A bunch of randomness

Day one of ambitious puppy training goals was a flop.  Wes did not get home from work until after 6:00 this morning.  We went to bed around 7:00.  I tried to convince him to stay at work and sleep since he had to be back today, but he said he prefers sleeping in his own bed next to his wife, so that's what he did.  He was exhausted after only working a few hours last night, but he stayed for the entire 12-hour shift.  His rosacea broke out bad and his joints were sore and swollen.  His elbows are starting to be affected by the Lyme Disease now.  He woke up this morning and his one elbow was really stiff.  I am worried about him.  I am worried about how his exhaustion and lack of sleep is going to affect his healing.  I am worried about his long term outlook.

We have always been blessed with amazing people in our lives.  It seems people come into our lives at just the right time and for all the right reasons.  God always provides.  One of my friends has a friend who has had Lyme Disease for over ten years.  She contacted me and gave me a wealth of information.  Not all doctors know how to treat Lyme Disease.  There are specific doctors who treat only Lyme.  She sent me a medical publication from a Lyme Disease doctor that talked about disease progression, medications, disability, and it was very specific on the aggressive treatment of this disease based on the stage it was diagnosed in.  It is a 24-page report.  I am going to print it off and take it to the doctor with Wes next week.  Wes is currently on the appropriate treatment.  I don't know if they will continue with this treatment for as long as this doctor recommends.  If there is a chance for a cure, I am going to see to it that Wes has every opportunity to get there.  I worked in healthcare for ten years.  I took care of my father and grandmother.  I will consult with Wes' doctors just as I did theirs.  If Wes doesn't make a full recovery from this, it won't be because I didn't advocate for him.

I am very tired today.  My body does not adjust to changing shifts as well as it used to.  When I was young and worked on-call in the Emergency Room while in school, I remember being able to hop up and work any shift they called me in on.  I usually suffered the next couple of days with pain and fatigue, but I still did it.  Maybe it's my lack of drive to be all that I can be (but not in the Army), or maybe it's just me getting older.  I took Provigil this morning after waking up at 11:30 and then slept another two hours.  To be able to sleep through a dose of Provigil is proof of true exhaustion.

I must get up and give Tanker his medicine.  The rooster alarm went off on my phone.  Bella is now next to me and Topher is looking at me and barking one single high pitched ACD yelp every few seconds to tell me I am not doing my job.  Do not break Topher's routine.  It is against his religion to not complete the task you are assigned.  When the Rooster in my phone wakes up and starts cockadooadooing telling me to make my way to the kitchen and give out turkey to the Zoo Crew, I had better do it.


The alarm went off 30 seconds ago and you are not up doing what you are supposed to yet.  Get with the program, Mom.




I was not going to post that video because Topher did not listen to me when I told him enough and I told him to sit.  He is too funny to not show off though.

Although our medicine drawer looks like we are a nursing home, we are really just the Foster Zoo.  These are Tanker's meds, with the exception of the Clavamox in the front, which is Shiloh's.

The folded up pamphlets on top of the Zonisamide is to tell Tanker to not drive while taking this medication until he gets used to it, and to not get pregnant while using it.  It also informs him to not breastfeed or drink alcohol.  Poor Tanker's life is so limited.

 



Have I ever mentioned that Tanker is on the Uninsured Drug Program at Costco because he does not hold a job that provides health insurance?  It is a program available to us as Costco members.  Yes, they do know that Tanker is a canine.  Tanker is one of their favorite customers.  We are able to get all of Tanker's medications (except his potassium Bromide) for a reduced cost because he does not have health insurance.

Tanker is on pet health insurance.  All of the Zoo Crew members are on pet health insurance, including the puppies.  It does not cover anything related to Tanker's epilepsy because it was a pre-existing condition. 

Once Tanker's medicine is given at 5:30 in the evening and 5:30 in the morning, it's feeding time.  I am lucky that they all respect each other.  I can feed them side by side and have never had a problem with aggression.

I stood outside and talked with our next door neighbor today.  He is a retired Army officer and is the nicest person ever.  The entire family is.  He now works for the DoD as a civilian.  He and Wes have a lot in common.  They can sit outside and chat for hours about military life and politics.  It's great to have nice neighbors.  He is our only next door neighbor.  They have two dogs, a rottweiler and a chow.  The chow likes to bark at our dogs a lot.  I am teaching the puppies to be nonreactive to them.  They are doing better and better with each encounter.  Topher and Tanker are pretty good teachers.  Although they will go over to the fence and look at the dogs, they hardly bark and they will come when called.  Bella and Shiloh won't get off the back deck when the dogs are out.  I think they are a little intimidated by them.  I'd rather them be a little intimidated than running up and down the fence fighting.

Bella continues to be a little Houdini.  She is an escape artist.  Take a look at how I have had to secure the kitchen gates.

She has also started getting on the back of the couch and jumping the gate in the living room.  I think she learned that from Neo.

Like my post today, our lives are very random.  Wes works odd and inconsistent hours.  The only schedule we have is Tanker's medicine.  I like it that way.  I like being able to sleep all day with Wes and stay up all night while he is at work.  I like being able to hop in the car and go places, volunteer, and not be tied down to much.  It's a great life that most people probably wouldn't enjoy due to the lack of consistency, but it works for us.  I guess we are pretty ready for whatever life throws at us.  Military life has taught us to be flexible.  It makes life more exciting to not know what to expect next. 

One last note, we are trying to find a new home for Neo.  He is not working out here.  He does not get along with the other animals at all.  He needs to go to a home without dogs or cats.  He has a room to his own and comes out occasionally, but there have been too many fights recently for him to be able to stay here.  It's not fair to him or the other animals.  If anyone knows of a home he could go to, please let us know.  I will not take him to the pound.