Roy and I took The Whammer (that is Sammy to those of us in her inner circle) in to consult with the surgeon this morning. We expected that we would hear the pros and cons of the surgery, and what exactly they would be doing while they had her open. We also were prepared that they would take her today and perform the surgery if that is what we decided. Which we did.
They are going to go into her chest to look and feel for things that we can't find in the testing that we have done (which is everything available). They will also remove the pericardial sac or at least create a window in it. Assuming they don't find anything (i.e. a tumor, a foxtail) in the chest to explain her situation they will explore the abdomen in a similar manner. They will take samples of everything that is safe to take samples of and have a pathologist look at them.
Her surgery is roughly 3-5pm today. We will hear from the vet after the procedure unless they find something during surgery that they need to discuss with us. Keep your fingers crossed. We are very nervous for Sammy but feel confident in this surgeon and the vet that has been working on Sammy's case. Sammy will have to stay the night and possibly a 2nd night depending on the speed of her recovery. She is very strong, healthy and brave. AND she is very motivated to get home to be with Sophie.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
FilmLoop Version 1.1 on the way
Are you in the Loop? Get the FilmLoop player now and start sharing your photos today. FilmLoop is coming out with version 1.1 soon (no more beta!). You can be sure I will give you a link when it is available. Fee free to click a link below and play with the beta version.
Another Looplet:
Another Looplet:
Sammy might need surgery
We have an appointment Thursday to find out if Sammy needs surgery. Sammy continues to retain fluid. She has turned from a stuffed sausage to a barrel in the past few days. We called a spoke to the vet about what we should do and she said that exploratory surgery is the next step. We have exhausted all non-invasive methods of diagnosis and if we don't stop the fluid retention she will eventually die.
I'll know more after the appointment Thursday. What I understand right now is that the surgery is exploratory. They will likely remove the pericardial sack, take samples of the lymph nodes, and look for other abnormalities. The two causes they are hoping to find evidence of (either one ofr the other) are constrictive pericarditis and immune mediated vasculitis (article relates to humans but gives you an idea of what vasculitis is).
Poor Sammy. She is so brave.
I'll know more after the appointment Thursday. What I understand right now is that the surgery is exploratory. They will likely remove the pericardial sack, take samples of the lymph nodes, and look for other abnormalities. The two causes they are hoping to find evidence of (either one ofr the other) are constrictive pericarditis and immune mediated vasculitis (article relates to humans but gives you an idea of what vasculitis is).
Poor Sammy. She is so brave.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Sammy seems pretty good
Sammy has decided she has it too good here and she wants to stick around for a while. She still has some abdominal fluid, but we don’t think she is getting larger (or smaller). She has her great Sammy attitude and she loves to track Sophie around. She has bright eyes and is quite enthusiastic. She has also decided that she doesn’t care for dry kibble anymore. She prefers roast chicken, broccoli soup, hamburgers, etc. So we are in discussions on that point. If she would just get rid of the fluid I would swear she faked the whole thing just so she could get more table scraps.
We are hopeful she has turned a corner and is heading towards good health. We'll continue to think that until the vets can diagnose where the fluid is coming from.
We are hopeful she has turned a corner and is heading towards good health. We'll continue to think that until the vets can diagnose where the fluid is coming from.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
The Test Results are in and...
We still know nothing.
Not really, but close. We now know that Sammy does not have a mass in her chest cavity nor her abdomen. Which is great news. She does not have any pericardial fluid around her heart. Also great news. She does seem to have some swelling in the web-like tissue that surrounds her abdominal organs (there is a medical term for this stuff) and that could be from all the fluid in her abdomen or it could be cancer. She still has been accumulating fluid in her abdomen and we don't know why or from where.
Right now the vet says we just wait and watch. When she fills up with fluid we are to take her in to have it drained off and to have another ultrasound to check for pericardial fluid. We are not left with the impression that we can expect to repeat this process for years and years. I'm not sure at what point we move on to other options. We do have the option to do exploratory surgery took look for a cause. For now we will wait and watch.
Roy and I are exhausted. This cyclical life of high anxiety followed by great relief has been taxing. Thanks again for all of your kind words and I'm sorry to keep jerking you all around on the roller coaster too.
Not really, but close. We now know that Sammy does not have a mass in her chest cavity nor her abdomen. Which is great news. She does not have any pericardial fluid around her heart. Also great news. She does seem to have some swelling in the web-like tissue that surrounds her abdominal organs (there is a medical term for this stuff) and that could be from all the fluid in her abdomen or it could be cancer. She still has been accumulating fluid in her abdomen and we don't know why or from where.
