trying to get well

My female owner told me to get well fast. My spirit is willing but my flesh and my shell is weak. I still feel ill... and dont have appetite. She told me that many human friends are still asking about me. I feel so touched at their concern. Thank you all for asking about me. I'm also trying to get well...

I know my female owner has been trying her best, giving me my daily jabs (I still hate them!), switching on the warm lamp whenever she's home and spending time with me to encourage me to get well fast.

vitamin supplement

My female owner told the vet that I had not been eating. The vet was quite concerned about it and prescribed soluble vitamin powder for me. For me to consume it, my female owner would need to spike my water with the powder. The small bottle of vitamin supplement cost my female owner about $35. She was mortified at the cost, espcially since she does not believe in taking health supplements for herself. Natural is the best, she says.

Together with another course of anti-botics and consultation fees, the visit yesterday cost her about $80. I feel so bad... How come Nanook is so healthy? All she does is eat and sleep but she doesn't fall ill.

exhausted

My female owner brought me to the vet today. Let's just say that both of us were traumatised by the visit for different reasons. This bout of illness is taking a toil on us. I'm getting paranoid, each time I see my female owner, because I dont know what she's going to do to me next. I'm so scared of the injections. At the same time, my female owner is struggling to care for me. Although she doesn't blame me for my illness, I can tell that she's getting worn out, with all the running around and juggling with work, flute exam, housework and caring for my other siblings.

saved by an E

I found out the meaning of my name! Well, sort of...

Last week when I was ill, my female owner's clever friend suddenly asked her what's my name. So she said "Nooki". Then he looked both shocked and bemused and said "What?!" Then my female owner repeated herself, perplexed at his outburst. So he asked her "Do you know what that means?" And she said "Small corner". The clever friend, a walking dictionary, replied "That's a nook. But do you know what nooki(e) means?"

"Err, no"

"Nooki(e) in UK slang means to have a quick make-out"


The consolation that he offered was that my name is spelt as N-O-O-K-I and not N-O-O-K-I-E

poked

My female owner came home in a nasty mood. I know, because she poked my feet as a form of greeting. She must have had one of her horror days at work, since even her aikido class could not dispel her negative energy. Maybe she's in a bad mood partly because of me too...

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day;
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said;
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead

(chorus)
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand

Ev'ry step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter,
Ev'ry cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

(chorus)

guilt

And so, a morning ritual is established. I waited gingerly for my female owner to appear. I know that she is going to prick me again with anti-biotics. I spent my waking moments thinking of ways to escape the jab. Although she's bigger and stronger than me, I must not give up without a struggle. The last time I had a prolapse and was sent to the vet, I was forcefed. My food was doped with disgusting tasting medicine. I won that food battle by simply refusing to open my mouth. My two owners exhausted themselves trying to coax me to eat.


The outcome for this morning was slightly different and unexpected. Of course, my female owner won. This time, she was able to inject deeper into my muscles (i.e. the syringe went in further into my foot). What was unexpected was, in the midst of the struggle, she pricked herself with the needle and started bleeding too.


oh... now I feel so guilty.. What have I done to her now.

hungry

I'm hungry....

The veggie my female owner fed me yesterday was yucky. She gave me the same thing again today. She also boiled some carrots for me. YUCKS. Don't really have appetite for carrots, especially when they are of the same colour as my tub. I know I should be grateful to her for taking the efforts to boil carrots, especially when the only other thing she is willing to boil these days is hot water, to cook cup noodles for her meals. BUT.... I'm a sick turtle... I want my pelllets.

I know that my oldest brother, Nana, loved carrots. My female owner once fed Nana, Dodo and Dona microwaved carrots (now, that's an unwise move, to feed us microwaved food). Nana loved it so much, he eyed for Dodo's orange coloured ear after all the carrots were gone. Poor Dodo felt so traumatised then. First time he saw his gentle giant brother being so carnivorous.

sick...

