Day 2890

Ignorance is bliss, I guess. When I went in for my Calcium Score Screening today, I was expecting a good report. I've worried about my liver for years, but never about my heart. Why should I worry? I'm active. I'm not fat. I try to avoid salt and sugar and eat a healthy diet. Not good enough apparently. My Agatston Score indicates that I already have some atherosclerosis.

When I was younger and underwent any sort of diagnostic testing, the technicians usually gave me a high five. "You're looking good," they'd say. Now when I ask whether the results are good or bad, the response is more like "Considering your age, you're probably OK." It's probably all downhill from here.

I'm not exactly in the danger zone yet, but I imagine that my doctor will want to make some changes. I hope he doesn't want me to take stronger statins. I already don't like statins. I don't like niacin either.  I know dark green leafy vegetables are good, but I'm not wild about eating more broccoli. Maybe there are other ways of getting extra vitamin K in my diet. Truthfully, I never even considered that calcium could be bad for you. I've been taking calcium pills for years to increase bone density. Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

Getting old sucks. My Dad was unstoppable until he turned 70 and then he started going downhill so rapidly it was scary. I don't know why I've always thought I was immune from the same sort of decline. I need to learn from my Dad's mistakes. He never really ate all that well. As a result he had several heart attacks and a quadruple bypass. It's a shame that staying healthy involves giving up so many enjoyable things. I gave up alcohol when I had Hepatitis-C and never started drinking again after I was cured. I've made a real effort to reduce salt and sugar in my diet. I rarely eat bread or pasta anymore and only have bacon as a weekend treat now. What's next? If calcium is a problem, I imagine dairy products are next. I love cheese and sweeten my coffee with whipped cream.  I'd hate to give those up.

It's kind of sad that I got this bad news the day before Thanksgiving. I'm still going to pig out tomorrow, but I'll be even more aware that a huge plate piled with prime rib and mashed potatoes followed by a giant slice of pecan pie topped with whipped cream has to be the exception rather than the rule. Hell, I might even have a glass of wine tomorrow. If you can't loosen your belt and enjoy yourself once a year, what is the point of it all?

It's strange that I've heard absolutely nothing about John Kennedy today. Usually, the Kennedy assassination is the lead on the local news every November 22. I've even made the annual visit to Dealey Plaza myself in prior years. I don't think anyone cares anymore. There are so many other juicy conspiracy theories these days than the debate about whether there was a second gunman on the Grassy Knoll seems insignificant. Memories fade, I guess. I was a freshman in high school when Kennedy was killed. A lot of you weren't even born yet.

I had to pick up some more Plavix for Dash today. There a good chance he'll have to keep taking the blood thinner forever. Increasingly, Dash and I seem to share a lot of the same ailments. We both have heart problems, bad knees, and a grumpy disposition. We'll continue walking and taking naps together and hope for the best.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2889

I went to the store where my online order was supposed to arrive and wasn't all that surprised to discover that it didn't come on today's truck either. The person who was helping me said, "We do happen to have one of these in stock." What? Why was I buying online if what I wanted was already in the store? I bought the item they had in the store and told the clerk to return the online purchase if and when it ever arrived. The clerk was surprisingly friendly about this weird transaction and said it happens all the time. "I'm sorry to cause all this trouble," I said. "I looked last week and you didn't have this on the shelves, so I ordered online." "It was probably here," she said. "We don't keep everything on the shelves."

I'm glad I went to the website meeting today. Somehow, I had a completely different idea in my head of what I was supposed to do. If I had started to build the site yesterday, I would have had to throw everything away and start over. I have a much better idea of what everyone wants now. It looks like this will be a work in progress for quite a while, but that's OK. I needed something to keep me busy anyway.

The imaging lab called today to remind me to not drink any coffee before I go in for my Calcium Score Screening tomorrow. The test is to measure plaque build up in the arteries. I wonder how caffeine would affect the results? I'll need to leave a note on the kitchen table tonight. I'm such a creature of habit that I could easily drink my first cup of coffee automatically before it even registers that this is something I'm not supposed to do. I think I would have preferred if they told me not to eat. I really need my coffee in the morning.

I wish I'd been able to finish my work on the roof while the temperature was in the 80's. It's been cold and damp all week and I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse. Fall is going to turn to Winter soon. I may have already missed my best opportunity to get this done. I guess there is no rush to use the remaining coating, but I do worry about that little note I saw on the label that says the product should be used within 72 hours after opening the container.

It's hard to remember when I could walk and feed Dash without a lot of elaborate preparation. We have our new routine now, but it sure is complicated. All his gear needs to go on in exactly the right order, or it won't fit properly. The Rough Wear Web Master harness needs to go on first, because the knee brace attaches to the harness. The rubber boots always have to go on last because you can't fit the knee brace if the boots are already on. I have to remember the socks too. The socks go under the boots to keep the rubber from rubbing his paws and creating raw spots. I'm getting faster at all this, but it takes a while.

