Advice Needed -- Going Away For A Few Days

**Deleted User** · 08-20-2009, 08:14 AM

Tomorrow morning, I've got to go in for some surgery. I'm the one at home that takes care of the fish, but my husband knows how to feed them and to be sparing with the feeding.

Can you advise what is good to do today for the fish? I was planning to do partial (20-25%) water changes, which I do about weekly. This would be early, but I may not be up to doing it for another week plus (?).

I am planning to do these water changes today (early this morning unless someone here sees and doesn't recommend it). I'm also planning to ask my husband to feed the fish only 1x a day. He does know to feed sparingly, but still worried he may not feed as little as I do...

The surgery I'm having is really something. I am diabetic and see a regular doctor and an endocrinologist regularly for it. In February, I had a swollen knuckle and just asked "what do you think this is?" because I was in to see the doctor anyhow. Tests showed a very elevated but non-specific inflammatory indicator. We tracked it and it went down but then shot back up (should be less than 3 and it went like 21, 19, 15, 12 and 31).

Upon the 31 I really pressed hard about "WHY?" My endo just didn't know and it wasn't anything that could be related to his area of expertise. I told him "this is probably literally a needle in a haystack, but..." and told him about a couple of colts I bought from another farm last fall. They arrived with rhodococcus pneumonia, which is really bad. We treated them aggressively (and expensively) with our vets, however, they died.

Because of the bacteria they carried, and the fact that it "lives" in the dirt, now my farm has it here and now when we have foals born, I have the vets come out at birth and at 4-6wks to transfuse the foals with hyper immune plasma to keep them safe. Through reading on this, I knew some people can get sick from it, but only if you are very immuno compromised (which I am not). BUT because of it, I asked the endo if I could possibly have something related to that issue or another disease from raising horses. He referred me to an infectious disease doctor.

Infectious disease doctor was awesome and ordered a ton of tests and as she wrote her notes out, she debated to do a chest xray (no coughing). She decided to do it, thank God. It came back cloudy at the top but maybe I hadn't taken a deep enough breath. So back in for a CT scan.

Found out 3wks ago, I have a "lesion" in my upper left lung lobe. Since then, it has been a WHIRLWIND of specialist doctors and high end diagnostic testing (I am very lucky to live in the part of the USA where I do -- very affluent which attracts excellent doctors).

Bottom line, though I have never been a smoker and not around second hand smoke, it seems like I have lung cancer. The special PET / CT Fusion scan I had done reflects it's not spread anywhere. It was such a fluke that I even got that first chest xray and if it didn't get done until I was coughing, this sort of thing has a dismal prognosis but as it is, in my case, it is very very good.

It's been something else though because what I felt was the worst horse event to ever happen to me (I have worked towards my current breeding program for about a decade), probably has actually saved my life. Just in case this can help anyone else dealing with something that seems to be nothing but bad -- this was a time when the bad served a much higher good.

Anyway, thank you for any advice you can tell me to do today before I leave (keeping in mind in hospital at least 3 days, and probably not "up" to changing water until maybe 10 days or more from now (?)). And thanks for those who let me pour my heart out just a bit.

I know I'm new here, but like it a lot. I'm a long time (8 years?) member of a message board a lot like this one but about miniature horses. I think I will really enjoy this place as much as the mini horse place and that is to say, I'll enjoy it a lot and I am for sure learn very much from you all.

Thank you,
Jill

PS regarding the types of fish / tanks in case recommendations are different based on the details:

1 tank w/ fancy goldfish and zebra danios
3 tanks w/ platys, neons, cory and (in one also) tiger barbs
2 tanks w/ 1 male betta each

**Sarkazmo** · 08-20-2009, 09:32 AM

Good luck!

Do a 50% wc and don't worry about feeding the fish while you're away. They can go a week easily without food, even longer in most cases.

Sark

**Neon** · 08-20-2009, 09:45 AM

hi Jill ,

first of all good luck for your surgery , hope you 'll be soon home and caring for all your beloved pets !!!

I think a massive water change will do + I would add tetra easy balance , see link , http://www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetr...id=1276&cid=74.

Trust your husband about feeding ( we , husbands , are not that bad ).

again good luck and a big hug !

**Deleted User** · 08-20-2009, 09:57 AM

Thanks for the advice!!!

