Bentley Crossed the Rainbow Bridge Today...

In several earlier posts, I've mentioned our pup Bentley, aka Mr. B.  Today I have some sad news....

Bentley has fought an illness known as Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia for a long while....coincidentally, he was diagnosed four months ago today.  With this disease, the body's immune system attacks its own red blood cells.  He was on several medications, and required blood work to be done every few days to check his levels. 

Over the last few days, it became obvious that Bentley wasn't feeling well at all.  Today was our third trip to the vet this week.  We did our blood tests,  and his numbers today had fallen drastically.   We got our specialist on the phone, and he held out little hope.  The decision pet owners dread had to be made.  And my heart broke.   

Today was a beautiful October day here in south Louisiana.  Our little pup Bentley crossed the Rainbow Bridge around noon, held in my arms while we sat in the green grass outside the vet office, under a crystal blue sky.   It was peaceful, and it was the best thing for him.  

 Mr. B was a sweet, sweet boy, and I will miss him terribly. But I know my Lucky has met Mr. B at the Bridge, and they are running together right now.   And I know from experience that the hurt will ease a bit over time, and I will be able to remember the special things about Bentley and smile....how he barked to tattle on his brother and sister, how he wagged his little pom-pom tail, how he turned circles to ask for something, and the funny piggy-like noises he made.  And I'll remember the puppy kisses and smile....

But for today, I cry.....

Run free, my sweet, sweet boy.....

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Back again....

Hi....I guess you were thinking I wouldn't be back again...that is, if you're still even reading this blog.  Life has kind of gotten in the way of my blogging lately, but I am determined to do a better job at it, I promise.

My kids are visiting this weekend, so it will be busy, noisy, and fun....while I will hurt and ache, I will also laugh and smile at them.   At the same time, I am crying inside right now, as Mr. Bentley is not doing too well.  His fight against IMHA is a hard one, and he is a sick puppy at the moment.

In fibro news, I have found, through careful study, one of Keegan's favorite foods....one that he has used to wage war against me.  This discovery is making a tremendous difference.   I'll fill you in next time.

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Time Flies....

Wow......it has been so long since I posted here.  And it has left a hole.  But life has been somewhat, shall we say, crazy around here lately.  Family illness, on top of Mr. B's illness, have had Dijon and I visiting the human hospital as well as the animal hospital!  I think we are finally at a better point, and I'm hoping I can get back to blogging again :)

Good news....Mr. B is in remission!!  He still has some fights ahead, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Right now, its Sally 0 and Keegan 10......seriously, I have been on the couch, asleep, for two solid days.  This is a pretty bad flare, and I am trying to crawl my way out of it.  My dear dragon is beating me down for all he is worth.  He can be such a mean little thing!   Say a prayer if you will for me....we have a full weekend ahead.

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Roller Coasters....Fun or Not So Much??

Dijon and I have two daughters, who are totally opposite in personality....always have been, since they were tiny little things.  One was a very prim and proper little princess, who enjoyed playing quietly with her dolls.  The other, the younger, was a tomboy who loved all things wild and exciting!  So while my oldest gravitated toward calmer rides during our outings to theme parks, my baby girl always longed for lots of rides on the wildest of the roller coasters.   She would have LOVED the one in the picture above, and luckily for me, Dijon would have been happy to accompany her on the ride!

I'm reminded of these theme part adventures lately.....I feel like I'm on two roller coasters in my life right now.  As I've mentioned, our pup has IMHA, and it is an autoimmune illness with lots of ups and downs.  In fact, it is much like AI illnesses humans suffer from, according to my rheumatologist.  As a result of his illness and the side effects of his medications, he is often up during the night, and our sleep is spotty at best.  We visit the vet often, and I must keep an ever-watchful eye on him.

So the stress from that roller coaster adds to the "excitement" of the roller coaster that I already live on.....my fibro has been "off the charts" lately.  Imagine the fibro roller coaster as having HUGE climbs, ENORMOUS falls, and TWISTING curves.   Far from keeping symptoms under control, I am suffering a horrific flare right now.   The fatigue is back to bone-crushing levels, literally.  And the pain grows each day as well.   Keegan rides with me, breathing fire.

