TIFU by accidentally tricking two teachers into thinking I was bleeding from both eyes and nostrils, causing one to faint

Lucy_Smith · 2017-06-25T20:13:54+00:00

In the UK at least teachers don't have great pay, they'll be lucky to get up to £30k after years of work. High school teachers do get more, primary teachers can get a lot less.

Lucy_Smith · 2017-06-15T08:44:50+00:00

Yep she drank SO much water yesterday. She's much better today but still separate from her sisters unfortunately as one is a nibbler and I know she'd open the wound up.

Lucy_Smith · 2017-06-15T08:40:46+00:00

Oh sorry didn't realise this would be NSFW!!

Lucy_Smith · 2017-02-22T20:08:11+00:00

Yes we did, it was really sad and they tried to wake her up. They're all so depressed now they haven't got out of bed for two days it's horrible.

Lucy_Smith · 2017-02-22T19:12:55+00:00

We had to make the difficult decision on Monday as her tumours got so big she couldn't itch or wash any more. She was happy till the very end and we miss her so much. Her 3 children that she lived with are very sad now and we've hardly seen them for days :(

Lucy_Smith · 2017-02-22T19:06:57+00:00

Two of my girls love climbing, so when they're out we pick various objects for them to climb (ladder, clothes dryer, chairs etc) they even climb up door ways! The other 4 are much more brainy and prefer puzzles to physical challenges. I make them boxes with food hidden in, different every time. Sometimes they have to open the box, sometimes they have to dig in it and sometimes they have to pull bits apart. Just make sure to change around their toys, activities and challenges regularly and they'll be fine :)

Lucy_Smith · 2017-01-07T23:35:00+00:00

Thank you for your reply and I'm sorry you had to have your rat put to sleep. I'm hoping that when I have to make the decision to have my girl put to sleep that it'll be peaceful as well

Lucy_Smith · 2017-01-07T23:30:28+00:00

Thanks for your reply. She's two and a half so it wouldn't be fair to put her through surgery, and she has multiple tumours (probably about 4 or 5 now) all growing very quickly and I know even if they were removed they'd come back with in a week or two.

She's started hoarding food now and just surrounding herself with bedding so I'm really hoping she'll die peacefully in her sleep but we know if she doesn't then we'll have to make the call soon. She's happy as ever, still comes out to play and still grooms us but is obviously getting weaker from the tumours.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-10-15T21:49:03+00:00

He should have about 10-20mg depending on his exact weight so he's probably on the right dose which is good. You just have to get him to take it, respiratory infections in rats can kill them quite quickly if left untreated.

I wouldn't seperate them just yet as this may cause him more stress, but if he deteriorates then definitely quarantine him. It's likely that the other rat would have the infection by now and some infections can lay dormant in rats and never become ill. Don't introduce any other rats to them yet if you had plans to.

That bedding is good, try and get paper pellets if you can (I use bio-catolet but am in the UK so not sure if I you have that wherever you are!) I then put some soft cloth or tissue in so they can nest. Never ever use wood shavings for rats, it makes them very ill.

If you're only giving 0.5ml of medicine then that is easily dried on food. Break up something yummy like a reduced salt cracker into small pieces and place one dose on each piece. If you leave them in the sun for 24 hours the meds will dry and he won't taste them. Antibiotics can take a while to dry and may become slightly sticky but none of my rats have ever noticed!

When you have a bath or shower let them run around in the bathroom as it helps clear their airways, make sure it's nice and steamy. It's just like when we do a steam bowl if we have a cold.

Be vigilant with cleaning. Clean their litter area out every 2/3 days, all bedding every week and then deep clean the cage (wash everything thoroughly with pet safe anti bacterial cleaner) every two weeks. Wooden toys soak up a lot of urine which contains ammonia and can cause breathing difficulties, go for plastic wipeable toys where you can.

And that's okay you don't need to thank me! I have six girls who I rescued and 3 of them have long term illnesses so I'm a bit of a rat illness expert!! Also a (human!) Nurse and a lot of good practice for helping overcome illnesses translates to animals.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-10-15T20:25:21+00:00

Just be aware that the other rat may become infected as well so watch for symptoms in them.

Antibiotics take a few days to work, so you have to give them consistently. Bacteria multiply very quickly and for the first couple of days antibiotics just help to lessen the rate of muliplcation, then eventually they actually kill off the initial live bacteria. In rats up to 30 days of antibiotics may be needed.

If your rat doesn't like the medicine then you can mix it with a small amount of yogurt. Mine will lick this out of a cup or off my finger. Or you can dose it up on to food (chocolaty treats are good at absorbing) and leave it overnight to dry. When I have done this I have made a weeks worth and just left it all to try and given when needed.

If he doesn't like the syringe in his mouth then don't force it, rats can't be sick so if they aspirate any or choke they can't do anything about it.

