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Oh no, poor sweet thing. I just want to go over there and cuddle the heck out of him. Hope he heals quickly and that he's back to being his old self very soon.

Poor baby 😥

I'm not sure if we are having an uptick or that so many of us are in the baby boomer group that is accounting for more cases, but not an overall percentage increase in our age group. Also, our testing is become more and more precise and catching this much sooner, so there are a lot of check marks in the plus column. New test results have been released to the medical community in June 2018. The horizon looks a little brighter. Its really a very individual diagnosis and has so many factors to consider. Making informed decisions is better now to avoid over-treating. I'm going to finish radiation therapy by Christmas, stay home for a quiet holiday with just my husband. We did get a treadmill and a safety harness to connect myself to a guide wire in the basement ceiling joists so I can exercise when I am home alone. That's a huge improvement. We are still awaiting the set up of the treadmill. Moderate activity and healthy nutrition will go a long way toward rising to the better end of the statistics. Funny how getting Gil was the beginning of developing better eating habits. I eat like a bird. 😉

Thanks Karen. I have navigated through surgery, was recommended for chemotherapy but opted for an oncotype genomic test of the tumor cells which indicated it would not be a significant benefit and I am in a very low risk group for distant recurrence or metastasis. I started radiation therapy and opted for the double dose for half the time and will only have three weeks of it. Gil has been a real sweetheart. She knows I am quieter and slower but apparently absence makes the heart grow fonder... well, that and some turkey soup I cooked up and put in the freezer. She hears me get some and gets all excited. I didn't put any spices in it and its mainly veggies, beans, turkey broth and pasta. When I heat mine up, I get a little martini glass and a tiny spoon and feed her a little bowl of soup while mine is heating. It is the most excited I have ever seen her to eat, ever. I pretend its because she is happy to see me out of my room. I love her little self just as much as the day she came home. She still finds a way to surprise me daily and I still have great hopes that she will relax and get out of her cage to follow me around the house.

Thanks for the welcome back. I think we just get into a rut where nothing seems to be changing in "grey time". It is in fact changing and Gil is thriving. She is trying new things albeit very very cautiously. She is starting to make yummy noises and acknowledging special treats. She kept her poker face for a LOT of years but is starting to show me some acceptance. As far as the breast cancer, my sister had it and other close family members. I was tuned in but annual tests were just "watching". I have been really tired and trying to sort that out for about three years. I went on Weight Watchers two years ago and was successful in losing about 70 pounds. I really thought that was going to increase my energy levels. I was walking upwards of five miles every day. I was stronger but not more energetic. When I felt a change in the monthly self exam, I made an appointment and they had me in for mammogram, sonogram, and core biopsy by the next day. I think the main thing I learned from my sister was to stick with annual exams because waiting is lethal. She found hers and talked herself out of exams for three years and was in stage IV at age 47 when she passed away. I had genetic testing and don't have any hereditary genetic mutations which would cause me to be predisposed to breast cancer even though we have a strong history in my family. It's just so important to have annual testing and to be vigilant. Yes... nag her, it helps. Catching it early changes everything.

Sukei has been home for almost a year, and I'm still fighting to get his "Passport" released" I'm kevinD, sorry, I quit trying to do different logins. For new users, if it were not for this site, and the info I got here Sukei would be dead in a Middle Eastern Country. He is here now. He was a victim of black operations in Africa, he was almost dead when I got him. Long story short, this site and Talon, helped give me the info to get him to the US. We broke a few rules on the way and should have bribed some folks a little bit more, but this was not to make money, it was to save a Grey. While I share in the international laws banning the imports of illegal grays, I also support those that are rescuing a Grey. There needs to be a law that supports rescue. Two edged sword, if you do that you encourage black market birds. I dont pretend to know all the answers to this..... All I know is I rescued Sukei. He sould be treated like a USA domesticated Grey. I digress.. By the way, thanks to Talon, Sukei is the guy you see in the left top corner of your screen.

Thank you

He's a handsome boy.

I run 18 of these IPB websites, and none have this problem. I'm trying to figure out what the correlation is, I've checked everything imaginable. The only variable is the dns servers, they are controlled by another entity, but I digress. Again my last option is to restrict sign ups, but that is up to Talon. Just let me know. I'm sorry I cant do more

Here is Ollie’s modified cage. The woos is covered with soft towels and soft perches arranged for him to rest against. I baby sat him today, he just s sits and rests his beak on the perch. I fed him apple and brought his water bowl over for him to drink. He’s very quiet abs sleeps a lot...probably the meds...