The main thing I do in times like this is try to give myself all the extra rest and sleep I can.  I nap as often as possible.  Some people argue against that, saying it will disrupt your night sleep.  When I am in a flare, I don't find that to be true for me.  I find that I can nap, and sleep all night as well. (But remember, everyone has to find what works for them.)

In time,  I know things will improve.  The roller coasters will smooth out...Keegan will go back to sleep, eventually... life will settle a bit.  I just need to wait this out.  And rest.

Soooo, are you a roller coaster fan??  I confess, the real ones scare me a bit!!!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

I've Missed My Blog, and Stress

Wow....its been so long since I've been here, and I've missed it.  Please forgive my absence... life in my house has been very hectic.   But I have realized that this blog helps give me a place to voice feelings, to share frustrations, and to regroup in my day to day battle with Keegan.  And it truly is a day to day battle.

So, our pup Mr. B is still very ill.  His lab work shows the meds he is on have not yet suppressed his immune system enough to stop the destruction of his red blood cells.  So the fight continues, and I am his nurse :)   I give the many meds and take him to his vet appointments.  We're hoping and praying he can beat this illness.

All this extra activity and worry means STRESS....and for those of you new to fibromyalgia, stress of any kind, whether physical or emotional, causes fibro symptoms to increase.   I fully expected a flare, and that's exactly what has happened.  So my plan to REALLY work on managing symptoms has had to take a back seat for the last couple of weeks.  Right now, my focus is giving my body the extra rest it needs to overcome the flare.

Moral of this story:  Life happens, and when life becomes very stressful and busy, it isn't always easy to keep the fibro dragon asleep.  Keegan is breathing fire right now....I can't push through and ignore the signals.  And even after all this time, I am still bad about that!

I'm making a list of some ingredients for a new daily smoothie....it'll incorporate several things I've found that seem to help me feel better.  I'm thinking if I can lump then into one drink, it'll be easier to make sure I get them all in each day.  I'm trying it tomorrow morning, and I'll let you know how it goes...hopefully, it'll taste yummy, and I'll post the recipe!

Oh, and Mr. B says hello....please say a prayer for him :)

