Long Time No Post

Oh my goodness! Has it really been nearly two months since I posted anything of substance? Time really got away from me when I quit my job. As it turned out, I ended up going over my end date. That was my fault since I should have stopped working with clients earlier than what I did to give myself time to get all of my personal effects together. I said I was going to be out on Thursday, August 13th but I worked most of Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th. Cleaning out my office and shoring up my files was a miserable process. I will do better should I ever be in that position again.
Let's get back on track with some news. I have some great news and some very sad news. I'll start with the sad news. During the first week of classes, Girl Cat peed on the floor outside the litter box. Peeing outside the box is not uncommon in cats but it always makes me uneasy. Peeing outside the box can be a sign of something bigger. I question, "What did I do differently?", "Did I use something in the box she didn't like?", "Is this behavioral?", "Is she sick?", "What happened?". I expected the vet to come in and tell me that this was yet another urinary tract infection. Sadly, it turns out Girl Cat is in the early stages of renal failure. Evidently, by the time the condition shows in a test, a cat has already lost some of their kidney function. I continue to be utterly devastated by the news. I can't even think about her situation without welling up. Axl chastises me because he says I act like putting her down is something I have to do tomorrow when, happily, the vet says Girl Cat can live comfortably for some time (possibly years) before I have to make my hard decisions. Currently, she gets to eat special food that is low in sodium. She's the house princess so I'm sure getting to eat separately from her brothers suits her. Here's a picture of the princess herself a few years back.
Now for some good news. The cardiologist's physicians assistant called me on the 12th of August to say that the cardiologist had reviewed and finalized my test results and that I do not have a Patent Foramen Ovale. In fact, I do not have a hole in my heart at all. While that is wonderful news, I was well and truly upset that the cardiologist never told me that diagnosis he gave me was only preliminary. Personally, I think he goofed. I think either: A) He read the test and really thought he saw a PFO or B) He read someone else's test thinking it was mine. After all, it was an absolute madhouse in his office the day of my test. When the physician's assistant called me back to give me my test results, I wasn't in the room two minutes that the cardiologist got a phone call and had to leave the room. The physician's assistant was left waiting with me. She stood around shifting her weight foot to foot awkwardly then left the room without much excuse. When the cardiologist came back, he continued on without her. He told me to follow up with my primary care physician and to tell her to put me on beta blockers. As a result, when the physician's assistant called to tell me that I was fine, I had been taking beta blockers and baby aspirin for about a week. Let me say, I'm glad I didn't retract my resignation as I had debated doing. It also does not please me to have an ugly medical bill for something it now feels like my primary care physician should not have ordered as quickly as what she did. I'm happy to be alright but I'm off doctors for awhile.