I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run

Last but not least...Rusty. I haven't even blogged about what's been going on with him lately. About three weeks ago, he came in from the back yard not putting any weight on his right hind leg. Same thing as Little Guy, opposite side. I could not believe this could be happening. Again. We went to the vet, who sedated Rusty to check is knee and found what she thought was a torn ligament. (He'd also just been sedated a few days before for a tooth extraction). So, off to the surgeon we went.

Little Guy's surgeon, who was wonderful, was on vacation so we saw someone else at the practice. He felt there was a partial ligament tear* and recommended a far more invasive, i.e. far more expensive, procedure. It's the one they usually do on dogs who weigh over 40 pounds--more than twice Rusty's weight. By the time of the consult, and in fact by the day after the injury, he was bearing full weight on his leg. So I asked about conservative treatment, which basically entails 6-8 weeks of confinement and anti-inflammatory medication. Of course, this was not what the doctor recommended as first course of action. He just wanted to cut.

I tried putting Rusty in his crate. Ha! I knew that wouldn't work as he's always hated the crate and injured a front paw trying to scratch his way out in the past. My next brilliant idea was to put him in with Little Guy. Yeah, right. Rusty kept jumping over the baby gate. We resorted to just leaving him in the hallway with Guy, where he could jump and scratch at the door all he wanted. When home, I'd bring him out and leash him to the dining room table where he'd lie pretty quietly as long as he could see us.

In the past three weeks, Rusty has not shown any signs pain or favored his injured leg at all. I took it into my own hands to decrease the medication dose, which had no ill effect. He's a hard dog to keep down, so I took him to his vet to get her recommendations. Upon examining him, watching him move, and taking into account the full weight bearing he was doing the day after, she thinks that there probably wasn't a tear after all and maybe just a sprain. The only way to truly know would be an MRI and since he is asymptomatic, there's no way I'm paying for that right now.

We put Rusty on the same "gradual return to activity" program Little Guy is on and starting with short walks. I've been taking them together and it's not working. After 3/4 of a block, I have to pick Guy up and carry him the rest of the way and Rusty is wanting to zoom along at a fast pace and for a longer distance. We're also putting him in the hallway with LG when we go out so he's not jumping on and off furniture and running a lot in the back yard.
(The squirrels and birds are happy for the reprieve!)

Things are working out, but there were a few days there where I was freaking out. This surgery that Little Guy had has a tough recovery period. Luckily, he's been pretty mellow and was becoming so inactive before that it's been somewhat easy forcing him to rest. I was just imagining Rusty having the surgery and ruining it within the first week. The surgeon was kind enough to suggest we could give him sedatives. For 8 weeks.

Mostly this has all been inconvenient, more so for the dogs than us. Rusty did miss out on a special event he was supposed to attend and we're now officially on a temporary break from therapy dog work. I also know that he very well may injure himself in the future and need more invasive treatment, but it seems like we've dodged the bullet this time, thankfully. While we're still keeping Rusty reigned in for a couple more weeks, he is going to be in his first movie this weekend. It's a friend's short independent film, but exciting nonetheless. Oh, and it'll be in 3D. How cool is that?

*Little Guy had a fully torn ligament, as well as a damaged meniscus.

Corner me and make me something

I never intended for my blog to have a theme or to become a blogger that fit into a certain category. I'm not a political blogger or a tech blogger. I'm most certainly not a food blogger. And since I don't have kids, I can't even pretend to be a mommy blogger. While I do occasionally write about music/tv/film, life in Los Angeles (and actually, I've moved a lot of that over to my posts at L.A. Metblogs), or things I find absurd or dorky, there is a definite trend in what I've been writing about lately. Well, when I've even posted.

My pets. The four-legged beasties that share my home are family. I appreciate that not everyone "gets" that and may stop coming around to avoid being bored by endless chatter about furry creatures. So, what does that make me? A DoggyPiggyMommy Blogger? A I'mSoCrazyAboutMyPets YouShouldCallTheAuthorities Blogger? Or maybe merely a PetMommy Blogger. I don't know. Labels don't concern me too much.

