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January 21, 2009
Poetic Justice
Last night I had the dubious "pleasure" of having an MRI. It brought back memories of an event that happened almost a decade ago.
My beloved Sidney was my very first bunny. I had had guinea pigs before him but decided I needed a larger companion animal for my new house. I bought him at a pet store in January 1992. You can see him at the bottom of this page.
Sid was amazing. Initially, he reminded me of a little man in a rabbit suit but that quickly gave way to the recognition that I was living with a truly special soul. He was a sweet bunny who saw me through countless challenging events in my life.
When he was about seven years old, I noticed Sid seemed to be struggling a bit when he went up the stairs. Dr. Herrli (then at the OSU vet hospital) recommended that he have an MRI. Sid has the dubious distinction of being the first rabbit to have an MRI through the OSU exotics department.
At the time, OSU did not have an MRI that could do rabbits so one cold evening, Dr. Herrli drove Sid, me, and a couple of vet students down to Children's Hospital where we met an OSU anesthesiologist and neurologist. Needless to say, the OSU folks were excited about the opportunity to do an MRI. I, needless to say, was scared to death about what they would find and how Sid would handle the MRi.
I remember holding him in my arms, wrapped in a blanket, during what felt like a long drive to the hospital. I also remember the anesthesiologist requesting that I not watch so I was placed in a waiting room close to the MRI. If ever there was a room that had bad karma, that room definitely was it. It wasn't difficult to imagine how many parents had waited in that room, wondering what they would learn about the medical conditions of their precious children.
I spent a couple of hours nervously reading magazines (probably including People magazine like I read last night) and listening intently for every sound I could hear. Periodic bursts of laughter were interpreted as a good thing since, obviously, people wouldn't be laughing if Sid was in distress.
After an eternity of sitting, waiting, and reading stupid articles, the MRI was done. The result? Inconclusive. Sid lived a few more years before he had to be euthanized at a the age of almost ten. But Shelby and Molly are still with me and would not be if not for Sid because they were candidate friends for him after his beloved Nora died suddenly. But Sid was a one-girl guy and chose to live the bachelor life.
Last night proved something that I had always assumed. It absolutely is much harder to be the one waiting rather than the one getting the test!
RIP, my beloved Sid.
Posted by Sue at January 21, 2009 5:37 PM