Feeding is equally complicated. Dash will only eat the Castor and Pollux stew in the morning. He seems to like the Whole Chicken Thigh recipe the best. At lunch he will eat 1/2 cup of dry food if it is mixed with a crumbled up rice cake. If the rice cake isn't there, he won't touch the dry food. At dinner, we feed him Hills ID wet food. He likes his dinner split in two parts with a walk in between. It took a lot of trial and error to come up with this complicated formula, but it works. He's getting good nutrition now and maintaining his weight. I guess this is as normal as it's going to get.

I'm a little nervous about doing the CAT scan tomorrow. The last time I had a scan they made me put both arms behind my head before they slid me into the tube. It was uncomfortable then and probably impossible now. My shoulder has gotten worse and my right arm just isn't that flexible anymore. There is no way I can stretch my arms out behind my head these days. Should be interesting.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2888

I got another jury summons today. When I tried to postpone the summons again, I was informed that I'd used up all my postponements and would have to serve. I've noticed that every time I postponed the summons I would receive a lower juror number the next time. Unless I get kicked out during the Voir Dire Process, I'm almost certain to sit on a jury. Oh, well. This is probably the last time I'll ever get called. As soon as I turn seventy, I'm going to request a permanent exemption.

The whole judicial system seems weird to me. If you've ever been questioned during Voir Dire, it quickly becomes obvious that the lawyers from both sides are trying their best to pack the jury with people who are sympathetic to their case. Jury selection seems to be a lot more about winning than about fairness. Even if you're selected to sit on a jury, there's a good chance that the lawyers will reach a plea deal before you ever enter the courtroom. Judges love plea deals because it saves them a lot of time.

I've heard that in China they are already experimenting with robot judges. People tend to like the robots because they seem to be more lenient than human judges. If robot judges work, maybe we ought to try robot juries too. When I'm out and about and take a good look at who my peers actually are, I think I'd trust a robot more.

My new doctor want me to go in for a Calcium Score Screening to check for plaque in my arteries. Even though this test is very effective, it is seldom covered by insurance. As a result, numerous services have sprung up that offer low cost CAT scans. My scan will cost $79. Sounds fair to me. You just pay cash and the test isn't billed to your insurance plan at all. $79 is a small fraction of what imaging labs usually charge for a CAT scan or MRI. When I've had scans before, my insurance was billed between $500 and $4000 dollars. This is why health care is so expensive. It's not the doctors or the government that makes health care expensive. It's the insurance companies. A lot of times I wish health care was more like taking care of your dog. You pay cash for everything at the vet, but prices are much more reasonable. Dot and Dash have both gone through some very complex surgeries. The surgeons were excellent and the facilities were as up-to-date as anything you'd find in a human hospital. The only difference was the price. The prices for veterinary medicine are fair because the customer actually pays the bill. When insurance companies get involved, prices go through the roof.

My package is still lost. It was supposed to arrive today, but of course it didn't. This might be the last time I order online and and select the option to pick up my order at the store. When you order this way, the store doesn't need to provide tracking. Your order just gets put on the truck with all the other inventory being shipped to the store. There doesn't seem to be any particular hurry. I'm sure I'll get my order eventually, but nobody seems to know when. It's just "in the system" somewhere.

I have my first meeting on the new website project tomorrow. I'll try to keep an open mind. I did a little research on the Wordpress template I'm supposed to use and discovered that it's basically just like every other Wordpress template. I still don't understand why people like Wordpress. It's not rocket science, so I guess I can live with the situation. Anyone who can hand code a site can definitely fill in the blanks on a Wordpress template.

I talked to people today and made decisions. I think I prefer the days when nothing happens.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2607

Poor Dash. He had a massive cluster of seizures last night that quickly became a medical emergency. By the time I was able to get him to the vet, he was unable to walk. We debated whether to drive him to an emergency vet while he was having a seizure last night, or try and keep him as calm as possible and take him to his regular vet when they opened the next morning. Since each seizure seemed a little less severe than the previous one, we decided to wait. Eventually, the seizures subsided. Dash went to sleep and started breathing calmly again. We didn't discover that he was unable to walk until the next morning.

I carried Dash into the veterinary clinic at 7 AM this morning, hoping that the doctors could quickly stabilize his condition. It wasn't meant to be. It quickly became obvious that he needed to see a specialist. It wasn't clear at all that he was having an epileptic seizure. He could have had a stroke, be suffering from a brain tumor, have vestibular disease, or even have encephalitis. It is not easy to diagnose any of these conditions. You have to go through a process of elimination, evaluating for the most likely condition first, and then go on to the next condition if the tests aren't conclusive. To figure out what was going on, Dash needed a brain scan. There was a chance that he would need a spinal tap as well. I could take him to the regional neurology center 35 miles north of us and get an MRI tomorrow morning, or take him to the cancer center and get a CAT scan today. The second option seemed better, even though an MRI provides a superior image of the brain. Dash is well known at the cancer center and he would be seeing doctors who are very familiar with his condition.

I think I made the right decision. The oncologists and internal medicine specialists at the cancer center are among the best in the country. Whenever I take one of my dogs to this place I see people in the lobby who have traveled with their dogs from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and even further to see one of these doctors. We are very lucky to have some of the best specialty care for dogs in the entire country right here in Dallas.

