not quite a GIP

[ratcreature]

So last time I scribbled possible icon pictures to pass time on public transit I ended up with this one, and I figured it might work as an icon for the "I just can't deal/look anymore, and wish I could hide under my blanket for the rest of my life" moments, as well as perhaps for ironic reference to that feeling. I'm just not sure whether it would work better with some kind of text, or whether I should leave it as it is. What do you think?





BTW I noticed that I haven't posted on my rat Dustin for a while. Unfortunately the tumor has so far only become more defined in its upper part not the lower, so the vet said that with it being so close to his penis they couldn't be sure to completely remove it. With his general health and breathing problems the operation isn't worth the risk when it is likely that he'd need to operate again, so the vet said the better option for now is to continue with the spider venom treatment as long as that works to contain its growth. So for now I'm bringing Dustin to the vet every four to five days for an injection. I don't really dare to inject him myself, because I can't really see how I'd be able to hold one rather uncooperative and struggling rat while injecting him safely at the same time all by myself. I mean, I guess there's techniques for this kind of thing, but well, even with the commute it's much less stressful to have the vet doing it while I just hold him. If I wasn't living alone and someone else could hold the rat while I handled just the injection it would be different, but not as it is.

Comments

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

I like the icon. I'm sorry to hear about Dustin; tumors are a bitch. I hope the spider venom keeps helping.

[ratcreature]

Actually I just came from the vet, and it turns out it was an abscess. Today I noticed that he was licking there a lot and it wasn't fully covered by hair anymore and the skin above it was brownish like scabbed. When I showed the vet she told me that it was an abscess that had broken open. Apparently they can't really tell the difference from just feeling these lumps, because over the last weeks two of the vets at the office examined the lump, and it's not like there had been any wound or anything I had noticed. Anyway, she drained it (and I hope I'll never see greenish pus squeezed out of one of my pets again, ick), flushed it, put on salve and gave him an antibiotic, though whether that is the right one will only be sure when the results from the swap she took come in tomorrow afternoon. So now I have to convince Dustin to take antibiotics again and wrestle him to put on salve twice daily, but I hope it'll heal well. I mean, it's the first time one of pets had such an abscess, but it has to be better than tumors, right? Right now Dustin is cross with me, possibly because this had to be one of the most unpleasant vet visits he had so far, I hope it might at least feel better for him now that the abscess is drained, and he might appreciate that.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

Ew, abcess! One of my rats had an abcess on her neck once. The vet opened it up, and she had this gaping oozing THING on her neck. It got better very quickly, although she carried a funny-looking scar until the end of her days.

By the way, if one of your rats gets a lump like that again, you can ask the vet to stick a needle in it and try to aspirate it. If it's an abcess, the needle will fill up with pus, and then they know to open it up and give antibiotics. A cancerous mass won't give you any pus if you do that. That's how my vet always tells the difference.

[ratcreature]

Huh, I'll remember to ask that next time, I have no idea why they didn't do that needle thing your vet does. This is the first time any of my rats had an abscess, so I have no previous experience to fall back on.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

I think abscesses are less common on rats--at least, peaceable non-squabbly rats--than cancer, unfortunately. So if they hadn't run across it before, they might not have known to check.

[ratcreature]

Hmm, the reason I go to this vet office and not one closer by me is that they were the ones recommended by the local fancy rat club. They get lots of rats as patients there, you see other people with rats often in the waiting room and such, so they do have experience with rats.