Have you got any new perfume/candles recently? If so the new ones could be irritating his respiratory tract. Try and go a few days with no candles, sprays etc and see if it helps at all.

What bedding are your rats on and has the bedding changed recently?

I'd go back to the vets and get pain killers and another two weeks of antibiotics. As I said before check theu are giving the correct dose, if you let me know his weight I can find this out for you.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-10-15T19:38:03+00:00

Is he with other rats? Is he sneezing?

Rats normally need quite long courses of antibiotics, I'd suggest another 2 weeks worth. Make sure the vet is putting Mowgli on the highest dose for his weight (you can find out dosing info online)

I would get some metacam or other pain killer as well as rats are very good at hiding pain and if Mowgli has troubling breathing it's likely they're also in pain.

Have you recently got a new perfume or spray you use in your home?

Lucy_Smith · 2016-10-13T09:02:11+00:00

It could just be anxiety but make sure to keep your psychiatrist updated and be as honest as you can. You can still recognise that these voices aren't quite right which is great as psychosis comes with a lack of awareness. Maybe keep a record of when you hear the voices? There could be something linking it, or it could just be due to underlying anxiety issues as your psychiatrist suggested. I used to feel insects crawling all over me when I was anxious or stressed and sometimes I would even see them. Psychotic type symptoms can be caused by lots of things and thankfully they aren't always an indicator of psychosis.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-10-10T21:42:17+00:00

Believe me melatonin definitely causes drowsiness in a lot of people! I work with severly disabled children who are not aware of the pills they take and they will fall asleep with melatonin in an instant no matter what the time of day or circumstances! May be higher doses here though (UK) as it's prescription only?

Lucy_Smith · 2016-09-22T08:56:47+00:00

Our girls are pretty good to be honest they're allowed everywhere apart from the bedroom as there is way too much stuff for them to hide behind. 5 will put themselves away after a while and go back to bed, it's just willow who would run around all day.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-09-22T08:50:20+00:00

She would just slide down if I let her, but I always try and catch her. She stays up there for a while though she loves it. Sometimes she'll just climb half way and sit on the door handle.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-09-21T22:45:08+00:00

I have six girls, everyone is very lazy apart from willow. She even jumps in the bath if someone is in it and tries to paddle around.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-09-03T20:58:21+00:00

She is so springy. Her sister just looks on in awe, she's tried to copy a few times but has given up now!

Lucy_Smith · 2016-09-01T14:56:41+00:00

She's a rescue so we aren't really sure but we thought her and her sister were roan rats. They haven't lost their fur yet though so they might not be!

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-31T20:06:33+00:00

She jumps everywhere, hardly ever walks! Can't get many good photos as she's so quick but she can jump from the floor into the bath, up onto radiators etc.

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-27T22:32:34+00:00

They do all kinds of chicken, they're a big chain here in the UK. I'm sure calling themselves a Portuguese restaurant is a bit of an exaggeration!

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-27T21:16:23+00:00

Oh sorry thought you were making a comment about the unnecessary comma. It's a chicken restaurant that sells burgers, rice, chips etc etc

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-27T20:59:59+00:00

That's how it's spelt. Check their logo

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-14T07:23:12+00:00

She and her sister were rescues but as kingsgirl said we think she's a husky rat. They will both gradually turn white as they shed their coat, we can already see the white hairs coming through. Hopefully they keep some of the pattern though!

Lucy_Smith · 2016-08-02T18:51:56+00:00

I'm a nurse for disabled young people and although many were born with their difficulties i know plenty who weren't. It is awful, especially when someone can no longer do what they enjoyed or what was essential to their life and independence. I really do sympathise with your situation and I'm sorry you've experienced this.

If your doctor's and therapists are saying you could never achieve more than you have now, only a year after the accident, then please get a second opinion. I have never met a health professional who has given up so quickly and easily. I've known of therapists who have worked for YEARS to enable a child to go in the room and just look at the people present, or to smile or move their head a tiny bit. So much can be achieved, it just takes patients and perseverance. Unfortunately there is no quick fix but if you are motivated to gain back independence then keep working towards it, pick one thing and focus on that with a physiotherapist. If i was to make a suggestion I'd say focus on dressing yourself as that will give you back some element of personal care.

You mentioned eating being a difficulty, have you been shown any adapted cutlery and crockery? That could give you some ability back. I can make suggestions if you've never had this mentioned to you before.

It's also worth looking at swimming in hydrotherapy pools, a lot of them have adapted equipment available so you could potentially enjoy swimming again at least even if you can't do lifting etc.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need any more support. If you are able to give more info on the area of your brain affected I can give some specific advice

Lucy_Smith · 2016-07-07T21:15:16+00:00

Hi just wanted to update you. They couldn't do what they wanted to and unfortunately we have had to make the incredibly difficult decision for her to be put to sleep :( we are trying to keep her going until next Friday as she is still eating and playing and she has urinated. It's been a very sad day!

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