Happy Gotcha Day Dixie!

On May 29, 2007, my roommate and good friend Jennifer and I went to the shelter to scope out dogs, since I was planning on getting one after my month-long study abroad in Australia and I wanted her to approve my dog choice.  We weren't planning on adopting, but thought that we might take a few out of their kennels to give them some play time.  The first dog we decided to take out was a smiling, spotte

d puppy.  We got her into the playroom and she was bouncy and adorable, just like any other 5 month old puppy who had been stuck in a cage for 3-4 months (yes, months) would be.  We called her name and she responded immediately, which struck both of us.  As an experiment, we told her to sit.  Her butt hit the ground immediately and we knew this puppy was something special.  Suddenly, one of the volunteers comes in and asks if we were interested in Dixie.  We told her we weren't sure, that we hadn't come in to adopt since I was leaving for Australia in a week.  The volunteer then told us that Dixie was free since someone (we suspect it was her) had sponsored her en

tire fee.  Jenn and I both knew that we couldn't let this pup

py go.  I called my mom and begged her to watch this puppy for a month.  My mom, being the softy that she is, agreed, and I pretty much ran up front to get my name down to adopt her.  They told me her spay would be done Thursday and that I could take her home on Friday.

                                                                                                                                                           

Later that evening, I got a call that Dixie's surgery had been moved up and I would be able to pick her up on Thursday!  I was ecstatic and went out to get everything I needed for my new angel.

On Thursday, May 31, 2007, I picked up the first love of my life, my canine soulmate.  She charmed all of my roommates and loved her Aunt Jennifer (as you can see in the picture on her first day home!

Dixie has been an absolute joy these past 2 years.  She has been with me through illness, a broken engagement, and now she is training to become my assistance dog and tremors alert dog.  She knows me so well and we work together like a dream.  Training her has been a breeze since we are so in tune.  She knows when I am about to have an episode of tremors and alerts so I can take my medicine early.  Everyone that meets Dixie falls in love with her.  She is probably the most special dog I have ever met.  I adore my Dixie and am so thankful we found each other.

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY DIXIE!

Soul mates come in all shapes and sizes

Most people believe that your soul mate is a person that shares a deep bond with them or someone who completes them, their other half.  I think this definition is too narrow.  My soul mate has four legs, spots and a square head.  I know, for the non-dog people that read this, that probably sounds crazy.  Dixie is my heart dog and I have known that for a long time.  We have a connection that some dog owners never have.  We get each other, we know the other's body language.  She is my canine soulmate.

These days, she has become a rock in my life.  We are getting her a new backpack that is easier for me to get into so she can be my purse.  She is also going to become a people and item retriever for me.

What I discovered today is that she is also an alert dog.  I was extremely stressed out from everything and my pain medicine was wearing off.  I started feeling crappy and Dixie came over and started pawing at me and licking my face.  Then she went to the door and whined, then came back to me to sit by me and lick my face.  I took my Ativan and the episode only lasted 20 minutes. I hadn't even started thinking about this kind of assistance training but it seems Dixie is a natural at this. 

The paperwork comes this week.  I think Dixie will be certified in a month or two.  I am so thankful we work well together and that she learns so quickly.  

I'm a walking fault line

So this weekend was going well.  I got my hair washed and styled at our favorite salon.  I got some cute new shirts, a great skirt and some fabulous heels.  I got to hang out with my mom, aunt and little cousin.  I was frustrated that my favorite pair of heels was MIA.  I was irritated that my arm stopped me from doing alot.  Moving around alot made my arm hurt and the pain meds wore off a bit quicker than they do when I'm resting at home.  I got in the car to come home and I started shaking.  The tremors were back but they weren't as bad and I took an ativan as soon as I got home.  This time I only shook for 2 hours.  Dixie was there for me along with the rest of my family that went shopping.  At one point she laid on my lap while I was shaking.

I'm better now.  I m going to worker harder to get Dixie certified so she can be with me all the time and hopefully alert before this happens.

My thoughts scatter with the breeze

I'm feeling a bit random and thoughtful right now, so this is going to be a bit scattered.

I don't know if I've said it as much as I think it, but my mom has been my angel through this illness.  She has become my best friend and my rock.  She doesn't get angry when the pain and frustration makes me snippy.  She holds me and comforts me when I'm overwhelmed by the pain or the situation.  She accommodates me with anything I need.  She helps me take care of my animals even when it inconveniences her.  She never, ever complains about anything.  She has been so proactive about this illness and researching what it could be and where I should go.  She gets me out of the house for little excursions so I don't go stir crazy.  I don't know that I would have made it this far in an ok frame of mind without her.  I am so proud of my mama.  I owe her a debt that can never be repaid for everything she is doing for me through this illness.

