Saving My Girl – Part 2

Good Morning! 

My body decided to wake up around 3am today.  The good news is that I was able to get some sleep.  Instead of getting no sleep, I am able to get at least 2 hours of sleep.  Some days I can get a little more. My dream would be to be able to sleep at least 4 hours straight.  Ahhh… that would be nice.  This is yet one of the “perks” of having Chronic Lyme Disease and multiple co-infections.  Note Sarcasm in that last sentence.  (To learn more about Chronic Lyme Disease, it’s nasty co-infections and my struggles & treatments with it just click on this link  “G.O. Chronic Illness Blogs“).

Where was I?  OH RIGHT!  My insomnia…..So my body woke me up at 3am.  Although I am awake, I feel extremely tired and fatigued.  Insomnia is one of the many “side effects” from my disease and co-infections.  I’ve been suffering with insomnia (and other issues) for over 20 years.  Thankfully, I finally have some good doctors who are not only properly informed and experienced in dealing with my chronic illness, but care enough to keep trying to figure out how to help me.  But, that’s not my main topic for this blog.  I’m mentioning it because my poor health is one of the biggest reasons why I am SO SLOW at getting things done.  I am trying to stay positive.  That is a challenge, but I am determined to figure out a way to do so.

OK, back on topic.  I broke up this subject into Parts because there is a LOT of information I want to share about it.  This ties into my updates to my blog about my Australian Shepherd, Dakota and the recent health problems we’re dealing with since the beginning of this year (2020).

I looked at my earlier blog posts and it seem that the last time I was able to write and post a blog was in February of this year (2020).  Oy.  It is extremely frustrating to be this slow at getting things done.  Life has been a real pain in the “ars” (as usual).  Something ALWAYS seems to inevitably interrupt or prevent me from making steady progress.  It NEVER fails.  The moment I think I have a chance to catch up or focus on my projects, something happens to further delay any progress.  Even as I type this, one of our cats has decided he needs something…. RIGHT NOW.   He is meowing and pacing until I STOP what I am currently doing to address his needs…. Which I will. Ugh… and now our other 2 cats are chasing each other up and down the stairs.  It’s currently 4:30am EST.  It would be NICE if the humans that are still sleeping (my husband and son) could remain sleeping.  It would be NICE if (for ONCE) I could maybe catch up on my things? Maybe?  (sigh) BRB – Bedu (one of our cats) is being VERY persistent as his light meowing has now turned into very LOUD yowling.  Thus, increasing the chances of waking my family and decreasing my chances of getting something done.  OY!

Just gave all three indoor kitties some dry food.  Noticed Dakota is lying on the couch.  Something she KNOWS she’s NOT supposed to do, but insists on behaving like it’s a shock for me to ask her to “get down.”  I swear.  Pets, no matter how big or small they may be, are like having perpetual toddlers running amuck. Love all my kids, but good grief.  Sometimes, especially at 4 o’clock in the morning, it can be a challenge to keep one’s sanity.  I need my Zen…. “OW-oooooommmmmm”

So where was I?  Oh right, still trying to write an update to Dakota’s health.  Let’s see.  Where to begin?  Well, let me go back to the time frame that I left off which was sometime in February 2020.  I was desperate to save my girl.  Her health was slowly declining and the treatments we were trying did not seem to be working.  Thankfully, one of my Vets did some tests on her, which confirmed she did indeed have Addison’s disease AND he had some options for us to try on her that he found worked on other cases similar to hers.  I am VERY thankful and happy to report that his treatments are working.  It is a slow process, but I’d rather be making positive progress at a slow rate than to face the inevitable, which would be to see my girl’s health decline and be forced to make a final decision that NO ONE wants to make when it comes to our beloved pets.  Thankfully, I am lucky to have a handful of Vets that are willing to work WITH me vs. Dictate what they want to be done regardless of what I think about it.

Sigh.  Well, I was going to share the medications she’s on that seem to be helping her.  However, I have no idea where I put the piece of paper that has the names of said medication.  SO, I will have to share that information in my next post.  For now, I will share information that I’ve learned regarding Addison’s disease and how it affects dogs.  Below are some links to SOME of the information I found on Addison’s Disease.

I highly recommend arming yourself with as much information as you possibly can and discussing it with your Veterinarian as affects, responses, and treatment results may vary between individuals).