Time for another book review! I know I have some family members that appreciate a good book review every now and then :)
So I just finished Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. I had seen the book when perusing through Goodreads, and I will say it was well worth it.
This is a story of four very different black women (told for the most part from Lizzie's perspective) who meet for a few summers at Tawawa House, a resort that white masters take their black slave mistresses for a vacation to the north.
This is probably one of my favorite books I have read in recent years, along with Calling Me Home, which I read last year (similar in that they deal with interracial relationships.) The first of the book was a little slow for me, but around the time that Sweet has her baby, the book picks up and I finished it within 24 hours from that.
This book is actually a pretty easy read, and I would say it would be a great book if you have a couple days and want to read something a little different. I think it truly tells the brutally honest truth about how "masters" would treat their different slave women. (We have 4 women, each of whom comes from a very different master.)
Recommended!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Jillie Update 1/26
I did not realize how many people were following Jillie's story, so when I go without updating it, people start to ask many questions...
The real story is - no news is good news! Jillie is very happy and back to her normal self. Still blind in one eye, but of course, that could be permanent damage left over. We are hopeful that some/all will come back, but we are happy where she is now.
She got blood chemistry done yesterday, which was faxed to A&M for the neurologist to check her blood levels since she has been on heavy doses of seizure medication. The only thing at all that was abnormal was her BUN. Normal is 27, hers was 30 (don't know what these numbers represent.) The vet said that the number is NOT a red flag. If it was very high, it could be a sign of intestinal bleeding or renal failure, but those things have other signs that Jillie doesn't have. At this point, it just looks like she is getting some intestinal irritation from the medication. Hopefully that can be solved with making sure she eats food with her medication. Seems like a pretty easy fix for a minimal problem.
She is such a lazy dog that sometimes I freak out when she is being her lazy self and not getting up to go outside. But I try to remember that if she had done that a month ago, I wouldn't have thought a second time about it. She is just being her normal self, so hopefully the healing will continue to the point where we can take her off medications.
Oh, and we are down to 1/2 of a steroid pill every day! Getting something done, right??
Thanks y'all for the love and support!
The real story is - no news is good news! Jillie is very happy and back to her normal self. Still blind in one eye, but of course, that could be permanent damage left over. We are hopeful that some/all will come back, but we are happy where she is now.
She got blood chemistry done yesterday, which was faxed to A&M for the neurologist to check her blood levels since she has been on heavy doses of seizure medication. The only thing at all that was abnormal was her BUN. Normal is 27, hers was 30 (don't know what these numbers represent.) The vet said that the number is NOT a red flag. If it was very high, it could be a sign of intestinal bleeding or renal failure, but those things have other signs that Jillie doesn't have. At this point, it just looks like she is getting some intestinal irritation from the medication. Hopefully that can be solved with making sure she eats food with her medication. Seems like a pretty easy fix for a minimal problem.
She is such a lazy dog that sometimes I freak out when she is being her lazy self and not getting up to go outside. But I try to remember that if she had done that a month ago, I wouldn't have thought a second time about it. She is just being her normal self, so hopefully the healing will continue to the point where we can take her off medications.
Oh, and we are down to 1/2 of a steroid pill every day! Getting something done, right??
Thanks y'all for the love and support!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Happy Jillie 1/15
Jillie is still doing pretty awesome. We have gotten her to eat a little, she's still drinking a lot. Dad sent a video of her this morning walking down to get the mail - she was trotting and wagging her tail, she is really looking fabulous.
Our only concerns are the shakes/quivers she is getting, which could definitely be a side effect of the drugs she is on, and of course, the fact that the slow motor control in her back end and the blindness could be permanent damage. But, if that is the only permanent damage she suffers, we could truly not complain. She has been functioning like a normal dog, just a special dog :)
Thank you again for all your love, support, prayers, thoughts, etc!
Our only concerns are the shakes/quivers she is getting, which could definitely be a side effect of the drugs she is on, and of course, the fact that the slow motor control in her back end and the blindness could be permanent damage. But, if that is the only permanent damage she suffers, we could truly not complain. She has been functioning like a normal dog, just a special dog :)
Thank you again for all your love, support, prayers, thoughts, etc!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
1/14 Morning
Not much news today, but no news is good news when Jillie is up, walking around, not having seizures, drinking lots of water and eating snacks. She hasn't eaten any of her regular dog food, but that's okay, we are going to be working on it.