So far, so good. The initial CAT scan showed that there were no lesions or tumors in his brain. It doesn't look like there is an inner ear infection either. Since Dash is not showing symptoms usually associated with Encephalitis, his doctors think it is likely that he has idiopathic vestibular disease. This condition is often called old dog vestibular syndrome, for obvious reasons. Young dogs rarely have these problems. Dash is spending the night at the cancer center's ICU, receiving steroids and anti-nausea medication in an IV drip to reduce the inflammation in his brain and help control the severe nausea that makes it difficult for him to stand. Hopefully, we will see some improvement in his condition when we check with his medical team in the morning.

Keep in mind that while all this is going on, Dot is still sitting at home, unable to do much of anything. I spent the day going back and forth, trying my best to monitor the condition of both dogs. It has been a very long day. Janet and I got virtually no sleep last night. Trying to arrange for emergency care and sophisticated imaging in a city full of sick dogs wasn't easy either. As bad as Dash's condition was, there were other dogs with even worse problems. While I was at Dash's regular vet this morning, a family came in carrying a dog that had just been run over by a car. They were all crying. The injured dog was their family pet. Even though the vets tried their best to save it, the dog died on the operating table. Later at the cancer center, I visited with people who had driven their dogs over 500 miles just to see the oncologist. One lady told me she made this long trip every single week.

We made it through the day. Dot is resting now. I hope Dash is resting too. Life is definitely full of surprises. I never dreamed that I would wake up one morning and find that Dot was the healthy dog. With all her incontinence problems and severe mobility issues, Dot is still in better shape than Dash right now. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I will go to bed tonight knowing that I did the best that I could today.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1885

Dot suffered a serious setback today. The day started normally enough. Both dogs went out in the back yard to pee right after they woke up. Everything was normal. Dot and Dash wandered around the house while we got dressed to take them on their regular morning walk. Then Dot decided to stretch. I'm sure that many of you have seen dogs stretch their legs out behind them after they've been sleeping. Dash does this every morning and Dot used to stretch this way as well when she was younger. I don't know what made her feel like stretching this way today. Maybe she was feeling good. Almost immediately something went wrong. After stretching, she couldn't stand normally again and began to stumble. Within minutes, her rear legs were completely paralyzed.

An emergency trip to the vet confirmed my worst fears. By stretching this way, Dot had managed to rupture or blow out a disc in her spine. This is serious. If we are really lucky, cortisone shots might be able to reduce the inflammation enough so she could regain some limited mobility. If we aren't so lucky, surgery is usually the only alternative. We are seeing one of the best veterinary neurologists in the area tomorrow morning and are hoping for the best. Dot will probably have an MRI or CAT scan tomorrow to see exactly what is going on in her spine. We can't even begin cortisone treatments yet because she still has Rimadyl in her system and the two drugs can't be administered at the same time. She has to wait a minimum of 48 hours to clear the remaining Rimadyl from her body.

Dot is totally confused. One minute she was feeling great and the next minute her rear legs are paralyzed. She is still alert and has a good appetite, but she can't move. We still had a special harness that helped our first Dalmatian get about when his legs began to fail. Unfortunately, this harness didn't fit Dot. During her exam, our vet was able to fit Dot for a new Help 'Em Up Harness which is much better than the old Walkabout Harness that Spot used to wear. The harness can only do so much though. Dot has no sensation in her rear legs and doesn't even attempt to move them.

One of the most difficult things with a paralyzed dog is getting them to pee and poop. Our vet was worried that the injury might have damaged the nerves that control her bladder. I was worried too. Luckily, Dot can still pee. It's messy and it's difficult to get her into a squatting position, but she was able to pee after dinner tonight. A little later, she pooped as well, so there's still hope.

I canceled all my appointments, including my dental surgery, for next week. I don't know what lies ahead at this point, but I'm sure it will involve constant care and attention. You can't really leave Dot alone in this condition because she could easily injure or even break one of her rear legs without even realizing it. I've cared for a dog with a spinal injury once before and it was extremely difficult. Spot did eventually recover though and I want to give Dot every possible opportunity to recover as well. I don't know if she's strong enough for surgery, especially since she had such a difficult time recovering from her cancer surgery last year. Hopefully, the neurologist will be able to give us some hopeful news tomorrow. I'm a strong person, but this has really got me down.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1680

Dot is resting in the ICU after a very long and arduous day. Sometimes waiting is the hardest thing of all. I could hardly breathe until I got a call from Dot's surgeon toward the end of the day. "The procedure went exactly as expected," he told me. This is as close to joy and elation as you'll ever get from a surgeon. Surgeons are extremely matter-of-fact. This is a good thing. You wouldn't want an overly emotional surgeon cutting you open. I've talked to surgeons before and I was delighted with his short message. I could tell from the tone of his voice that the surgeon was pleased. He should be. This was a difficult and somewhat risky surgery and he had succeeded in allowing Dot to move forward and continue her journey to recovery. Dot isn't out of the woods yet, but a thumbs up from her surgeon was the best news I've heard all week.

