NOW PLAYING: WALTZ ACROSS TEXAS
(INSTRUMENTAL VERSION)

May 2007 A bit of the back story . . . Jody Brittan is a long-time TART in Houston. Her boyfriend, Kris Wallace, loves Jody and has no dogs. He is the wonderful man who has provided the love & nurturing & quiet home for Lizzy's recuperation since the time of her surgery for the enormous hernia. He adores Jody and now he adores Lizzy. Jody & Kris are being kept up-to-date on all your good wishes. They are exhausted & elated. All of us in Texas send a huge "Thank you". Late Report: Lizzy is still having some arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat),; they have her on the Lidocaine again, and it's working. The chest x-ray looked normal, so that is good. Her heart looks ok - that is great news. Her ALT liver enzyme is still high and there have been some mild changes in her coagulation. The EKG did show some mitro regurgitation, but no pulmonary hypertension - that is good. They will keep her on IV fluids tonight. They still don't have a good reason for this to be happening and Dr. Bradbury basically told me she is "at a loss" as to what is causing this. They seem to think that the GI distress is causing the heart problem . . . I wish we could pinpoint the exact cause and problem. She will be transferred to the cardiology department in the morning and the cardiologist will be calling me tomorrow a.m. I am anxious to talk to her and ask more questions. She is still acting more perky and looking good. No vomiting or diarrhea since she's been at A&M, so that is encouraging too. Allie & Lizzy in May 2007 Now I lay me down to sleep. The king-sized bed is soft and deep. I sleep right in the center groove. My human being can hardly move. I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight. And here is where I pass the night. No one disturbs me or dares intrude 'Til morning comes and I want food! I sneak up slowly and then begin, My nudgings on my human's chin. She wakes up slowly and smiles and shouts, "You precious pest . . . 5 more minutes, now cut it out!" But morning's here and it's time to play. I always seem to get my way. So thank you, Lord, for giving me This human person that I see. The one who hugs and holds me tight And shares her bed with me at night.
May 2007	Even Later Report, Directly from Jody & Kris: 9:25 p.m. Just got back from A&M a little bit ago. The cardiologist was coming in tonight just for Lizzy to do an EKG & chest x-ray & full bloodwork again. I should know more about these test results and the plan going forward soon. We drove 90 mph with the hazards on to get her there. Need a driver in an emergency? I'm your gal. Kris rode in the back with her the whole way - her head in his lap. I was so scared we were going to lose her on the way. They were ready & waiting when we got there and jumped into action. Dr. Bradbury was the one who suggested a medicine called Procainamide, and it is working!!
Afterwards while she was talking to us, Dr. Gati called from the Houston ER vet and Dr. B excused herself to take the call out in the hallway. We could hear her cheering on the phone and it sure made us feel good. Lizzy was getting better and I was impressed that the Houston doctor called up there to check on her, too. These doctors are awesome. I'm also am so relieved that Dr. Gati called and told me to get her to A&M ASAP. She flat out told me Lizzy was at risk for sudden death. I was in such a hurry and my mind racing when I left my house I couldn't even think where the heck A&M was - I had to have Kris tell me. Her heart rate is down to 110 which is good. Her blood pressure is good which means she is tolerating all of this well. She's a tough cookie! They are most likely going to start her on anti-inflammatory steroids as they suspect the heart muscle is inflamed. BEST case scenario I can go get her tomorrow night.	May 2007
THANK YOU everyone for all your support & good wishes. It means so much. Nancy in College Station called me on my way up there and offered to put us up in a hotel near the university. I've never even met Nancy, but she was so kind to offer. Airedale people rock!!! JACKIE McGUINNESS: Sending lots of Zen for Lizzy. I've just read her story and it sounds like things are going well. Our Annie had that problem when she was 18 months old; she ran into a truck when she escaped from the garden. She was getting the EKG every hour or so and the vet told us that if she'd been human these readings would have been like massive heart attacks and we would not have survived them. She was so bad they couldn't operate to pin her leg for a week till her heart sorted itself out. She's nearly 12 now, so she came through it all . . . so she's sending special Zen for Lizzy. CONTINUE WITH THE SAGA OF LIZZY IN THE HEART OF TEXAS HERE