This has been a tough month physically, but it has also been a month of growing. I started with the usual sinus infection. I knew, just like I did the thousand other times, that I needed my antibiotics. I actually had to convince the ER doc that this is the way it always starts, and that I have to begin the meds right away, or the infection turns into a major event. My problem, when I get ill, is that if it attacks my respiratory system I'm screwed. I have both asthma, and due to my proximal myopathy, I also have restrictive lung disease. That means I can't breath in and I can't breath out. Obviously, that can pose a bit of a problem. Several days later, I finally thought I was turning the corner towards getting well. Wrong! One day after that I began feeling worse than I did to begin with. I tried to stay down, home, away from stray germs thinking that I could beat it. I ended up at my doctor's office on a Saturday morning. He put me on a much stronger antibiotic. Once again I tried to stay down, aside from a couple of medical appointments, and a couple plans I had made dealing with NEADS and/or Tippy.
On Wednesday, the 3rd, Tippy and I along with my good friend Cindy went to Boston to volunteer at WBUR, 90.9, their public radio station. It was their annual pledge event to help support their programming. I had never done anything like this, but actually enjoyed the day. I'm always game to do something for NEADS as a way of helping to pay forward what they have meant to me. As I said, I enjoyed speaking with those calling in to pledge who told me how they donate every year. I enjoyed the tour of the station, and spending time speaking with the staff about our dogs. We were there in shifts, so the picture below doesn't show all who participated.
Of course I did not stay down on Thursday. I had already planned on baking for Friday. I had requested, and been approved, to take Tippy to the prison where he was trained for his birthday. While I wasn't allowed to bring a cake to the prison, I did decide that I would bake something to take to NEADS on the way home. As I said, I wanted to take Tippy to the prison for his birthday. The way I look at it, they actually knew him longer than I have so far, and I really wanted to let them know what it means to me to receive a dog that they put so much time and love into. Tippy also spent his 1st birthday with them, and I really wanted to celebrate his 2nd with someone. I spent Thursday running around picking up the ingredients I needed for my baking. I settled on a Pumpkin Spice bread for the "humans" at NEADS, and Pumpkin-Peanut Butter dog treats for their dogs. For once, I actually baked enough to leave a loaf at home. The recipe made 2 loaves and I left the smaller one at home. The dog treats came out great! I bent a cookie cutter that was shaped like a flower into the shape of a dog bone. I love to bake! When I had to stop teaching, I had planned on doing baking on the side. I have been baking for years and actually got pretty good at using fondant. Unfortunately, by the time I stopped teaching I wasn't strong enough to knead, whether it was bread dough or fondant. I've been baking pies since I was six thanks to my grandmother. Always from scratch, and using knives and forks to mix....."just like grandma used to make". I rarely stray from the back to basics way of baking. Anyway, I now use the bread machine to knead my doughs....or my daughter....and try to bake more often, but am usually up to it when asked.
Back to Friday, the 5th. I've tried to post this since Saturday or Sunday the 6th/7th but between being sick and sick of a laptop which doesn't choose to work half the time now it's been near impossible.
The visit to the prison was amazing! It was so good to be around those who know Tippy's personality.....really know it. When I give Tip a command, he just about always does it....rarely does he look at me and decide, "I think not". But, what he does do is analyze the command and decide how to do it the best way possible. This often results in the appearance of being lazy or slow. He's not. He just is very deliberate in everything he does. I loved the chuckles I heard as I "put him through his paces!" I loved hearing the memories the inmates have of Tippy's time with them. I had a couple of questions, one of them about a behavior I'm trying to get him to do and Tippy's "back up trainer", who happens to still be in the program offered solutions. I explained what exactly Tippy does for me, how that has fit into my activities, and how he has enhanced my life. The gentlemen were interested in Tip's experiences when testifying with me. They especially got a kick out of how he picks up his leash when he's ready to go and looks at me with "that look!" He doesn't get up, he just lets it be know...albeit very quietly and subtly....that he is ready to go at any time. I enjoyed hearing the stories about the puppies the men have now, their personalities, etc. One of the times when I dropped something and asked Tip to "fetch", he very deliberately followed the command. One of the inmates, with a good sized pup said that his dog would have attacked the item to be fetched, not gone slowly as Tippy does. It was wonderful to see the love the men have for their charges, how proud they are of the dog's abilities, and obvious that they were, in turn, getting that unconditional love that only a dog can provide. I really wish that I had remembered to ask to have our picture taken with the inmates. I had put my phone in Tippy's vest just for that reason. I'm not sure whether they would have approved the pic, but I really had wanted to include one here. The service these men provide really can't be measured, at least not until one sees the before and after of the client upon receiving their partner. I spoke to the men about my desire to get involved in "Rally-O" with Tippy. Rally-O(I can't remember if I've explained it in an earlier post..)is an activity where the handler and their dog maneuver through a course which has commands/direction posted along the way. I explained that Tippy is so great at following his directions that although I don't believe we'd do well "times wise", I do believe we'd be amazing at performing the tasks. At this point I actually got up....the men got to see how Tippy helps me up from a chair....and gave him a series of commands....which he followed perfectly! They seemed happy and quite proud at his abilities and his unbelievable eye contact as he performed whatever was asked.
I apologize if this has come out disjointed, but between writing it on 3 different occasions, and currently being on 30mg of codeine sulfate every 4 hours 'round the clock, along with my reg meds and inhalers, I'm feeling a bit disjointed myself. I ended up at the ER once again at the end of this busy day, and eventually had to put a call into my pulmonologist's office as my muscles were just getting way too tired to continue breathing.....I know, but it seems that breathing is kind of important..... so that my diaphragm can get a bit of a rest. **(Despite my breathing difficulties, I have never needed to be intubated, and really, really, don't plan on it!!!! Also, when I enter the ER, I do so with the announcement that I will not go to the hospital. This hasn't always turned out to be true, but most of the time I end up going home!) Thank God that's what my doc did.