See ya soon,

~~~~Sally~~~~~

ZZZZZZZZZZ......

Just like many other couples, Dijon and I have differing opinions on many topics.  Like just how many pairs of shoes I really need, whether to rent or buy the latest DVD, should you eat a Moon Pie for breakfast (yes, he does that...I know, he is danger of going into sugar shock!)....you know, stuff like that.

But an important one has been how soft/firm our mattress should be.  He likes a very firm mattress....like sleeping on boards topped with a sheet.  Not this kid....I want to feel like I'm in the middle of a cloud bank, or snuggled into a huge wad of cotton balls.

Here's the important thing...........I have realized that sleeping on a VERY soft mattress, and using amazing cotton sheets of very high thread count helps reduce my morning fibro stiffness and pain.

We recently went on a short trip, and the hotel had just such a bed, with the huge pillowtop, and fabulous sheets, and ginormous, soft pillows.  I just sunk into that bed at night, and for naps, and woke up pain-free and feeling great each time!!!

So I immediately came home and put a feather mattress topper on our bed and added some amazing sheets.  I already had my "special pillow", and now I am sleeping better, and waking much less stiff and sore.   And Dijon happily sacrificed his love of a firm bed so that I can feel better....thank you, hon!

Moral of the Day:  Don't ignore the bed.....we spend lots of our life there.  Get whatever you need to make yourself comfortable when you sleep....extra pillows, better quality sheets, soft covers, feather quilts, etc.  A good night's sleep is CRITICAL for fibromites to feel and function well.  This has made a huge difference to me :)

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

IMHA.....Scary Letters

This post has nothing to do with fibromyalgia at all....instead, it has to do with IMHA.  I've just learned about IMHA, some very scary letters.  IMHA stands for Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, and it is a very serious condition that strikes dogs and cats.  Unfortunately, I HAD to learn about it because our dear Mr. Bentley has become a victim of this awful condition.

The short version of IMHA is that Bentley's immune system is attacking his red blood cells and destroying them.  Something triggered this change in his body....the vets don't know what.  It could have been his knee surgery, a medication, a tick bite, anything.  Often, the cause of the onset of IMHA is never known.  Two weeks ago, Mr. B began fainting, or having episodes of syncope.  A trip to the vet and blood work showed his anemia.  He needed a blood transfusion, bone marrow aspiration, and two days in the LSU Veterinary School Hospital.  

Now he is on strong medications to suppress his immune system.  Hopefully his little body will begin to replenish his red blood cell supply, and his "numbers" will start to look better. ( I'm becoming pretty good at reading lab reports.)   So far, he is stable, but not really improved.  If he survives the initial crisis, he may have to be on meds for several months, if not the rest of his life.

Approximately 30-40% of dogs that develop IMHA do not survive.   We are hoping and praying that Mr. B will be one of the lucky ones.  

If you have pets, please watch for the following:  lethargy, being tired, not eating, just not being themselves, sleeping alot, rapid breathing....these are all symptoms of anemia.  If you see any of these, please take your pet to the vet as soon as you can for a simple blood test to check for anemia.  IMHA strikes silently, and can be devastating very quickly.  

Mr. B says hi, and we hope you'll say a prayer for him.  He's a very sweet boy :)  

 See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Happy Fourth of July, and a new Wreath!

I hope everyone has had a Wonderful Fourth of July!  I want to take this moment to say "thank you" to all those who serve or have served our nation to ensure this freedom that we all enjoy.....and to the families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, I hope they know how much our family appreciates the enormity of the price that was paid for us to enjoy living in the United States.

To celebrate the Fourth, I made a simple rag wreath to go over our mantle....these wreaths are all over the craft blogs, and are super easy to do.    Let me apologize early for the awful pics....it was late at night when I did this, and there was no natural light in the room!

So, here's what you will need:

1.  a wreath, obviously :)    You can use a straw wreath, a foam one, a metal one, etc....I did the cheapo version, and had Dijon bend a wire coat hanger into a circle!  FREE....love it!

2.  fabrics of your choice     I used four different coordinating fabrics for this wreath....mixture of reds, whites, and blues......mix of solids and prints.   I used about 2/3 of a yard of each one, and had a bit left over.   The amount needed will depend on how many fabrics you use, and how big the wreath is.

3.  things to cut fabric....I use scissors, fabric cutter, and fabric measuring thingie (you folks that sew know what its called! LOL)

 I LOVE this project cuz its soooo easy.....I took my fabric cutter, and laid the fabric out....For the wreath this size, I cut the strips to approximately 1" by 6".....This is NOT an exact science!  :)   Close is good enough!!  And I think the raggedy edges make the wreath all that much better.  (NOTE:  If you use a thicker wreath, like a straw one, the strips will definitely need to be much longer.)

 Cut and cut until you have piles of fabric strips.  This is kinda tedious, so have something good on TV or Pandora to listen to....just sayin'...

 Then just begin to tie them around the wire wreath, one at a time, alternating the patterns....I just make one loop with each strip and pull it taut....the fabric stays nice and tight.  Continue until the wreath is full....I put lots of fabric on mine, so that its very full.

 (wow, did I get this picture off-center...)

