I cannot wait until I can give Penny full reign and let her just run to her heart's content. I want to see her go crazy and chase room mate #1's dog all around the house. I want to take her back to the river and "swim" with her. I want her to almost pull me off the dam because she found children she wants to greet. I want to take her back to Petsmart and let them dote on her (they all knew us pretty well over there). I want her to be a normal level of excited about food (to the point where maybe she doesn't wake me up a full hour early because she's so hungry). I want to walk her the two mile trip to our mail box and back. I want to take her to the dog park and have adventures with her again.
I am so ready to have my dog back to normal.
That being said, I'm really grateful for the treatment saving her life.
And I'm down to her getting me up only once during the night, and usually it's only the hour before we wake up because she's hungry.
We've gone through so much. And I am so proud of her. Wherever we are, I know we'll have an awesome summer.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
When it rains...
So, the very DAY I was to switch to giving Penny her steroids every other night and get some sleep, I realized I was super exhausted and had little functioning abilities. I emailed my professor and let her know I was missing class (and was very honest about why) and then I commenced to coughing. And feeling worse. And feeling worse. And wouldn't you know it? By that night, I had a fever. The next morning I went to the doctor and turns out I have an upper respiratory infection that's going around a la black death. She had already treated two people for the exact same thing that morning and had seen only that condition on Monday. Loverly.
So I commenced coughing, sneezing, and feeling congested, and having the stomach problems Z-packs normally induce, all while still waking up at least twice in the night to let Penny out (I really do love my dog). My fever reached 101.7 at its highest, I believe, which is about four degrees higher than my normal body temp. Delicious.
I have run through all my tissues, a roll of toilet paper used as tissues, and another roll that was going to be used as tissues but Penny decided to eat instead (I really do love my dog).
Thankfully, the doctor was right; she said I'd probably turn the corner on Saturday and I have, but I'm still super weak. Tomorrow is my final day of antibiotic and I can focus on writing the paper that's due Tuesday (five pages on a policy that affects adult education...and her format is REALLY confusing) that I've had the whole semester to write (except no I haven't because I really haven't slept since the beginning of February) so no need to ask for an extension...especially for a matter of five pages. That's silly.
I'm left with a lingering cough that feels like I'm trying to...I don't know, cleanse my entire soul, not just my lungs, clean out every impurity down to my toes, and my chest HURTS from the effort.
Buuut then yesterday room mate #1 mentioned she was feeling poorly. She thought maybe I had gotten her sick. I told her I hoped not but if I did then she should brace herself. Well, she went to the doctor today and she has the flu and pneumonia. Wow. Room mate #3 has been gone all week it seems but last I heard she was feeling poorly as well. Room mate #2 seems to be the only healthy one of us, though she did go to class drunk on Friday so perhaps that's a relative term.
I almost think we need to quarantine the house!
So I commenced coughing, sneezing, and feeling congested, and having the stomach problems Z-packs normally induce, all while still waking up at least twice in the night to let Penny out (I really do love my dog). My fever reached 101.7 at its highest, I believe, which is about four degrees higher than my normal body temp. Delicious.
I have run through all my tissues, a roll of toilet paper used as tissues, and another roll that was going to be used as tissues but Penny decided to eat instead (I really do love my dog).
Thankfully, the doctor was right; she said I'd probably turn the corner on Saturday and I have, but I'm still super weak. Tomorrow is my final day of antibiotic and I can focus on writing the paper that's due Tuesday (five pages on a policy that affects adult education...and her format is REALLY confusing) that I've had the whole semester to write (except no I haven't because I really haven't slept since the beginning of February) so no need to ask for an extension...especially for a matter of five pages. That's silly.
I'm left with a lingering cough that feels like I'm trying to...I don't know, cleanse my entire soul, not just my lungs, clean out every impurity down to my toes, and my chest HURTS from the effort.
Buuut then yesterday room mate #1 mentioned she was feeling poorly. She thought maybe I had gotten her sick. I told her I hoped not but if I did then she should brace herself. Well, she went to the doctor today and she has the flu and pneumonia. Wow. Room mate #3 has been gone all week it seems but last I heard she was feeling poorly as well. Room mate #2 seems to be the only healthy one of us, though she did go to class drunk on Friday so perhaps that's a relative term.
I almost think we need to quarantine the house!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
So, I figure it's about time I write about this. I wanted to wait and make sure that my puppy was alright and I was over the hysteria.