It was a very long day. I got up at dawn to walk Dash before we drove to the cancer center to have a consultation with Dot's surgeon before she was wheeled into the operating room. You have to bite your lip when talking to surgeons. He mentioned risks that I had never even considered. I trust him though. This was the same surgeon who had expertly removed Dash's cancerous thyroid without any of the complications that are often associated with thyroid tumors. Later in the day when he called to let us know how Dot was doing, he told me that he was very glad that Janet and I had been proactive and gone to the extra step of having a CAT scan. "Sometimes, this is the only way to find these tumors," he said, adding that the growth was even larger than he expected and that if it hadn't been removed, Dot would have definitely died.

As soon as we got Dot checked in for surgery, I drove Janet across town to another hospital and we got her checked in for her colonoscopy. We both have a colonoscopy every five years and today was her turn. I basically spent the day driving back and forth between one hospital and the other. Veterinary Specialists of North Texas is much smaller than the huge complex of buildings at Baylor, but it is every bit as advanced. If you have a very, very sick pet, I would highly recommend VSNT. If I was very sick myself, I would want to go to Baylor. My own liver doctors practice at Baylor and most of Janet's doctors are there as well.

The next few days are critical for Dot. Ileus is always a risk after abdominal surgery. This intestinal paralysis is usually temporary, but if the tiny muscles inside the intestines do not begin functioning again after surgery, food can't move through the intestines causing serious complications. There is always a danger that the sutures won't hold either. It usually takes four or five days before you're out of the woods with abdominal surgery. I'm going to remain positive though. Dot passed a very important milestone in her road to recovery this afternoon.

I'm glad that Dot has so many friends. Three different vets who have Dot as a patient contacted me today to check on her progress. Her medical team is larger and much nicer than mine. Sometimes I worry about what will happen to Janet and I as we grow older and start to fall apart. Dot and Dash will always have someone to look out for them. I think we're going to be on our own.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to see Dot tomorrow. She's still pretty fragile. I hope that she sleeps well tonight and that her intestines begin working normally again as soon as possible. If we're really lucky, the doctors say she might be ready to eat a little food tomorrow evening.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1679

Dot is going in for surgery tomorrow morning. When we visited her early this morning, there was a lot to be encouraged about. Her temperature had remained stable. Her white blood cell count was slowly returning to normal. She even wagged her tail when we arrived. The doctors were still worried though. Dot hasn't eaten since last Thursday and was still refusing to eat this morning. The specialist wanted to do a CAT scan, and told us that based on Dot's vital signs she could safely handle the anesthesia. I was worried about the anesthesia required for a CAT scan, but everyone assured me that Dot's vitals signs looked very good. We gave the OK for the CAT scan and Janet and I went back to work.

Later in the day, we got a call with the results. The doctors had found a golf ball sized growth in her small intestine and wanted to do surgery tomorrow morning. They were confident that this growth was the source of her problems. Janet and I are both reluctant to subject an older dog to surgery, but we listened to what the internal medicine specialist had to say. She told us that since the growth had not yet become large enough to perforate the intestinal wall and cause systematic infection, the chances for a successful outcome were excellent. She didn't call the growth a tumor because, as she explained, there were literally dozens of benign growths or lesions that could attach to the intestinal wall. She said that surgery on the small intestine was routine these days and that Dot would have the same surgeon that performed the thyroid surgery on Dash earlier this year.

If we did nothing and Dot still refused to eat, she would die. Even if she did start to eat, the growth in her intestine would continue to grow larger, until it eventually caused the intestinal walls to burst. Dot was still weak when we visited her this morning, but her eyes were bright, her tail was wagging, and there was no question that she wanted to go on living. As frightened as Janet and I are of major surgery, we decided to give her that chance.

I think we made the right decision. The surgeon who will be operating on her is superb and was largely responsible for saving Dash's life. The specialist took the time to explain exactly why it was so important to remove the growth now, before it grew even further and caused her intestines to rupture. When I talked to the specialist on the phone earlier in the day, I imagined that the growth she was talking about was the size of a grape. When we heard that it was already the size of a golf ball, Janet and I became convinced that we had no choice.

There are no promises when you are wheeled into a surgery suite. It doesn't matter if you are a dog or a person, there are literally hundreds of things that could go wrong. We have been through this before and it never gets easier. We made the right decision with Dash. We made the right decision with Spot. And we made the wrong decision with Greta. The key thing with any serious medical condition is that you've got to be able to make a decision. You've also got to be able to live with the consequences, even if something goes wrong. Hiding from problems and pretending that they doesn't exist is almost always the worst decision you can make.

When we came back at the end of the day to visit again, Dot greeted us warmly. I walked her outside in the grass in front of the hospital and she squatted and peed normally. We brought her favorite blanket and let her rest with us in an exam room while waiting to see the specialist again. Her doctors wanted to see if Janet and I could get her to eat something. It is apparently important to preserve normal Peristaltic movement in the intestinal tract prior to surgery. Without any food to process, there is a danger that Peristalsis could stop. Dot wasn't interested in dog food, but when we opened a small jar of baby food, she eagerly ate the entire thing. This was a very good sign. It was almost as if Dot was telling us that the surgery was OK and that she definitely wanted to live.

