An Afternoon at the Park
I had a very productive weekend. I got 2 quotes on the bathroom remodel. I think we’re gonna try to re-stain the cabinets upstairs ourselves… or myself. Lauren said it’s easier than I think and she’ll help me. It looks like they won’t be able to do an undermount tub with our current tub. So we’ll need to just overmount it… which makes me less willing to buy an entire slab or marble or granite when so much is going to be cut out of it.
I helped Josh get the sandrail to the house and we did spring cleaning in the garage. We got rid of a big box of stuff. There’s still more I want to sell and get rid of. We’re going to sell our lawn mower that we used maybe 4 times since we had it. Keith and Lauren are getting a new place at the end of April and need a lawn mower so we’re gonna sell it to them.
Both Saturday and Sunday I took Meeka for a 3 mile walk. She was so tired on Sunday at about 2.5 miles she just laid in the grass for about 5 minutes then we continued on our way. We took Damien to the park with Cassie, Lauren, Keith and Charlie on Sunday too. Charlie flew his helicopter. He’s got some skills! I can’t imagine how long it takes to learn all that. Cassie loved the helicopter and wanted to chase it. It was cute. I posted pics in Picasa album… see right sidebar.
Neglect…
I know I’ve been neglecting this site… a lot has been going on and a lot less computer time at home. We have a new family member… Meeka:
Yoga Update!
I’m into my third month of yoga now. Going 1-2x a week… I take level 1 hatha yoga… nothing crazy. But, I notice I am getting more flexible, but most importantly I feel better. It relieves all the stress from work and makes me feel relaxed and stronger at the same time… I know that doesn’t make much sense, but it’s true!
Damien has been pushing me to walk him everyday now too since he’s been feeling better. We walk the entire neighborhood now and he just loves it. His back legs are starting to thicken back up with muscle. So both Damien and I are getting stronger! 
I wish I could say the same for Mandy, but she’s not doing too well… her tummy is getting bigger every week, so I know her time is limited. She has outlived the doctor’s life expectancy estimate with soft tissue sarcoma cancer though… so that makes me feel good. She’s a tough cookie! Plus she doesn’t act sick really. She’s full of energy and a really happy dog. Our goal is to keep her that way.
now playing: Yeasayer - 2080
We have an answer!
After 8 hours at the vet yesterday, we have an answer! Our regular vet referred us to see a specialist on Saturday and we were lucky enough to get an appointment the same day! The appointment was at 2pm and we started with a checkup for Damien and they found his heart beat was weak in his hind legs and wanted to do an EKG to check his heart. Since his blood tests were from a month ago they wanted to do more of those as well. They also wanted to do an ultrasound to check out his intestines, spleen, liver and other organs to make sure they look ok. 3 hours later they found that Damien’s adrenal glands were small and wimpy for his size and breed. They said that indicates he may have Addison’s disease but they need to look into it further and do a special blood test where they take blood, give him a steriod and take more blood samples to check his cortisol levels. The test would take 2 hours. So we hung out and waited another 2 hours while they did those tests. $1400 later we left the vet. Ugh… gotta use that Care Credit card again for these vet bills… Today we got a call from the vet that he tested positive for Addison’s disease! Good news that we finally found some sort of answers! They say it could still be more that that… they’re not sure yet… but he can be started on Prednisone right away and monitored. In a month he will have to go back for blood work. Hopefully he will get better soon on the Prednisone. He’s been even more lethargic than normal the past 2 days.
And so the mystery continues…
Damien’s vet called last night and the intestine tests from a couple of weeks ago came back 100% fine. He also said that they tested the kidneys already as well. So if it’s not the liver, the kidneys or the intestines… they don’t know what else it could be! He advised we lower Damien’s potassium bromide another 1/2 a cc because it can make dogs lethargic, but Damien is beyond lethargic. He’s not eeating enough and doesn’t show interest in food, we force him to the bowl. But he’s not losing weight either, so the doctor isn’t too concerned. I’m walking him daily to keep the muscles in his back legs from atrophying (sp?).
Here’s a cute pic of Damien from last weekend:
San Francisco plans!
