The Game Options for the Crystal Maze were Skill, Physical, Mental or Mystery. Life is currently feeling like a combination of these, only without the choice, without the chance of winning a crystal and definitely without any time in the crystal dome at the end of it all.
For Holly its a case of Physical vs Mental. Physically she is continuing to decline, I was away for a few days over Easter and she stayed with my Mum and Dad. When I came home the report was that she was happy enough but had not successfully gone on a walk in her wheels. They had tried but she had not been happy and had kept falling over so they just sling-walked her round their garden.
The problem is that Mentally she is still very alert and active and, occasionally, under the impression that she is still capable of long hikes over the moors. So on the Saturday after Easter I was very happy when she woke me up at 6.30 am to ask if it was time to go for a walk. She was enthusiastic and enjoyed the walk but as it was a combination of pavements and parks we kept it to just 3 miles. I think the problems she had had at my parents is that from their house it is uphill for the first third to half a mile.
I get all four.
I get to practice my Skill levels as I assist Holly walking around. Can I keep up with her high speed dash to the kitchen for breakfast? Can I avoid bashing my legs/knees/hips on various objects as she weaves in and out of them? Am I coordinated enough (especially first thing on a morning) to avoid Holly weeing on my foot when we have a trip round the garden?
Combined with the Skill is the Physical. I try to let Holly do as much as she can but there is still a certain amount of lifting, carrying, steadying and picking up when, despite my best efforts, she has fallen over.
Mental is probably the hardest of them all. Holly has always been very good at knowing how I feel and responding to it. So now my challenge is to try and stay happy and positive so that Holly stays happy and positive, because when she is happy she enjoys her walks more and is generally more energetic and enthusiastic.
The Mystery is how long? Will today be the day? I know there can't be much time left and I am keeping track of good and bad days. As I have stated before the bad days are getting more frequent but for now the good days are still winning.
Wednesday 30 April 2014
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Breakfast was a big hit this morning
Breakfast today was a big hit with all three critters.
Over the weekend I had a lamb roast, this morning all three got some ends of lamb mixed into their breakfast and Holly got a little leftover gravy added to hers too.
For 5 minutes the only sounds were the slurping noises of three bowls being thoroughly licked clean.
Over the weekend I had a lamb roast, this morning all three got some ends of lamb mixed into their breakfast and Holly got a little leftover gravy added to hers too.
For 5 minutes the only sounds were the slurping noises of three bowls being thoroughly licked clean.
Monday 28 April 2014
transportation
When I got my first two cats I was told they didn't travel very well, and for the journey home they howled and cried and made the most revolting and traumatic noises for the whole 8 minute car journey. I thought it was because they were large cats and there was only 1 carry-box that they were both squished into, so I bought a second one so they could travel in more comfort than before. It didn't make any difference.
For the next few years they didn't go anywhere except the vets a very noisy 3 minute car ride away and one house move which was a 15 minute journey. Then I had a holiday, they were going to stay at my Mum and Dad's house 45 minutes away in the car and the thought of listening to them for all that time almost made me cancel the holiday. But I thought that if they got used to the car they would at least start to travel quietly. So in the evenings and weekend they went on lots and lots of car rides, each one as noisy as the last. One day, a couple of weeks in, I had someone else with me and as we were on a very quiet road I decided to let one of the cats out of her box. Instant peace and quiet from the cat now sat on the passengers knee looking out of the window. On the way back home the cats swapped places and again the one out of the box was quiet. The next day I went out and bought a couple of harnesses and from then on they got to travel loose in the car. Mono and Fluffy soon found the parcel shelf in the car and from then on if there was not a passenger or a cushion to sit on (they never once tried to help me drive) they would sit on the parcel shelf watching the world go by. I once stopped in a supermarket car park with both cats in the car. As I was returning I heard a small child telling her dad that there was two cats in that car. He obviously had not looked because his reply was "no darling, those are dogs".
Mono accepted travel as a necessary evil, but Fluffy loved to travel and it turned out she was a bit of a speed freak. At speeds of up to 45mph she would sit quietly, but any faster than that and her nose was glued to the window and you got a running commentary on everything she could see. The only other time you got noise from her when travelling was if it had rained, then she exclaimed delight and amazement with every puddle you drove through, especially if it caused a wave to shoot up. There are two ways to the vets and if it had rained we always took the back route that was more or less one long puddle, just for Fluffy.
When Linus and Olaf joined the household they too were introduced to car travel. Olaf is not too keen and prefers to be in his carry box. Linus too loves car rides, but can only travel outside of a carry box when there is a passenger to keep an eye on his escapades. When the car stops he will leap to a window and bang on it with his paws to gain the attention of pedestrians, and if it is raining he has to be locked away in his box otherwise he hurtles back and forth across the dashboard trying to catch the windscreen wipers.
