Haiku of the day:
"Restless Cat Syndrome
interrupts my sleep but still
I love the dang cat"
If you've watched ANY television lately, you've seen the commercials for the drug "Requip". It's from GlaxoSmithKline and it's for restless legs syndrome or, "RLS". Apparently this is a condition that makes your legs "jumpy" and interferes with your ability to fall or stay asleep. At least that what Doc. B. tells me it's like.
While I don't have RLS, I do have RCS - Restless Cat Syndrome. This comes in the form of an almost 19 year old kitty (pictured above). Her name is Maddie (Madison) but we've recently begun calling her, affectionately, Helen Keller. She really can't hear much at all and her Cataracts, appropriately named, are causing vision issues. I don't know if Helen Keller had thyroid problems, but Maddie has that too - two pills per day worth. Oh, and did I mention low functioning kidneys that require subcutaneous fluids once per week?
The vision problems can't be all that bad for little Miss Maddie since she can still peer through our second story bedroom window and spot a fellow feline in our neighbor's backyard. And we've strategically placed a bird feeder below another of her favorite perching windows for her viewing pleasure.
Lack of hearing does not seem to be a problem for her either. As long as I make sure she is aware that dinner is being served, that's all that matters in her little brain. Sometimes I have to do sign language into her paw, but she usually gets the picture well before then. Although her hearing is not a problem for her, it IS a problem for me. She's like a 100 year old woman whose hearing aid has been slowly failing for years and who starts talking louder so that she can hear herself better. What used to be sweet little chirps coming from her cat lips, are now shrieking squawks. She clearly has no idea what her voice sounds like or how loud it is, but to give you an idea, I found this clip of a peacock.
This cat has ALWAYS slept with me. For 19 years, this cat has snored next to my pillow. Pre-deafness, she never bothered me. She would just fall asleep, get up when she felt like it (without interrupting anyone's ZZZZ's), purr, and perhaps makes a cute little noise if you accidentally disturbed her cat nap. But not anymore. One wrong move, like rolling over just slightly too close to her, and out comes that ear piercing sound. If I wasn't awake to roll over, I certainly am now. It's definitely interfering with my ability to fall or stay asleep.
GlaxoSmithKline - do you have any treatment in the works? Put me down for the drug trial; I'll try it before it's FDA approved!
7 comments:
I wondered if people would fill me in on their "real" RLS issues. I've heard it's awful - you'll have to tell me if you've had success with the drug while we imbibe other mind altering substances over dinner VERY soon!
I love the visual of you doing sign language into sweet Mattie's paw. Keep on writing. You bring joy!
Would you believe, your very own mother used to have RLS. For some reason I rarely have it anymore and I don't miss it. Perhaps it's one positive to getting old:)
Love, MOM
PS Give sweet Mattie a gentle hug for us.
I can vouch that the peacock call is pretty close to Maddie's "chirp", but I think her sound is more grating. Sometimes I try to sneak by her just to avoid her screeched greeting.
Mrs. T. - I knew you would get the visual! Thanks for supporting me :)
Mom - did you try any medication for your RLS??? I'm curious about the fact that it just went away??
P.S. I gave Maddie a squeeze for you!
Doc. B., I know what you mean about the "sneaking by her". Unless she can feel the ground shake, she has no idea that someone is approaching her. It's pretty simple to slip past her without even waking her up! I guess that's why some of our visitors have been concerned that she was DEAD!!!
Post a Comment