On November 18, I will be performing at the Toronto Sketch Festival with The Nat Turner Review.

[link]

Cool, huh?

Teddy's transplant was a success. His kidney values are quickly returning to normal, and the doctors took him out of ICU this morning. He'll still be in the renal transplant wards for a while. (T has already planned to be in Philadelphia all next week.) Rigatoni also came through his surgery very easily.

I got to see both briefly yesterday before coming home. Teddy was very groggy because he was on sedatives and serious pain killers. He even fell asleep while I was holding him. Rigatoni was also on pain killers, but he was much more lively. He'd even pulled a catheter out despite wearing one of those collars.

The two got to meet each other briefly on Monday. There was some sniffing, then Teddy hissed and Rigatoni backed off. This is actually considered encouraging, especially since Teddy hasn't had much experience with other cats besides Max and Marie.

Did I mention that the surgery resident (who does most of the doctor-owner interaction) looks more than a bit like Roddy MacDowall?

Tomorrow I'm having some medical tests done because of my family's strong history of cancer. I don't have any symptoms and am just following the rule of "have the test done when you're ten years younger than the earliest diagnosis in your family." Only thanks to a cousin getting diagnosed this summer, I'm now only six years younger than my youngest relative to get this, and these things are often asymptomatic in the early stages...so, suffice it to say I'm kinda, well, scared.

So no-cancer~ma would be greatly appreciated.

Woohoo! No cancer here!

I had to take S to the emergency room again. In fact, I just got off the phone with the doctor, who said she seems to be fine, and while they will keep her overnight, she's doing okay, and probably won't have to stay more than a day or so, depending on her labs.

Good thoughts, wishes, prayers and ~ma please.

And yay Susan. Glad to hear it!

Which reminds me of related news, my mom's biopsy came back cancer free, too, so that ~ma is released back into the world.

I could really use some 'best possible outcome' ~ma.

Niki, the woman who has been more of a mom to me and a better 'relative' than all my blood kin combined...and then some...is in hospital suffering complications after knee surgery last week. She's had fluid on the lungs, a blood clot and a pulmonary embolism. She seems to be on the upswing, but she's very frightened and more frail than I've ever seen her.

Her 95 year old functionally blind and deaf husband, who dotes on her, is even more frightened.

After a revolving door of relatives actually causing more grief than helping, it looks like I will be moving in with them to help out for a while.

I'm glad to do it. They've been so good to me...but. The unexpectedness of this goes without saying...and I'm having fears about losing my apartment and not being able to maintain my practice from 3 towns away.

No one knows how long I'll be needed...and while I'd rather it be me than anyone else, I'm frightened for Niki's health, for her beloved's stability and for my ability to care for them both.

Any and all prayers, chants, and just plain good thoughts would be so very much appreciated.

If SailAweigh is around, I need her to email me asap! Or if anyone has her phone number--profile addy is good. Thanks!

Edited--if anyone can get a hold of her or knows her email or phone number, please let her know I'm headed up her way and will try to call this evening.

Some dog~ma would be appreciated very much. My sister's Darcy took off last Monday and wasn't found until tonight. She has never taken off before. They live in the mountains and she has a doggy door so she is free to come and go as she pleases.

It is fairly apparent that she was hit by a car on her way back there within the last 24 hours. Her condition isn't what you would expect if she had been hit almost a week ago.

They will not be doing xrays until tomorrow. First they want to stabilize her with fluids, etc. before giving her the anesthesia and drugs that will be necessary for her to go thru the manipulations to get appropriate xrays.

The thought is that she has sustained a pelvic fracture. There may or may not be some nerve damage involved. We will know better after tomorrow mornings xrays.

Thanks to all for their positive thoughts and prayers.

My sister gave birth to a healthy 3 pound, 15 ounce baby boy very early Sunday morning. Both mother and baby are doing well, though baby needs a little bit of oxygen and will need to stay in the hospital for 6 to 8 weeks. I release the health~ma and pass it on, as it seems much needed elsewhere.