Tomorrow is going to be a rough day. Not only is Dot having surgery, Janet is having a Colonoscopy on the same day. Neither of these things could be postponed or avoided. I hope we made the right decision with Dot. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I do know what would happen if we did nothing. Dot deserves better than that.

The thought of having two dogs with cancer at the same time is both emotionally and financially draining. It's hard to believe this is even happening. It goes without saying that this has been a very tough year. Many people think of me as a negative person, but I am totally positive when it comes to the dogs. I believe in them. Dot is incredibly strong willed and tenacious. She may be old, but she loves her life and wants to keep on living. Our efforts may not succeed, but we're going to give her the best chance she's got. When she ate the baby food out of my hand this evening, I think she gave me her blessing.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1553

Things went smoothly today. I got up early and took Dash to the cancer center for his second CAT scan. This time they wanted to see the results after surgery, so they could accurately target where they wanted the radiation beam to go. Since I left the house right after we got up, neither dog had time to realize that we were off schedule and that they hadn't been fed. It all worked out better than I thought.

I returned home to feed and walk Dot and try to get some work done before going back to the cancer center later in the day to pick Dash up again. I need to get this new routine down to a science, because I will be doing it three times a week for a long time. The main thing I learned today was that I need to leave a little earlier. Rush hour traffic in Dallas is terrible.

I actually got quite a bit done today. I finally got all my tax records in order and took them over to my accountant. I boxed up the defective UP fitness band and took it over to UPS to return it to Jawbone. I called several people on the phone in an attempt to resolve a couple of medical issues of my own, and then I updated two websites. 

By the time I got these chores finished, it was time to go pick up Dash again. The oncologist went over the CAT scan images with me and told me that Dash was an ideal candidate for the treatment he will be receiving. Even though thyroid cancers can be very aggressive, he thought we had caught the cancer early enough so that Dash should be able to live a full, normal life after treatment. There are no signs that the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. All the radiation and chemotherapy Dash will be receiving are just to ensure that every stray carcinoma cell is destroyed. Everyone tells me that radiation and chemotherapy are easier on dogs than they are on humans. I'm not so sure about this though. I doubt that anybody ever asked a dog about how they felt. Dogs probably just don't complain as much as humans. At any rate, the fact that a very good oncologist is so positive about the Dash's outcome is good news. I've been through cancer with dogs before and often the doctors aren't encouraging at all.

Our roller coaster weather cycle has returned to Spring mode. It was clear and warm today and I'm starting to see wildflowers in bloom everywhere. In less than a month, the meadows behind our house will be a rainbow of rich colors. There are few things prettier than a Texas Spring. I've witnessed Spring arrive in a variety of different places and I'd have to say that the wildflowers here are even prettier than they are in Colorado.

I don't know if I'll ever get back to the gym again. I'm not even going to worry about it for the moment. If I can deal with Dash's cancer treatments every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while still getting my work finished I'll be a happy camper. The added stress of all this will probably keep my weight in check anyway. Some people gain weight under stress. I tend to lose weight.

On Thursday, I take a break from the dog's medical issues to deal with my own. I get another blood test to check my hemoglobin levels. I have a feeling that the side effects of the Hepatitis C treatment people warned me about are finally starting to kick in. My nose runs continually now and I feel like I have a constant cold. There are also occasional chest pains. By the end of June, all this should be behind me though. By then, Dash  and I should both be cured.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1552

I'm usually completely oblivious to anything that's not on my "to do" list. Whenever Janet travels, I become painfully aware that there is a lot more on her list than I thought. I've been going to the store quite a bit lately because I realize we've run out of something that is not usually on my list. So, wherever you are in the sunny Caribbean, thanks for looking out for me. Life is easier when you only have to remember half the stuff that needs to be done.

The only productive thing I did today was write a letter of resignation and formally end my membership in the Wednesday morning networking group. In fairness, this is a great group of guys, and I'm sure what they do makes perfect sense for them. I'm just not a group person and probably never will be. I thought it was time I finally admitted that I was just going to these meetings for the bacon. Hey, I like breakfast a lot more than I like business. What's wrong with that?

The rain finally stopped today, but that doesn't mean that Spring has returned. It actually got colder. A lot colder! I had to get out the duck down ski jacket again for our morning walk. I wonder how many more of these extreme hot cold cycles we are going to go through before the warm weather is finally here to stay? Even the landscape guy told me yesterday that this is the weirdest Winter he has ever seen.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting. Dash needs to fast because I'm taking him to the cancer center in the morning for another CAT scan. Both dogs need to go on a walk right after they get up, so they will poop and pee. The only thing Dot and Dash think about when they wake up in the morning is food. So how do I feed Dot without Dash noticing? I guess she'll just have to wait until I get back from dropping Dash off for his CT scan. It won't be so bad Dot. I'm not eating my own breakfast until I get back anyway.