Right now the vet says we just wait and watch. When she fills up with fluid we are to take her in to have it drained off and to have another ultrasound to check for pericardial fluid. We are not left with the impression that we can expect to repeat this process for years and years. I'm not sure at what point we move on to other options. We do have the option to do exploratory surgery took look for a cause. For now we will wait and watch.
Roy and I are exhausted. This cyclical life of high anxiety followed by great relief has been taxing. Thanks again for all of your kind words and I'm sorry to keep jerking you all around on the roller coaster too.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
CT Scan Done Today
We took Sammy to VMS in Concord today for her CT scan of her chest and abdomin. We won't know any of the results until sometime tomorrow. She is home and she is hungry and thirsty. I imagine she will be napping for a while... her eyes are quite bleary.
We don't know what to expect. The chance that she has a heart base tumor is unchanged from the last time we spoke to a vet. The vet we spoke to today said that her symptoms didn't really add up to one diagnosis or another conclusively. She is considering the possibility that Sammy has pericardioitis (misspelled I'm sure) or inflamation in the pericardial sack. If that is the case then removal of the pericardial sack would be an option. She gave us a small ammount of hope to cling to.
I'll post the study result when we hear.
We don't know what to expect. The chance that she has a heart base tumor is unchanged from the last time we spoke to a vet. The vet we spoke to today said that her symptoms didn't really add up to one diagnosis or another conclusively. She is considering the possibility that Sammy has pericardioitis (misspelled I'm sure) or inflamation in the pericardial sack. If that is the case then removal of the pericardial sack would be an option. She gave us a small ammount of hope to cling to.
I'll post the study result when we hear.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Sammy's time is short
It’s taken all day for me to have the energy to write this. Today at the vet’s office Sammy had the same two procedures as the last visit; ultrasound, echocardiogram. Still no fluid was found in the pericardial sack however they drained 2.5 liters of fluid from her abdomen and chest cavity. That’s quite a lot.
So the vet sat us down and told us that she is very concerned that Sammy has a tumor on her heart. This is the same tumor that we felt probably wasn’t there. The problem is if it exists it is high up on the heart and can not been detected by the tests we have done thus far. The vet is only able to guess that is it there based on the return of the fluid yet not finding any in the pericardial sack. Following this? View the vet's letter.
Our options:
~ Opt for surgery. They would go in through the rib cage to investigate the heart and look to get a visual on the mass. If they found one, they would call us (during surgery) to discus options since most elect not to wake the pet from surgery. There doesn’t seem to be any type of mass that is operable.
~ Get a CT scan. That would be a non-invasive way to see if there is a mass, and as mentioned before, there doesn’t seem to be a “good” mass.
~ Do nothing. If we do nothing, she will continue to retain fluid. We can have the fluid drained again.
We are going to have the CT scan, and we will do it on Wednesday. We feel we need to have conclusive evidence there is a mass. Plus we are on some level still clinging to the hope that she doesn’t have a mass (yet then we have to do more tests to figure out what the issue is.) No one really thinks this is at all likely, but we still hold out hope.
Bottom line, barring a miracle, the best case scenario is she has a month to live. What we are likely to see is increased fluid, and increased difficulty breathing and a loss of appetite. At the same time she will not be in any pain or discomfort other than that associated with the fluid and breathing. This is so hard because her personality, vitality and spirit are as they have always been. She is playful, enthusiastic and energetic. It's hard to imagine she is so sick. I'm sure all this is confusing since previous posts indicated no tumor, no cancer in the lab results. All I can say is that the vet was clear with us that these heart tumors are sometimes hard to find and the cells don't always flake off into the blood.
Thanks again for all of your kind words. We are going to spend the next days with Sammy doing all the things she loves to do and spoiling her rotten. Though we feel the two years we have had with her is not nearly enough, we are lucky to have had any time with her at all.
So the vet sat us down and told us that she is very concerned that Sammy has a tumor on her heart. This is the same tumor that we felt probably wasn’t there. The problem is if it exists it is high up on the heart and can not been detected by the tests we have done thus far. The vet is only able to guess that is it there based on the return of the fluid yet not finding any in the pericardial sack. Following this? View the vet's letter.
