthless today.  *grin*

Had to run to the vet hospital after 11 p.m. last night to get pain meds. (The MUNI bus system turns into something of a side show in the wee hours of the morning…I’ll be happy if I don’t have to make any more late night trips.) Sabrina’s blood clot still hasn’t dissolved and she was starting to hurt. The vet recommended massaging the leg and using warm compresses – I’ve been massaging on and off all night and the temperature in her little paw is slowly warming up. Will try the compresses during the day today and see how she takes it. She’s on a narcotic called buprenex, so she’s a little spaced out, but it keeps her from feeling the pain of the clot.

That’s Me: It was quite a weekend – first, Sebastian’s vet visit revealed him to be a healthy kitty, except for the $1500 worth of dental work he needs to avoid becoming a very sick kitty. So, I came home and re-figured the budget and found a way to make it happen. Then, yesterday, Sabrina started walking strangely, crying out and hiding and I ended up taking her to the emergency vet last night. After hours of tests and observation, they narrowed it down a bit. They think it’s a blood clot in the left front paw. Painful, and sometimes indicating heart disease but since it’s so low in the paw, it has to be a very small one and they said that’s a good thing. They kept her overnight to give her meds to thin it out. I came home in the wee hours, unable to sleep and having my heart broken by Sebastian, who kept searching and crying for his Sabrina. Her overnight stay, plus the xrays and ultrasound she still needs, ate up most of the budget for Sebastian’s dental deal, so now I have to figure THAT out again. Meantime, my little angel is back home with me, limping and resting but seeming a good bit stronger. I’m wiped out from worry and lack of sleep, but I have to monitor her the next couple of days, so I’m probably going to stay wiped out. *sigh*

Follow musicians, survivors and activists as they climb and perform in Peru to raise money for the country’s main cancer center. Photos, videos and comments from supporters (San Fran Fan, here) are posted each day. Click the numbers on the calendar to view each day’s activities, and please donate if you can. Thanks.

Scaredy Cats: I had a medical appointment at 1 today, and while waiting to be seen I heard the familiar roar of Blue Angels overhead, practicing for Fleet Week. Totally forgot it was this week. Got home to find two felines hiding behind the chair, slipped between the chair back and the slipcover, with big, round scaredy-cat eyes. Yep, they fly really close to my place, rattling windows and sending critters skittering for cover. Poor babies.

From Radical Russ, via Pam’s House Blend:

(A big thanks to PattyChaseVan for the heads up.)

Mike Peters of The Alarm, Cy Curnin of The Fixx and members of Fastball are joined by cancer survivors, friends and activists on a trek up to Machu Picchu in Peru to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer.

Last fall, Peters, Curnin and another cast of adventurers climbed to base camp, Mt. Everest, to perform the world’s highest-altitude concert to benefit a Nepalese treatment center. To support Love Hope Strength Foundation’s promise of “One Cancer Center in Every Country, One Concert at a Time,” they’re now in Peru to perform, inspire and raise money for INEN, the main cancer center in Peru.

Nick Harper, Brien McVernon and Fastballers Joey Shuffield, Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga join Peters and Curnin as performing musicians. Everest trekkers Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx are shown as additional fundraisers not making the trek this time. Meet all the trekkers, read their stories, follow their journey, send messages, and most importantly, donate MONEY, here:

http://www.perurocks.org/journal/

Hot Steppin’: Helio Castroneves is going to be dancing the Taxes Two Step trying to keep himself out of the clink after being indicted on several counts of tax evasion and fraud. I can just hear it now: “Ohhh, TAXES. I thought you said “TEXAS.” That’s why I said “No, thanks.” …I like Miami!” Maximum sentence is 35 years in the PEN-ske, if convicted. I hope he doesn’t go from “Dancing with the Stars” to “Dancing Behind Bars” …

Photo from Stan at The Score by way of Meesh.  (You can  -  and should - read Meesh at “So…here’s what I’m thinking…“  )