Girls with measles, dogs with stones
Last Thursday was difficult, and that’s putting it mildly. Our dog, Archie, has been having accidents in the house off and on for about three years now, and the vet pressured us to neuter him. This, we were assured, would solve the problem. So we did it, but Archie’s problem only got worse. Now, whenever he lays down or sits on the floor, he leaves a puddle behind. This is especially problematic with two proto toddlers running around the house.
So we took him in again, and learned that there is a stone the size of a small asteroid inside his bladder. Covered in jagged spikes, it makes him bleed every time it’s jostled — like when he jumps up on the bed, or simply walks to his water bowl. Of course, we could have learned about this stone had the vet suggested X-Rays before, but instead neutering was the only fix offered. Apparently it was the stone, not Archie’s prostate, that caused the frequent infections. Way to diagnose the problem correctly Mr. Vet.
As we waited anxiously to get the results of the X-Ray back (at the time, it seemed like Archie may have cancer, a diagnosis that still hasn’t been ruled out, because they were unable to get a clear picture of his overburdened kidneys), we received a frantic call from the daycare:
“Anya and Rachel have broken out. The director is worried about them being contagious to other children, so she says you have to come get them right away. They can’t come back without a note from a doctor saying they’re well enough to be in school.”
So, while Tina waited for Archie, I raced across Dupont Circle to the daycare where I was greeted with the same tedious mantra: banned from daycare, doctor’s note. Blah blah blah. It seemed that every time I acknowledged the order, the teacher repeated it again.
A scenario flashed through my mind: the girls, stricken with some virus, end up out of daycare for the rest of their final month. With two weeks left to go, that’s about $1500 lost.
It turns out, the girls had a reaction to their immunization shots — Rachel got the measles. Anya got a mild case of chicken pox. This is not unusual. But compounded by Archie’s deteriorating health, and it seemed that the world was out to get us.
