My Deepest Apologies

I'm really sorry for not posting almost...4 months now. I'm deeply ashamed. I'm going to do my best to post more regularly from now one. Unfortunately, I still don't have a camera that works and I can't really afford it (medical bills--bleh.) But on the rare occasion that I can snag the boyfriend's camera...I will try and post it otherwise we are down to my camera phone.

So Freya is doing really great! She just had her annual check up with the Vet not too long ago and is still holding steady at 19 pounds and free of heart worms and intestinal worms! Woot! He told me that she is a perfect weight for her size so it's good to know that I'm not under feeding the girl as it's kind of hard to tell as corgi's are greedy puppies. They will often feign starvation if it means more grub on the plate, which Grandma falls for all the time.

Morningstar is already back to fat and maybe fatter since I had to return her back to my mom. Now, Angel, is also really fat too. I think Morningstar is ready to come back home with me as she keeps making daring escapes out the house and heads directly towards my car when I visit.

Cloud is also doing great. He's actually getting sweet with age. Walking him is easier now than when he was 1 years old. Of course, I put a lot of work into it too. Oddly enough, I haven't done that with Freya and I really need to. But 70 pounds vs 19 pounds is a huge difference.

As for me, my painful bladder syndrome isn't nearly bad and I finally managed to sleep through the night these last two months. I can't tell you how much I missed doing that. I'm also thankfully done with the twice a week cath treatment I was being subjected too...that is a whole new kind of pain there. Some people build tolerance to it over time, I am not some people. I've also been working my butt off at both jobs trying to pay off bills.

painful bladder syndrome answers

I know this is primarily Freya's blog, but I don't think she will mind me talking about this subject. I will admit I find myself in a funk over it at times and at others...I'm ok and I deal. I suppose that's partly why I haven't been online anywhere for a while. But I'm going to be ok, it's not a life threatening condition and thankfully it's one of the few that doesn't lead to cancer.

There is some treatment for painful bladder syndrome but mostly it's an inflammatory syndrome that you have to quell. I take a pill three times a day that is supposed to help rebuild the lining of the bladder. Also, they use two pills and put the powder in a fluid that they use as an infusion for the bladder directly (yeah that means a catheter...which I loathe) to help jump start the process. The pills take about 3 to 6 months before it really starts to work.

Since it's an inflammatory issue--I was told that when I'm at my worst with allergies, I can expect to have flares (otherwise known as uti like symptoms.) Essentially, I'm following a low acid and low/no potassium diet right now. Potassium and acids (as well as caffeine and alcohol and spicy foods) irritates the weakened bladder so it's quicker to avoid than the suffer in pain. Oh the pain...it's an interesting sensation that feels like a low voltage going through my gut. Thankfully, I have some fun blue pills that's supposed to help with the spasms.

All in all it's a lifestyle to maintain until things calm down. I won't regain the lost capacity, but the goal is to not lose more. Eventually, from what I've read of the forums dealing with this issue--I can go back to my love of coffee and beer and wines one day. Oh and the occasional chocolate bar. Until then, I'll drink my milk, eat my white chocolates, and try to abstain from the foods that cause me pain.

And We're Back

Freya's Christmas last year. I think I'll post more later.

So I survived surgery. It took a little longer than I thought to be comfortable in front of a computer but here I am! I have loads to catch up on now.

The reason it took longer was...my response to pain is to not sleep. Similarly, my response to be really sick is to not sleep. Instead, my body wants to pace and move and move and move. I'm like a shark...gotta keep moving. The pain killers (Vicodin or Demerol) didn't help at all--no edge was taken off. Honestly, the pain from the surgery wasn't bad at all. It was the side effect of the surgery that hurt something special.

For those who aren't familiar with laparoscopy, they pump in a gas (usually Carbon Dioxide) into the abdominal area which helps the doctor get a better view of the area they are working. That gas can sometimes stimulate a nerve in the diaphragm that goes to the shoulder and the neck. I had such luck and the day after surgery it was like a I had the worst whiplash known to man on top of my right shoulder hurting like I sprained it some how.

In desparation upon realizing that the pain killer didn't work, I filled up a tube sock with some expensive Japanese rice and zapped it for 2 minutes and had it sitting on my neck. I decided that moving will be kept at a minimum, so that meant I was pacing in the living room until boyfriend came home at lunch with a glorious heating pad and ordered me to lay down and rest.

