Splendid

Once again I am so busy trying to catch up on others' entries that I forget to do one of my own!

OK, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Really, I have been just enjoying life. For one thing, there is a button on my programmable thermostat that says, "Return to program" but I think it only lights up at 2:45 am. Luckily, I am an insomniac. I have returned to the program with one click of a button.

Our weather is about perfect. It has been in the 70s, sunny most days, and that is ideal walking weather for beagles. Molly can't get dehydrated, so we tend to walk early or late. Since I don't get up early, we are usually out between 7-9 pm, walking around the pond, going to the creek, and occasionally surprising a momma deer and her little fawn. How lovely is that?

I am planning another trip, of course! I will again descend upon Arizona when it's nice and warm outside. I will be ready to hike like a freak, if I can get Late out of the malls. Also, if I can corral some dog sitters ;-)

Tomorrow is my last visit with the periodontist. I was surprised to have it labeled as the last visit - after all, I am not healed. I have been a wreck about going. I even asked ST to go with me as my advocate because I cannot communicate with the periodontist. Finally I decided to be happy that it's my last visit. If I am not happy with what he says, I can see someone else. I won't see someone else in the same group, but there are plenty of others who can take over if I need further periodontal care. I will be glad to be done with this one. Still, it will be nice to have ST there to help out with the Q & A part of the visit.

My inner ear fluid? Still keeping me well off balance. I had so much vertigo during my massage on Monday that the Vampire was keeping a wastebasket nearby and reminding me he had his shoes off. I figured that made his feet easier to clean, but luckily I held on to my dinner and merely felt like I was being tossed at sea.

I had my usual check up with my Internist, and told him about the inner ear problem. He looked in my ear, noticed amiddle ear infection also (?) and put me on an antibiotic for it, due to the duration of the problems. The next day the ENT finally returned my call regarding Plan B (Allegra) not fixing the inner ear problem.

Now, I am on Plan C - prednisone. I don't care for this fix either, but I am following directions. She said if this doesn't cure me, I have to go see someone who specializes in things like inner ear auto-immune disease. I don't like the sound of that, so I am cheering on every prednisone pill that I don't want to take.

So far, the prednisone seems to be working with the Adderall (for ADD) and the testosterone cream (yeah, that is what I get compounded) and I am about ripping the paint off the walls. It's a nice change from my normal state of chronic fatigue. I still get tired, but in between I have some weird energy. I only have to take the prednisone for 10 days, unless I feel it's starting to work. Then we will make a Plan C2, I guess.

Molly is kindly sharing her bottle of pred with me. She needs it daily, so I am rather familiar with the stuff. It's from a human pharmacy and the correct strength, so it saved me a trip.

The dogs are doing great, loving the weather change, enjoying the walks, having a party every day with the other dogs in the complex. We had a group yesterday of about 6 dogs and 8 people - I got out my camera phone to take some group pictures, but put it on video instead, and took a video, with sound, of the neighbors trying to get their dogs (and mine) lined up together for a group photo. It's incredibly funny!

I am so mean sometimes.