It's been a tough year so far in our pack. 2009 is not even a quarter of the way over and we've dealt with major surgery, death, adoption, injury, and the ever-growing challenges of aging. Right now we're in the midst of an overhaul of feeding for the dogs, medication additions and subtractions, new activity routines, and the continued acclimation of the guinea pigs.

Originally, I proceeded to go into an update on all five pets, but this started turning into one of those epic posts that I usually end up not reading because of the length. So, if you happen to be curious about how Cosette, Little Guy, Rusty, Pickle and/or Pepper are doing, check back soon.

Almost Made It

Wait. Where were the sirens, the circling helicopters, the blinding spotlights? I thought for sure that I'd be humiliated in some way for not posting yesterday. Oh yeah. Who really cares? This daily post thing is something I decided to do and I'm the only one holding myself accountable to do it. And I've been quite ill for the past few days, so it just didn't happen yesterday. I'm sure I'm the one who is most disappointed.

I didn't post a photo for Project365 yesterday either. However, I did actually take a couple of photos, so I'll post those retroactively. Meanwhile, back to recovering and hopefully being up and fully operational by tomorrow.

Feelin' Groovy

Edit on 03/29/06 @ 8:30 am: So I had a window of grooviness that passed. I've been up, pretty sick, most of the night. I'm going to try to catch a little more sleep now. Blergh.

Groovy might be a bit of a stretch, but compared to how I felt yesterday, I'll go with it as a description of my current state. I was pretty scared and thought death might be imminent. I'd never felt that way before. Ever. I would sleep for a few hours, get up, and still be in really bad pain. Every inch of my body hurt and I could not find a comfortable position in which to sit, lie, or stand. Once sleeping, I had very vivid and bizarre dreams. Even though I didn't wake up until early afternoon today, I was exhausted. However, except for a little twinge in my back and a slight headache, the pain was gone! Besides that wondrous news, here are some other good things:

• I sat and catnapped in my hanging chair in the back yard for a couple of hours late in the day. The dogs hung out with me and took turns snuggling. I even snapped a few photos.
  

• I managed to get a much-needed hair appointment for tomorrow--not always possible last minute. When my bangs start looking like a baby possum, something must be done. I may be doing something color-wise too, but no final decision yet.
  

• We're going with a friend to get the best Brooklyn style pizza in L.A. at the newly opened Robano's in Toluca Lake. I mentioned it before and this weekend is their official grand opening.

P.S. Thank you for the 'get well' comments and emails!

...I Guess It's Pretty Serious

Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night...

If I was feeling better, this might be better. However, I'm suffering from:

• Body and muscle aches from my neck to my toes.
  

• Low grade fever.

• Wooziness.
  

• Mild headache, compared to the other pain.
  

Enough complaining. I'm going back to bed. I hope everyone else is well.

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby Right Round...

I've been a little stressed out lately. One of the stressors has been Cosette, our 15-year old American Eskimo dog and her repeated trips to the vet. I'm sure this is par for the course for a geriatric dog. The things plaguing her recently have been relatively minor, thank goodness.

This afternoon at work, I returned to the department after being outside with a kid. I was tracked down and told one of those things you never want to hear, "Your husband called. It's an emergency." I got in touch with E, who said, "It's Cosette. I think she's had a stroke."

Even though I was shaking and on the verge of tears, I managed to call the vet, whose office closes early on Thursdays. They said if E could get her there soon, they'd stay open for him. I informed them that he is severely allergic to cats, which poses a problem as they have a resident feline. (Hence the reason why I do all of the vet excursions).