I spent my days watching this awesome British comedy called Black Book. It's hillarious! It's also a sadistic show to watch when it hurts your stomach and your neck to laugh. Boyfriend spent a lot of time telling me to rest and relax, but how can you when your neck hurts to lay down? The little trick I learned the second day when I was trying to get out of the bed was to grab my own hair and guide my neck to the direction I wanted it to go (Amazingly, I was using my stomach muscles a lot faster than boyfriend did after his laparoscopy surgery for his appendix.) The pain in the actual location of the surgery was--like I over did it in the gym doing crunches.

So this week, up until Wednesday involved me catching up on sleep--big time.

The reason for the surgery was for diagnostic reasons. The doctor suspected I had endometriosis (which I had evidence of but it isn't currently not active--though the cells in the tube is also doing something similar as endometriosis), they also wanted to check out my bladder and my uterus (which he suspects ademyosis--but you can't test it...you have to take it out of body for a comfirmation on that one.)

So the biggest thing is my bladder--it's been scarred so I don't hold as much as a normal person, I'm down to 60% and you can't regain what you lose. The problem is called interstital cystitis or painful bladder syndrome. Essentially, it's where the lining in the bladder stops working and allows the things into the bladder that irritates it, which inflames it, which then can scar it. The symptoms are very similar to an UTI. So, please learn a lesson from me--if your doctor doesn't start you off with a urine culture...ask for it. You may have something similar to me--it's pretty common and sadly not very well known. I don't want anyone to have to go through the things I had to to finally get a diagnosis (primary GP thought it was a UTI...that lasted from October to December.)

This episode was probably too much information but there you go. I felt that you deserved to know what was going on since I haven't been on for so long.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had a great Christmas and hope you all have a great New Year!

Christmas was uneventful. I sadly didn't get the puppies anything personally but thankfully the Secret Santa at Weimaraner Addicts is what they got. Oh, also my mom (Grandma) also gave the pups some treats too on Christmas.

That morning I opened up the present (can't let them or else they will get territorial and fight) and got a nice Wubba to throw in the water, a kong the shape of a bone, a really cute Reindeer stuffie, and an Orka Ball. Cloud loves the kong soooo much! Freya likes it too and it is honestly quite hilarious to watch her carry something almost as big as she is.

Grandma gave them a bunch of cute dog cookies and raw hides (which Cloud got and Freya got the cookies) and some toys that are way not suitable for dogs so neither are getting--except maybe a future cat.

I wish I could post pictures but the means to download them are currently with my BF and I have no way of getting them off the camera as of right now. Sorry.

I also wanted to let you all know that after tonight, I will most like be awol until I'm capable of moving around ok. The reason being is I'm having surgery tomorrow. They said it was going to take about 2 weeks to recover...maybe less if I'm super good at healing and resting. Which, sadly, not remotely good at relaxing so this will be interesting.

I'll let you guys know how I"m doing as soon as I'm able. I hope you guys are doing well and hope to talk to you all soon!

Happy Gotya Day Freya!!!

I was looking for Freya for a month before I finally found her. I left work early and so did my boyfriend who showed up at my work to take my car to get an oil change and then we went off on a 3 and a half hour drive all on country roads. We took Cloud with us that day so he could help us pick out a new puppy.


These were the picture on the ad I found online. I know...it is terrible to buy a dog that way but that's what I did and I got lucky. Next time I'm going a more reputable route for a specific kind of corgi--which involves going that route. That or a Frenchie.

Freya had two brothers and 6 sisters. Two possible black headed tris (not sure if they stayed that way or changed to sable or red headed tris) were a boy and a girl (man grammar is hard!) By the time we reached to Freya's grandmother's house there were three girls other than the one bht boy that the breeder kept.

The first thing I did was shake my keys after I was bombarded by a bunch of corgis (mom, auntie and grandma and I think grandpa of Freyas) and Freya was the first to investigate. She was known as two ears as she was the first to have both ears up at 6 and a half weeks (I know too young...sigh.) Then came Feisty and then the shy one that I can't remember the nickname. I had such a hard time deciding which girl to get. Ultimately, I picked Freya as I wanted a girl that was middle of the road and she was it--not too shy and not too independent.

Then we took her outside to meet Cloud for the first time. That weimy butt wiggled so hard that I knew it was approval right away. I got my puppy pack and my little girl and we were on our way home!

Unfortunately, I was stricken with a migraine so bad that we had to pull over to the Walmart, where I also picked up supplies. I actually fell terribly ill in there all thanks to the head lights coming at us (I'm light sensitive at times.) I found what I could for Freya that night and hurried up as best as I could.

Meanwhile this is what was going on in the car.



When we finally got home--it was very late that night. We tried to sleep with Freya (and her Friends--sigh...I got bit so many times that night) we woke to find her on the floor without our assistance what so ever. She was a daredevil from the get go.

