Visiting the Face

so yesterday, bowser ultimately responded well to the transfusion.  his RBCs jumped from single digits up to the mid-to-upper-20s.  he was brighter and appeared happier.

today, I decided to go see for myself.  yes, I visited my little man face in the hospital.  and, luckily, my friend ellen was there to join me for moral support.  I mean, not like I was going to be a hysterical mess or anything... ok, well, moving on...

I think that because we were vising "after hours" and it was really just the ER doctors and some techs there, we were able to be put in a room while we visited with bowser.  the last time I'd seen him was monday morning, and he was just... so... not bowser.  anyone who's met him would know there were serious issues.  so when the tech brought him in to visit, and he was actually standing on his own!  and wagging his tail!  and oh, I got bowser kisses!  lots and lots of bowser kisses!  that almost put me over the emotional edge.  he'd been so tired, he couldn't even expend the energy to lick you.  which, again, if you know bowser... you'd know how much of an aberration this was.  but he just wanted to lick you and let you know how happy he was to see you.  and even when I got up to throw something away on the other side of the room, he got up, worried that I would leave again.  which, of course, broke my heart.

it was at that point that I realized we could get through this.  the past couple of days were such a whirlwind.  overhead was the unspoken cloud of "if he makes it. dot dot dot."  but seeing him like this... having some energy again... it reinforced our decision to do whatever we had to do to get bowser better.  I thought of him less as "bowser, our pug who is dying of AIHA" and more as "bowser, our pug who is recovering from AIHA".

I may have shed a tear of happiness on the way home.  but after what we've been through with him, I think I'm allowed.

bowser and his IV tubes



bowser and a very happy mom