Our options:
~ Opt for surgery. They would go in through the rib cage to investigate the heart and look to get a visual on the mass. If they found one, they would call us (during surgery) to discus options since most elect not to wake the pet from surgery. There doesn’t seem to be any type of mass that is operable.
~ Get a CT scan. That would be a non-invasive way to see if there is a mass, and as mentioned before, there doesn’t seem to be a “good” mass.
~ Do nothing. If we do nothing, she will continue to retain fluid. We can have the fluid drained again.
We are going to have the CT scan, and we will do it on Wednesday. We feel we need to have conclusive evidence there is a mass. Plus we are on some level still clinging to the hope that she doesn’t have a mass (yet then we have to do more tests to figure out what the issue is.) No one really thinks this is at all likely, but we still hold out hope.
Bottom line, barring a miracle, the best case scenario is she has a month to live. What we are likely to see is increased fluid, and increased difficulty breathing and a loss of appetite. At the same time she will not be in any pain or discomfort other than that associated with the fluid and breathing. This is so hard because her personality, vitality and spirit are as they have always been. She is playful, enthusiastic and energetic. It's hard to imagine she is so sick. I'm sure all this is confusing since previous posts indicated no tumor, no cancer in the lab results. All I can say is that the vet was clear with us that these heart tumors are sometimes hard to find and the cells don't always flake off into the blood.
Thanks again for all of your kind words. We are going to spend the next days with Sammy doing all the things she loves to do and spoiling her rotten. Though we feel the two years we have had with her is not nearly enough, we are lucky to have had any time with her at all.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Incredible, Expanding Sammy
I don't know who this is harder on. Clearly Sammy is uncomfortable, she looks like she might pop at any minute. But this is torture for me too. Sammy has an appointment Monday morning for another exam and ultrasound. I was told to wait 'til then to bring her in. I'm at least thankful that the appointment is tomorrow and early. Think she really would pop if we had to wait until Tuesday.
She still has her personality though!
She still has her personality though!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Sammy is a puzzle
I don’t know what to think anymore. Sammy’s sonogram showed that there is NO fluid surrounding the heart. Really good news. It means surgery is not indicated and it suggests that she does not have a tumor on her heart (which in turn supports the conclusion that this whole situation is idiopathic).
Her ultrasound showed there is still fluid in her abdomen. This is puzzling news. When she came home a week ago, she really slimed down in the first few days, suggesting the fluid had dissipated. But then she has increased in size in the past few days, suggesting the fluid has returned. Since we now know that there is no fluid surrounding her heart that either means her abdominal fluid is the “old” fluid that hasn’t gone away yet, or there is fluid coming from somewhere else. They sent a sample of the fluid to a lab to see what it consists of.
She goes back Monday for another exam just to be sure that her heart stays stable. I still think (hope) she is constipated.
Her ultrasound showed there is still fluid in her abdomen. This is puzzling news. When she came home a week ago, she really slimed down in the first few days, suggesting the fluid had dissipated. But then she has increased in size in the past few days, suggesting the fluid has returned. Since we now know that there is no fluid surrounding her heart that either means her abdominal fluid is the “old” fluid that hasn’t gone away yet, or there is fluid coming from somewhere else. They sent a sample of the fluid to a lab to see what it consists of.
She goes back Monday for another exam just to be sure that her heart stays stable. I still think (hope) she is constipated.
Another Ultrasound for Sammy
Sammy is at the vet today for another ultrasound. She had gotten bigger in the past few days, but still not as big as she was when we took her to the ER a week ago. Over the course of this week I have become quite a bit more adept at the medical terms… though I’m sure I’ll still mess them up a little.
A week ago Sammy’s diagnosis was pseudo pericardial effusion; the cause was thought to be idiopathic. Translated, that means that the sack that surrounds her heart was filling with fluid and pumping the excess into her abdominal cavity resulting in a bloated appearance. The cause is of unexplained origin. The fact that she has again started to retain fluid does not change the diagnosis at this point. She will have another ultrasound this morning and a complete exam. If the vet confirms that she has the same condition as a week ago and does not see any signs of a tumor then she will speak with the surgeon about scheduling Sammy to have the pericardial sack removed. This would probably happen in the next day or so. She tells us that Sammy would most likely stay at the hospital for 1-3 days and then can come home – good as new. Removing the pericardial sack is curative for idiopathic pericardial infusion.
So now we steel ourselves for surgery on our precious Sammy’s heart. I'm still holding out hope that she is just really constipated.
