Short Circuits

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This is the beginning of a new tangle.  I woke up, made some coffee and sat down to tangle a little before I go out to do a final cleanup on the patio.  My hands tremble more than usual this morning...so it this pattern is quite different than Suzanne McNeil's "River."  I had difficulty making the pen go where I wanted.

The neurologist at the MS Clinic told me this week that my brain has short circuits.  There is nothing they can do for it. 

Sipping my coffee as I "drew" the lines, I was feeling bad about the evidence of my impaired small motor control staring back at me.  I used to have perfect control over my lines and my writing. I used to do calligraphy, used to teach it to others at craft classes.  These days, I even type, Post-it notes because my writing is so bad. 

A friend sends me daily horoscopes, just for fun, and the email arrived with today's horoscope.  What a shock I had when I read the subject line.   It is Friday.  I did not go to work today, thinking it was Saturday.  I knew the day last night, I was confused this morning.  Will have to start leaving notes on the night table so I am told what day it is when I wake up.  I called in sick...I can't let them know.

 

Be Careful Where You Buy A Puppy

This dear little fellow came home with my son and his wife on Saturday evening...a Boston Terrier. They drove from Toronto to Cambridge to pick him up at what they thought was the breeder's home.

He was fine when they arrived home and we all gathered to welcome him. He was a delightful little thing, happy to meet everyone and very loving. Glenn gave him his meal and he gobbled it down along with a few laps of water. He seemed fine. We all fell in love with him at first sight.

The vomiting and diarrhea began next morning. It wasn't very bad so they packed him up and came over to my house for dinner as previously planned. As the afternoon went on I wondered why he slept so much. The few times he got up he had diaharrea and went back to sleep. Then he began to vomit again. Glenn and Grace offered water which he didn't want, then Grace dropped water in his mouth with her finger. Vomiting and diarrhea, both with blood, continued during the night. Next morning Glenn took him to the vet who thought he probably had parasites. They took a stool sample and sent him home with medicine.

The puppy didn't improve with the medicine, he became more listless; the diarrhea and vomiting with blood continued. With all the vomiting it is likely the he didn't absorb any of the drugs. Back at the vet again this morning, the puppy may have parvo-virus. Glenn could not hold back tears at the vet...he cannot afford the test ($700) and was very upset he might have to put the dog down. The vet said not to give up hope and sent him home after two injections. They took a stool sample and are testing that. ($200) If the dog has this virus the treatment is thousands of dollars and offers a 50% chance he will live.

They signed a paper when they took the dog, from what they thought was the breeder, saying they understood the breeder was not responsible if anything was wrong with the dog other than congenital defects. The dog was very sick within 24 hours, with what has to be a previously existing condition that is highly contagious and they are not responsible? Glenn had called to let the "breeder" know the dog was very sick.

Grace called again today to tell them she wanted her money back and reimbursement for the medical expenses. She found out these people are not the breeders, they are a transfer house (what is that?) and the dog comes from a breeder in London Ontario. Sounds like a puppy mill to me. What a nightmare this has become.

I am thinking they should go back to Cambridge, demand a refund and medical expenses and if they do not get it, go to the police and CTV and Global news. They might be interested in visiting this "breeder" in London.

The puppy is even worse this evening.

Pink Screwdriver

I saw this pink screwdriver set at Home Depot and had to have it.
My partner said, "You already have a set like this, and it is a better one too."
"I want this one, it's pink."
He gently steered us out of the aisle.
I gently steered us back to the display. I picked one up and took it to the cash.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I am taking an interest in tools. I will start fixing things."

Next morning, I am turning eggs in the pan. You can see it didn't go well.
He put the pink screwdriver in my hand.

Cheeky!

Doves Camp Out

Waking hour seems to be 4:00 AM these days. My head is clear. I went down to make coffee and saw doves in my garden between the plants as dawn arrived. I was surprised to see them, they were nuzzling and doing a strange gentle dance, heads bobbing up and down. It looked like they had camped here overnight. Came back with my camera and took some photos. Enjoyed an hour watching them while I sat on the floor and sipped my coffee. Then the lawn guy threw the gate open and nodded good morning at me with a big smile...lawn mower blaring . . . doves gone.

Thoughts in the night

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Maybe the worst is over...it is 3:30 AM and my head is clear. My vision is not but that will come. I woke up in a panic thinking about MS and how my life has changed. I haven't come to terms with it. The worst isn't over at all...it is perhaps only beginning. Why do I have it? This wasn't my plan at all. I turned 60 at the end of May and had planned to retire and travel. Why doesn't the College of Radiologists, the government, the MS Society, the medical community in general embrace a cure that seems to be working on so many? Why are they trying to squash it? Why are they shutting down studies, testing, closing doors when they should be opening them? I don't have time to wait for this.

A few hours on a warm rock

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Paul brought me down to the beach yesterday afternoon. He said even if we just sit in the car, it would be good sunshine and a change of scenery...he helped me over to the rocks, which were warm and I sat there for a couple of hours, feeling the wind in my hair and face, watching sunbathers, and people walk their dogs and listening to the lake--all through bleary eyes and ears. I began to feel some energy return and was happy for that. My vision is still very bad and I am weak. Mostly, it feels like I am drunk, totally stoned drunk--but my thinking is not drunk-- and the only thing I have had is my medicine.

Paul is still calling and reaching people who can help get me into a study. Many people will not talk to him but he keeps trying and has made a lot of progress. Stanford, Buffalo, Barrie and Bulgaria (the doctor in Bulgaria is working with the Italian doctor who discovered the Liberation treatment for his wife) are places I may have a chance to be seen. He is also calling people in the Canadian Government.

This morning I took 14 prednisone pills and a Xantac to settle the tummy. My head is eventually going to clear and I will feel better.