I was going to get my taxes ready this afternoon and drop them off with my accountant on my way back from the cancer center. That didn't happen. The day just got away from me. Maybe I can still get all the files ready after breakfast tomorrow and drop everything off at the accountant's office on my way to pick Dash up later in the afternoon. That sounds like a good plan, unless a paying job magically appears overnight.

I need to figure out how to change the alarm on the clock radio. Janet gets up early and it's been going off at 4:45 AM every morning. It would probably only take me five minutes to find the instructions on Google for disabling the stupid thing, but so far it's been easier to just hit the snooze button.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1533

Dash goes in for surgery tomorrow morning. The CAT Scan was fairly conclusive. The bad news is that he does have thyroid cancer. The good news is that the tumor does not appear to have metastasized yet. Dash's lungs are clear. There are no signs that the cancer has spread beyond the thyroid gland itself. From all appearances, this is an encapsulated tumor, which makes it much easier to remove.

I have been very impressed with the team at the cancer center. We have talked with a soft tissue specialist, an oncologist, and the surgeon who will be operating on Dash tomorrow. These doctors are clear, concise, and have a well defined plan that will give Dash a good change to live a normal life again. They make no promises though. All three told us that with any cancer, you don't really know what you're dealing with until you make the incision and take a look at it. They did appear confident that surgery was the best option in this case.

If the surgery is successful, they said there is a high probability that Dash will still need radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Radiation treatments would not begin until two or three weeks after the surgery is completed. He might need three radiation treatments a week for three weeks. This is going to be very expensive. I only hope it works.

The weather is turning cold again. The temperature is already dropping and it is supposed to be below freezing by sunrise. Some reports says we might get freezing rain again. I certainly hope not. I asked the folks at the surgery center if Dash would be OK if the power went out tomorrow. They looked at me like I was some sort of alarmist nut. Well, of course I'm an alarmist nut. I just wanted to make sure they had a backup plan.

I was able to get all my work completed, despite the trips back and forth to the cancer center. Writing this blog day in and day out appears to have helped my writing in other areas as well. I get my assignments finished now no matter what happens. If I worked this hard back in the days when I was a creative type at the big ad agencies, I would probably own a big agency now, instead of leaving behind a legacy as the agency troublemaker.

All that is ancient history now. I've been on my own for over twenty years. I can't say that my little company has exactly set the world on fire, but it pays the bills. I can fix the furnace on cold days. I can fix the roof on wet days. And I can take care of the dogs on troublesome days like this. That's all that really matters. Wish us luck tomorrow and keep Dash in your prayers.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1532

False start day. We got up extra early this morning, so we could negotiate feeding one dog while the other was fasting. Usually, this involves taking the fasting dog on a walk right after we get up, while the second dog stays home and eats breakfast. I walked Dash while Janet fed Dot, and then we were off to see the oncologist. Janet and I were both impressed with the doctor, who was very knowledgeable and explained Dash's thyroid issues in a way that was easy to understand. He was almost certain that Dash will require surgery, but wanted a CAT Scan to confirm his diagnosis and provide an accurate map for the surgeon.

I left Dash at the clinic to get the scan done and went home to eat breakfast and get some work done. Shortly after I got home, I got a call from the clinic saying that I needed to come back and pick up Dash again. They told me that both of the CAT Scan technicians were out sick today and there was nobody to run the machine. WTF? How could they not already know this when I was up at the clinic just an hour earlier? This is a cancer clinic and diagnosing things using a CAT Scanner is a big part of what they do. The machine is essential. At any rate, the doctor was very embarrassed by the situation and promised to get it sorted out, so I could re-schedule quickly.

It simply astounds me how often people fail to have any sort of a back-up plan these days. Individuals, companies, and even our entire country just seem to lurch through life on a wing and a prayer, hoping that everything will be OK. Here is this multimillion dollar machine that the clinic depends on and everything comes to a grinding halt when a technician's kid gets sick? This shouldn't happen. Worst of all, nobody at the cancer clinic appeared to even know that the technician had called in sick until after I had left Dash and returned home. At least they didn't pre-intubate him with drugs before they discovered their error. I always try to have a back up plan. When I go on a photo shoot, I always take three camera bodies and an extra strobe power pack, just in case something breaks. I have my own 4-G hotspot with me at all times, so I am never dead in the water during a power outage. When I was younger, there was a time when I had three cars, just to make sure that a dead battery or breakdown would never put me out of commission. OK, I shouldn't be sanctimonious here. I also liked cars a lot.

The rest of the day was just a normal Monday. I finished two articles and already have two more on deck for tomorrow. There was a long, involved website update which required a lot of Photoshop work. Facebook is destroying what remains of my website business. The pictures I get these days are horrible. Since it's so easy to upload your baby and cat pictures on Facebook, people just think that this is what I do as well. They don't seem to understand that I have to crop, re-size, and color correct every single picture they send me in Photoshop. I can't even batch process, since I usually get thirty different bad cell phone photos, all in their own unique format. Progress is weird. All it means for me is that my own job gets harder.