Penny was diagnosed with a mild case of heartworms about three weeks ago. After researching the treatment options and keeping in mind her age and health, I decided to go with the Immiticide treatment, which is an arsenic injection in the lumbar muscles. I dropped her off on Wednesday the 2nd, and got her back on Friday the 4th. Those two nights without her were nerve wracking to say the least. The rolling blackouts had me worried there would be no heat in the kennels, the snow made me worry there would be no one to take care of her, and of course above all I was scared there would be a mistake or she would be one of the less than 1% of dogs who died as an immediate result of the injection.
She wasn't.
Now she is home, and I have to keep her quiet so that she does not have an elevated heart rate. If she does, she runs the risk of a pulmonary thromboembolism, which basically means the dead worms would get lodged in a blood vessel in her lungs (I think?) and then cause her to stop breathing and die. So there's that. I'm managing that by keeping her on a leash when she is around the other dog in the house or in stimulating situations like company.
In addition, she is on a steroid and an antibiotic for a month.
The steroid makes her thirsty, hungry, and restless. So Penny has been waking me up every two hours all night for the past week and a half. I am so very tired and wish I had someone to help me with it, but at the same time it's alright. This will pass. Penny is fine for now and I am so thankful for that.
Life is life. And life is okay.
Penny was diagnosed with a mild case of heartworms about three weeks ago. After researching the treatment options and keeping in mind her age and health, I decided to go with the Immiticide treatment, which is an arsenic injection in the lumbar muscles. I dropped her off on Wednesday the 2nd, and got her back on Friday the 4th. Those two nights without her were nerve wracking to say the least. The rolling blackouts had me worried there would be no heat in the kennels, the snow made me worry there would be no one to take care of her, and of course above all I was scared there would be a mistake or she would be one of the less than 1% of dogs who died as an immediate result of the injection.
She wasn't.
Now she is home, and I have to keep her quiet so that she does not have an elevated heart rate. If she does, she runs the risk of a pulmonary thromboembolism, which basically means the dead worms would get lodged in a blood vessel in her lungs (I think?) and then cause her to stop breathing and die. So there's that. I'm managing that by keeping her on a leash when she is around the other dog in the house or in stimulating situations like company.
In addition, she is on a steroid and an antibiotic for a month.
The steroid makes her thirsty, hungry, and restless. So Penny has been waking me up every two hours all night for the past week and a half. I am so very tired and wish I had someone to help me with it, but at the same time it's alright. This will pass. Penny is fine for now and I am so thankful for that.
Life is life. And life is okay.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Your mission this week.
I've decided to set weekly missions. This is purely for my own enjoyment.
Your mission this week takes place in a restaurant containing a bar or just a bar.
Send a random object to a stranger sitting at the bar by way of waitstaff. Tell the waitstaff the person will know what it's about.
The first person to complete this mission and verify it by some sort of media (photo, video would be best) will receive a polymer clay animal made by me. (So you'll have to be comfortable sending me your address.)
Leave your response with links to proof in the comments.
Your mission this week takes place in a restaurant containing a bar or just a bar.
Send a random object to a stranger sitting at the bar by way of waitstaff. Tell the waitstaff the person will know what it's about.
The first person to complete this mission and verify it by some sort of media (photo, video would be best) will receive a polymer clay animal made by me. (So you'll have to be comfortable sending me your address.)
Leave your response with links to proof in the comments.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Can we skip the 14th?
I don't know what it is about this year (I'm lying, I know exactly what it is) but I really don't want to deal with anymore pink or red or chocolate or gooshiness. I think we should skip Valentine's day. Who's with me?
Nevermind the fact that the only valentine I'm getting this year is from Disney Movie Rewards. I'm doing this for all of us. I say we go straight from the 13th to the 15th and make the former 28th the 29th. It'll be like the tacky decorations and the pointlessness of a lovey dovey day in the worst month of the year (Minus the second day of it, because we love Miss Willow) based on, among other things, slapping young women with bloody goat hide never happened.
It may just be the overuse of decorations and emails offering recipes for 'romantic dinners for two' but I'm just done with it. And February. Let's get to March and 80 degree weather. The end.
Nevermind the fact that the only valentine I'm getting this year is from Disney Movie Rewards. I'm doing this for all of us. I say we go straight from the 13th to the 15th and make the former 28th the 29th. It'll be like the tacky decorations and the pointlessness of a lovey dovey day in the worst month of the year (Minus the second day of it, because we love Miss Willow) based on, among other things, slapping young women with bloody goat hide never happened.
It may just be the overuse of decorations and emails offering recipes for 'romantic dinners for two' but I'm just done with it. And February. Let's get to March and 80 degree weather. The end.
Friday, February 4, 2011
the exception
Yesterday at work we were talking about being sick and still having to run errands. I mentioned that I don't have anyone to take care of me when I'm sick (room mates? HA!) so many times I just have to suck it up, drive to the store myself and hang onto the cart while I struggle through the store.
