Good news, everyones

My mom had a heart catheterization last night and there was no blockage, which is a major, major relief. For once the hospital staff was running ahead of schedule, which is great and all, but it meant that they took her back for the procedure three hours early, before my dad had even gotten back to the hospital to give her a husbandly pre-surgery smooch. That spooked him; heart caths aren't exactly like teeth cleanings. There's a chance something major can go wrong, so it's best to treat it fairly seriously.

But she came back fine, with printed photographs of her clear arteries. We were all so relieved that we stood around and watched her eat a tuna fish sub as she laid flat for three hours — doctor's orders — so as not to "complicate things," according to the nurse.

At 8 o'clock she was on her feet and ready to go home to see the dogs.

I can't even explain how relieved I am that they didn't find any blockage. For one thing, it would have been painful for her if the little catheter ran into something. They would have had to either inflate a balloon to clear the blockage or immediately put her under for surgery (bypass or something; forgive my medical naiveté), which carries its own well-documented risks.

But she's fine for now. She needs to quit smoking, of course, and she should exercise more and work on her stress management. But I think maybe she will after this scare.

And I couldn't be more grateful.

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Gonzo's been on steroids for about a week now, and yesterday, for the first time in months and months, he played with Felix. Hopping, running, happy playing. Not for very long, mind you, and not nearly as long as Felix would have liked. But for a good five minutes he was Crazy Gonzo again, thrashing around like a slam dancer.

I didn't get it on video. I was too busy watching.