Hospital - Update #2

Maggie had another seizure yesterday. This time it was the early evening and Dallin had her out to go potty. Her front legs collapsed and she started seizing. Unfortunately, it was on some sharp rocks which I'm sure made it very uncomfortable. He called me and I rushed down and we stroked her belly and told her everything would be ok. Luckily this one wasn't quite as severe as the other. After, she wanted to get off the rocks but couldn't stand because her legs were still tremoring. It was so heartbreaking. She collapsed in the grass to take a nap. We carried her inside and let her sleep while we both cried. I was a mess, again.

At least this time we can start fixing it. I know we would have just been waiting around, wondering if and when it was going to happen again. I called the vet this morning and went and picked up a prescription for her and started that tonight. Too bad it could take up to 2 weeks for it to start working in her system. After the 2 weeks we'll see if it's working. If it isn't, then we'll up the dose. If it is working for the next couple months and she's too groggy/dopey, we'll start weening her off little by little. Some dogs can be completely weened off and never have a seizure again, that is what we're aiming for.

She seems to be back to her perky self this evening. I think it took about 24 hours before she fully recovered from this last one. Her back legs kept slipping. Here's to hoping we get our Mags back to good as new in no time.

Hospital - UPDATED

Maggie did fine at the hospital and didn't have any other episodes. All her blood work came back normal so we're leaning toward a neurological disorder, probably epilepsy. The awful part is that we just have to wait for it to happen again and see if any sort of pattern develops and make sure they're not worse and more frequent. If it does then we'll start her on medication. I'm not sure I can handle seeing another one. I was a mess all day and needless to say, my anxiety was off the charts.

Last night I slept on the couch to keep an ear out and every little move she made got my heart pumping so I didn't get much sleep. Around 3:30 a.m. she threw up but didn't seize. So maybe she got into something toxic? We were with her outside the whole time (jogging, so not a lot of time to stop and eat anything) and she was in her area all day.

So we're not left with many answers, just grateful that she is ok at the moment and praying that it was some fluke "perfect storm" and that it never happens again.

Hospital

Oh man, last night was the WORST night. For some reason Dallin and I both semi-woke up around 3:45 a.m. and I noticed the TV was on so I was looking around for the remote in bed which woke me up more. Dallin asked me what time it was and I told him and I heard Maggie stir so I listened since she's been a pill lately. It sounded like she was ripping up her puppy pad so I went down there and she was shaking. I thought it was a nightmare but when I got closer her eyes were rolled back in her head and she was foaming at the mouth and shaking so hard. She was having a full on Grand Mal seizure. I'll never forget the sound of the rattling of her crate...

I went and got Dallin and I've never seen him pop out of bed so fast. She was really disoriented for a few minutes afterward and then perked up to her normal self. Luckily it only lasted less than a minute and she perked up within five minutes. I called the ER and decided not to take her in and brought her to bed with us since our vet would be in in a few hours. I dropped her off at the vet this morning so they can keep an eye on her and we can figure out what's going on. I think the throw up yesterday morning was actually foam from another seizure. I don't know what's going on but it was the scariest thing I've ever witnessed in my life. I really thought she was going to die right in front of me. I didn't go back to sleep because every little sound she made sent me into a panic.

The vet called a while ago and she's doing fine and hasn't had another episode. They're running blood work on her to see if it was caused by low blood sugar from the new food we're feeding her, or if there's a liver problem or epilepsy. All I know is that I never want to witness another one of those again. I felt so helpless, it was the worst thing ever. Pray for my pup that she's recover fully and be back to normal with no lasting side effects.

(This picture was taken a few months ago)

Hives

Forgot to post about this. Almost a couple months ago I felt a bump on my back that felt like a mosquito bite and it itched like crazy so I scratched it. The next day, it had turned into 2 bites, the next day it was five bites that were these huge hives. I have a tendency to get some heat hives after hard workouts so I assumed they'd migrated to my shoulder blade. The itching got so bad that I bruised my skin surrounding where I was scratching. The area kept getting bigger and itching worse. I had my mom look at it and thought it was maybe shingles but I hadn't been sick. I decided to wait a few days to see if it went away.

They didn't go away, they got worse. When I scratched in the wrong spot, it HURT so bad, I'd almost shoot through the roof. Then the skin around it started numbing. By this time I was pretty freaked out and called the dermatologist. I contemplated going to Instacare but knew they'd send me to a dermatologist anyway and with our high deductible insurance, I didn't want to see more doctors than necessary. Unfortunately for me, the dermatologist was booked out about 6 weeks. I tried to get in to another one, booked out 3 weeks. I knew I'd go crazy by then. I guess the squeaky wheel gets the grease because I finally go into the on-call doc who promptly diagnosed me with shingles - chicken pox reincarnate along nerve roots.