Finally, just tweak the fabric a bit, to fluff the wreath.  You can tie an extra long piece of fabric, or a piece of ribbon on for a hangar.  I actually just hooked mine over the nail that's on my antique window over the fireplace mantle.  

I've made three of these wreaths now, for different times of the year, and just love them!  Hope you enjoy it too.

Have a wonderful holiday!!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

This and That

What every LSU Tiger fan would love to be driving.....or at least THIS Tiger fan would!!  Isn't it just adorable????  If it only didn't have that aggravating little sticker with the $$ on it....:)

On a more serious note, our Mr. B is back in the hospital.  He is having fainting spells, and the vets have found he is very anemic.  Now the quest is on to figure out why.  We are hoping against hope that it is a minor fix and nothing too serious.....sweet boy :)

Keegan News:  He has been sooooo quiet!!!!  I have almost felt (dare I say it?) normal that last few days!!!  So much more energy, less pain, less tingling and numbness.  Today, a bit more of the symptoms are back, but no real surprise there, with all the stress from the Mr. B situation.

I mentioned earlier about taking my fibro much more seriously and I have been doing just that.  Next time I'll start explaining what I mean.

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

An Epiphany, and Happy Father's Day....

It's been two weeks plus since I wrote here....Life has been busy here!!  Mr. Bentley has been recovering nicely from his surgery, we've had Daughter #2 in for a visit, and Dijon and I will be leaving town tomorrow for a few days.  Never a dull moment around this place!!

And I've been doing an awful lot of thinking about my health.  I've come to realize that for many years, I've merely viewed fibromyalgia as an inconvenience of sorts, an aggravation, an irritant, but maybe not much else.  The last two weeks have shown me how wrong I have been in that thinking.....my fibro is much more than that.

For whatever reason (and for the life of me, I don't know what that is), Keegan is on a roll, and my fibro is flaring something awful lately.  It has been absolutely brutal some days, and I have realized that there truly is something terribly wrong with this body of mine.  I don't know exactly why my body is the way it is....neither do the doctors or researchers.  But there are lots of things that I can do to help reduce the impact of fibro, and ease the symptoms.   I have realized that I haven't taken all of this seriously enough.....I've been very hit and miss, and I'm doing myself no favors.  

So, I'm starting from scratch again....more research, keeping a diary, trying different supplements, exercising.  And recommitting to taking care of me.  I've realized I have to treat Keegan with a bit more respect than I have in the past.  And I'm planning of using the blog to help me with this plan!

*************

On a lighter note, Happy Father's Day to my Dad, my father-in-law, and my Dijon, who is the best dad my two girls could have hoped for!  And to all the dads out there, I hope your day was wonderful!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~  

 

Mr. Bentley's BoBos

~~And again, I've ignored my poor blog....but with good reason.   I noticed last week that our Mr. Bentley was very lethargic, and he had stopped eating.  I took him in to our vet, and she found that he was suffering from patellar luxation....i.e., the kneecaps in his rear legs were moving out of alignment.  (From what I've learned, this is pretty common in Pomeranians.)   She felt he needed surgery, to prevent further damage, pain, and the onset of arthritis.   This came as a total shock, as Mr. B never seemed to be in any pain....such a stoic little guy!!

A trip to the surgeon was scheduled....we met yesterday morning, and after examining Mr. B, he agreed that surgery was definitely in order.  So Bentley had the procedure done yesterday afternoon.  He's still in the hospital, at least until tomorrow, if not Saturday.

I visited Mr. Bentley this morning, and he posed for a new picture....he wasn't feeling very chipper, I'm afraid.   Dijon and I went back to see him again tonight, and he seemed to still be in considerable pain....the tech on duty was about to give him more pain meds.   We'll see him again tomorrow morning, and hopefully he will have had a quiet, restful night. 

If you have pets, please give them an extra hug tonight, in honor of Mr. Bentley.  And if anything seems a bit "off", take them to the vet....you never know what can be wrong.  They give us so much, and ask so little in return...

~~In fibro news, Keegan has been a quiet little dragon lately....thank goodness!  I'm working on tweaking my regimen, and have a couple of new things to blog about....I'll share more next time, in the very near future!

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Living in Louisiana...

Sorry to have been away so long again....nothing huge going on, just incredibly busy with life....bridal showers, choir programs, college graduations and graduation parties, retirement dinners....all in the last two weeks!  Beginnings for young ones....changes for older ones.   And life goes on....

I reconnected this week with a dear friend I met while helping those displaced by Hurricane Katrina.   If you've been thinking of calling, emailing, texting, writing, or visiting someone, please do it....you may just get the biggest blessing ever :)

Its been an incredibly difficult time lately for many areas of our nation weatherwise....tornadoes and storms have hit so many towns.  Our prayers go out to all of those folks affected.  Here in Louisiana, we carefully watch the waters of the Mississippi River, and pray for those who have already flooded.

All along the Mississippi (including here in Baton Rouge) there are levees that prevent the river from flooding.  

On the Baton Rouge (east) side of the river, parts of the levee have concrete steps.  This picture represents a normal river level.

 Here's where the river level was a couple of days ago...the young man is sitting on the top step, and the orange tube is an additional sand-bag type structure used to add height to the levee.  In Baton Rouge, our levees are about 47-51 ft tall.

 