A week ago Sammy’s diagnosis was pseudo pericardial effusion; the cause was thought to be idiopathic. Translated, that means that the sack that surrounds her heart was filling with fluid and pumping the excess into her abdominal cavity resulting in a bloated appearance. The cause is of unexplained origin. The fact that she has again started to retain fluid does not change the diagnosis at this point. She will have another ultrasound this morning and a complete exam. If the vet confirms that she has the same condition as a week ago and does not see any signs of a tumor then she will speak with the surgeon about scheduling Sammy to have the pericardial sack removed. This would probably happen in the next day or so. She tells us that Sammy would most likely stay at the hospital for 1-3 days and then can come home – good as new. Removing the pericardial sack is curative for idiopathic pericardial infusion.
So now we steel ourselves for surgery on our precious Sammy’s heart. I'm still holding out hope that she is just really constipated.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Sammy's Puffing Up Again
It saddens me to report that Sammy seems to retaining fluids again. Over the past few days she has (to our eyes) gotten bigger and when we took her over to visit my parents, they both thought she looked bigger too.
We can't figure out what the problem is. While we were going through our ER experience and ultrasound experience last week, ironically we were going through the same set of testing as another couple and their 9 year old mastiff. The short version of the story is that the mastiffs tests revealed a tumor on her heart and that couple elected to put her down. Sammy isn't acting ANYTHING like that mastiff... no lethargy, no vomiting, no dehydration, just bloating. Yes, they checked for Bloat first thing at the ER last week.
We will keep an eye on her and probably schedule an ultrasound on Thursday if possible.
We can't figure out what the problem is. While we were going through our ER experience and ultrasound experience last week, ironically we were going through the same set of testing as another couple and their 9 year old mastiff. The short version of the story is that the mastiffs tests revealed a tumor on her heart and that couple elected to put her down. Sammy isn't acting ANYTHING like that mastiff... no lethargy, no vomiting, no dehydration, just bloating. Yes, they checked for Bloat first thing at the ER last week.
We will keep an eye on her and probably schedule an ultrasound on Thursday if possible.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A Whole New Sammy
Sammy continues to get better and better. She was a bit sluggish yesterday, mostly napping and lying around. She made me a little nervous when up came her dinner two hours after she ate it. She did keep a couple of her cookies down though so that was hopeful. We wrapped her in a blanket in her bed (remember I said she was oddly shaven and there was a lot of cold wind last night). I woke up at 3:30 and she wasn't in her bed. I found her asleep in the Rumpus Room and convinced her to come with me back to the bedroom where she stayed the rest of the night.
This morning she was slow to get out of bed, but I think that was mostly due to having no food in her system. She enjoyed her walk as she always does. I gave her a small breakfast of rice and broth and she is a whole new Sammy! She pouced on the toy box, pulled out a toy, rolled on the floor with it and growled happily. She participated in a game of ball with Sophie and I and she has been wagging her tail like nobody's business. She is even begging to be rubbed. Now THAT is the Sammy we know and love.
This morning she was slow to get out of bed, but I think that was mostly due to having no food in her system. She enjoyed her walk as she always does. I gave her a small breakfast of rice and broth and she is a whole new Sammy! She pouced on the toy box, pulled out a toy, rolled on the floor with it and growled happily. She participated in a game of ball with Sophie and I and she has been wagging her tail like nobody's business. She is even begging to be rubbed. Now THAT is the Sammy we know and love.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
No Cancer Detected
Good news! The Vet called to report that the cytology on Sammy's fluid showed NO CANCER CELLS. As you might imagine we breathed a huge sigh of relief upon hearing that news. She has to go back in for another scan in 2-4 weeks (presuming nothing else presents itself before then). Considering what happened to her, this is the best possible outcome.
Thank you all very much for your caring, concern and kind words. They really have meant a lot.
Thank you all very much for your caring, concern and kind words. They really have meant a lot.
Sammy is Home!
We just picked Sammy up from VMS in San Mateo. You can see they gave her a pretty bandage for where her IV used to be. She is a little groggy and oddly shaved but she is very Sammy.
