7/8 Don't read this

Don't read this if you're sick and tired of reading about my back. But...

Wish the epidural were today. I experienced my worst night ever last night. Had pretty bad pain all day which is not the norm. By the time I got home I was crying. And the hydrocodone didn't help. Finally called my sister who's my doctor's nurse and cried to her. She said, "I don't allow patients to call me at home." God that made me laugh, and of course that helped immensely.

Of course, she did give me comfort. That calmed me down. The pain didn't go away but I stopped crying. Being calm makes things a lot better. Thanks, Jan.

Oh, and the night before last we had a first--Gus slept all night without me having to take him outside. Last night it was three times, but I do see that a full night's sleep is now possible.

And when I got out of the shower, Bozie was watching the weather. She's such a smart cat.

7/6 Best and Worst

This has been such a great weekend. I've been able to be with my family a lot which is so important to me. Last night, Kelly, Todd, and the boys came over, but I didn't hear them knocking.(Note to self: get a doorbell.) Luckily I went out in front to water the flowers and saw them sitting over at Joe's house. So Gus, Bozie and I went over.

I knew they'd come to meet Bozie, because they are definitely cat people. Bozie made quite a hit with everyone. She is such a cutie. And of course Gus got some great attention too.

The worst part is that this weekend my back has been worse than ever. This latest bad flare up started about two days before the MRI, and unless I take the pain meds it's really bad. With the medication, I can tolerate the pain, but can't do a lot more than that. All I want to do is sleep. Last night I forced myself to water the flowers (which was good because I got to see everyone).

I'm grateful the puppy and kitten have each other. Neither has to rely on me for their fun. I do love to play with them though. Here are some pics I took with my phone.

We didn't know if Gussie would like the water or not, but he followed Rocky (a miniature dachshund) right into the pond.



I finally have a picture of Gus and me. It looks like I'm choking him, but I promise I'm not. Just wanted him to look at the darn camera.



My sister Jane holding Gus. And a pic of a small evergreen on Jan's porch with bubbles on it. The kids were blowing lots of bubbles and some would stick on the plant. Loved it.



A very tired puppy.



Bozie loves TV. Here's she's watching Wimbledon.

7/5 A wonderful Independence Day

Thanks, Jan and Tim, for such a great time. Most of the family and lots of friends turned out, and it made it a special day. Poor Gus doesn't remember how to walk because everyone kept holding him. :) That makes me happy.

I had a lot of fun. Can't wait to see the pictures.

When Gus and I got home I heard Bozie meowing, but couldn't find her. Started to get scared. Then I found her closed in the pantry. She was there the whole time. Luckily she didn't have an accident. A great kitty.

7/3 TMI on MRI

I know this will be too much information, but am writing it anyway.

Had the MRI yesterday and both my sisters called me with the results. I have two things wrong.

One is on L4 and L5 I have moderate to severe narrowing of the central canal. My doc said no wonder I'm in pain.

On the S1 and T12 I have perineural cysts (also called Tarlov cysts). Apparently they don't cause pain unless they grow to a certain size, so I don't know if they are just incidental or what.

There's also some stuff about "facet osteoarthropathy." Here's some info: "Most people who have facet arthropathy will complain of low back pain that is worse with twisting or extension (bending backwards) of the lumbar spine. ...as the facet joints become arthritic, they often develop bone spurs that can decrease the amount of space available for the nerve roots as they exit the spinal canal. This can be a contributing factor in the development of spinal stenosis, which does cause pain, numbness, and weakness in the buttocks and legs." Our father had arthritis of the spine, so it's no surprise that I have it.

Haven't spoken to my doc but he's sending me to a neurosurgeon, and also to the pain clinic for an epidural. I think I'll love the epidural. He does want me to have surgery, but of course I'm going to weigh my options. Luckily my sisters are wonderful and are great to have as consultants.

One sis said, "At least you know that you really have something." I laughed so loudly over the phone and replied, "I've always known I've had something. It's just you guys who think I'm a lazy slob." Laughed again. And so did she.

Yesterday and today were both big pain days, so I just took a pain pill. Will lie down soon and hope to begin snoring within moments.

7/2 A little good news

My license arrived in the mail today. So I'm currently an LCSW in three states--Illinois, Wisconsin, and Mississippi. Of course I'll let the other two expire, but I'm so happy the IL one arrived. It will make my job easier.

Had the MRI this morning. Will find out the results in a few days or so.

7/1 Stuff

Work flew by today. I had so many meetings that I didn't get my work done and had to bring a lot of items home.

