I am sure that i have been more tired, I just can't remember when. Levi and i got home rather late last night, I gave him his medicine (took my own) took him out for one last potty break and went to sleep. Around 2:30 this morning, Levi was making a few whines so I got up and dressed (sort of) and took him out again. They were certainly right! He wants to eat, drink, pee and poop all the time from the steroids. I think it is WONDERFUL! He wasn't really eating or even drinking much at all before I took him to LIVS and it is amazing to watch him eat. I am being as careful as I can not to feed him too much but it is so much fun just to watch him eat that it is hard to refuse his plaintive begging.
He still scratches some but not much at all. This scratching COULD easily be taken for normal doggie behavior, if I hadn't seen him before. He does not like to have his activity reduced and he is a sneaky little pest. He has managed to evade my most careful precautions and has jumped off the bed twice since I got him; once at the hotel and once here. I hope I haven't already let him ruin himself. It is rather frightening taking care of this fragile guy who doesn't know he is fragile.
It started raining as we approached Boise in the plane and rained some during the night. Levi does not like getting his delicate little feet wet and seriously tries to lift all of his feet off the ground at once if the ground is even damp. That and the dark discouraged him from want ing a walk last night but today has been another story. I never thought I would see a bored dog. This is ONE bored dog! But bored is a million times better than a dog in constant pain.
Everybody I met was curious (or bemused) by Levi in his stroller during the trip back. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to tell everybody that asked about SM and asked each one to tell two people. If that really happened, by today there would be at least 45 people who have found out for the first time about SM. It probably didn't but there at least
fifteen people who know now when they didn't before.
I have been around an awful lot of people and had to hustle around just finding my way and getting from place to place on our way home. It was dreadfully frightening and confusing. I don't know what, if anything (other than what was left of my mind) I lost on my way back to Boise. In Las Vegas, Levi needed to go outside to the dog rest area and I didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. Finally I found some lockers and put everything except Levi, his stroller, my boarding pass and ID into a locker. Then I pushed him in his stroller until we finally got out. They have a little train that takes people from security to the gates but I thought that was WAY too frightening so we walked. Everyone I asked tried to be helpful but even people who worked at the airport didn't always know which areas were closed for construction and so Levi and I had quite the tour. I would tell you that we went around in circles several times but I was so confused that I don't actually know. When we finally got out, I took him out of the stroller and he was so grateful to be able to go. Then we wen through the whole process again to get back to the lockers and find the gate. To tell you the truth, I was frightened, hot and sweaty the whole time. But we did it!
I have to tell you all (as if you didn't already know) that the people at LIVS are all wonderful and there couldn't be a better place for anyone to take their pet, not matter what the problem, but especially for SM. It is a miracle that Levi and I could go and I would do ANYTHING to have everyone with a pet know about their great work. I think I would rather go there for my own health care than to many of the doctors I have seen.
I will write more tomorrow after another night of (maybe) rest. All of you have my deepest gratitude for your interest, concern, the things you have taught me, and your company along this whole journey. I don't mean just the traveling, I mean the whole journey from discovery of Levi's SM and through today.
Thank you. Thank you. I will be happy if I can be even half as helpful to the next person struggling to help their pet with SM.
More tomorrow. (I am going to copy and paste this message to the ArnoldChiari_dogs list, and the CKCS-SM list because I am running out of words for today. I hope this doesn't get you all as bored as Levi is!)
Kathy
He still scratches some but not much at all. This scratching COULD easily be taken for normal doggie behavior, if I hadn't seen him before. He does not like to have his activity reduced and he is a sneaky little pest. He has managed to evade my most careful precautions and has jumped off the bed twice since I got him; once at the hotel and once here. I hope I haven't already let him ruin himself. It is rather frightening taking care of this fragile guy who doesn't know he is fragile.
It started raining as we approached Boise in the plane and rained some during the night. Levi does not like getting his delicate little feet wet and seriously tries to lift all of his feet off the ground at once if the ground is even damp. That and the dark discouraged him from want ing a walk last night but today has been another story. I never thought I would see a bored dog. This is ONE bored dog! But bored is a million times better than a dog in constant pain.
Everybody I met was curious (or bemused) by Levi in his stroller during the trip back. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to tell everybody that asked about SM and asked each one to tell two people. If that really happened, by today there would be at least 45 people who have found out for the first time about SM. It probably didn't but there at least
fifteen people who know now when they didn't before.
I have been around an awful lot of people and had to hustle around just finding my way and getting from place to place on our way home. It was dreadfully frightening and confusing. I don't know what, if anything (other than what was left of my mind) I lost on my way back to Boise. In Las Vegas, Levi needed to go outside to the dog rest area and I didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. Finally I found some lockers and put everything except Levi, his stroller, my boarding pass and ID into a locker. Then I pushed him in his stroller until we finally got out. They have a little train that takes people from security to the gates but I thought that was WAY too frightening so we walked. Everyone I asked tried to be helpful but even people who worked at the airport didn't always know which areas were closed for construction and so Levi and I had quite the tour. I would tell you that we went around in circles several times but I was so confused that I don't actually know. When we finally got out, I took him out of the stroller and he was so grateful to be able to go. Then we wen through the whole process again to get back to the lockers and find the gate. To tell you the truth, I was frightened, hot and sweaty the whole time. But we did it!
I have to tell you all (as if you didn't already know) that the people at LIVS are all wonderful and there couldn't be a better place for anyone to take their pet, not matter what the problem, but especially for SM. It is a miracle that Levi and I could go and I would do ANYTHING to have everyone with a pet know about their great work. I think I would rather go there for my own health care than to many of the doctors I have seen.
I will write more tomorrow after another night of (maybe) rest. All of you have my deepest gratitude for your interest, concern, the things you have taught me, and your company along this whole journey. I don't mean just the traveling, I mean the whole journey from discovery of Levi's SM and through today.
Thank you. Thank you. I will be happy if I can be even half as helpful to the next person struggling to help their pet with SM.
More tomorrow. (I am going to copy and paste this message to the ArnoldChiari_dogs list, and the CKCS-SM list because I am running out of words for today. I hope this doesn't get you all as bored as Levi is!)
Kathy