We don't yet know the results of the cytology for the fluid that was removed - that should be later this afternoon so check back. The results could show evidence of a tumor or cancer that the vet was unable to see on the sonagram. Hopefully not, but even if there is no evidence of a tumor that isn't 100% conclusive at this point. We will be taking her back in 3 weeks for a follow up ultrasound. If they find more fluid, they will drain it and remove the sack that surrounds her heart that trapped the fluid this time. At that point we have to talk about exploratory surgery to see if there is a tumor that wasn't detected in earlier tests. The fluid in the abdomen should work its way out of the body in the next few days. Already I see most of it is gone.
We have been instructed to let her rest for the next 2 days then ease her back into her regular routine of activities. As you know, the hardest part of that will be getting Sophie to chill out for two days as Sammy has to be right on Sophie's heels at every moment!
For those of you interested in the report with all its fancy medical terms, I've scanned it for your reading pleasure. It is large enough to read at 100%. You might have to double click it to enlarge it.
We don't yet know the results of the cytology for the fluid that was removed - that should be later this afternoon so check back. The results could show evidence of a tumor or cancer that the vet was unable to see on the sonagram. Hopefully not, but even if there is no evidence of a tumor that isn't 100% conclusive at this point. We will be taking her back in 3 weeks for a follow up ultrasound. If they find more fluid, they will drain it and remove the sack that surrounds her heart that trapped the fluid this time. At that point we have to talk about exploratory surgery to see if there is a tumor that wasn't detected in earlier tests. The fluid in the abdomen should work its way out of the body in the next few days. Already I see most of it is gone.
We have been instructed to let her rest for the next 2 days then ease her back into her regular routine of activities. As you know, the hardest part of that will be getting Sophie to chill out for two days as Sammy has to be right on Sophie's heels at every moment!
For those of you interested in the report with all its fancy medical terms, I've scanned it for your reading pleasure. It is large enough to read at 100%. You might have to double click it to enlarge it.
My Courageous Sammy Bear
Though this is posted on February 14, it was all written on the 13th.
I noticed Sammy was bigger, as in she looked pregnant, this weekend. She was also heavier. But Sunday I looked at her and got scared at how large she had become. She looked like a barrel on stilts. I was afraid (unrealistically) that she would pop! We took her to the emergency vet, who took an x-ray and found that her abdomen was full of fluid. She took a blood sample and a sample of the fluid and really was not able to tell us what the issue was. She recommended we see our regular vet and get an ultrasound ASAP. I faxed all the information to Dr. Blount (our regular vet) Sunday. She called Monday at 8:05am to tell us she got Sammy an ultrasound appointment at 8:45am.
These are the email updates that followed…
Sammy's ultrasound revealed that she has a lot of fluid in the sack surrounding her heart and essentially the heart has been pumping this fluid into her abdomen. That's why she was so big.
She is going to have a sonogram of her heart this afternoon to determine the cause of the fluid. It is expected to be one of two things:
1. A tumor on her heart. If this is the case we will have some big choices... We can put her to sleep today, we can take her home and spend some time with her, we can drain the fluid and spend more time with her, or we can surgically remove the tumor and have maybe 3 months with her.
2. a spontaneous and unexplained event in which case we drain the fluid and it is likely she will not have the problem again. As you can imagine, we are hoping for option 'B'. The odds are literally 50/50.
I’ll let you know more when I know more.
UPDATE 1
The vet just called. She does NOT see a tumor on Sammy’s heart at this point or any cancer. She is going to drain the fluid and call us this evening with an update. We are still not out of the woods as this procedure has some serious risk, but this is REALLY great news. Sammy will have to stay overnight at the vet’s office.
I’ll let you know more as I know more. WHEW!
UPDATE 2
The vet called this evening to tell me that they removed 150cc’s of fluid from around Sammy's heart. That's a lot. Dr. Joe says that's almost 2/3 of a normal glass of water. She came through just fine and she enjoyed going for a walk (no great surprise there). She is going to stay overnight at the vet’s office so she remains calm and the doctor will call us in the morning with an update and to discuss the plan for follow up treatment. They are sending a sample of the fluid through various lab tests and we should know the results in the afternoon sometime.
Whew.
I noticed Sammy was bigger, as in she looked pregnant, this weekend. She was also heavier. But Sunday I looked at her and got scared at how large she had become. She looked like a barrel on stilts. I was afraid (unrealistically) that she would pop! We took her to the emergency vet, who took an x-ray and found that her abdomen was full of fluid. She took a blood sample and a sample of the fluid and really was not able to tell us what the issue was. She recommended we see our regular vet and get an ultrasound ASAP. I faxed all the information to Dr. Blount (our regular vet) Sunday. She called Monday at 8:05am to tell us she got Sammy an ultrasound appointment at 8:45am.
