Stressed with Nena

I have an exam on the 4th of July and an assignment due in the same day. My lecturer is being terrible at getting back to me, so I'm stressed about that. Because I'm so stressed about that, taking the time to medicate Nena twice a day (takes about 40 mins twice a day by the time I let her eat loads without Tapla pinching it) and feed her a couple more times a day and wait for her to eat it is very stressful. That's about 2-3 hours of my day gone. Time is very precious at the moment, I could really do with not having to spend 2-3 hours watching Nena eat! I can't revise or do my assignment while I do it as I type out my notes as I read the powerpoints, and I have a desktop rather than a laptop. Also Nena likes to try to kamizake off the counter-top :roll:!

Also, I just checked Nena's petplan balance and she's used up £853 of her £2000 allowance this year already... the policy year only started on the 1st of June . A bill for £200 for her initial investigations (which all happened before the 1st of June... so I might query this with petplan); random £36 for her intial consultation at another vets and a whopping £620 for her stay last week from the monday to the saturday (with operation, drains inserted into her abscess, x-rays etc). Once we reach the £2000 I'm kind of stuck, unless it's just, say the cost of ongoing depocillin and injections to prevent re-occurrence. I'm £1450 into my overdraft already and very soon running out of overdraft room...only got about £150 left. I also have a £300 debt to another company. I've been selling pretty much anything I can on eBay and made some money, but not very much. I've been looking for a job for a month or so but haven't been able to commit until anything until after the 4th of July. I'll be looking for a job straight away after my exam but I have to set aside either monday tuesday and wednesday or wednesday thursday and friday for 8 weeks over the summer to do my dissertation or I'll fail uni, and it's hard finding anything that will be flexible enough to allow for that... plus the fact that I'm really not very well and can't work much.

I feel like a terrible owner. I'm stressed about finding the time to spend with her to feed/medicate her when I should be able to set that time aside. I usually can, but this exam is crazy. My financial circumstances might mean I fail her in terms of veterinary care too when the £2000 runs out.

I know people are going through much worse so I don't expect much sympathy, I just needed to rant to somewhere that won't tell me to just have Nena put down. I keep getting information through regarding credit cards... perhaps I should accept one and keep it for emergencies. God knows how I'm going to pay off that much debt though

Try not to worry yet, you still have over £1100.00 left. I have been in the position where I have actially used my limit of £1500.00 and one very close to the limit. Once with Mr B and once with Cutie-pie. I am pretty sure she only has a little bit left on hers. Mr B must have used over half this year. Last year we used the lot. :shock:

Its not easy doing meds but once your exams are over it will get easier.

Hmm my advice would be to go and see the uni's union welfare officer, and explain the financial situation, take all the bills etc and evidence of your health with you. Explain about the debts and the debt to the other company.

There's grants (ones you don't pay back) and hardship loans (that don't have to be paid back with interest, better than a credit card!) at universities that they can access for you. They may be able to help you put in an application for one of them or at least go through some things with you to find some extra money, you'd be surprised how helpful they can be sometimes! (I went once and they found out I was entitled to some money I wasn't getting!)

They should be confidential and sympathetic too. If your health is a probem they might be able to talk to the lecturer or run through the mitigating evidence guidelines or get an extended deadline for you so that you can manage to work AND rest adequately.

:wave:

Barn Yard Bunnies said:

Try not to worry yet, you still have over £1100.00 left. I have been in the position where I have actially used my limit of £1500.00 and one very close to the limit. Once with Mr B and once with Cutie-pie. I am pretty sure she only has a little bit left on hers. Mr B must have used over half this year. Last year we used the lot. :shock:

Its not easy doing meds but once your exams are over it will get easier.

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Thank you, I guess I do worry too much. That's one of my biggest problems . Eek, did it stress you out a lot too when you were close to your limit?

Hesperus said:

Hmm my advice would be to go and see the uni's union welfare officer, and explain the financial situation, take all the bills etc and evidence of your health with you. Explain about the debts and the debt to the other company.

