Surgery--Again

Keeping you in thoughts n prayers.

Robbie, gadzooks and little fishes. It is my firm hope that they come up with a good solution. Where is Atul Gawande when you need him? (he's my favorite med writer).

Tsar, I've a similar photo, will have to dig it up. It's of my friend Richard's corgi mix duo. Richard has been through much, aids in the eighties.. wise person in many ways.

Diego and Lola worry:

Thinking of you.

Well that was discouraging news you received, however, there clearly is still hope. Just grab hold of the strength you get from those there dawgs and remember you have all of us here with you too.

Do you know when the PET scan is?

Thanks for all the good wishes and dawg photos. You guys help and have always helped. Long before the dawgs, you got me through some mighty rough times.

Husker, Que pasa, kid. Good to see you.

Deb, I don't know when the PET scan is. I'm supposed to get a call. One of the docs gave me the number. If I don't get a cal, I'll make a call.

My social worker left a little while ago. I'm staring at the cell phone. It will take me a while to get the hang of it.

This reminds me of a light bulb moment I had a few days ago. (Not a blinding light that weakened my knees, but a light in my head nevertheless.)

In the past I rarely had to figure things out. I would instantly know what the solution was, how to do something, what the answer was. Recently I've become panicky when I'm confronted with a problem and I don't know what to do. Panicky bordering on hysterical. HELP! I would ponder, muse, and stew. I would come up with the answer, solution, right thing to do. No longer instant. I have to remind myself not to panic. Time and pondering will help.

For a person with no patience, this is a helluva slow way for my brain to operate. As a matter of fact, I think I have no patience because I always knew stuff or had the answers before most other people. Come on! What's taking you so long?

Sorry to be rambling. I love dem light bulb moments, and I wanted to share this one.

(BTW, I'm serious when I say that a light goes on in my head. Honest.)

Barry, I'm sorry about your stuff going on. And, that was in the middle of your taking Stacey the red baron around your environs. Oy vey.

Glad about the phone. Is it one of the smart ones? They scare me, not to put that on you. (I remember my first iMac, that I got through some newspaper ad for not much money - I was plotzed that if I would touch the wrong key, I'd break it. That is probably the wrong adjective usage for plotz.)
I have an old dumb cell phone. Tap on wood.

Something like a cat scan or lab report, I would assume.

I suspect some of the brain fuzziness may be from the medications you are taking. When BBB is in a lot of pain and taking hydrocodone like candy, her dementia symptoms worsen a great deal. When she is pain free and off the hydrocodone, it improves a great deal. She had similar effects with her blood pressure meds. Her doctor cut the dosage in half and it helped.

OH! Pooo!

Sending you energising and heart-lifting thoughts.

you have a cell phone?

These problems don't have a solution...that's partly, at least, why you can't come up with them.

They have medical options that may or may not be s0lutions.

I don't think the human condition has a solution. I wish it did.

Sorry to hear you're going through all this, Roberta. I think Deb nailed it re solutions for the human condition. Keeping you close and praying the options you get are workable and doable.

Bob (dys) and I used to talk about how our intelligence was changing and diminishing. He said that I was the only person who understood what he was talking about. I said that he was the only one who understood what I was talking about. Sigh.

butrfly, My thinking is not fuzzy. I'm not taking pain killers. My thinking is slower and different.

bunny, I'm not trying to come up with answers to things that don't have answers. I'm talking about practical things. Things that were once obvious that now require a bit of thought. And yes, I now have a cell phone--to be used exclusively for Access-a-Ride stuff. It doesn't come with instructions. Even though my social worker gave me a lesson in using it, I'm gonna see if I can find written instructions on line.

Barry, Sorry you're not well. Hang in with the heart business. I'm rooting for you, kid.

Oh, Roberta, I'm so sorry you still have so much uncertainty, on top of everything else. It's one thing when doctors tell you, "You have X and this is what we'll do to treat it," and quite another when you're left hanging in limbo about it, where you know what you have ain't good, but they're not sure how to treat it yet.

Your friend Sue means well, but she knows you won't stop thinking about it. Trying not to obsess about it seems more reasonable, but uncertainty does make that very difficult, and panic more likely.

If any of us can help you, in any way, please let us know. We're all here for you.

Enjoy your time with Heaven today. One of the wonderful things about dogs is that they are fully present in the moment and, experience that, and are able to enjoy that, without worrying ahead, and I wish we could all do that.

Not to worry. If it came with instructions, they would be written for those who already knew how to use the gosh darn things.

"One of the wonderful things about dogs is that they are fully present in the moment"

So true, so true.

As an aside, give my regards to Sue/semiotterly - have always liked her, woman of wit and much else good.

Well, new technology is hard. What kind is it? What you having trouble with? Maybe we can help?

Hey.....it must be Friday over there....them dawgs coming?

the first time I ever used a mobile phone was when I was given it because I was on call every night that week for our rape and sexual assault service. Nobody thought to tell me how to use it.

It was Friday night at 5.45 and I had a client. The automatic building alarm was due to come on at six.

The damn thing rang and I didn't know how to answer it....but I knew it would have very grumpy detectives on the end of it who would have no sympathy if I kept them waiting.

I did everything possible with the damn phone and finally I did something that made the call accessible to me, but I had no idea what.

Then I had to tell them I'd have to call back as I had to get the client and me out of the building before the alarm went off and I was knee deep in uniformed police!

Got out to the car to make the call...and realised I STILL had no idea how to make the phone work. Not a happiest moment.

Heaven was here. Holly was at the groomer. Heaven was more than a little hyper. Maybe she was excited to have me all to herself. I called her a meshugina hundt (Guessing at the spelling, but it means crazy dog.) I love that canine. She chewed up a milk container I had saved for her. She drank from the toilet (this is the only place she does that). She took a bite out of my bathroom sponge. She managed to get the bedroom door open and was playing with one of my socks. And she spent a lot of time on the couch next to me.

The phone is not a complete mystery, although new technology is not one of my strengths. I found an online site that provides instructions. But they're too small for me to see. I'll either print them out and enlarge them or I'll find something legible. I've been pushing buttons and hearing beeps.

I was supposed to get a call from the docs today. Didn't. I'll call them on Monday. I'll also call the PET scan place. Let's get this show on the road. I agree, firefly, that not knowing is worse than knowing.

I tried for a long time to post a picture of me (in my new duds) and Heaven. Couldn't do it. I'm not gonna give up. Well, I am for tonight, but I'll get it done eventually.

I showed Joan the pictures of dogs that you guys posted and some of the things you said. She loved it.