Then, JOKINGLY again, I said "See, this is why I need a husband! So he can take care of me when I'm sick!"
And then something really disheartening happened. They all started talking about how, no, he can have a cold and it's the end of the world but if you get sick you are still expected to cook, clean, and go to the grocery store. And how he will not take one ounce of care of you if you are sick because he probably won't notice.
And that made me really sad for them.
Because that's not the kind of man my father is. My dad was so anxious to take care of us when we were sick that he would wake me up to see if I needed anything. He would do his best to make sure we ate if mom was sick. Yes, sometimes it was pizza or cereal, but we were fed. And he would protect Mom from our craziness when we she was sick.
And he would go buy feminine products for us if we were out. And he would get the right kind. He would volunteer to do it, too.
On my way home, I called him and thanked him for being the exception. Because when my co-workers entreat me not to settle, I know I won't. I have wonderful measuring stick. Not a perfect one, but a really good one. And better than many.
Then, JOKINGLY again, I said "See, this is why I need a husband! So he can take care of me when I'm sick!"
And then something really disheartening happened. They all started talking about how, no, he can have a cold and it's the end of the world but if you get sick you are still expected to cook, clean, and go to the grocery store. And how he will not take one ounce of care of you if you are sick because he probably won't notice.
And that made me really sad for them.
Because that's not the kind of man my father is. My dad was so anxious to take care of us when we were sick that he would wake me up to see if I needed anything. He would do his best to make sure we ate if mom was sick. Yes, sometimes it was pizza or cereal, but we were fed. And he would protect Mom from our craziness when we she was sick.
And he would go buy feminine products for us if we were out. And he would get the right kind. He would volunteer to do it, too.
On my way home, I called him and thanked him for being the exception. Because when my co-workers entreat me not to settle, I know I won't. I have wonderful measuring stick. Not a perfect one, but a really good one. And better than many.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
"And we are oookaaaaaay."
So, I don't know if anyone else has been feeling a bit chilly lately, but here in central Texas it's the coldest it's been in about 20 years. And in my neck of the woods, it's just cold. No snow. And lots of wind.
Texas has used up SO much energy on heat that today it had to resort to a series of rolling blackouts so we didn't result in mass electricity loss. Or at least that's how I understand it.
SO, cut to this morning. I called in to work to make sure everything was okay, and one of the teachers answered the phone. The power was out, and had been out since 7:30 that morning. We had to delay drop-off until it went back on around 9. Yeah.
So everyone was off schedule and we were all trying to just get through the day.
Then, just before lunch, the power went out again.
We had 3 emergency lanterns. No elevator. And about 60-70 kids. And because of the way licensing operates, we were required to feed all of them lunch. So, the front desk worker and I grabbed a lantern and walked up and down the stairs several times, talking about how cool it was to eat in the dark, how we were going to be safe walking up and down the stairs by being careful and holding the rail (especially after the emergency light in the stairs went out).
And only two of the children cried.
And only one of the crying fits was about the dark.
When the lights first went out, my favorite class, the toddlers, were already in the cafeteria. I came in to check on them and they were all eating quietly. I sat down and said "Oh wow, everyone's having a good time eating in the dark!"
The teacher looked at me and said, in her talking-to-the-kids voice "Yep, and we are oooookaaaay."
And we were.
Isn't the power of suggestion amazing?
Texas has used up SO much energy on heat that today it had to resort to a series of rolling blackouts so we didn't result in mass electricity loss. Or at least that's how I understand it.
SO, cut to this morning. I called in to work to make sure everything was okay, and one of the teachers answered the phone. The power was out, and had been out since 7:30 that morning. We had to delay drop-off until it went back on around 9. Yeah.
So everyone was off schedule and we were all trying to just get through the day.
Then, just before lunch, the power went out again.
We had 3 emergency lanterns. No elevator. And about 60-70 kids. And because of the way licensing operates, we were required to feed all of them lunch. So, the front desk worker and I grabbed a lantern and walked up and down the stairs several times, talking about how cool it was to eat in the dark, how we were going to be safe walking up and down the stairs by being careful and holding the rail (especially after the emergency light in the stairs went out).
And only two of the children cried.
And only one of the crying fits was about the dark.
When the lights first went out, my favorite class, the toddlers, were already in the cafeteria. I came in to check on them and they were all eating quietly. I sat down and said "Oh wow, everyone's having a good time eating in the dark!"
The teacher looked at me and said, in her talking-to-the-kids voice "Yep, and we are oooookaaaay."
And we were.
Isn't the power of suggestion amazing?
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