I was too far into the sickness for them to do anything (thanks for making me wait weeks! What if I was DYING?!?) and way past being contagious and then broke the news to me that I could have it another 2-4 weeks. Luckily, I got it so young, my case was a relatively mild case, just ANNOYING. Could have been a lot more painful and more prominent (mostly only older people get it and sometimes on their face which could cause sight loss). So I survived. I don't know how I got it, some sort of virus I could have got anywhere. I don't recommend them though!

Help

I haven't been shy about my feelings but if you haven't heard, The Help is one of my all-time most favorite books. It touched me so deeply and it was a story I could entirely get lost in. The characters were developed so wonderfully and I agree with the critics claiming it is a new classic. Dallin and I went and saw the movie on Friday night. I was a little apprehensive making him see it with me, wasn't sure if it'd be good or too chick-flick or what, but we both LOVED it. There are rare times that come along when a movie is just as good as its literary counterpart. The movie did not disappoint. He'll kill me for saying this but we both cried in it. I cried my eyes out. Afterward, he said, "I'm really glad I went and saw that movie." He never says that.

The movie, in particular, because it was most recent, really made me reflect on how we treat each other. It is horrific and heartbreaking to sit and watch how horrible people can be to one another. Not just racially, even just with those we feel don't fit into our circle of friends (ala Celia Foote). It made me recommit to being a little kinder and gentler to those around me, you never know the fight they are battling daily. I encourage everyone to see the movie. It will touch your heart and hopefully help us all be kinder to those around us.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Wanted to wish my cute, fabulous, bestest mom ever a very happy birthday! For months I've been telling her to keep the 13th scheduled for a date night with me. I wouldn't tell her what we were doing and someone everyone kept their mouths shut! When I picked her up I told her that Mary and Allie were in the car and we were off to dinner then Josh Groban! She was way excited.

We went to Biaggis at the Gateway, which she had never been to. The food was so good. I love it there. My mom just kept commenting on how good the bread was and how this whole thing was "beyond fun and awesome." I don't think moms get a lot of surprises so a shout out to my brothers and dad for helping make this all happen.

We had awesome seats at Josh. We were the section section over on row 7. So when he came out to the middle stage, it literally seemed like he was RIGHT THERE. He wanted to make this tour more intimate and came out into the audience about a dozen times. Asking people questions, shaking hands, telling them hi; just super cool. And of course, his voice is amazing. Pitch perfect and effortless. We both forgot our camera so I only got some lame cell phone pictures but it's ok. I forgot how funny Josh Groban is too. He kept us laughing, and was a great showman. So fun I was able to spend this with my mama and have a fun Girls Night Out. It was a blast!

Harmon's

I loved this weekend. I thought it was entirely too much fun! Friday night we started out with date night at the new Harmon's by our house. This grocery store is an EXPERIENCE. It's huge and clean and bright and has all sorts of food stations. This date night entailed a reserved table for their Greek extravaganza. My mother-in-law suggested we invite grandpa, since he's Greek and all.

We started out with homemade pita chips and hummus. They also served licorice lemonade. Since there is something in licorice that makes me puke without fail, they gave me a different lemonade which was more like a mojito lemonade with mint. Then we had the traditional Greek lemon/rice soup (yummm) and a Greek salad. They gave us a palate cleanser of peach sorbet and brought out the entrees of moussaka (Americanized and therefore good. The real stuff is not good) and pork souvlaki. Dessert was fresh Baklava. We stuffed ourselves silly! Afterward, grandpa wanted to take a little tour of the store in their motorized carts. He's so funny. :)

Saturday I was able to visit one of my old roommates and her new baby. There is nothing like a new baby! They are perfect! We headed to the Real soccer game with Thomas and Angela. It was so fun because I ran into some friends from school, a past job and my current job!

We sat right behind the goal in the north endzone. During practice before the game, there were countless soccer balls kicked into the stands. I guess that's why people don't sit in those seats until right before the game. It was dangerous! During the game there were balls that zoomed right toward me head. While everyone ducked, this guy in front of us (with a broken arm!) would stand up and take the hit and punch the ball away. He saved my life twice. There is nothing like an 80 mph soccer ball beelining it for your head to get your heart racing! Real won 3-0 and it was a really fun game.

To top it all off, our nursery kids were angels today. They were so quiet and good that one little girl fell asleep on the floor for an hour. They extended snack time to the point where we only had time to sing 3 songs before they got picked up. Ah, I love those kiddos!