 An aerial view of the levee keeping the Mississippi River from flooding.  The ribbon on top of the levee is a road used for maintenance.

 This levee in northern Louisiana was breached, and water came crashing through.  

Water is released into the Morganza Spillway (and Bonnet Carre Spillway) in an attempt to ease pressure on the levees and prevent flooding in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and to keep river traffic moving.   Unfortunately, some folks and farmland will be flooded.

Both of these homeowners have built their own levees to try to save their homes from the floodwaters.  You can see the water surrounding the dirt berms. 

Please keep everyone affected by all these natural disasters in your prayers.

Keegan went on vacation last week for two days.....really, I was nearly symptom free!!  Unfortunately, he came back, ready to play more than ever.....But I sure did enjoy my break from him....Maybe I can book him another trip very soon.....

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Becoming Aware....

May 12 is National ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, a day to hopefully spread the word about these "invisible illnesses" that affect such a large portion of our population.  Symptoms can be debilitating, and force many out of work and normal, everyday activities.

If you have a moment, please check out this link....there is some good info on fibromyalgia, and a brief slideshow that offers explanation about the syndrome.  And maybe wear purple today, to show your support :)

http://www.medicinenet.com/fibromyalgia/article.htm

The quicker we raise awareness, the quicker we find a cure.....no offense, Keegan, but I would love for you to live elsewhere.

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Happy Mother's Day :)

Happy Mother's Day to you all....

I've been enjoying the new camera!

I've missed being here....Dijon and I were camping in the woods with no internet!   I'm looking forward to catching up.  Keegan is angry right now, and I'm hurting a bit.  Time to get my dragon back under control....

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~  

ReBirth

Dijon and I took the camper out for a trial run last weekend.  We visited Fontainebleau State Park, a favorite camping spot in years past.  Unfortunately, the park suffered serious damage when Hurricane Katrina hit five years ago.  We had not visited since then, and were anxious to see how everything looked now.  Much of the facilities have been rebuilt, and were lovely, but we were so worried about the natural surroundings.

The pups loved the view of Lake Ponchatrain off the new pier!

(You know I had to put the pups in the post!)

Fontainebleau is built on the site of an old sugar mill.  The park has some of the most amazing live oak trees you will ever hope to see....this is actually the "carriageway" between two rows of oaks that led from the sugar mill down to the lake.  I just love all the Spanish moss hanging from the trees!

You can still see the old stacks of the sugar mill.  We were absolutely thrilled that they survived the hurricane and flooding. 

This live oak tree was always our favorite, and I nearly cried when I saw it still alive and full of green leaves.  I would have been devastated if it had not survived.  We have so many pictures of our kids climbing on this tree over the years.  Do you see that blue figure at the bottom of the picture?  That's Dijon....just to give you an idea of how big this tree is, Dijon is 6'2" tall!!  And I didn't even get all of it in the picture!

 Just gorgeous......

This tree, and many others, did not survive the brackish water flooding from Lake Ponchatrain.  If you look closely, you can see how live oak trees twist as they grow.  Dijon tells me it is nearly impossible to split those trees for firewood!

 Finally.....

A picture that reminds me today of the light of this world, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who rose from the grave, so that I might have a rebirth and eternal life.  For that, I offer thanks and praise. 

 See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~

Something New and Fun....

has come to live at our house!  Dijon grew up in a family that LOVED to go camping....I had never been camping before I met him!  But he introduced me to it, and I too fell in love with escaping to a calmer, quieter way of life, even if only for a short time.  Our kids have grown up camping, and have many fond memories of weekends and vacations in our old, small camper with the bunk beds.

Well, the air-conditioner in that older camper finally conked out for good, and Dijon decided it was time for us to enjoy a new-to-us camper.  Here she is....

 I am loving the amount of space in this camper!  We both really like the two swivel rockers and the huge window in the rear.

The couch and dinette are in the slide-out, which is a new treat for us...gives us lots of room.

Nice little kitchen, with extra room around the sink....

And my most favorite thing of all....the BIG bed that stays down all the time....no folding it up and down every day.  With my fibro, it had gotten to the point where that had become pretty painful.

Everyone in Dijon's family has a camper....his parents, his brother, and his sister.  We all try to go camping together several times a year.  It has been a wonderful family tradition for many years, and all our kids have loved growing up spending such great quality time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

We've already taken her out on a short trip, to one of our favorite state parks.  We used to take the kids there all the time when they were little, and have fabulous memories of camping there with them.   Dijon and I got lots of fresh air and good sleep, and I am happy to report that Keegan slept the entire weekend.  I think the great outdoors keeps him quiet!   I'll post some pics of the gorgeous oak trees there next time!!

Camping is one of "our things" that recharges our batteries....what are yours?

See ya soon,

~~~~~Sally~~~~~