The next evening we spent shopping and I bought a big tubberware that people used for storage and used it as her "crate".


Don't you just love that cute pink tummy! OMG I'm in love all over again...I just wish she would let me blow raspberries on her again:(.

Oh and if you are wondering, last year today was a Wednesday so I was terribly sleep deprived that next morning and for several morning until Freya finally stopped whining so much.

A Little Vocal

Morningstar was a little bit vocal Sunday night. This is better than the last video I posted of her talking as she talks more and you don't hear me so much for once. Enjoy!

This is how she wakes me up in the morning since she can't jump up on the bed. This is also her trying to convey something except I don't speak her language any more than she seems to understand mine.

When A Corgi Gets Muddy

*The random dog you see in the first two pictures was my foster baby Milo. He got adopted a week after my return from Arizona/New Mexico. I loved him very much and he is doing really great:D. I'll post a link on his story. And here's another link.

On another side note: Corgi fur is amazing. Freya rarely ever stink on her own doing (unless you count the time she rolls on smelly things or Cloud pees.) So when they get loads of mud on them...wait the next day and almost good as new!

Fight

Sigh, I'm getting tired of dog fights. It's very annoying--not to mention this time I totally don't understand what provoked it. There wasn't any food at all. Freya just went for the neck again and this time--the water didn't work to break them up. I had to grab her by the scruff of the neck and I guess that was enough to break her hold.

I don't get it. I made sure anything of doggy value was put up. Maybe they are mad that Morningstar gets to stay out all the time? Cloud and Freya has to be kenneled otherwise they rip the house up in our sleep or they will eat everything in sight (plastic and anything else) and either wake us up by retching or vomiting or ripping something up. Morningstar is the only trustworthy pup in the house. She doesn't get into anything and doesn't potty in the house (unless I just don't wake up to her talking.)

The funny thing about Moringstar is that she "talks." It's a series of growls but broken up to sound like she's trying to say something important. She doesn't do it too often unless she really needs to go potty. I've woken up in the morning to her doing it. It's really funny and cute. Freya does it a little bit but mostly she harrumps. Maybe she'll pick up the talking from Morningstar.

She's Back!

It was a brief moment of separation but Morningstar is back once again to stay. She's an odd little thing. She has quite the sweet life at mom's house and yet one of those days I visited mom at lunch she made a mad dash for my car. Silly puppy. She doesn't get the treats, she has fights, and she doesn't get to sleep with us in the bed and yet she is running to be with us. I don't get it.

I have some upcoming medical stuff that I get to do next week. I'm not looking forward to them at all--especially since there may be pain involved. But I guess I'll have to do it to get better.

Speaking of medical...this little girl is Angel. She is my mom's dog and she is 21 pounds!!!

I don't know. I find it kind of crazy that she weighs more than Freya. Freya is around 19 pounds--sigh. The vet told my mom that Angel is at least 8 pounds over weight if you go by the two breeds she is mixed with (Chihuahua/Pug like Morningstar.) I think he may be wrong. I think she needs to be a bit heavier as she is taller and is built differently than Morningstar is (they had different dads--or moms...I can't remember.) Currently, Morningstar kind of reminds me of a bulldog and Angel is a bit like a pug in height (at least I think so--never had a true Pug so I may be wrong.)

But don't worry folks! As soon as I get Morningstar at a weight that I feel is suitable for her, I'm going to dognap Angel and start with her. I am worried about Angel though. She is kind of...a weird dog. My mom didn't interact with her nearly as much as she did with Morningstar when she was a baby. I'm not saying that Angel is dumb--it just seems to me that she doesn't really understand English so much. She acts more like a dog though compared to Morningstar. She seems submissive, which is a good thing for our house, but at the same time she freaked out when I tried to put a leash and harness on her. So I worry she may spazz a lot in the beginning. And I'm sure it didn't help that I wasn't living at home when she came around. Initially, Angel was supposed to be my dog but I grew impatient and really wanted a corgi so I got Freya instead and mom got Angel from her friend.

Hopefully, it will all work out. I have agreed to bring Morningstar for Christmas but she isn't staying--just you know, getting presents. :D

Oh side note: We went back to Blue Buffalo (and didn't do the proper switching of food thing--sigh) cause boyfriend didn't want to drive 20 minutes out of his way for Canidae. Oh well, it cost him more for it too. The dogs really like Blue Buffalo (they also liked Canidae) but it didn't seem to work with Cloud that great which is why I wanted to switch. But oh well, I guess we'll deal with it until it's my turn to buy dog food.

Wordless Wednesday