Her backs legs are still very weak. They noticed that the first night at A&M, but it has been pretty apparent since she has been home. But she has still been going out, going potty, and Dad said she did trot back to him last night in the middle of the night, too. This, of course, is excellent news. She is still trying to fight sleep, and the medicine gives her the shakes occasionally and makes her pant. But she is home and she is happy. She is wagging her tail and she can't give enough kisses!
One week ago this morning, my sweetest dog could barely walk back in the house. Today, she is jogging through my parents' yard. Maybe some people think that I was wasting my time, doing so much for a dog that is "just a dog." But to me, she's not "just a dog." She is MINE and she is MY FAMILY and why would I not do these things that I would do for myself?
If we had never taken her to A&M, we would never have found out that there was a bleed in her brain, and when she started having seizures and got put on the first medication but continued to have problems, I wouldn't have had Dr. Anderson from A&M to tell the vets in Bowie to put Jillie on Keppra, which, it appears, has saved her life. She has not had any seizures since her first round of Keppra, and we would like to keep it that way (duh.)
Among the most surprising of support came from Dogs Today Magazine, that shared Jillie's picture and at this point, 1,500 people have liked the picture. That is 1,500 people who have put Jillie in their thoughts just this morning! We are eternally grateful for all the love and support from everyone.
Just getting by on little victories :)
Her backs legs are still very weak. They noticed that the first night at A&M, but it has been pretty apparent since she has been home. But she has still been going out, going potty, and Dad said she did trot back to him last night in the middle of the night, too. This, of course, is excellent news. She is still trying to fight sleep, and the medicine gives her the shakes occasionally and makes her pant. But she is home and she is happy. She is wagging her tail and she can't give enough kisses!
One week ago this morning, my sweetest dog could barely walk back in the house. Today, she is jogging through my parents' yard. Maybe some people think that I was wasting my time, doing so much for a dog that is "just a dog." But to me, she's not "just a dog." She is MINE and she is MY FAMILY and why would I not do these things that I would do for myself?
If we had never taken her to A&M, we would never have found out that there was a bleed in her brain, and when she started having seizures and got put on the first medication but continued to have problems, I wouldn't have had Dr. Anderson from A&M to tell the vets in Bowie to put Jillie on Keppra, which, it appears, has saved her life. She has not had any seizures since her first round of Keppra, and we would like to keep it that way (duh.)
Among the most surprising of support came from Dogs Today Magazine, that shared Jillie's picture and at this point, 1,500 people have liked the picture. That is 1,500 people who have put Jillie in their thoughts just this morning! We are eternally grateful for all the love and support from everyone.
Just getting by on little victories :)
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
1/13 Evening
Jillie while I'm writing
I have been hesitant to post pictures of Jillie up until this point, but she is no longer seizing and things are looking good. It's hard trying to be positive and stay hopeful, but not too hopeful to get let down, but also stay realistic that she may have many more setbacks. But today was a little victory.. And we'll get by on little victories :)
She was happy to see me earlier, wagging her tail and even popping a squat right there in the vets office ;) she was very uneasy standing the whole way home, because her pelvis still has "slow" muscles. But she did not lay down for a few hours after we got home. She walked around mostly, sometimes standing staring off into space, but mostly following us wherever we were walking. We went outside to let her potty, and she was wandering around, but when we called her back, she was TROTTING toward us :)
She veers to her right when she walks, which I believe is compensating for the blindness in her right eye. She has walked into a few things, and she likes to walk right up against things on that side so she knows where they are.
She got her next dose of seizure medicine and we finally got her to lay down. She was fighting the seizure medicine hard, not wanting to lay down and go to sleep, but she finally drifted off into deep doggy sleep.
She has also been giving lots of kisses.. So next time your dog gives you kisses, take a minute to enjoy it, because it may be the thing that leaves you clinging on to hope!
Jillie on the ride home earlier
This is a whole new pup, and we are glad to see this side of her again! There is a still long road ahead of us, but the good days are so worth it!
