Day 2419

I find going over lab results with my doctor a bit frustrating. Today, my A1c levels had improved, but my Creatine and Bun levels had gotten worse. When I asked the doctor why, he told me that the Metformin I have been taking to control blood sugar and A1c levels tended to be hard on the kidneys, which often elevates Creatine and Bun levels. This is what happens with just about every prescription medicine you take. The body is complex and everything is interrelated. When you make something better, you often make something else worse. This didn't really seem to bother the doctor, who seemed to think that preventing diabetes was more important than perfectly functioning kidneys. "Your kidneys are still working pretty well," he said.

Apparently, my big problem is stress. My Cortisol levels have been increasing for several years and are now pretty high. I think the doctor was expecting me to tell him that there had been a death in the family or a divorce to cause this much stress. Instead, he got a convoluted tale of sleep loss and dog poop. The doctor and his nurse both gave me an odd look when I described my daily life, but they had no suggestions. They like dogs too. I'm doing the right thing with Dot. I probably just don't have the right kind of personality to deal with her continuing deterioration in a calm, relaxed way. Actually, the conversation with the doctor was causing me stress, because it was taking too long. I knew that if I didn't get back home in time, there would be more poop to clean up. Sure enough, I was right. Not only did Dot poop in her bed while I was at the doctor, she ate the poop as well.

I'm always surprised when I have lab work done just how advanced medicine has become. It is amazing how much a simple blood test can reveal. Today, I was introduced to something new. They took a DNA sample and said they would be able to use it to predict my susceptibility to certain diseases and even if the medications I was taking were interfering with each other. I asked if this test would tell me who my ancestors were and the nurse said they didn't do genealogy. Too bad. Every time I see one of those 23 and Me commercials on TV, I'm curious if I'm actually as Norwegian as I think I am.

I didn't tell the doctor that I'd had pancakes topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar for breakfast. What the hell. I felt like pancakes this morning. After three years of eating nothing but steel cut oats, I've decided that breakfast needs to be a little more enjoyable. I think my morning smoothie is generally pretty healthy, but I need a break occasionally. At least once a month, I pig out on pancakes or waffles.

I'll need to clean the roof off this weekend, in preparation for the roofers promised return on Monday. They probably won't show up, but at least I'll have done my part. I'm glad that July is almost over. It's been a long, very hot month. If we can make it to Winter again, life with Dot might be a little easier.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1964

I picked up one of those Chromecast sticks that plugs into your TV while I was out this afternoon. Now, all three HDMI ports on the back of the TV are filled with little devices that bypass cable. I never use the Roku and Hulu steaming sticks, so it is doubtful that I'll use Chromecast much either. I guess I just got the thing because it was on sale and I was curious whether it worked or not. Yup. Works like a charm. I'm fascinated by technology. I just don't watch TV very much. I was happy enough with my old analog TV that only got 13 Channels. Unfortunately, all the TV stations switched to digital broadcasting a few years ago and turned the thing into a door stop. Jeez, who needs 250 Channels? I mostly just watch old black and white Perry Mason shows to help me go to sleep at night anyway. Ironically, Janet would probably like Chromecast, but wouldn't have the patience to install the companion software on her computer and learn how to use the thing. I have lots of patience. I just don't understand the whole concept of entertainment. I could go for months without even turning a TV on.

I didn't really realize that eating would be such a problem when I had my oral surgery. Dislodging all the little food particles in my mouth after a meal takes longer than it took to eat the meal in the first place. I'm supposed to swish warm salt water around in my mouth to remove food debris, but it takes forever. According to my post-surgery instructions I still can't brush with a toothbrush or use a water pic. Somehow, my remaining teeth have become more sensitive to hot and cold too. It just makes me want to eat nothing but custard or Jello.

I really didn't do much today. I got groceries, filled the car with gas, refilled prescriptions, did some laundry and changed the sheets on the bed. I do most of these things every Saturday. It took a while for me to figure out how to install the Chromecast stick, but once I got it working properly, I just turned off the TV. No need to actually watch anything. Taking a nap with the dogs seemed like a much better alternative.

I'm glad I got the water off the roof yesterday, because it was too hot to go up there today. In the Summer, I have to wear gloves, because some of the surfaces become too hot to touch. The only good thing about the Summer heat is that after a light rain in July or August, the standing water just evaporates and I don't have to bother with sweeping it away.

I'm hungry for French Toast. It's tasty and easy to chew. French Toast for breakfast tomorrow sounds delicious. Unfortunately, I'm not eating bread anymore. I don't completely remember why, but I quit eating bread quite a while ago. It probably has something to do with avoiding diabetes. Bread is high in carbs and can spike blood sugar levels. Bread just isn't that good for you. It is very tasty, but blocks that absorption of other nutrients, contributes to vitamin-d deficiency, and quickly turns to sugar in your body. What a shame. Bread tastes to good.

Maybe I'll go to the gym tomorrow. I think I'm caught up on Sunday chores. I need to go to the gm more often, but I'd rather work on adding some new features to my mobile friendly test site. Learning something new is much more entertaining to me than watching a movie using the Chromecast stick. Going to the gym isn't entertaining at all, although I do like shooting the basketball. I'll probably just take another nap with the dogs.

Bogart is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1716 - Dot's Birthday

Dot had a big day. We started the day by returning to our regular route for the dog's morning walk. I walked Dot and Dash together and Dot had no trouble going the full distance. We walked a lot slower than usual, but nobody was in a hurry. Dot also got to go back to training class this evening. This was the first time she's returned to the class since her surgery and she seemed to enjoy the outing. We didn't do all the exercises, but she seemed eager to participate in some of the easier routines. When we got home, we all had cake.

I'm still not sure how old Dot is. Janet says she turned 13 this year, but I thought she was 13 last year. Maybe it's like a woman's 39th birthday. Dot might end up being 13 forever.

I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast. I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before.  It's easy and it's delicious. When I was worried about my blood sugar levels, I stopped eating wheat products for over a year. Since grain converts to sugar during digestion, cutting bread out of my diet brought my blood sugar levels back to normal very quickly. I also lost a fair amount of weight. All this is good. The only problem was that I have always loved bread. Now that my liver is functioning normally again and I have significantly improved my chances for avoiding diabetes by eating a healthy diet, bread has become a bigger temptation than ever. I haven't pigged out on French Toast with Maple Syrup yet, but I do enjoy the occasional sandwich. Even though this morning's grilled ham and cheddar sandwich was delicious, I'll be back eating my oatmeal tomorrow. Dot won't be eating cake again for quite a while either.

I wish I was was busier at work, but it's probably been good that things are slow now. I've spent so much time this Spring and Summer caring for sick dogs and driving them back and forth between various vet appointments that I don't know where I would have found the time to do my normal workload anyway. Tomorrow is another physical therapy day for Dot. She's gotten strong enough now to do a full twenty minute workout on the underwater treadmill. It's amazing how well she's doing physically. You'd never know she was a senior citizen until you saw her pee all over the house. If we can ever resolve her incontinence issues, I think Dot will have made a full recovery.

I need to order a full set of ink cartridges and a new maintenance tank for the large format printer tomorrow. I've managed to use up all eight cartridges just doing cleaning cycles to keep the printer from clogging. Since the cartridges cost $57 each, I wonder if it is worth the effort. It's kind of insane to work so hard to keep this cranky printer running properly. Who knows? Maybe I'll have a gallery show again, but I probably won't. I may never make a huge print again. It's nice to have a good printer just in case though. I may not do much these days, but I'm certainly well prepared.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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