These are the email updates that followed…
Sammy's ultrasound revealed that she has a lot of fluid in the sack surrounding her heart and essentially the heart has been pumping this fluid into her abdomen. That's why she was so big.
She is going to have a sonogram of her heart this afternoon to determine the cause of the fluid. It is expected to be one of two things:
1. A tumor on her heart. If this is the case we will have some big choices... We can put her to sleep today, we can take her home and spend some time with her, we can drain the fluid and spend more time with her, or we can surgically remove the tumor and have maybe 3 months with her.
2. a spontaneous and unexplained event in which case we drain the fluid and it is likely she will not have the problem again. As you can imagine, we are hoping for option 'B'. The odds are literally 50/50.
I’ll let you know more when I know more.
UPDATE 1
The vet just called. She does NOT see a tumor on Sammy’s heart at this point or any cancer. She is going to drain the fluid and call us this evening with an update. We are still not out of the woods as this procedure has some serious risk, but this is REALLY great news. Sammy will have to stay overnight at the vet’s office.
I’ll let you know more as I know more. WHEW!
UPDATE 2
The vet called this evening to tell me that they removed 150cc’s of fluid from around Sammy's heart. That's a lot. Dr. Joe says that's almost 2/3 of a normal glass of water. She came through just fine and she enjoyed going for a walk (no great surprise there). She is going to stay overnight at the vet’s office so she remains calm and the doctor will call us in the morning with an update and to discuss the plan for follow up treatment. They are sending a sample of the fluid through various lab tests and we should know the results in the afternoon sometime.
Whew.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Denver for the Day
I don't want to sound like I'm from the 1800's (though sometimes I feel that I am) but it amazes me that I can, and have on several occasions, commuted to Denver for a day's work. I caught the 8:05am flight out and was home by 7pm. It just seems like a commute like that would involve a longer day. Granted I only worked for around 4 hours of that day and spent 6 ish hours traveling, but it is still remarkable.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
What's that about people in glass houses?
Every year there is a Dog Show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. It has been something we have attended for the past 5 years or so and we've had a great time. It's fun to see the "best" of each breed and to hand out with really cool... dogs.
Now this is a tough event to attend with others. It's one thing to go and be a "weird dog person" if noone knows you or you are with the one person who accepts your dog-ladyness, but to go with people who think they are your friend... can be tricky. Anyway, we arranged to go with another couple who said they go every year, they love it, and they hope to get a dog soon. I know the him in the realtionship better than the her. We get to their house, they have the baby in the car and she is just getting one last thing from the house. "I'm going to lock up, OK?" she says to him, then she puts her foot down on the edge of the cheery welcome mat, rolls her ankle quickly and severely to the outside, tumbles to the ground with an unbelieavable wince and smashes her head on the large pot to the left of the door. I, being the jackass that I am, start laughing. I mean really laughing - out of control. Her husband starts laughing (not good) and she starts laughing and sort of crying. It was a mess. She ended up being fine, a bit of a sore neck and a bruised ego. We went to the dog show and had a good time. I came home with an embarassing amount of samples and toys for Sophie and Sammy.
The next morning, I leash up the dogs for our walk, open the door, put my foot half on and half off our dog paw laden welcome mat and twist my ankle. In the process of falling I throw my back out so as not to land on Sammy before landing squarely on my hip and elbow.
What do they say about people in glass houses throwing stones? I suppose it was pay back for laughing so hard the day before...
Now this is a tough event to attend with others. It's one thing to go and be a "weird dog person" if noone knows you or you are with the one person who accepts your dog-ladyness, but to go with people who think they are your friend... can be tricky. Anyway, we arranged to go with another couple who said they go every year, they love it, and they hope to get a dog soon. I know the him in the realtionship better than the her. We get to their house, they have the baby in the car and she is just getting one last thing from the house. "I'm going to lock up, OK?" she says to him, then she puts her foot down on the edge of the cheery welcome mat, rolls her ankle quickly and severely to the outside, tumbles to the ground with an unbelieavable wince and smashes her head on the large pot to the left of the door. I, being the jackass that I am, start laughing. I mean really laughing - out of control. Her husband starts laughing (not good) and she starts laughing and sort of crying. It was a mess. She ended up being fine, a bit of a sore neck and a bruised ego. We went to the dog show and had a good time. I came home with an embarassing amount of samples and toys for Sophie and Sammy.