Josh and I are planning a short trip to San Francisco for Memorial Day weekend. We were gonna go Spy Hunter style and take the toy hauler with my Mini Cooper in the back but my Mini was 3 inches too long!! We’re still taking the toy hauler and the dogs and we booked reservations at the San Francisco RV Resort. It looks pretty cool for an RV resort for 3 main reasons… they allow dogs, have free wifi and a store with RV parts… which could come in handy since we tend to always have something go wrong with the trailer 
Oh and it’s right on the ocean which could be nice or could be miserable because ocean usually = fog, clouds, wind & cold! when it’s on the West coast anyway… I like the Great Lakes sort of “ocean” I always thought the ocean would be just like Lake Erie or Lake Ontario…
We don’t have much planned yet.. want to see the Golden Gate Bridge and definitely stopping in Cupertino on the way up to see Apple Campus and the Campus store. It’d be fun to ride a cable car too. I hope Mandy and Damien will be up for the trip… Damien still hasn’t been walking well and has a compromised immune system (ear infection eye infection, you name it!). He has more tests later this week and next week for his intestines… his liver tested fine last week… after that is kidneys. His protein, glucose and cholesterol levels are low which is contributing to a weak immune system. We just want them with us in the trailer for the most part, we’re not planning on dragging them all over and they love the camper and are used to it… so we figure we’ll keep them comfortable for the trip
Cleaning photos out of my cell phone…
I took Damien to the vet today and because Josh was out of town (and I can’t lift him more than a foot), I put him in my Mini Cooper. He fit surprisingly well. He slept the whole way home and was sleepy when it was time to get out of the car and did the cutest thing, rested his head on the back ledge and just closed his eyes to go back to sleep. It was adorable… so I took a quick photo with my cell phone…
And then I learned how to transfer photos from my bluetooth phone to my bluetooth laptop… so I ended up cleaning all the pics out of my camera that I had intentions of posting the last year or so…
When I was in Philly visiting Tracey… we went to Urban Outfitters and maybe she wanted this lamp… so I took a photo of it?
My Mini with the rat in it… being towed to the dealer where the rat meets his end.
The subway stop by the LA Civic Center… on my way home for LA Detour Festival… people are flying/floating overhead.
Subbu brought back this Taj Mahal figurine from India on his most recent visit home. It’s made of the same white marble the Taj Mahal is made of (heavy)!
Mandy is feeling better
Sadly Mandy was diagnosed with cancer (soft tissue sarcoma) in her abdomen on February 19th. She went in for a CT scan at the veterinary cancer hospital here and when they put her under anesthesia, she somehow lost feeling in her rear right leg. It was sad to see her the first few days when she came back. It was difficult for her to stand and walk and we tried to help her like crazy, but I think our helping only frustrated her. After 2 days she figured it out herself and walked really well. She learned how to swing her foot forward and walks better. Now she’s walking even better, it looks like she regained some movement in the upper parts of her leg. She’s on some nerve pills that are the equivalent of what Josh took when he got in his motorcycle accident. Those should help her leg. She’s also on pain killers and appetite stimulants. She seems a lot like herself and she loves her turkey and mashed potato meals.
She had 4 treatments of radiation so far and has one more on Monday then the following Monday she goes in for a checkup to see if the tumor has shrunk at all.
Beloved Dupers 1998-2008
Dupers unexpectedly passed away on Monday, January 7, 2008. His spleen ruptured in the middle of the night, we found him the morning breathing strange. We rushed him to the vet and he passed away at the vet while we waited to see if he could handle emergency surgery. He was the most intelligent dog and super kind, gentle and sincere; yet an excellent watch dog and very protective when he needed to be. He even ran away from home once when he lived in Hollywood and found his way home days later… yes VERY intelligent.
“There’s a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge is a verdant land of meadows, hills, and valleys with lush green grass.
When a beloved pet passes, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. Old and ill and frail animals are made whole. They play all day with each other in the beautiful sunshine.
They are happy and content, but there is one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth. So, each day, they run and play until the day comes when suddenly, one stops playing and looks up! The nose twitches! The eyes are staring! And this one suddenly runs from the group!
You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her into your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated….”
-Anonymous
Mandy is so awesome
Josh was working on the sand rail and Mandy hangs out with him in the garage and recently she got up and laid right under the sand rail with him to help out. She’s so awesome haha.