Click to see larger image

The short ending to the story is that Cosette most likely did not have a stroke. She seems to have a vestibular issue going on, possibly a side effect of the antibiotics she's been taking, or quite simply what is called "Old Dog Vestibular Disease." That would explain the falling over, walking in a circle, and head tilt E observed. So, we're trying some new medication and watching her. E occasionally suffers from vertigo, so he relates to what she is hopefully going through (versus something more serious).

Another clue that Cosette probably did not have a stroke it that she hasn't shown any personality changes. She's sleeping now and we're keeping a close eye on her. I don't know how you parents, with actual human children, do it. I get pretty worked up over my four-legged ones.

Jack Sparrow: Close your eyes and pretend it's all just a bad dream. That's how I get by.

The weekend started out just fine. I joined E and a friend for lunch. It was fun to catch up after the holidays while laughing and reminiscing about the 80s music playing in the restaurant. After going our separate ways for some shopping, E and I met up at home to get dressed up and head over to the Magic Castle to see our friend Lincoln, a very talented magician.

I got to partake in the yummy food and laughter that is guaranteed at party hosted by Jenn. Fellow blogger buddy Nanette and I have both answered the question, "So, how to you know Jenn?" asked by various friends and family members of hers several times now. It's starting to feel a little less weird to say, "Our blogs." I think everyone realizes we aren't crazy and that you can actually make some good friends through the internet.

Later that afternoon, things started going downhill and I started feeling quite ill. I took a long nap and then ventured out for a couple of art shows. We wrapped up the night by meeting up with some very drunk friends celebrating a birthday at a bowling alley. We watched them finish their game and had a very late dinner. It nearly did me in.

I felt even worse today and spent the majority of the day in bed and sleeping. It seems to have helped some. I don't feel great, but I feel a little bit better. I'd already taken a vacation day for tomorrow, so at least I can sleep in some on Monday too if I need to.

Well, Did You See Alien? When The Creature Was In That Guy's Stomach? It Kinda Feels Like That.

Out with the bah-humbugs and in with the I-really-don't-have-it-so-bads. I've been bitching about having to work today, Christmas Eve, the 26th, blah, blah, blah. Luckily my job, besides being something that I do really enjoy doing and earning me a living, helps me keep things in perspective. One of the teenagers I was working with today said to me, "Having cancer sucks. All this stuff you have to go through." He was right. I could only agree with him and encourage him to hang in there.

So yeah, between my paying job and the volunteer work I do, I am constantly reminded that I have it pretty good. Sure, I have a bad cold right now and my house is a disaster, but in general I'm in good health, I have a loving and extremely supportive and patient husband, I have a house, my oldest dog just turned 15...I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Oh, and if you missed yesterday's post, I was linked on the Craft: blog!

Merry Holidays to all of you readers and your friends and families.

Sign Of Rain

We may actually get a drizzle today (they are calling it a "storm" on news reports, but only .02 inches are predicted). That won't put a damper on E's birthday festivities though, dammit. I'm hoping this cold that I'm starting to develop won't either. Ugh. Bad, bad timing.

So, I'm interrupting this blog post-which honestly was going nowhere fast-to chant today's mantra over and over:

I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick. I will not get sick.

Accio Good Health

I've succumbed to the sickness so many seemed to contract upon returning from the San Diego Comic-Con. I have no nifty report on fun things I did this weekend because I spent much of it sleeping and trying to fight off the nasty virus that's been plaguing E.

The only bright side of it is that I've had some down time to really dig into the last Harry Potter book. I'm trying to savor it, but can't seem to put it down for too long. Just long enough for those 2-3 hour naps.

On The Mend

This latest virus that invaded my body seems to not be as bad as the last, or the one that E recently had, thank goodness. While not 100% well, I am feeling much better and I'll take that. I just have a really bad and annoying headache that has hounded me all day and won't relent.

Yesterday was a sick day, but I was already scheduled to be off today for working the upcoming weekend. I could tell I was feeling a bit better as I actually accomplished a couple of things such as cleaning the hamster's habitats (I'm sure he'd thank me if he could...it was bad!) and finishing up a craft project that is due tomorrow.