I'm feeling sick... just got my jab. It was a tug-of-war between my female owner and I. She saw me trying to climb over the tank and decided to jab me then, in an attempt to sedate me. She achieved her aim. The struggle I put up to avoid the jab zapped away all my energy and now, I'm feeling so exhausted. Once she had her victory, my female owner threw in a leafy stalk as instructed by my vet. Yuck. Can I have my usual pellets please?

road to recovery

my first morning at home...

so painful...

My female owner switched on the warm lamp as instructed by my vet. The warm lamp is supposed to increase my metabolic rate. But it's really bright and invasive. My female owner intends to get a proper warm lamp for me (the one that is shining happily at me now is a improvised one). Hope she gets one in pink shade.

I know that I'm supposed to get my injection soon. I'm not looking forward to it. I know my female owner is not looking forward to giving it to me too. For one, she knows we dont like it. For another, she has to single-handedly hold me, pull out my leg and jab me. How's that for a pair of hands? Even at the hospital, they work in pairs to tend to me. Here, she works alone, untrained but full of love.

I haven't seen my siblings. I need to be quarantined from them until I'm okay. It's lonely being in this tank. I feel scared at times. One thing I dont miss though, is my female owner's flute. She put me in the same room as her while she practiced the flute. It was really diffcult to sleep with the bright lamp on, and the flute practice.

But, for the sake of everyone who loves me, I must get well fast!

so many people to thank

Hi everyone,

I'm back! My female owner just brought me back from the hospital today. It's the longest time I ever spent alone, in a tank all by myself. I'm still a little wobbly from all the injections and stitches. I heard that I would need to be given an anti-biotic injection every morning. Not really looking forward to that.

It's a nice feeling to be back at home. I cant be let out yet, but it feels good just being home, with my siblings and female owner around me.

I also want to thank all my female owner's friends who supported her through these two days (you know, if the owner is in good mental health, the pets will benefit too).

For D, who encouraged her through msn and helped her make the necessary phone calls when she was in a state of shock. For accompanying her to see me, at the expense of lunch. And yes, you were brave enough to see in her car when she was an emotional wreck. You were so patient!

For L, who would always pray for me and ask about me whenever I suffer a prolapse.

For Q, who constantly enquired about me.

For B & E, who took time to watch a movie with my female owner to cheer her up and for being in the room when she was very upset.

For F, who spent the afternoon talking to her to calm her down. Your listening skills were therapeutic.

For D2, who readily agreed to drive her down today to see me and for visiting me.

For U, who actually kept your promise to accompany her to see me today (commitment issues, I heard), even though there were dogs around.

For J, who accompanied her to see me during lunch today, and accompanied her to bring me home after work.

For Y, who kindly offered to drive her down to the hospital to pick me up today even though it was out of the way.

Err... not sure if I missed out anyone else... but if I did, please dont hold it against me.. I'm but a recovering turtle. Although this was an ordeal for me... through the storm, I feel so blessed, that so many human friends care about me. For your sakes, I will get well!

I miss Nooki

Female owner:

I miss seeing you under the trolley
When I wake in the morning
I miss seeing your silhouette
When I return home at night
I miss seeing you
Perched in the middle of the feeding tank
Patiently waiting for your once-in-two-days meal
I miss seeing you scrambling towards me
When you want my attention

I wish you will not suffer from this again
I wish I know how to truly take care of you
I wish you would know that I never meant for you to be ill
That if I could,
I would take your pain upon myself to
Free you from all discomfort

I want to see you smile again
I want to hold you in my hands
Seeing you helpless is driving me crazy
Pray, tell me, what should I do?
I find it hard to eat
I cant bring myself to sleep
Even playing my silly flute without you around
Is not the same anymore

Nooki, you are a brave girl
You must hang on and get well fast

Nooki is still in hospital

Female owner:

Visited Nooki during lunch-time today. While less of her intestine is exposed, it is still huge and fiercely red. She was alert and awake, in her usual stoned manner. The hospital had placed her in a red tub and shone a warm light into it. While I stood there looking at her, she starting to move and even tried to scale the tub. So like her usual self.