The good news is that my eyes are fine. Saw the ophthalmologist this morning.

Also good news is that I got some pain meds from my doc and they are helping. Tomorrow morning I'm having an MRI, so we'll see what happens.

6/30 No time

Will post more later, but here's a picture from Joe and Cindy. My little Gus being chased by a Huskie--Storm. By the way, Storm is very sweet and they were playing great together.

6/29 More family fun

Last night we went to dinner at Tony's Too, and then went over to Kelly and Todd's so everyone could visit. It was fun.

Today it was raining off and on, but our reunion went off without a hitch. Gus was a big hit. And lunch was really good.

For dinner we all went to Matt and Beth's and ordered pizza. Gus was adorable with their huge Huskie, Storm. And all the little kids really had fun with him. Right now he's passed out on the bed.

Unfortunately it was the worst back day in quite a while. I see my doc at 6:30 AM.

6/28 Good weekend so far

Got up early and took Gus out. For the first time he decided to roll in poop, so at 5:45 AM he got a bath. Such a skinny little thing when his hair is wet. Went back to sleep until about 7:30 or so. Made breakfast, then talked to Jane. Jan was busy, but Jane, Sarah, and I went to the Midsummer Art Faire at Washington Park. It was really nice.

Saw so many people that I knew. It is indeed nice being home. Plus got a personal tour of the Tranquility Med Spa, owned by a physician who works with Jane. It is a beautiful (and peaceful) place.

Gus was a star. I can't even count the number of people who stopped us to talk to Gussie. A popular fellow. This is another good thing about having a small dog. I can take him places with me. Right now I'm at work (trying to get my new office organized), and Gus is sleeping at my feet. Just what I want.

Forgot my security code, so the police came out. Oops. But I finally found the right one and everything ended up fine.

Nothing going on tonight, but tomorrow is the Gustison reunion, so Gussie is definitely going there since he's named after their patriarch.

6/26 Happy sad mad disappointed and more

I moved into my new office and the new job starts Monday. So I'm happy about that.

And my house sold in MS. So I'm happy about that too.

And my pets are fantastic. They make me smile after a day of listening to people's very real problems.

The sad mad disappointed comes from this: after work I was totally pain free. Decided to play with my pets a few minutes on my bed and then actually clean part of my house.

Kris came over and helped me fix a few things, and while getting her a screwdriver the shooting pains and spasms began. This was around 5:30 or so. And they're still happening. Makes me so damn mad.

I've finally gotten to the point that I'm not in constant pain. So that's very good. Yet, when it hurts it really hurts. I'm still in physical therapy, and will visit my doc again on Monday.

So I guess it's just cuddling with my cuties tonight. Love to all.

6/26 Belated birthday and pets

A belated happy birthday to dear Hunter, my favorite grandson. Wish I had some pictures here at work to post. He is six and just as sweet and cute as can be. Hunter, I can't wait to see you in October. I'll call you again. Sorry I missed you.

More pet pictures.

Here's Grandma Bozie--



Here are the puppy and kitten drinking out of the same water bowl and also Gussie cleaning Bozie's ears. They are so cute together. But this morning Bozie got tired of Gus bugging her, so she jumped the gate and went into the "forbidden zone"--the living room. Smart cat.

6/24 Do you believe in miracles?

The kitten has been behind the dryer since Thursday. I made arrangements to return him and get a more domesticated kitten from someone else at work. Then lo and behold, the cat appears. And this is what happened:



They were on the bed together for a few hours, smelling, touching, playing. The kitten is a little suspicious still, but Gus was amazing. He didn't pounce once or play rough at all.

Oh, and the kitten is a she, not a he.

So I now have Grandpa Gussie (for Gustison) and Grandma Bozie (for Bozarth). It's funny too that Grandma Bozie was the eldest daughter of Grandpa Gussie. Got that straight?

Checking each other out...

6/23 Dogsitter

Today's my 12 hour day so Jane and family kindly took Gus for the day. Jane said when she handed the puppy to Sarah, Sarah said, "This is my dog."

Made me smile. I'm so glad everyone likes him. He's made my week, that's for sure.


This picture is of Gus with the dogs at Jan and Tim's. Shows how tiny he really is.

6/22 Lots of food with family

I ate at Jan and Tim's last night along with our other sister Jane and family. Today after Mass, Jan, Jane and I went to lunch at Krieger's. Was going to eat a Smart Dog for dinner but Jan invited me over again for dinner. I love going anyway but now that I can bring Gus with me I love going even more. We had salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread made on the grill. Yum.