Tomorrow, we'll start over. We'll get up early again and feed one dog while the fasting dog is out taking a quick walk. I'll get mired in rush hour traffic again as I take Dash to the clinic for his early morning appointment. They've promised me that the all important CAT Scan technician will actually be there this time. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1531

Dot and Dash had a great day. Our mild Springlike weather continues, making it possible to give the dogs several long walks, in addition to the trip to the dog park they'd both been anticipating. It was beautiful today. The redbud and dogwood trees are already starting to bloom, and if you looked closely, you could see tiny green buds on most of the other trees as well. I hope all this early growth isn't cut short by a final hard freeze, but it usually is. That's just the nature of things in Texas.

When the dogs had finished smelling every tree at the dog park, we came home and I finished the writing assignment that threw me a curve yesterday. It all seemed to go smoothly this time and within an hour I was ready to go to the gym.

I think my shoulder might be as good as it's going to get. I was able to go back to my old workout routine this afternoon and everything seemed fine. The shoulder still hurt, but it hurt before the injury too. The important thing was that it was able to bear weight and wasn't falling out of the socket anymore. I'm more careful now and try not to do things that would pull my right arm away from my body. All in all, I think it is better to stay active. If I babied the shoulder too much and did nothing, it would probably be worse on my body in the long run than what I'm doing now.

Janet fixed cheeseburgers for dinner. I did eat a kale salad as a token gesture to good health, but that was about it. There are few things better than a good cheeseburger and fried onion rings. It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but you could do a lot worse. Good lean beef, artisan cheddar cheese, some fresh heirloom tomato slices, and a little arugula on a freshly  baked whole grain bun. That sounds healthy doesn't it?  There's got to be more to life than oatmeal and kale. If I can ever get my liver working properly again, I might even enjoy the ocassional glass of wine with dinner again. That would be nice.

Tomorrow is the big day. We can't feed Dash anything after 10 PM tonight, since he will probably have to be anesthetized for his CAT scan tomorrow. I'm trying to keep an open mind, since almost anything could happen. Depending on what the oncologist finds, he could come home with a bottle of pills to take for a week and be good to go, or he could be rushed into emergency surgery. I don't know how parents with small children handle these situations as well as the do. We've had a lifetime of different Dalmatians, and I always remember the medical emergencies the most vividly. Spot had a tumor inside his spinal cord and I thought he might be paralyzed for life. It was a long, tough surgery, but he bounced back to lead a normal life. Much later, he was back on the operating table again with intestinal cancer. A six inch section of his small intestine was removed and he survived that as well. Petey almost died after he got pancreatitis from eating a duck's foot he found in the park. Greta did die after liver surgery failed to completely eliminate the cancer that was growing there. I'm hoping for the best with Dash. He had a very tough life before we rescued and adopted him. We promised him that things would be better now, and we'll continue to do our best to keep that promise.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1528

OK. We're making progress. I've scheduled a consultation with an oncologist first thing Monday morning. After this initial evaluation, Dash will get a CAT Scan later the same day. If necessary, we've arranged for a joint consultation between the oncologist and a soft tissue surgeon. My philosophy for just about everything is to hope for the best while preparing for the worst. That's what I'm trying to do here.

It turns out that they didn't check my viral loads when I went to the hepatologist today. The nurse said that I hadn't been taking the pills long enough to see whether they were helping me. All they wanted to do today was to make sure they weren't harming me. I guess that makes sense. I would be very surprised if the pills were actually harming me. I feel fine. Dash seems to feel fine too, so maybe things aren't always as simple as they seem.

Dash has reverted to getting us up in the middle of the night again. Just when I think his digestion is back to normal, he has another of these episodes. We certainly aren't getting much sleep this week. I asked the vet if Dash's loose stools could have anything to do with his thyroid issues and she didn't know. She said anything was possible. I think both dogs have been going to the vet so frequently this month that everyone is starting to get Dot and Dash's stories confused. We thought we had some recent x-rays to send over to the oncologist today, but it turned out they were Dot's x-rays.

After a short break, I have returned to my insane writing schedule. The constant writing, plus all the website updates and dog issues are starting to take their toll. I'm tired. There are a lot of things that just aren't getting done the way they should. Ordinarily, I would have fixed the faulty can light in the bathroom by now. Not even close on that one. I still haven't gotten the damaged Oak tree in the back yard cleaned up after December's ice storm. I ended up fixing the hole Dot that ate in the carpet with Duct Tape. It looks like crap and Janet says we're living in Honey Boo Boo's house now, but at least there are no more dangerous loose edges that the dogs might eat again. It's going to take a while to get a new carpet put in. Getting the dog health issues resolved has to come first. There's so much furniture that would need to be moved before a new carpet could be installed that I dread even dealing with the whole thing. I don't know who to call anyway. My favorite carpet company went out of business five years ago. Nothing is simple anymore.

I was really hoping to get Dash in to see the oncologist tomorrow, but maybe waiting until Monday is for the best. He still acts and feels pretty normal. At least now, we'll have a chance to take him to his favorite dog park over the weekend and spend some quality time with him. If he does end up needing surgery and radiation therapy, he's going to have a pretty rough Spring.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1217

The saddest thing about today's bombing of the Boston Marathon is that these horrific events are no longer surprising. Bombings, school shootings, mass murders and other horrors have become so commonplace that they are now just part of the tapestry of everyday life. I have to remind myself that the world wasn't always this way. I grew up in a small town that didn't have a single murder during the entire time I lived there. Neighbors didn't even lock their doors at night when I was a kid. I suspect that those days are gone forever.

