The Magic of Bunny Pearl

Every time we bring home a new cat, I'm always a bit amazed by how they seem to find their place in the ecosystem of the house. As everyone's new BFF, Bunny Pearl (who should have been named Kevin, or maybe Birdie) has taken this to a whole new level. 

Bunny P and Taro

Somehow she has managed to befriend all of the other animals in the house--even Momo who absolutely does not need (or want) your love, or your attention, or, really, even your existence. Bunny Pearl can get anyone to snuggle up to her. I was surprised when nervous Taro slept with her but absolutely astounded when Falcon sent a picture of her sleeping with MOMO. 

Bunny P and Momo

Not only do they all seem to like her, but Bunny Pearl has also helped them to start liking, or at least tolerating, each other. Before her, Momo never spent time near the dog and Taro wouldn't even come downstairs. Now we occasionally see all four of them hanging out with us in the living room in the evenings.

Taro!

Shiro loves having a little sister. Despite Shiro's complete lack of chill, Bunny Pearl stands her ground, unfazed when the dog licks her face or barrels into her. Both of them meet me at the door when I come home from work and follow me around until I've put my things away and changed my clothes. They won't leave me alone until they're sure they've received enough pets. Lately they seem to egg one another on. Both come running when they hear the ice maker or the air popper, and they fight over whatever I drop. Bunny P and Shiro take turns begging at the table all doe-eyed. And, since Bunny P gets on the counters, Shiro thinks she should, too. Double trouble.

Bunny P and Shiro

Honestly, though, the real Magic of Bunny Pearl is the enthusiasm with which she engages with humans. She likes to show off for guests. She waits just outside a closed door so she can catch us up on the latest news with her unrelenting meowing. She licks our faces (and hands and toes) like a dog who hasn't seen its owner in years. She prefers to be carried like baby. In fact, her favorite position is cradled in our arms with her head and feet dangling. I had no idea cats could be so floppy. 

Honestly, I'm not even sure Bunny Pearl is a cat. Maybe she's an angel who hasn't earned her wings, yet. That might explain why she falls off of things all the time! 

The Heart It Races Again

Remember back when Sky had Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) and ended up getting a heart ablation (link)? Well, funny thing (and by "funny" I mean "Are you kidding me with this?"), now Falcon has SVT. Funnier, SVT is rarely hereditary, and when it is, it’s a specific type of SVT that neither of the kids has/had. I guess that either means that we're playing really tight odds or that our family is in the process of helping doctors discover a new hereditary component to SVTs. 

It's starting to feel pretty Groundhog’s-Day-y. Apparently the early high school years are a perfect time for our kids' hearts to decide to go out of pocket, literally. It starts the same way; they hit a growth spurt and then start getting light headed whenever they stand up quickly. There’s a name for this: orthostatic hypotension. And, it’s pretty common as autonomic nervous system learns to adjust to the rapidly changing teenage body. That doesn’t make it any less weird to have your kid passing out or almost passing out every time they stand up. Keeping well hydrated and changing positions more slowly are the treatments for this, but you might as well ask my kids to climb Mt. Everest or cure cancer because they seem to find it impossible to do these things.

I've decided to add random Lego plant pictures to this post. 

At some point the kid’s body should regulate. The problem is that every body is different, so it’s hard to know when to worry. In fact, I’ve decided that parenting is one long exercise in trying to figure out if I should be worried. 

So, for awhile Falcon was getting dizzy when she stood up, and then she seemed not to, at least not at home. But one day a couple of months ago, Falcon mentioned that she has passed out or almost passed out at school a few times even though she wasn't in the process of standing up when it happened. When I pressed for more information, she described feeling like her heart was racing or that she couldn't catch her breath. She also noticed her Apple Watch heart rate readings shoot over 100 fairly regularly, even when she was just sitting. This definitely didn't sound like the usual syncope.

Did you know they had so many different types of Lego plants? Stow did.

We managed to get an echocardiogram and a 7-day holter monitor for her fairly quickly, but when we went to the local cardiologist for a follow up appointment, he had no idea where her test results were. Given how many times Falcon had pushed the button to record episodes, we were both sure that SOMETHING was up. So when, without any data to prove it, the doctor told us, "Your job is to tell me what is going on. My job is to worry," it was a little hard to believe he planned to do much. This proved to be true when Falcon texted him during an episode (like he told her to do), and he never responded. 

By the time we received a letter from him in the mail (apparently he never calls--only sends letters), I had already asked Falcon's primary care doctor to start the process of referring her to the university pediatric hospital an hour away. I was glad I had taken this step when I saw the cardiologist's letter to her: "Falcon, Thank you for letting me treat you. We got the test results. Your heart was fast a couple of times." I can't imagine a more unfulfilling letter. When Falcon's regular doctor sent the referral he also sent a copy of her test results to me. They clearly state Falcon has a few things going on with her heart and that one of them is SVT. Given how quickly the university pediatric cardiologist responded when they saw Sky's SVT on the heart monitor, the local cardiologist's lackadaisical approach to things seemed mind boggling. 

Are the flower pictures distracting you? I just thought they might add some color.

Now somehow we find ourselves on the same path we traveled with Sky. The nurse practitioner who saw Falcon at the cardiology clinic at the pediatric hospital scheduled an appointment for her to see the electrophysiologist, the same doctor Sky saw. We don’t know what the best treatment option will be for her, but at least I have a really good idea what the doctor is likely to say!

2024 has been a weird year so far.

Postscript:

I put these songs back on my current playlist in honor of Falcon's diagnosis. She was simultaneously amused and appalled when I first played them for her, but I heard one of them coming from her room yesterday, so I guess they made her playlist, too!

Click the links to hear them on Spotify:

Dr. Dog, "Heart It Races"

Sia, "Elastic Heart"

Tune-Yards, "Heart Attack"