The next morning, I leash up the dogs for our walk, open the door, put my foot half on and half off our dog paw laden welcome mat and twist my ankle. In the process of falling I throw my back out so as not to land on Sammy before landing squarely on my hip and elbow.
What do they say about people in glass houses throwing stones? I suppose it was pay back for laughing so hard the day before...
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Babies, Babies and MORE Babies!
I suppose I am in that stage of life where my peers are becoming parents. My niece and her husband welcomed thier first baby, a girl, to the world on Christmas Day 2005. Hannah is very healthy and clearly is enjoying her parents and new home. The best man at our wedding and his girlfriend are expecting their first child this week, also a girl. They, being a bit older than the average parent, decided to use a surrogate to carry thier daughter to term. She, Mia, is expected to show her face this Thursday. A good friend from Boot Camp has a 9 month old, another good friend and her husband are working on their first pregnancy. There might be something in the California water supply...
No need to wonder, Roy and I STILL don't want to be parents to anyone other than our furry children. :)
No need to wonder, Roy and I STILL don't want to be parents to anyone other than our furry children. :)
Friday, January 13, 2006
Midwesterner in California
My cousin Tom came out to ole CA for a work related jaunt. He was here for all of this week (leaving as I write this). He has some surveys to complete and feedback to discuss with the managers at Albertson's in the area. As far as all that goes, I think the trip was a sucess!
It was a blast to have Tom around. Since he lives in the midwest and I live in the far west, we have not had much opportunity to get to know one another. It was fun to just hang out and learn some key phrases. "Aw ish" for one...
It was a blast to have Tom around. Since he lives in the midwest and I live in the far west, we have not had much opportunity to get to know one another. It was fun to just hang out and learn some key phrases. "Aw ish" for one...
Monday, January 02, 2006
Holiday Wrap Up
On Christmas Day, 2005, Roy's niece (and my niece too) gave birth to her first child, a girl, Hannah Beth. That makes me a Great Aunt. Of couse since Owen's arrival I have been The Greatest Aunt (as in fabulous) but now I have the official title of Great Aunt. Hannah Beth was acutally due to be a New Year's baby, but she had other things in mind. She arrived happy and healthy and handed to two very happy parents with practically their entire immediate family at the hospital.
New Years Eve. Rain, rain and more rain. We had unbelievable rain and wind come through in the early morning. Mom called to tell me that her street was flooding and the police and fire department were calling for voluntary evacuations. Yikes. The creek was at 15', the bridge at my parents' street is at 16' and the creek's banks are at 20' - not to mention high tide was just starting. We go sand bags on the grates and the cats upstairs. Luckily, the water never got highter than the curb on their side of the street. on the south side of town, our in-laws had a 300 year old oak tree break in half and land on their house. Again, luckily it only punctured the roof in 2 places. No injuries and tarps were a quick fix.
The family came over for dinner. My nephew was feeling much better and was back to his old self. He had a ball playing with MHP and the dogs in the "Hanging Room" (this is where we hang out). They all left quite early (by 8pm) and we went straight to bed knowing what was in store for us... 11:30 came around and the first fireworks began. Sammy freaked out. She paced and paced, jumped in and out of the chair, wadded the bath mat into a knot. There was nothing we could do for her. She finally wore herself out at 12:30. Poor Bear.
New Years Eve. Rain, rain and more rain. We had unbelievable rain and wind come through in the early morning. Mom called to tell me that her street was flooding and the police and fire department were calling for voluntary evacuations. Yikes. The creek was at 15', the bridge at my parents' street is at 16' and the creek's banks are at 20' - not to mention high tide was just starting. We go sand bags on the grates and the cats upstairs. Luckily, the water never got highter than the curb on their side of the street. on the south side of town, our in-laws had a 300 year old oak tree break in half and land on their house. Again, luckily it only punctured the roof in 2 places. No injuries and tarps were a quick fix.
The family came over for dinner. My nephew was feeling much better and was back to his old self. He had a ball playing with MHP and the dogs in the "Hanging Room" (this is where we hang out). They all left quite early (by 8pm) and we went straight to bed knowing what was in store for us... 11:30 came around and the first fireworks began. Sammy freaked out. She paced and paced, jumped in and out of the chair, wadded the bath mat into a knot. There was nothing we could do for her. She finally wore herself out at 12:30. Poor Bear.
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