This week. 

My cat, Nikolai, 

woke up Monday morning lethargic

so I took him to the vet

we think he has a urinary tract infection

but find a ring? in his stomach in the x-ray

so antibiotics at home in a syringe and hiding

oh but he may have eaten rat poison

then we're closing so take him to emergency care overnight

for a thousand dollars

but I take him home instead and Gloria tells me how to heal him with my hands

and he lives through the night

so we go back to the vet on Wed

and they know it's rat poison now

but Dr. Eric, Richanne's brother in law, says no way

and Melinda gets the carecredit card for me with $5000 credit 

to go to the specialist with Mo

where in 15 minutes we had a plan

where 2 hours later they knew what it was,

and 2 hours and 5 minutes later he was in surgery

where he awoke 2 hours later

fine

ready to come home in 48 hours 

and return to normal.

They told me he was going to die four times.

The "ring" in his stomach was a penny. A red herring.

Turns out he had a herniated diaphragm so his liver and large intestine had pushed through the diaphragm and were in his chest, pressing against his heart and lungs. 

His diaphragm was stretched and shredded when he fell out of a tree and landed on a picket fence.

They figured that out in surgery.

for $5000

but they saved the penny for me.

I think I'll send it to carecredit as my first payment.

I still can't believe he's going to live.