I think I was very lucky with Holly, she too loves to travel. When I first got her and was waiting for all her initial vaccinations so she could go outside I would take her out in the car. I worked it out, in that first 4 to 6 weeks Holly travelled about 750 miles in the car, so it's not surprising that she considers it her second home. She learnt not to get out until given permission and to travel wherever in the car there was room. Mostly she travels in the boot, but sometimes on the back passenger seat and very occasionally on the front passenger seat depending on who and what else we have in the car. Sometimes she has travelled sprawled on top of passengers, she was comfy but they spent the journey shuffling and shifting so that 25Kg of dog didn't cut off the blood circulation to their legs.
Before the serious wobbles and the wheels I regularly took Holly on public transport where she learnt to lie under the seats on the bus and train. I have had a think back and I suspect that she has probably travelled further and on more modes of transport than quite a lot of people.
She has been in buses, coaches, cars, vans and taxis (the driver of the coach that replaced a train refused to let her on so the train company paid for a taxi for us to get to our destination). On trains, electric, diesel and steam. When we went to the Isle of Man so she travelled in a catamaran to get there and then on the Narrow Gauge Steam Railway, horse drawn Trams, electric Trams and the electric Mountain Railway which are on the Island. In 2012 we were on Holiday in Southwold and she didn't bat an eye when asked to hop into the rowing boat that is a ferry across the estuary to Walberswick. She looked most disappointed that the journey was only a few minutes long.
The biggest problem I have had with her travelling is when we are out and about walking and at a bus stop when a bus stops. She will just hop straight on the bus and look most put-out when asked to get off again, if I have my travel-pass on me or some change I have been known to get a ticket for a stop or two just so she can have a ride.
For the next few years they didn't go anywhere except the vets a very noisy 3 minute car ride away and one house move which was a 15 minute journey. Then I had a holiday, they were going to stay at my Mum and Dad's house 45 minutes away in the car and the thought of listening to them for all that time almost made me cancel the holiday. But I thought that if they got used to the car they would at least start to travel quietly. So in the evenings and weekend they went on lots and lots of car rides, each one as noisy as the last. One day, a couple of weeks in, I had someone else with me and as we were on a very quiet road I decided to let one of the cats out of her box. Instant peace and quiet from the cat now sat on the passengers knee looking out of the window. On the way back home the cats swapped places and again the one out of the box was quiet. The next day I went out and bought a couple of harnesses and from then on they got to travel loose in the car. Mono and Fluffy soon found the parcel shelf in the car and from then on if there was not a passenger or a cushion to sit on (they never once tried to help me drive) they would sit on the parcel shelf watching the world go by. I once stopped in a supermarket car park with both cats in the car. As I was returning I heard a small child telling her dad that there was two cats in that car. He obviously had not looked because his reply was "no darling, those are dogs".
Mono accepted travel as a necessary evil, but Fluffy loved to travel and it turned out she was a bit of a speed freak. At speeds of up to 45mph she would sit quietly, but any faster than that and her nose was glued to the window and you got a running commentary on everything she could see. The only other time you got noise from her when travelling was if it had rained, then she exclaimed delight and amazement with every puddle you drove through, especially if it caused a wave to shoot up. There are two ways to the vets and if it had rained we always took the back route that was more or less one long puddle, just for Fluffy.
When Linus and Olaf joined the household they too were introduced to car travel. Olaf is not too keen and prefers to be in his carry box. Linus too loves car rides, but can only travel outside of a carry box when there is a passenger to keep an eye on his escapades. When the car stops he will leap to a window and bang on it with his paws to gain the attention of pedestrians, and if it is raining he has to be locked away in his box otherwise he hurtles back and forth across the dashboard trying to catch the windscreen wipers.
I think I was very lucky with Holly, she too loves to travel. When I first got her and was waiting for all her initial vaccinations so she could go outside I would take her out in the car. I worked it out, in that first 4 to 6 weeks Holly travelled about 750 miles in the car, so it's not surprising that she considers it her second home. She learnt not to get out until given permission and to travel wherever in the car there was room. Mostly she travels in the boot, but sometimes on the back passenger seat and very occasionally on the front passenger seat depending on who and what else we have in the car. Sometimes she has travelled sprawled on top of passengers, she was comfy but they spent the journey shuffling and shifting so that 25Kg of dog didn't cut off the blood circulation to their legs.
Before the serious wobbles and the wheels I regularly took Holly on public transport where she learnt to lie under the seats on the bus and train. I have had a think back and I suspect that she has probably travelled further and on more modes of transport than quite a lot of people.