The bombs that exploded in Boston weren't the only sign of the apocalypse today. The market had a huge sell-off, with the price of gold falling at an unprecedented rate. This extreme volatility is no longer uncommon either. The world has simply become a volatile and increasingly dangerous place.

If I hadn't turned on the television, I would never have known about all the turmoil however. My own world is quite calm. I walked the dogs, exactly like I always do, and ate a bowl of oatmeal mixed with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries when I returned. I watched an old episode of Dr. Who while I was doing the laundry and cleaning up the kitchen. I paid a few bills, took my quarterly estimated tax voucher to the post office, finished an estimate that was due today, and even got a couple of checks in the mail. It was an absolutely normal day as far as I was concerned.

I hope I can maintain this fragile illusion of normalcy in the days to come. I have no desire to live on the bleeding edge of anything. A simple life like my parents enjoyed in the 1950's would be fine with me. Is this even possible? Probably not. If I'm being honest, I'll have to admit that during the 1950's, my Mom was wrestling with manic depression and my Dad was immersed in the cold war, making secret trips to the Nevada desert whenever there was a nuclear test. Maybe life never was normal.

I still find the innocence of the 1950's alluring however.  I enjoy watching old episodes of Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone as I drift off to sleep in the evening. The world seemed so simple then. It would be nice if we could figure out how regain the innocence we lost. I don't think it's going to happen though.

Dot has to fast for her CAT scan tomorrow. Janet and I have come up with a complicated plan to feed Dash in the morning without Dot knowing what is going on. The plan probably won't work though. Dogs always know what's going on when food is involved.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 732

I cleaned the furnace filters today. You probably wouldn't guess why I felt so compelled to do this right now. You see, the furnace guy is coming out on Monday. I don't want him to get on my case for letting the electrostatic filters get dirty. I could care less if people think I'm a little insensitive to my fellow man. I definitely don't want the repair guys to think I mistreat my tools and appliances though. I think I always clean the furnace just before the furnace repairman comes over.

The weird noise I keep hearing when I start the car seems to be getting louder, so I stopped by an AutoZone store and got a bottle of power steering fluid while I was running errands this afternoon. It seems like the last time I heard this noise, low power steering fluid was the problem.

I tore one of the fitted sheets while I was making the bed recently, so I picked up another set of sheets while I was running errands too. Jeez, when did sheets get so expensive? Like just about everything else I've purchased recently, the price for a set of fitted sheets seems to have doubled since the last time I looked for these things. All those people who say inflation isn't a problem are nuts. Inflation is a big problem! My haircut yesterday cost more than it did the last time. Gas prices seem to be going up again. The price of my favorite coffee beans are going way up. It's ridiculous.

When I went up on the roof today to get rid of the leaves, I didn't expect to find water. There it was though. Another little lake of water to sweep away. Where did all this water come from? I don't even think it rained yesterday. At least it was warm this afternoon. No dog coats to struggle with and just a light jacket for myself.

I was feeling pretty good until one of my doctors called today and told me he thought I needed a MRI. Evidently when the radiologist evaluated the CAT scan I had done last week, he saw something he didn't like. They can take all the scans they want. It's what comes after the scans that I don't particularly want to deal with.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 724

Well, I was back in the CAT Scan machine again today. I'll have to give my doctors credit where credit is due. So far, they've been pretty successful at warding off the perils of age and heredity. Lately, I've started thinking of these guys as my medical team. They all seem to know each other and often coordinate their treatment efforts. I can't say I enjoy living a clean, healthy lifestyle and taking a mountain of pills every morning, but it seems to be working. Personally, I enjoyed my 20's and 30's a lot better, when I practically lived on beer, wine and bacon. We've all got to pay for our sins sometime though, and my time has come.

I wrote my article about the color orange today. Although I initially though the premise was ridiculous, the article actually turned out pretty well. I had hoped to get more done today, but when there are doctor's appointments on the calendar, my schedule kind of goes out the window. I hadn't really planned on the CAT Scan today, so that took a couple of additional hours out of an already busy day.

Tomorrow will be even busier, since I'll be taking pet pictures at our final Santa Paws photo event. This one should be identical to the three we've done already. The only difference is that this one is further away, so I'll have to get up a bit earlier tomorrow. So far, the events have been very successful. We've raised quite a bit of money to help Dalmatian Rescue.

There was a heavy box at the front door when I got home from my doctor's appointment. I hadn't ordered anything heavy, so I was curious what was inside. Turns out it was this year's edition of Who's Who in America. I've been listed in this book for ages, but I've almost forgotten about it. Thirty years ago it was a big deal to be included in Who's Who in America. I think the book has fallen by the wayside though. It seems kind of like a vanity publication now. Probably a high Klout score matters more than being in Who's Who these days.

Puppies are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day