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July
12, 2008
It's been 10 days since
Abbey's surgery and she has begun building her sleeping nests again.
She is still set up in the single house, and will remain there until the
stitches and collar are removed to prevent her from injuring herself on
any items. The nest-building is one more step to her recovering some
normalcy to her life.
Abbey has also begun to sit
up on her haunches and look around, rather than just crawling around on
all fours. She has been able to stand up by bracing herself against
the walls of her house and her playpen, but this is different - this is
Abbey standing up, unsupported, and showing interest in her surroundings
again. Noises once more peak her curiosity and she sits up to listen,
trying to discern from whence they are coming. She doesn't even seem
to mind the cone as much today as she has in the past. Her appetite,
while never having gone away totally, is completely back to normal and
she is avidly devouring all that is put before her.
These are bittersweet observations
as I know she is not long for this world. If the tumours had not
metastasized, I can see now that Abbey would have made a full recovery
and put all this in the past. But there are just too many growing
and soon the little hamster will have to leave her damaged body behind.
Not yet, though, as she is definitely not in any pain or discomfort.
And as long as she is comfortable, she will have the best of everything
and lots of playtime with me. |
July
13, 2008
I have a very bad feeling
about Abbey tonight. She woke up early, around 7:00 pm. She
never gets up before 8:30 - 9:00 pm. And there are what appear to
be two tiny white threads emerging from each nostril. She only stayed
awake for about 30 minutes, nibbling on one half of a strawberry drop,
and then she was fast asleep in her playpen. She's in the kitchen,
on the table, and even the water running and putting away the dishes is
not causing her to wake up. Poor, tired little girl. I want
to hold you, but if I pick you up, I will disturb your rest, so all I can
do is watch over you. |
July
14, 2008
Abbey made it through last
night and all of today, but she's only staying awake for short periods
of time again this evening. The tumour on her neck has grown, as
has the new one on her back. I fear that when the collar comes off
on Thursday, that she will immediately begin to chew at both.
It's becoming very difficult
to watch the little hamster without thinking she must be in some sort of
discomfort. Her movements do not indicate that she's in any pain,
but how can she not be with all those things growing on her? I had
so hoped Abbey would have a least a couple of days free and happy, but
that prospect is growing dimmer by the hour. This is no longer Abbey's
Recovery Diary, as the possibility of healing is forever gone at this point.
It's time to start planning for her to leave this world for a place where
she can run and play once again. |
July
15, 2008
This was a good day for
Abbey - we played together in the evening for almost 2 hours. She
seemed like her old self and if the tumours weren't visible, I could almost
have deluded myself into thinking she was getting better. I can't
believe how good her appetite is! And she was scampering all around
her playpen. |
July 16, 2008
Abbey is to have her stitches
out tomorrow, but I suspect that her doctor will suggest she's had enough
to endure and that it's time to let her go. So no further writing
tonight - I intend to spend the whole evening with the ailing hamster.
She will sleep in her house next to me throughout the night so that her
last hours are not alone. |
July
17, 2008
Stitches are out and Abbey
is home! While the tumours are growing, Dr. Konarzewski said that
as long as she's eating and playing and showing an interest in her surroundings,
she doesn't have to be put down. Her full house has been reassembled,
with her much-loved aspen, and she is currently exploring it once again.
Unfortunately, she also seems to be quite interested in those things growing
on her body and she's either trying to clean them or nibble them off ...
not quite sure at this point. May have to switch her entire house
over to CareFresh if the aspen is bothering her skin.
Abbey definitely seems to
be happy to be able to 'wash' her face and do some grooming that she's
been unable to do for the past couple of weeks. Maybe my little girl
will get a few good days unencumbered by that collar - a brief reprieve.
She even made a tentative foray into her wheel.
Unfortunately, the biopsy
results show skin cancer, and Dr. Konarzewski has advised the prognosis
is not good. All I can do now is to try to keep her as comfortable
as possible until the time comes that she's no longer enjoying her life.
And so there will be no further
updates as that ends the diary of Abbey's ordeal. She came through
the surgery with flying colours, and healed up well, but the disease that
is destroying other parts of her body is too aggressive for her to overcome.
The only thing left to do is to watch and wait and let her know that she's
loved. |
August 16, 2008
At 12:45 pm, Abbey was PUT
TO SLEEP. Good-bye by darling girl,
as you follow a trail I cannot yet go down ... one day we'll be together
again. |
| RETURN
TO THE BEGINNING |
Born May 4, 2007
"Life is as dear to a mute
creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain,
just as one wants to live
and not die, so do other creatures." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama |
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