Dixie is my 35 lb angel.  She sleeps with me now and keeps an eye one me while I sleep.  Today we took a nap and she crawled up to lay against my back and keep me cozy.  Her obedience continues to improve leaps and bounds and I think her assistance dog certification will be achieved in no time.  She already has some behaviors that just need to be polished a bit more that will count for it.  Being able to take her everywhere with me will not only be great for her physical help (my 4-legged purse and helper) but for the mental aspect of it.  She calms me down and always lifts my mood.  We really do have an uncommon connection and it is amazing how in tune she is with me.

I got to see Kim and Mary for the first time in over a month on Friday.  That lunch was like therapy for me.  Being with them again lifted my spirits so much.  They are two of my best friends and when we get together it is hilarious and we are always laughing.  I miss going out with Kim, Tory and everyone else.  Parmalee is playing at Downtown Live next weekend and I want to go so badly.  Those concerts are some of the best times we have in Raleigh.

We are back to square one with the illness.  We thought we had a diagnosis but it doesn't look like it now.  I think we are going to head to UNC and see what they can figure out.

This illness is always an adventure

So this week has been an adventure.  Tuesday was a marathon medical day.  It actually started with my whole family moving me out of the house, which didn't take very long at all.  Since we had time, mom and I went to my piercer (Progress Body Piercings on Hillsborough, who are fantastic) and got the plastic fillers for my piercings for the mri.

I went by my allergy doctor and got my xolair injections, which was uneventful, even with them only having one arm to work with.

Next was the nerve conduction study.  Oh, the ncs.  We are not friends.  It hurt.  I was shaking when I came out from it because the pain was so intense.  Unfortunately, that hasn't gone away yet, which is a little scary.  To combat the pain and trauma, mom and I went to Starbucks, which our family knows has mystical healing powers.  I managed to recover enough to go to my mri, which went well (with the help of some valium for my claustrophobia).  The pain was still there, but I held still for it.  My nurse for the mri was fabulous and very sweet.  The receptionist hit it off with my mom and I since she has a thing for tattoos and she has been pierced by my piercer.

On the way home, the pain and stress of the day must have started getting to me.  I know it was mentally, but physically I started having violent tremors and problems with my speech when we were driving through Burlington.  We got home and after talking to my doctors, rushed to the hospital.  I finally say an ER doctor around 11 and he gave me 2 IV injections of Ativan, which stopped the tremors.  I slept until 4 the next day and was still having some speech problems but no tremors.

Today my speech is much better, I just have to think a little harder to speak.  I'm still in immense amounts of pain, but it is amazing what your body will get used to.  My NCS and mri were normal.  My PCP thinks we may have figured out an idea in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.  I see him and the pain clinic tomorrow, so hopefully we will have a plan.

In other news, I am going to start training Dixie as a true assistance dog.  I've been emailing my trainer about it and I think Dixie will be fantastic.  I truly adore my pup and she already knows me so well.  She is also super smart and very easy to train.

I've also decided I'm going to get a tattoo at the end of this to celebrate making it through everything.  I'm not sure what it will be yet.

Ok, a happy post

Pictures of the herd!

Prissy and Thing Two in the middle of bug hunting

My vicious beast with her toy

Pippin being his strange self

Runt guarding the house

Karma about two seconds before she fell off the bed!

Ah, irony

When I named this blog, it was a reference to an inside joke in my family.  When I was younger (preschool aged) I didn't like to color inside the lines.  My teachers told my mom that this needed to be corrected and she responded that I could color outside of the lines if I wanted to.  I've always been a "unique" individual, so I thought it fit.

 Now it seems that this concept has taken on a whole new meaning.  When I started this blog, I didn't expect it to be a blog about illness.  But that has become a central part of my life and oddly enough, fits with the title.  Ah, the irony.

I took a "turn for the worst" (I know, it sounds so dramatic, but it is true) on Thursday night.  I woke up at 1 am to throbbing, excruciating pain in my upper left arm.  None of my pain meds worked.  I saw my regular doctor, but he has no clue what I have.

So now I am the one-armed wonder in truth.  I am using a sling that totally immobilizes my arm.  It is quite an adventure, but it helps with the pain.  I hate feeling helpless, but there is so much I can't do now.