Now I have some last minute laundry to do and oh yeah, I have to turn on my tv for tonight's new episode of The Shield and possibly one of the shows from last night I haven't watched yet. I don't have much to say, so I'll close with a few photos I took yesterday.

Little Guy making a really goofy face.
He was actually chewing on some grass.


Rusty enjoying the return of the sun.


Cosette, the stubborn old girl that she is, joined us in the back yard too. I'm trying to teach her to use these Doggy Steps we got for her to get onto the bed easier, but she' having none of it.

Nighttime Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching, Fever...

I wish there was a fun explanation for the lack of posts around here lately like I've been off traveling the world or something. But, in reality, it's nothing exciting or fun at all. E is recovering from a 12-day bout of bronchitis. Due to his illness, we were pushed up to the last weekend to do our taxes. That took a lot of time and consumed my laptop, which is where I usually write. Work has been pretty hectic and stressful lately. I guess I took a bit of a break so I wouldn't come here to whine and complain.

*WARNING: More whining and complaining ahead...

Toward the end of this week, things were looking up. Although E is still coughing, he is much better and feeling human again. My throat started feeling scratchy yesterday and by last night, I was sick. Feverish, achy, sore throat, headache. Grrr. Having been so sick in February and seeing how many days E lost, I can not have this happen right now. So, I've been loading up on vitamins, water, fruit, tea, and various other remedies. And sleeping A LOT. Speaking of which, I'm heading back to bed.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow and be able to do some fun things this weekend that I can report on.

Respite

After a crappy start to the week yesterday, I got a reprieve. Due to my PDA recently crashing, and the fact that I rarely back it up, I totally forgot that I have to work this coming weekend. The upside to that is that I have today off! So, I got a bit of rest and took Little Guy to the vet.

My sweet, soft-as-a-bunny Little Guy has been limping off and on for a good two weeks. Sometimes, he wouldn't put weight on his rear left leg at all and he's had spasms of his left hindquarter too. Since it wasn't going away, I wanted to get it checked out.

Little Guy on crate arrest.

Luckily, the news is good. It seems his hip was partially dislocated and the vet thinks she put it back in when she was examining him. His Xrays were fine, so we were sent home with an anti-inflammatory and 10 days of "strict rest." So, Squirrel Patrol in the back yard will be left solely up to Rusty for now, as Little Guy will be spending most of his time in his crate.

Rusty, Chief Squirrel Patrol Officer

On Rejoining The Human Race

It started yesterday. When I woke up, I left the bedroom and even moved my laptop back into the den. Then later that evening, I showered, put on a little makeup, and left my house for the first time in a week. Well, I'd been out to the back yard with the dogs and moved my car once, but I actually left my property. And it felt pretty good! I was armed with cough drops and tissues. I survived and even dare to say, had fun. Maybe more on that later.

I slept pretty well last night too, without the aid of codeine, and decided to run a few errands this afternoon. I got my bangs trimmed, returned some chairs to a friend, dropped a couple of bags of clothing off at Goodwill, and picked up some dog food. It was a beautiful, sunny day and it felt great to drive around with windows down while listening to a special pledge-drive version of This American Life. Oh, how I've missed driving my little car!

I returned home with grand plans of a back yard photo shoot with the dogs, multiple loads of laundry, and house straightening. I got out my camera and lenses and immediately put them away. I started one load of laundry, but the house remains a bit of a mess. Frankly, my outing exhausted me and reminded me that I'm not quite 100% well yet.

Dread about returning to work on Monday is already starting to set in. Even though I am feeling much better, I do still have quite a cough, which worsens when I talk a lot or do physical activity. My job involves a lot of talking and quite a bit of physical activity, much of it strenuous at times. Also, I think I'm returning to the start of two of the nine pending maternity leaves, so I'll probably have extra work on my plate.