But I ate too much. Sigh.

Am at home with my little puppy and am finishing laundry. Am also relaxing. Have had a really rough "back" day. Wish it would hurry up and get better.

Took pictures of the flood with my phone as I drove to Jan's. Can't connect the phone to my home computer for some reason, but will do so tomorrow at work and will post.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

6/21 Where's the kitty?

Behind the washer and dryer, that's where. I can't even get a picture of him, he's so shy and scared. I'm sure he'll come out to join us at some part. He does eat, drink and pee when we're sleeping, so I'm not concerned with his health.

Last night I got a crisis call and went to the ER and observed a staff member. This is training for my new job. Didn't get home until 1:15 AM, and not back to sleep until after 2. So I'm a bit tired today.

Gus remains AWESOME. No accidents at all. Quite an accomplishment since he won't even be two months old until the 23rd.

Oh, by the way the cat's name is Grandpa Bozie (for Grandpa Bozarth's nickname), and I'm calling him Bozie. Gus is named after Grandpa Gussie (Grandpa Gustison's nickname).

6/19 LA Times and a cat

Quincy is on the front page of the LA Times. Check it out:

http://www.latimes.com/includes/sectionfronts/A1.pdf

And I went to my boss's house and picked out one of his 15 kittens. It's a little gray male. A cutie, but very shy. He's in the laundry room and I expect him to stay there for a while. He's got food, water, and a litter box so he should be okay. Gus likes him but the feeling isn't mutual.

6/18 More on dogs?

Still good news from Q and C's new owners. They love the dogs. So I think I can relax a little.

Cutie pie Gus was in the crate all day--I came home at lunch and let him out after he was in it for 5 hours. No mess. He was awesome.

I left him at 12:30 and got back at 5:30 and once again--no mess. I can't believe he's 8 weeks old and did so well. Here's hoping it continues.

After work, I brought him to Jane and Pete's house to meet them and their dog Bailey. They fell in love too.

I'm a lucky bug.

6/17 Gus is mine

He's exploring my office right now. A little while ago I was holding him and he started whining. I took him outside and he pooped. What a smart little critter!

6/16 Great dog news

I received this email from Lesa, Quincy and Cookie's new mom:

The dogs did great yesterday. We were outside a lot and so were they. I didn't have to put them on the leads at all. If they went out of site, I just called and Quincy would always come immediately, it took Cookie awhile to return. She was too busy. First time out Quincy jumped right into my goldfish pond which is only about 4x3ft. Needless to say she got scolded for that and didnt do it anymore. They both found the creek right away and were having fun running in and out and under the culvert, over the road. and back under. Cookie definitely has some bird dog or something in her. She loves to trail scents and actually flushed out a wild turkey! Steve wrestled them in the house. At first they didn't know about it, but were soon lapping that up, esp when he rubbed their bellies. They were fighting over who got to play. Quincy loves the frisbee. I am assuming it was new, because now it has some pretty good teeth marks on it. She would catch in mid air most of the time. Cookie was too busy exploring to do much play. By the way they are scared of the stairs. Tried to get them to go down to the family room and they would have nothing to do with the stairs, even on the deck! Isn't that funny!

Anyway, they went right into bed last night. Didnt hear anything out of them at all. They were ready to go out at 5:30 am.

She and Steve put down the comforters in their spare bedroom and the dogs slept quietly there all night. I'm just so damn happy.

And Tuesday night Gus comes home.

6/15 They're gone

Yeah, I'm crying.

I picked up Jan and she went with me to take Quincy and Cookie to their new home. The home is absolutely lovely, which scares me a little bit. I sure hope the girls remember their manners. Their yard is awesome, with a creek a the bottom of it. I just know they are going to be so happy there. And Lesa seems so nice. We didn't get to meet her husband Steve because he was at church.

Lesa recently lost her little Yorkie, so she gave me a soft-sided carrying case which will be perfect for taking Gus in the car. And Joe and Cindy are giving me their crate that Kirby grew out of. That will be perfect for home. This is saving me a lot of money.

I didn't get to pick up Gus today after all because Jan and I went to help with sandbagging. The river is so high. The old bridge is already closed, and the new bridge is now two-way instead of one way. We're hoping the levees hold. They're calling for more rain tonight.

Am going to dinner with my sisters and their husbands for fathers' day. I think I got a pity invitation, but I'm happy for it. Any time I'm not at home being sad is good. :)

I work 12 hours tomorrow, so I can't pick up Gus until Tuesday after work. So it will sure give me something to look forward to.