She has been in buses, coaches, cars, vans and taxis (the driver of the coach that replaced a train refused to let her on so the train company paid for a taxi for us to get to our destination). On trains, electric, diesel and steam. When we went to the Isle of Man so she travelled in a catamaran to get there and then on the Narrow Gauge Steam Railway, horse drawn Trams, electric Trams and the electric Mountain Railway which are on the Island. In 2012 we were on Holiday in Southwold and she didn't bat an eye when asked to hop into the rowing boat that is a ferry across the estuary to Walberswick. She looked most disappointed that the journey was only a few minutes long.
The biggest problem I have had with her travelling is when we are out and about walking and at a bus stop when a bus stops. She will just hop straight on the bus and look most put-out when asked to get off again, if I have my travel-pass on me or some change I have been known to get a ticket for a stop or two just so she can have a ride.
On the Manx Horse Drawn Trams
The Isle of Man Steam Train
Looking out of the window on the IOM Steam Train
The Southwold to Walberswick Ferry
Tuesday 8 April 2014
Signs of another Short Circuit
Last Saturday Holly really enjoyed her walk, when I checked the trip counter on the GPS back at the car it read 5 miles, not bad going!
In hindsight it was too far, although I am not sure she would agree, for the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday she slept. She was very weary and wobbly and didn't ask for a walk, I didn't force her to take one either. She had a quiet day on the sofa and I had a busy day in the kitchen.
She also started to show signs that we are due for a major decline fairly soon. On Saturday evening and sporadically throughout Sunday her front right leg had mini-bursts of short circuiting. It would move to walk and then repeat the action very quickly 4 or 5 times in quick succession. Fortunately I was able to prop her up each time so she didn't fall over.
I had thought it was due to her exhausting her self on the Saturday as she wasn't doing this at all yesterday morning or when I got home from work. We had a very nice stroll around the park in the daylight, although from Holly's point of view it was a bit of a wash-out as the field next to the park was empty of all livestock so she had nothing to say hello to.
Then on our way out for a final trip round the garden before bed, her front right leg did the repeating again.
For now she is still happy, I am going to try to make sure she does not get over-tired (probably easier said than done) this week and see how things go. But I think I am now looking at days and weeks rather than months.
In hindsight it was too far, although I am not sure she would agree, for the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday she slept. She was very weary and wobbly and didn't ask for a walk, I didn't force her to take one either. She had a quiet day on the sofa and I had a busy day in the kitchen.
She also started to show signs that we are due for a major decline fairly soon. On Saturday evening and sporadically throughout Sunday her front right leg had mini-bursts of short circuiting. It would move to walk and then repeat the action very quickly 4 or 5 times in quick succession. Fortunately I was able to prop her up each time so she didn't fall over.
I had thought it was due to her exhausting her self on the Saturday as she wasn't doing this at all yesterday morning or when I got home from work. We had a very nice stroll around the park in the daylight, although from Holly's point of view it was a bit of a wash-out as the field next to the park was empty of all livestock so she had nothing to say hello to.
Then on our way out for a final trip round the garden before bed, her front right leg did the repeating again.
For now she is still happy, I am going to try to make sure she does not get over-tired (probably easier said than done) this week and see how things go. But I think I am now looking at days and weeks rather than months.
Saturday 5 April 2014
908.79
I found an old notebook this morning. I had forgotten that in the early days of diagnosis I kept a note of how far Holly and I had walked, although to be more accurate it was how far I walked. Holly does as all dogs do, ran up and down and round and round when not on the lead so would have gone much further.
The entires start on the 8th October 2011 and the last entry is from 7th July 2012. Not every day is recorded, some days say "plus swimming at Pugneys" and one week is down as "Away on Holiday, out and about all day every day!" I know that year we went to Northumberland and had a two mile walk on the beach every morning and evening in addition to wherever we went during the day.
But the 261 entries that there are tot up to a grand total of 908.79 miles.
The entires start on the 8th October 2011 and the last entry is from 7th July 2012. Not every day is recorded, some days say "plus swimming at Pugneys" and one week is down as "Away on Holiday, out and about all day every day!" I know that year we went to Northumberland and had a two mile walk on the beach every morning and evening in addition to wherever we went during the day.
But the 261 entries that there are tot up to a grand total of 908.79 miles.
Friday 4 April 2014
1.5 + 1 = 30 ???
The maths problem makes much more sense when you put some scales alongside the values.
1.5 years + 1 year = 30 months.
We have made it to another milestone, Holly has wheeled her way through a whole year extra to the original warning of 18 months average to make it to 30 months post-diagnosis!
She's not going quite as far or as fast as she used to, but she will almost certainly wake me up tomorrow morning at the first hint of daylight and then witter constantly until we meet up with friends at 10am for a walk - tomorrow is going to be a stroll along the Trans Pennine Trail for a total of about 4 miles.
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