I think I'll embark on a well-deserved nap. The laundry can wait.

This Is Going Nowhere

First of all, a Happy Birthday shout-out to Ren! I'm hoping that her time with her parents is fabulous. I'm giddy about the present I got for her (that she probably won't get until next week) and I hope she likes it. She may indeed smack me, but oh well, I will have probably deserved it.

So, Nathan Fillion on Lost last night! That was a nice treat. Does he get drugged in every show he's on? I can't say I'm too upset about the "break" the show is taking until February. It has been okay this season, but it has also been annoying in oh, so many ways.

I got a surprise gift today from my buddy Cheryl. How cool is that? It's a "Give Peeps A Chance" t-shirt...I absolutely love it! I'm not sure I can fit into the tiny little thing, but probably will after the next 20 or 30 pounds go.

I had intended to write about something completely different today, but I'm not feeling very well and it's distracting me. I've had some stomach issues for the past few days and then this morning while I was walking down the stairs from the 7th floor of the parking garage, I suddenly experienced a massive spasm in the middle of my back. This is not an issue I normally have. Ever. It's pretty sore and making me really grumpy. It's also making it really difficult to do a lot of my job. So those are my excuses for this disjointed, rambling entry. I'm off to lie on the floor for a bit.

Lost: One Metaphorical Small Dog

I'm posting a brief update on my progress with my recent return to Weight Watchers. In the past eight weeks, I've lost 20 pounds, or as E likes to put it, "the equivalent of a small dog." Now, some of you may have seen me and think I'm lying. Twenty pounds is a lot of weight, but I have much, much more to lose, so it might not be that noticeable yet. I can definitely tell, not only in how I look, but in how my clothes are getting roomier and I'm able to wear some stuff from last summer that I'd "outgrown." I've been sticking to monitoring my portions, etc. while not depriving myself. I even had a couple of drinks last Saturday night and those chicken and waffles on Sunday. I've found my focus in terms of food and eating, so now I need to bump up my activity. I am walking more than before, which is a start.

By my next update, I'll hope to be able to say I'm down a Standard Poodle.

Here's To Better Health

In case you're new around here, I was really sick for most of the month of July. I think that was the kick in the ass I needed to get back in shape. I've really let myself go by eating like crap, not exercising, and subsequently weighing more than I ever have in my life. It can't be good for my immune system. Last week, I went back to Weight Watchers. Yes, back. I did the program several years ago and lost more than 50 pounds. I just didn't maintain it. I didn't realize that I had to keep doing it (duh!), so here I am, in worse shape than ever, and starting over. At least I can start over and that's what I've done.

My first week was pretty successful and I'm already feeling a little better. So many things are chaotic in my life right now and I feel like what I to eat and how much I exercise are definitely things I can control. I don't plan on turning this into a 'monitor my weight loss' blog, but if I politely refuse to eat certain things, you'll know why. That's the beauty of Weight Watchers though...I can eat (or drink) anything I want, as long as I account for it.

*Wow, this post isn't very snarky or dorky. I'll try to do better.

Good Things

I've certainly had a weekend full of distractions from my previous week-from-hell at work. I'd be lying if I said things were 100% perfect over that past few days, but isn't that life? Among some expected unpleasantness, there were many, many good things.

E and I enjoyed the annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night. I always enjoy the program as I am pretty ignorant about most classical music, but do recognize quite a bit of Tchaikovsky's pieces. Every year, the evening ends with the orchestra playing his 1812 Overture, accompanied by the USC Trojan Marching Band, and some glorious fireworks. If you are in or near L.A. and haven't seen a pyrotechnics show at the Bowl, I recommend it.