Late morning 1/13
After I left Jillie this morning, the vets did stand her up in her cage, and she walked out of her cage, went out side and went number 1 and number 2, and she drank water and ate a little food. These are major improvements, and as long as everything stays the same or gets better, she will get to come home tonight.
She will be on seizure medication 3 times a day, and we may have to make her food into a mush, and may have to help her squat and go potty, but I can handle those things. Just glad to be able to get her home!
Thanks again for the well wishes, prayers, positive thoughts, reiki, energy, etc that people have been putting out there. Means a lot to us both!
She will be on seizure medication 3 times a day, and we may have to make her food into a mush, and may have to help her squat and go potty, but I can handle those things. Just glad to be able to get her home!
Thanks again for the well wishes, prayers, positive thoughts, reiki, energy, etc that people have been putting out there. Means a lot to us both!
1/13 Morning
I thought I would be taking Jillie home from the vet yesterday evening, but she was VERY sedated from her anti-seizure medication and she still couldn't swallow. That meant we couldn't bring her home for oral medications. She finally woke up a little and could definitely hear us but she was very groggy.
I went by this morning before work and she was awake, but there were a lot of people in the room and barking dogs. This seemed to be triggering some seizure-like activity (because light, noise, anything really can set off a seizure.) When they left, I opened her kennel door and sat with her. I talked to her and she opened her eyes and lifted her head and was watching me and licked my hand. When the doctor came in, she lifted her head and watched him come in.
She was panting heavily, which made me nervous, but they said the medication was doing that to her, and on top of that, she still couldn't swallow. She doesn't seem in pain or unhappy, really. She still seemed groggy, but she knew I was there and put her head on my knee while I talked to her.
I asked the doctor what he thought her outcome would be from this. He said, if it is just a hematoma or a bleed, he thought about a 50/50 chance. If it's a tumor or mass, her chances go down to about 20-30%. Not that news that I wanted to hear, but I guess this has been a reality for several days now.
She had also peed in her cage, and that made me worried that she had another seizure through the night (they don't have people monitoring all night.) He said that if the seizure is bad enough, and even though this is the strongest medication for seizures right now, a seizure could still happen.
Two days ago, I told Jillie it was okay to let go. That I would be okay if she needed to go. She just needed to show me a sign that she was ready. That night, she got up, drank water, was awake for a while, walking around on her own, using the potty on her own. That's not her giving up.
When she had the bad seizure yesterday morning, I thought that was it. Then the vet called and said that she was standing in her kennel. That is not her giving up.
When we went by and saw her last night, the vet tech said, "She is a fighter." She isn't giving up.
So I can't give up either.
I went by this morning before work and she was awake, but there were a lot of people in the room and barking dogs. This seemed to be triggering some seizure-like activity (because light, noise, anything really can set off a seizure.) When they left, I opened her kennel door and sat with her. I talked to her and she opened her eyes and lifted her head and was watching me and licked my hand. When the doctor came in, she lifted her head and watched him come in.
She was panting heavily, which made me nervous, but they said the medication was doing that to her, and on top of that, she still couldn't swallow. She doesn't seem in pain or unhappy, really. She still seemed groggy, but she knew I was there and put her head on my knee while I talked to her.
I asked the doctor what he thought her outcome would be from this. He said, if it is just a hematoma or a bleed, he thought about a 50/50 chance. If it's a tumor or mass, her chances go down to about 20-30%. Not that news that I wanted to hear, but I guess this has been a reality for several days now.
She had also peed in her cage, and that made me worried that she had another seizure through the night (they don't have people monitoring all night.) He said that if the seizure is bad enough, and even though this is the strongest medication for seizures right now, a seizure could still happen.
Two days ago, I told Jillie it was okay to let go. That I would be okay if she needed to go. She just needed to show me a sign that she was ready. That night, she got up, drank water, was awake for a while, walking around on her own, using the potty on her own. That's not her giving up.
When she had the bad seizure yesterday morning, I thought that was it. Then the vet called and said that she was standing in her kennel. That is not her giving up.
When we went by and saw her last night, the vet tech said, "She is a fighter." She isn't giving up.
So I can't give up either.
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