Today Sucked (Day 3739 - 2/19/20)

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Stephen and Mallory have a doctor's appointment today. Last week, they had blood tests done and now they are going to talk about their results with their doctor. Stephen had received an email with his blood test results and his cholesterol levels weren't looking good. So, he is looking forward to talking to the doctor about his results.

Stephen says that they woke up this morning to the sound of Sagan puking. Sagan had some mornings where he would puke out hairballs or nothing, so it wasn't unusual. On other days, Sagan would be fine after puking. He would still be happy, active, healthy, have an appetite, and have a shiny coat of fur. They realized that something was wrong this time when they were feeding the cats. Kepler was excited to eat, but Sagan didn't want to eat which was unusual. Sagan is also feeling really lethargic and his ears are warm.

Mal says that the last time that Sagan was like this towards the end of October when they last played Bioshock. It was a weekend and they couldn't get an appointment for the vet, but he was fine afterwards. They called the vet and made an appointment for 2:00 PM. Stephen mentions that Kepler is not sick though because he almost never gets sick. He says that he is not sure what Kepler did in his previous lifetime to have such perfect health all the time. Then, he talks about how they try to take health seriously especially with the cats since they can't talk. It is 8:30 AM and they are getting ready to go to their doctor's appointment. Steve will be coming over to keep an eye on Sagan while they are at the doctor's office.

Later, they finished their doctor's appointment. They got a check-up and got the results for their blood test. Two years ago, he got his first blood test done by a physician assistant who told him that his high cholesterol levels was something he needed to deal with for the rest of his life. Today, he was able to talk about his results with an actual doctor. Stephen states that he was pleased that he received more information about his cholesterol from the doctor compared to the physician assistant he talked to last time.

Stephen's high cholesterol levels are genetic as shown by Debra having high cholesterol levels despite being a vegetarian. So, the doctor told him that his cholesterol levels will tend to skew higher. But, he's young and considering some other factors, he is at a low risk. The doctor told him that there could probably be things he could adjust in his diet, but he doesn't need to completely change his diet or worry too much about his cholesterol. The doctor used a calculator to calculate the percentage of risk and it uses a person's age. However, the lowest age that could be used was 40, so the doctor used that to calculate the risk. The percentage indicated that his risk was very low and it's probably even lower since Stephen is 10 years younger than 40 years old. Stephen had always suspected that he didn't have a high risk, but it was nice hearing it from a doctor. He says that it's not that he doesn't trust the physician assistant who was telling him that it was serious, but he is more willing to trust the doctor more. Stephen talks about how he will keep a healthy mindset, but won't go out of his way to completely change his diet to only healthy foods. He knows that his cholesterol is not so high that he's in danger. Stephen says that he will keep trying to keep his philosophy of not eating a dozen eggs every week. Mal also suggests sometimes switching fries with salad when eating out.

The doctor also wants him to see a neurologist. He says that he has never talked about this problem on the vlog and he's not ready to go into detail about it. However, he had some issues a few weeks ago towards the end of January where he severe brain fog which lasted for several hours. It was more concerning to Mal than it was to him. Stephen states that he never put it on the vlog because it was a little frightening and he tries not to go out of his way to scare people. He doesn't know what it is or if it's related to stress. Mal had written it down because she had wanted to talk to the doctor about it. The doctor told him that it seems concerning and could've been caused by stress, anxiety, or something else. But, she doesn't want to write it off as just that, so she wants him to go see a neurologist. Stephen says that this is the only time in his life that he ever experienced brain fog where he couldn't think clearly and had a jumbled memory. Mal said that at one point, Stephen couldn't remember what happened in the last 10 minutes.

Mal also had her check-up and her cholesterol levels are fine. The only issue was that her calcium levels are low. Stephen talks about how ironic this is because she's a Wisconsinite and out of all people, she should have enough calcium. Mal says that she ate so much cheese and yet her calcium levels are low. Mal then mentions that Steve has been watching the cats and has been sending them update pictures every 10 minutes. They went back home to get Sagan and took him to the vet.

Back at home, Stephen talks about how today hasn't been great due to all these medical issues. Then, he talks about how Sagan was really warm. The vet took his temperature and said that he had a fever which is not good for cats. The vet was feeling around and thinks that something may be lodged inside Sagan, but they aren't sure what it is. The vet told them to come back on Monday since they have a person coming in on Monday who does ultrasound scans. The vet ended up also giving Sagan a B-12 injection and fluid injection to help give him some energy and hydration. Sagan was also prescribed some 3 antibiotic pills for a 3-day period. Stephen says that Sagan hasn't eaten or drank anything for the entire day, but he will probably start to feel more energetic after those shots take effect. They are both also trying to make sure that he at least gets some food and water. He says that towards the end of the appointment, Sagan started to perk up and was willing to have some food. Stephen says that it's hard with health matters regarding pets because they can't tell you their symptoms. Then, he talks about how they've been having doctor's appointments for most of today and he feels mentally exhausted.

A few hours later, Sagan is meowing and starting to have a little bit of appetite. They put a lot of liquid into his food because he has a hard time getting the necessary amount of liquid he needs. Sagan didn't end up eating a lot and then went back to being tired for the rest of the day. They both feel bad because they want to do something, but there's nothing they can do. Stephen says that if Sagan still feels like this tomorrow morning, then they will call the vet to see what they can do. The vet's office they go to doesn't have the ultrasound equipment. So, if Sagan's condition is concerning, then they might go to a vet that has ultrasound equipment on site. Today is Wednesday, so Monday is a long time to wait when Sagan's not eating and is feeling lethargic. Stephen and Mal spent the entire evening taking turns putting him in their laps while working, They wanted at least one person to be watching Sagan's condition.

Stephen says "today sucked" and that sometimes there are days like this. Stephen, Mal, and Sagan had to go see doctors and the results have not been great. Sagan has something inside of him that requires an ultrasound scan. Stephen has to go see the neurologist at the Medical University of South Carolina which is a medical hospital you go to when it's something serious. He is familiar with it because he used to go there when he was younger because his dad had a brain tumor. Stephen says that he is almost caught up on vlogs and only has 3 videos left including the today's vlog. He and Mal then talk about how Sagan has been sleeping on the edge of their bed. They are going to keep him there tonight, so they can check-up on him. He thinks Sagan could possibly have a hairball lodged inside him, but he doesn't want to speculate too much. Stephen thinks Sagan will be alright and that he's in good hands.