Gizmo

Hi, my name's Gizmo and I'm trying to help my mum and dad raise money for my recent vet expenses.

I've always been a happy and very healthy boy, but recently I became very sick. I didn't eat for 4 days. I had a big ulcer on my tongue, and I didn't know it at the time but had some more all the way down my oesophagus and into my tummy. The ones in my tummy were bleeding and they hurt so much they took my breath away. I was breathing so fast (about 130 to 140 breaths per minute) that I wasn't actually getting enough oxygen. Normally we only need about 30 breaths per minute. Mum and Dad rushed me to our vet where they gave me pain medication and checked me over as much as possible. The medication helped a bit, but not much. The next day I had an operation so they could find out what was happening. That's when they found out about the ulcers in my tummy. After the operation I had to stay at the vet so they could give me fluids and pain medication. I didn't want to eat or drink anything because everything was so sore. They were really nice to me, and tried to tell me that everything was going to be ok, but I was scared and sad, and my throat and tummy were still hurting heaps. Mum picked me up and took me home for the night, but had to take me back in the morning so I could have more fluids and more pain medication. I felt so bad.

The next day would be the weekend, and my normal doctor wasn't going to be there, so mum took me to the Blackwood after hours clinic - Pawprints. It was really weird staying there without my mum, but the doctors and nurses were awesome, and mum came and visited me every day. They were doing everything they could to help me, but I still didn't want to eat because everything still hurt so much. I heard mum talking to them, and they said that because I hadn't eaten for such a long time, they might have to tube feed me, but that meant I would have to stay in hospital longer. The weekend was ending, so mum had to take me to SASH in Adelaide, as I was still needing lots of medication and fluids. SASH was a long way from home, it took mum more than an hour each way to drive there, but she still came and saw me every day.

The next day the the doctors put a tube in my nose and down into my tummy so they could give me some nutritional food, so far I hadn't eaten anything for 11 days, even though I was hungry, and I kept regurgitating the little bit that was in my tummy. I was so miserable. My doctor rang mum and said they needed to do another operation, apparently I had a lot of gasses in my tummy where there wasn't supposed to be any. The doctor told mum that they were worried that some stitches from my first operation had let go, and that I could get what they called sepsis if they didn't fix it. I could hear mum crying on the phone, it was going to cost a lot of money. She said they had already used more than half of the money they had put aside for house and car repairs, and to install heating at home because we don't have any, and that this new operation could cost more than double what they had left.

In any case, somehow they made some arrangement, because the next thing I know, i was being taken in for surgery again.

The next few days were a blur for me, but mum came every day. It was the highlight of my day. I missed her and my family so much. The nurses and doctors were there all day and all night, and they were checking me constantly. I was on lots of different medications, and they were trying to make my throat and tummy feel better. I was getting food through the tube in my nose. It felt weird, but good too, because I wasn't hungry anymore.

5 days after I got to SASH, I had to have another operation to put in what they called a PEG feeding tube. They told me that if everything went well, I would be able to go home where mum could look after me. I was so excited to be able to go home even if it was with a funny tube coming out of me. I missed home so much. They used a camera when they put the PEG in, and that's when they found out that the ulcers were all the way down my throat, my oesophagus, into my tummy and into my duodenum. They might have gone further, but that's as far as they could see with the camera. Mum said that at least they knew for sure what was wrong now, even if I couldn't tell them what had happened to cause it.

3 days after that operation, I got to go home with mum. I was so excited, and I could tell mum was excited too. There were so many things mum had to remember, all my different medications, what time I had to have them, how to do my special tube feeds and prepare the special food I had to have.

It was so good to be home again with my family. I thought getting poked and prodded every couple hours was behind me after leaving SASH, but mum had to wake me up every 2 or 3 hours around the clock for the first week, to either give me food or medication through my tube. Having to sit still for that was a drag, but the good part was that I got to go everywhere with mum, she said she couldn't leave me alone incase I accidentally pulled my tube out.

Gradually day by day, I had less and less medication. I was feeling better and I was craving being able to eat normally. Finally after a whole week I was allowed to have a tiny bit to eat properly. It was soooo good. My tummy and throat wasn't hurting anymore, and I was feeling good, but mum said I still had to have most of my food through my tube.

During this last week, I've had more and more to eat and less and less in my tube, and guess what - tomorrow the doctors are taking the tube out! It will be so good for it to be gone, the special stocking I had to wear to keep the tube in place was really, really itchy. Mum tried to make it feel better by attaching the tube to my harness and putting my jumper over it, but it still stops me from being able to roll around and have good scratch. Only 1 more day to go!

I'm really worried about mum and dad though, they've got such a big bill to pay, even after they used up all their savings for me. That's why I'm asking for some help for them. I know lots of people who love their furbabies just as much as mum and dad love me, and it's not their fault that I was silly and ate something I shouldn't have. Please, if you can spare a few dollars, every little bit will help. Thank you for reading my story, and if you can't help, please share it with others so that they might. With heartfelt love, Gizmo