Yep, husbands are pretty good

He's been feeding our horses all by himself for about 3wks now (not wanting me out in the humidity), but since we are both new to fish, I've been wondering how to handle that issue.

**rangur1** · 08-20-2009, 09:59 AM

your fine, do regular water change, tell hubby to feed fish 1x a day, 3 out of 4 days. you will have no problems

**bluebluecow** · 08-20-2009, 11:03 AM

hi hUn

Best whishes for the op, your fish will be fine.

Its prob hay dust thats affected your lungs, i know i had to wear a mask when i used to work with them as rge dust could be bad.

Id love to hear more about your horses. I m a trained instructor, worked my way up to working fir an american 3 day event rider. Before kids and joints stoped me. My middle son who is 4 started riding last yyyear he has autism and loves it has a very close bond to pips the pony he rides

Liz

**Deleted User** · 08-20-2009, 12:26 PM

Hi, Liz --

Oh man... asking me about my horses! I will try not to go on and on (and on and on and on).

Right now, I have one big horse and about 20 miniature horses. I started out with big horss in 1994 just for fun, and in 1999, got my first miniature horse, also just for fun and for driving (cart/harness for those non-horse people). I love to drive!

In 2002, I got into showing some, having a trainer show a stallion I owned for me. I still own him, but he's now a gelding. He did well with her, getting some halter championships and placing top 5 at the Nationals in a performance class... since then, I just really got the bug for it and started showing my horses myself (conditioning them for halter on my own -- lunging them, sweating them, feeding them just right). As of yet, my former trainer cannot beat me

Our pride and joy right now is a stallion we own jointly with a good friend in Arkansas. I basically bought him and paid his expenses, and she showed him for 4 years on the National level. Now he's with me for 2 years, then will go back to her for a year and alternate between us each year. He has two fillies on the ground here for me, and 3 colts on the ground in AR for her.

This horse, Erica's Echos of My Destiny HOF ("Destiny") is a dream come true. He has won over 50 championships in both the registries, is in the Hall of Fame for halter (conformation / beauty), the 2007 National Champion (ammy halter) and the 2008 Reserve National Grand Champion (driving). He is now just 5 years old but "retired" from showing. He's done all he can really and more than I dreamed a horse of mine would. And, the Nationals are big... I think this past year there were around 2,300 entries -- so those wins on him are like jump up and down screaming my head off exciting.

This is "Destiny", who is all of 33" or so tall :)

**bluebluecow** · 08-20-2009, 01:24 PM

wow he is lovely you can see why he has won, he has that show prescence just by looking at a still pic, you can see his attitude of look at me.

He reminds me of the arab stallion khalif, that was at the riding school i taught at, he was a show horse and did well, her older stallion, who had been gelded, grasshopper, show name double magic had won at horse of the year show in his youth

Liz

**Sharon** · 08-20-2009, 02:20 PM

Hi Jill... That is one beautiful horse! Your fish tanks will be fine. I'd do water changes on all tanks. Advise hubby to feed normal amount every second or even every third day. That will keep the nitrates lower, in case you don't get to the water changes for a couple of weeks. Good luck with the surgery and the recuperation. I've had my battle with cancer as well...this too shall pass!

**Deleted User** · 08-27-2009, 06:04 AM

Just wanted to update you all. The fish did fine :)

I had my upper left lung lobe removed on Friday but got to come home on SUNDAY! Which is way sooner than I thought and I feel better and better each day. We had a follow up appt with the surgeon today and got my staples out and the news that the preliminary biopsy report is very good. Looks like this was a carcinoid, which sounds "bad" but if you're going to get cancer, this is a good kind to have. It rarely spreads and everything about my case is encouraging -- incluidng how good I feel this soon out.

There were a few hours on Sunday morning after the pain epidural was removed but before the chest tubes were out that just defy words when it comes to how excrutiating it was. I was crying and begging the nurse to get the doctor to hurry and take them out (once they are out, you feel so much better I was told, and that is the case). I called my husband every few minutes wanting to know how much closer to the hospital he was on his way... I was just a mess.

But, the fish did real good w/ the 1x a day feeding and me changing 50% of the waters on Thursday. We changed out 50% today, too. So all is well :)