Th vet called me at 1500hr and informed that she needed to carry out the operation. She cautioned that as a result of infection, Nooki may get blood poisoning. Although she didnt use the word "die", it's pretty obvious what she meant. She also said that Nooki has constipation.

At this point in time, I do not have any updates, as it seems that the vet is still operating on her.

I want to thank all of those who have expressed concern for Nooki and me. Although she is just a fat, yellow terrapin to many, she means a lot to me. Your support, concern and encouragement have helped lifted my spirits and brought me through this trying day. If Nooki knows just how many people are concerned and praying for her, she would certainly be moved to tears.

For those who wish to visit her, she's at Mount Pleasant Hospital. Visiting hours are 1300-1400hr and 1700-1900hr. Just say her name and mine.

Nooki needs surgery

Female owner:

The vet just called to say that they are unable to put the intestine back into Nooki. They would need to cut away certain parts of her intestine which have gone bad. She has lost a lot of blood and is currently being stablised using anti-biotics.

Surgery is the only option. If not, she will die. The surgery will be done tomorrow and her prognosis is guarded.

For a turtle of 5 years, she has gone through a lot of pain and discomfort. I leave her life in God's hands.

Nooki is in hospital

Female owner:

Nooki was just sent to the animal hospital for surgery. I came home to find that she had a mega-big prolapse. The internal organ (I'm not sure what it is) that came out was about 1/4 of her shell size. It was bloated and dark red. As I drove her to the vet, she started bleeding and her internal organ started to look like raw meat. It later started to turn purple. Even the vet looked shakened (this vet also treated Dodo in his previous episodes. I was very glad to see her, coz I know she's really caring and gentle).

The vet will try to push back her organ and stitch her back. She will be staying overnight in the hospital. I hope that she will be discharged tomorrow. I don't mind paying for her surgery, as long as she can be treated.

Please pray for her...

a message from my female owner

My female owner wants to use this platform to inform MY readers that she got the official letter already. Not very sure what it means, but my female owner says that most of MY readers will be able to understand this coded message. If don't know what she means, then just ignore...

I also don't know what she means.

family

Without my female owner's parents around, evenings can be very quiet and dark... That's because my female owner also will take the opportunity to meet up with her friends. Hence, we turtles are often abandoned at home... like today.

My female owner has no qualms about being left alone at home, or being by herself for long periods of time. In fact, she relishes in being alone. Hmmm... not my cup of tea. Even though terrapins are solitary creatures, I prefer to have my siblings around me, especially at night. It's a nice and warm feeling knowing that your family is nearby while you are sleeping. And when you wake up, your family will be the first thing you see.

Please don't ever separate us.

1/4 second

My female owner's parents are out of town again! So we turtles only have our female owner for company.

My female owner is at home today. She continued with her flute practice and spent a long while trying to redeem her darn 1/2 a second. After much efforts, she managed to redeem 1/4 of a second. Still entering the bar too early for some profound reasons.

family photo 2007

Recently, my female owner attempted to take a family photo of us today. She wanted to capture our front view, similar to the photo you see right below. Alas, we were not very cooperative that day. We couldnt keep still all at the same time and started moving at different times and these were some of the shots she got.

In the end, she gave up trying to get a good shot of us.

neurotic perfectionist

I think that playing a musical instrument makes one neurotic. The best living example is my female owner. She is still grappling with her exam pieces and has started to use the metronome to make sure that she keeps to time. For a good 10 minutes today, she kept replaying a particular passage in order to figure why she is darn ½ a second early for the new bar. You get it? She spent 10 minutes trying to find out why she is ½ a second early.

In addition, her teacher has told her on several occasions that she is a split-second too early in her entries. A split-second? How does one measure a split-second?

Really, you need to be a neurotic perfectionist in order to be able to play a piece well.