Lovingheart

Compared to the last time I wrote, Marlon is much better. He was at his worst on February 15th when he had a hospital check-in.  After finger poke, we got a wheelchair to get him to the ward.  He had nothing left.  Bad headache, sore back, nausea, no energy.  When there, they gave him water and blood.  His counts were low, not dangerously so, but low enough.  He did feel better afterward.  His back was still quite sore, leftover from the LP on the 8th. Since that time, he has been slowly getting better.  Still a lot of nausea and no appetite, which had the hospital giving him a hard time because of weight loss.  He has also had several lectures about drinking enough.  They expect as many as 10 cups a day.  Getting that much liquid into him, gave Marlon anxiety and a lot of stress.  We have found that a goal of seven cups is doable, comfortable, and often exceeded. On his 12th birthday, February 18th, Marlon said he was feeling ok and we celebrated that as a good birthday present.  He h

Has it really been a month since I have written?!  I have done a lot of writing in my head just never completing that extra step. It has not been the best of months.  Marlon's energy has been low, he's had a lot of nausea, and just not feeling 100%.  The hospital delayed his lumbar puncture which was originally scheduled for January. He had a week of headaches so when we got to the hospital last Tuesday, the 8th, I asked the doctor if it could be delayed again.  She checked him over, decided he was fine, and they would go ahead. Driving home from the hospital, Marlon was somewhat of a zombie.  When we got home, he needed help to get inside and then his headache went from bad to unbearable.  He was crying, saying it was the worst pain he's ever experienced.  It was a stressful evening and eventually the headache settled into a migraine.  He couldn't take any pills, food, and only drank a few sips but all he had eaten during the day came up anyway. By Wednesday, the heada

On Christmas Day, we were stacking wood on the steps.  My legs and back were sore and I was slow-moving.  I rested and felt better.  Two weeks later, again we were moving wood to the steps and I exclaimed to Paco how happy I was that my body was moving much more freely.  A minute later, I picked up a piece of wood, felt a twinge, and thought I'd better be careful.  But it was too late and I was hobbling and hurting.  Several days later and I am still walking and moving with care and pain.  Argh. Marlon and I were at the hospital Monday, not for treatment but to get his counts checked (fine) and refill prescriptions.  We sat and waited for the results of blood counts and after sitting for a while I could barely move, I definitely couldn't stand up straight.  After waiting one hour for results, we waited another two for his medication.  During that time, Marlon stayed in the car listening to podcasts while I paced slowly so as not to seize up again. A lot of waiting. My sister to

Having been off work for a couple of weeks for a variety of reasons, I slow down, maybe even sit or lie down more.  Last night, lying on the floor with the dog partially biting me, partially resting with me, I felt at peace.  And that peace is often not there when I am working.  I get caught up in one thing or another.  An injustice or even just a comparison and we can always come up short if we compare to others. I just finished a book called David and Goliath which speaks much of the underdog, of those who have withstood hardship to go on to do great things.  This hardship is often experiencing the death of a loved one or some sort of religious strife. And I think of our beliefs of right and wrong and how we hurt other people.  That baffles me and yet I know I have done it.  It can be as small as an insensitive statement or judging another.  And again I make the decision to strive to be understanding of differences and even hold my mouth in check.  If only I could learn to think befo

Happy New Year!! New year 2021 we were at the hospital so I count us lucky we were able to wake in our own beds this morning. I was marveling the other day that the dog is more scared of vacuum cleaners than she is of chainsaws. Maybe I don't vacuum enough. We have had a quiet week here.   Josephine has been off work as well and the dogs have benefited from several good walks with both their moms.  Stella is very attached to Josephine but she accepts me if her primary person isn't there. Overall Marlon has been well but he has had times each day that he has been feeling poorly.  Variety. Please don't take my blanket away from me.  I did take it away to wash it and she was happy to have it returned.

Merry Christmas! Christmas eve, Josephine came with us on our walk.  Stella and Mina bounded along.  I looked behind me and saw a big blob of brown saying hi to Mina.  Turns out it was a dog walking nearby with his owner, a brown lab named Cooper.  At first, Mina was happy to say hi but Stella was fearful.  They walked with us and Stella and Cooper barked loudly and played rough with Stella bearing her teeth but eventually enjoying the play.  Mina was not ok with it.  She didn't want to walk, kept falling behind, with both Cooper's owner and myself taking turns carrying the pup.  I am wondering if maybe she meets Cooper on her own so she can see he is a nice dog.  I am guessing she saw and felt Stella's original fear. We had another tower of presents this year.  The stacking was courtesy of Paco.  Lots of wrapping and big boxes but not really much stuff. I did get a video of Mina opening her present. https://youtu.be/HCmLVL3rUM4 It has been a pretty low-key Christmas and I