Progressing

Thor has a habit, begun in his previous home, of barking incessantly whenever I am on the phone.  I have tried hard to ignore him, but the barking continues.  I have discovered that outdoors he is too busy to bark and doesn't care if I am on the phone.  But sometimes, I need to make a call from inside.  That was the case yesterday when I needed to call my credit card company about a charge I wanted removed from my bill.

I took Thor outside, waiting for him to pee and poop before going back in.  Then, I left him loose in the house while I made the call.  Success!  No barking.  But when I got off the phone, I found that Thor had pooped by the back door.  Success, you may ask?  Yes!  He didn't just stop and poop where he happened to be.  He didn't seek out his crate as a good place to poop.  He pooped as close as he could get to the outdoors showing me that he understands!  Hooray!

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My health update:

I saw my neurologist a week ago.  He confirmed that my five day headache was, in fact, a migraine.  I've had two more since.  He also changed my treatment plan to include monthly IV solumedrol infusions.  In the past, I've had IV solumedrol for three consecutive days to treat acute attacks.  Now, it is hoped that the monthly treatments will slow progression.  The doctor also confirmed that I have increased weakness in my legs.  He prescribed a muscle relaxant to address painful leg spasms that he feels are interfering with my sleep.

I had a follow-up MRI today.  This one was not only my brain but also my cervical spine.  I was at the hospital for two hours.  The knocking/banging sounds of the MRI machine have always reminded me of the sounds of a train station which reminded me of when I was little; we used to pick up my grandmother at the train station when she came to visit from Washington, D.C.  That's always been a good association.  Today, as they rolled me into the machine, I thought, "I'm going to be with Nanni."  I had the feeling that I was heading into another world, an afterworld.

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Today, April 1, is the first bright sunny day after almost a week of rain during which the Housatonic River behind my house crept out of its banks.  On two days, I've enjoyed walking about 30 feet to photograph the floodwaters.  I've struggled to walk that far, and I'm feeling that I no longer know who I am and what I can do.  Today, I spent two 10-minute periods sitting out in the sunshine.  Each time, the vision in my left eye blurred.  This is not new and it returns to normal as soon as I get out of the sun.  But I wonder if my vision will always normalize.  My walking used to normalized after each attack.  Now it does not.  I am not me.

The first Assistance/Service Dogs were Seeing Eye Dogs.  Thor could do that.

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ARGHHHHHHH!!!

I spoke too soon!!!

After feeding supper (4pm), I took Thor and Glitter outside for two and a half hours.  When we came in, Thor went into his crate.  Within 10 minutes, he had pooped all over the place, gooey, soft poops (not atypical).  I put him back outside and set to work cleaning up.  By the time I'd cleaned the crate and his bedding, put the scraped off bedding in the washing machine, and washed and vacuumed the floor and carpet where he'd walked from his crate to the backdoor, I was exhausted.  Ready for a wheelchair, no exaggeration. 

I've done some slow diet changes for Thor as I do think he has a delicate digestive system.  Thought I'd settled on a good food but now wonder if it's the cause of these latest accidents.  I'll write my thoughts on food next time.  Too tired tonight.

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I won't give up...I won't give up...I won't give up...