OMGosh poor Ollie! Im interested to see pictures of him in a cone of shame and with his new ramp. I hope he recovers well, and quickly! Gosh if anything happened to Tali I would be an absolute mess!

I didn't realize one of your sons had a grey but I hope Ollie does well in recovering from his injuries.

Glad the surgery is compete. I hope he recovers quickly and well!

Well, Ollie had surgery yesterday. They said it took longer than expected. He has 2 pins in 2 different places on his leg & a bar. He has the cone of shame on so he wouldn't pick, but he destroyed it so they put a bigger one on him. He won' eat, so they are feeding him intravenously....He is on opioids & anti inflammatory meds. He will most likely keep the pins & bar in for about 2 months, then he goes back to have those things removed. My son can go get him around 4 pm today, the Tufts Hospital is about 2 hours away, so I personally wont see him until Friday. We hired a friend carpenter to make a ramp to his cage as Ollie likes to go in his cage by climbing himself at his will. He was clipped for the first 11 years of his life, he can fly now, but he is very big & heavy grey so it takes alot of effort & he's quite clumsy. He also made a full size shelf to fit the cage, which my son will pad so Ollie can get around from food bowl to water bowl etc. I will try & get a pic & post it. I will update then.

How's he doing today?

Good news to start my morning! It was shocking to see "euthanasia" even mentioned. As Greywings said, even if they had to amputate the foot Ollie would have adapted quickly and could still live a full life.

Even one footed birds can have a very happy life, they adapt better than we do.

Glad Ollie isn't going to lose the foot or his life! We've had some close calls here too involving doors. Can never be too careful.

Me either! Although I don't encourage bad words..I was proud of my sons comeback to her! Even the vet said that was inappropriate & completely wrong to say. Hopefully that employee will get a talking to...you don't say that to someone until & unless a Dr has seen Ollie.

This is such great news! When I read they were discussing euthanizing him, I just couldn't believe that.

Oh my! Prayers for Ollie and for provision for the cost of his care.

Sorry to hear about the diagnoses but glad it was caught early. I hope you heal quickly. ❤️

So many women I know are battling breast cancer right now. It's disconcerting to see its significant up-tick within our society. I'm so sorry to hear that you are now facing this new journey towards achieving good health. It's a battle, but you shall be triumphant.

So glad to see this post! Also glad your cancer was caught in the earliest stages. Prayers for a speedy and total recovery.

Glad to see you're back. All these long running threads have stopped as many of the members have left. I think someone was inquiring about this thread just the other day. Regaring the breast cancer, how did you catch it so early? Regular exam? I need to get my wife in there to do hers...

It was sure good to hear from you! I've been wondering how you were doing. I doubt Gil will every cease to surprise you. My newest grandbaby is 2 months old now. What a joy they are. Glad you are all well

Hey, how are you feeling these days? Is Gilbert taking good care of you?

^^^ Yes, absolutely. Just chill for a change. Your body will thank you for it later.

Hi everyone, some of you may remember, my son has a Congo African grey, he’s a big guy. Ollie is his name. There was an accident yesterday and his foot was pinned by the weight of a heavy door. My son called me and sent me pics of the cut, which was difficult to see. It didn’t look to bad. Fast forward to last night at 9pm, my ex husband called and asked if they should drive him to the emergency hospital Tufts 2 hours away, I said I could say I hadn’t seen Ollie, so I went over and it’s bad..my first guess is he will lose his foot. I lent my car to my son who drove to the hospital last night. They admittedly Ollie to put him on pain meds and keep him comfortable until the Zoology team gets in today. The girl there told my son he had a compund fracture, the bone was sticking out, but it was probably too difficult to fix, it didn’t look good and he should probably be euthanized...to which my son told her to F#ck off. So we’re waiting until around 10 am to see the next step...please pray for Ollie..the bill for last night was $1500 to admit him... I can only imagine the cost of this, but you can't put a price on a loved family member. 😥

Thank you! The vet just called, they said they can fix the break, a bar with pins for several weeks, then eventually removal of it. She also said that if a Bird is going to break a bone, it will always be their foot, its the most delicate & easily broken bone on a bird. So surgery tomorrow, then home to recoup. the cost will be just over $2000, xrays, blood work ,sedation & the operation.