I had planned on getting an early start on Saturday and possibly checking out this month's Felt Club with a friend. That didn't quite work out, mostly because I was feeling very ill from an antibiotic I'm currently taking.* E and I did stop by the craft fair, very briefly, much later in the day. I was distracted by another objective though, which was to find out if Meltdown would consider my book for its self-published section. Much to my surprise, the buyer took a quick look and said he'd buy three copies from me. I got really excited and subsequently turned off my brain. Only after E and I did some calculating, did I realize that I'd actually paid the store a small fee to sell Hamster Haiku. Oh well...my book is for sale at Meltdown!!!

After leaving Meltdown, we took a quick detour down to Melrose for a quick slice at Albano's, our favorite place for pizza in L.A. Luckily, it agreed with my troubled gut.

We'd purchased tickets in advance for Miranda July's show at the Steve Allen Theater for Saturday night. It was a fun and very interactive show. In fact, E and I were picked near the beginning of the show to participate (one of my worst nightmares!) and it actually turned out okay. Our selection was based on us being the couple in the audience who had been together the longest. We were whisked out of the theater, given ill-fitting shirts to put on over our clothes, and brought on stage with Miranda where we answered questions about how we met. Her assistants then led us to the backstage area where there was a bed. They instructed us to lie in various positions (spooning, back-to-back, etc) with our eyes closed. There was a video camera above us and we were being broadcast onto a screen onstage while Miranda told a story relating to us (we were 'Donny' and 'Fiona'). Back in our seats, we enjoyed the rest of the multimedia program, which continued to tell Donny and Fiona's story. The groovy thing was that at the very end, Miranda wrapped up the story by bringing it around to our story, complete with details we had shared while up on stage. Initially, when we were chosen to participate, I was mortified, but it ended up being very cool. We even chatted with Miranda briefly afterwards and she seemed quite pleased with our "performance." Apparently, several people thought we were actors who were just part of the show.

After the theater event, we ended up going to a low-key party to see a friend of ours who lives in England, but was in town visiting family. It was good to catch up, not only with her, but with some of her other friends that we haven't seen since she moved.

I slept in later than planned on Sunday. I did manage to get up and take care of some chores and errands. It was a beautiful, cloudless day, but we didn't make it outside until nearly 5pm. We did take a nice walk around the neighborhood though for about an hour-and-a-half. Then we hopped in the car and went to Asssscat, a free improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Even though E and I were, by far, two of the oldest people in the mostly college-age crowd, it was a good time with lots of laughs.

Yes, I'm tired and up late again, but I am off from work Monday. Another good thing.

*Part of me my** hellish week was contracting some random infection in one of my fingers, which continued swelling and being quite painful.

**What the hell? I've turned into a pirate or a leprechaun!

Emerging

I've finally turned a corner when it comes to this damn virus that has had me down. I'm not back 100% and know I'm at that somewhat precarious point of possibly doing-too-much-too-soon. Being aware of that, I'm easing back into life and making an effort to not overdo it. I'm still coughing a bit, but I haven't had to take codeine for two days. And this afternoon, I slept for a couple of hours, in my bed, lying flat and only coughing a couple of times. These are big things.

So I've showered, even put on a little makeup, and am going out for a bit. Nothing too strenuous, but I'm excited to just be leaving the house. Better things are on their way, for sure.

All I Want

I just want to lie down and fall asleep. And stay asleep. And not cough. Ever. Again. Hey, even though I'm awake, I can still dream.

This is truly maddening and I am starting to have much more empathy for insomniacs than I could ever have before. I can not lie down without coughing. And I am exhausted. Night after night, I have been giving in to the codeine-enhanced cough syrup and eventually passing out.

I'd hoped tonight would be different and perhaps I'd sleep without medicinal aid. Sure, I figured I'd still be on the couch, mostly sitting up, but sleeping nonetheless. Not only am I awake and too out of it to do anything productive, but my body aches. I can't even seem to find a position to rest or read in comfortably.

Hopefully I've bored myself enough with this post that I can trick my body into falling into slumber before my lungs realize it and start retaliating. Wish me luck.