There's grants (ones you don't pay back) and hardship loans (that don't have to be paid back with interest, better than a credit card!) at universities that they can access for you. They may be able to help you put in an application for one of them or at least go through some things with you to find some extra money, you'd be surprised how helpful they can be sometimes! (I went once and they found out I was entitled to some money I wasn't getting!)

They should be confidential and sympathetic too. If your health is a probem they might be able to talk to the lecturer or run through the mitigating evidence guidelines or get an extended deadline for you so that you can manage to work AND rest adequately.

:wave:

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Thank you for giving me the push I needed. I've emailed the finance people. I did receive some money from the access to learning fund much earlier this year, so I've basically put everything down and asked if they'll consider me again. There's a couple of angles I've gone for so hopefully one of them will be an acceptable reason to apply again. It would really help I've also asked about those hardship loans. I know we definitely have them, but I'm not sure I'd be eligible.

I've also asked what will happen if I can't submit my dissertation for the December deadline. I can't work much over the summer because of my dissertation commitments (3 consecutive weekdays a week, for 8 weeks) so I can't ease my financial worries, but if I work over the summer I won't have my dissertation stuff done for December...! It'll be interesting to see what they come up with.

I think I'll wait and see what they both say and then follow it up with my personal tutor (although bless him he always just refers me on :lol or someone else.

I've realised now that this thread would probably have been better in general chat :lol: It started about Nena but has turned into me . I still feel guilty that I'm resenting spending the time with her to medicate her twice a day etc. After thursday I should be able to spend much more time with her and I won't feel so bad! I'm worried I've messed up my exam/assignment though because I've been spending too much time doing stuff for her. Not her fault though, bless her...

Yes we were both really stressed at being near the limit, especially when we used up Mr Bennetts last year. He had another 5 or 6 months before his insurance was due for renewal. Thankfully with both of them, they didn't need any more treatment in the policy year.

It was the emergency vets that took the bulk of the money. What we are going to do from now on if they have problems over the weekend, with the vets knowledge as I have discussed it with them in detail and only if I am sure its dental or GI stasis again, is to give the meds and CC over the weekend myself. If it was a broken leg or an obvious serious illness I would rush them in, but I know the signs and how Mr B and CP act when they have a dental problem now and the emergency vets don't do dentals anyway.

Its failry straight forward with dental because they are fine in themselves, show interest in food but can't eat. Not that I would suggest that to new members, but I think many long term bunny members who know the signs with their own pets and how to look after them for a day or two until they can get to their vet. Our emergency vets was failry useless anyway. Everytime my buns have stayed there I could have done exactly the same treatment at home.

Its not easy balancing the books and because of so many vets trip this year we have no luxuries, the vet bills are the luxuries. Many people are not aware of the potential costs of pet ownership and you can be fortunate and not have problems for years, like we have had in the past, then you can end up with several animals that have ongoing issues.

If I had £1100 I wouldn't be worrying yet. Nena would need two more ops and two more weeks at the vets before it was all gone and hopefully that won't be necessary.

I agree with the try not to worry sentiment...
1100 is quite a bit really. And it sounds like Nena is doing pretty well and you have the surgery behind you which in my experience is the most expensive bit...

Charlie has used his full 2k, which included the initial tooth extraction, two surgeries on the abscess and taking him on for them to clean a few times a week plus all the meds... hopefully the worst is behind you now. I think you've done the right thing talking to uni though.

I totally sympathise with how stressful finding time to medicate and watch eating can be... no answera to that one though...
Hugs xx

I've been there with Poppy before she died, as much as I hate to admit it and would pay anything to have her back, there was a tiny little bit of relief when she died that I didn't have the financial burden any longer after 3 years of constant bills.

My advice would be don't think of the 'what-ifs' hopefully it won't come to more than £2000, I personally would wait and cross that bridge when it comes to it.

In regards to the feeding, I'm not sure of your situation and set-up but could you seperate at meal times so you could feed them completely separately? I did this with Poppy which meant I could leave her to eat in her own time without being watched. It got to the point where she would wait for her dinner in the kitchen rather than her room-she quickly got used to the change of routine.