Christmas Day

We had a great fun day today. Christmas day is a day for all the family. Mum woke up a bit worse for wear this morning though. Mum and dad went next door with dads brother, his girlfriend and sister. Knowing what mum's like she can't just stop having fun. So they got in early this morning at 1:30am, hence mums somewhat worn and hungover state this morning.

I had a great time opening my presents. Dad got me some nice tasty rawhide bones to chew on. So once I'd got one open I was oblivious to everyone else opening their gifts. They even put all the opened wrapping paper all over me so you couldn't see me under all the junk! I didn't care I was happy munching away. The only time you knew I was there was when I wagged my stump and the paper moved.

Everyone came round to ours for Christmas dinner. Mum makes the best dinner in the world! It was just excellent. I got my own with turkey, pork, stuffing balls and they even snuck in some veggies... but surprisingly no Brussels sprouts. I needed a nice long nap after all that food.

Hope you all had such a great day too.

Season's Greetings Everybody

Have a happy holiday everyone. Here's hoping you all have a great and fun time over the Christmas break.

Over the past few weeks we've not been getting up to much. Since the last bout of seizures life is good again.

Dad's been taking me out to the woods in this great chilly weather we've just had. It's freezing cold and feels like a real winter. We even had a tiny flurry of snow! Many places got a real good covering, but all we had here was enough to make everything look like it was covered with doughnut glaze.

Dad's had some changes done to the car. He took me with him when he got the work done and whist the guys were working on it for a couple of hours we went off around the local village and its nature reserve.

When I got back in the car two things had happened! First there was a cage stopping me from poking my head over the rear seats. I guess dad wants to keep the slobber from the leather. And second the windows were all dark. The rear windows in the bit where I ride are all blacked out from the outside, but I can see out from the inside. Now no one can see my nose paintings on the inside of the glass :( Dad's turned it into my own doggie limosine... It'll be great once the jacuzzi and bar are fitted.

Missed Anniversary

I was just thinking back about how long ago the seizures started and realised that it's been just over a year since I started having them. It somehow seems much longer than that.

In all that time a lot has happened. Everyone now seems to be able to deal with things a whole lot better. I guess it's a case of having to. Mum and dad seem to be able to cope with all the pee and slobber... and the occasional poop that's involved in having a seizure. It's not a pleasant experience for any of us, but once you accept it then it becomes part of the package, life goes on.

Loosing a bit of sleep each month for dad isn't great, but then having a job that's flexible enough to cope with working from home and taking me into work for the vet visits is a huge benefit. Without it I'd be on my own to go through these seizures. Coping wouldn't be so easy then.

So a year in and we're no better or worse, so we have that to be thankful for.

As I started writing this we started going through a big cluster. It made me stop and think some more. This seems a particularly bad cluster were going through right now. So far it's been going over three days with relatively long intervals between seizures. It's a really, really crap few days.

Looking at the sequence of posts you can be sure that it reads like we stopped the medication and then the crapola really hits the fan. This isn't really the case. I've been off the medication for at least three months prior to this and gone through prior drug free clusters too. I'm sure it is just because we decided to put in writing that we'd stopped the medication that it seems coincidental.

Each time we go through the cluster dad racks his mind about starting the drugs again, but ultimately the seizures were there with the drugs too. It's just when the seizures hit, it really is bad times and this one just seems especially so.

It's hard to stay positive during a cluster. Both mum and dad considered putting me back on the tablets, but that would be wishing for a miracle I think.

Well, we've finally got a day on the clock without seizure. Mum was off work sick with a cold yesterday and apart from me being clingy, no incidents. Up until the evening I was still scared of the stairs. Even mum tempting me with chicken didn't convince me to go up. Eventually after dad got home I cautiously followed him up without any cajoling at all, he just called and I followed.

Looking back at the actual history of seizures this last cluster is one of the worst, but there have been many others very nearly equal in duration and number. So it really is a case of things looking blackest whilst in a cluster.

Let's hope next month is further away and an easier time of it. Whilst that may be what we hope, what we wish is that it never returns - but reality is likely to bring us to Earth with a bump!

Dream of a Good Nights Sleep

Last night wasn't a fun night for mum and dad. I had a quite a few Tabasco moments that they caught and prevented a full seizure. But I've been clingy and hyper, which annoys mum greatly. I lay there whining and until someone pays me attention.

At 3am dad couldn't leave me alone any more. I spent ages crying and pacing at the bottom of the stairs. So dad came down and slept on the sofa stroking me until I relaxed a eventually went in the kitchen to bed. After I went to sleep dad snuck up to bed. Only to find that when he lay down and looked at the alarm clock it showed the time was 6:25am... which is five minutes before it goes off at 6:30am!!!

Are We Nearly There Yet?

Early this morning at 2:30 I woke dad by emptying my water and food bowls. They make a real clatter when empty and I kept knocking them around until he got up.

When he came downstairs I was all hyper and bouncy. No signs of a foamy face or pee, so no seizure. Just wanting attention. Dad then slept on the sofa and I went to bed in the kitchen to get some sleep knowing that someone was around.

05:30 Just when we thought it was all over another seizure strikes and dad has to get up and clean up.

I kept mum busy all day today. I got ant in my pants again - all hyper, but also lost control too. I've pooped and peed on the floor so mum's had to clear it up. I'm also back to being scared of the stairs.

All day went without seizure, but then after dad got home I've had three Tabasco moments that mum and dad caught in time.We must be getting to the end now, surely?

Hit the Snooze Button!

01:30 What a day! Dad stayed up late just in case I had another seizure, so I guess I thought I'd wait until he thought it was safe to go to bed. No sooner had his head hit the pillow when "Boom!" another seizure.

Dad then lay on the sofa for an hour or so until I decided I wanted to go back up to bed.

04:00 Well it's still not over. Dad had to get up at 4am as I had another seizure. Again an hour or so later after dad was trying to sleep on the sofa, I decided it was bed time again.

07:30 Dad managed to get a lie in for an hour this morning. He had a presentation to do as part of a management training course which didn't start until 9:30. Good job too as I kept him up all night, he needed the extra hour. Dad's alarm went off at 7:30 and as he pressed snoze and hit the bed for 5 more minutes the seizure struck. Definitely time to get up!

From 9 to 15:30 I was all alone as everyone went to school or work. When Blaine got in from school I looked fine. No foamy face or pee everywhere. So I guess at least today there was no seizure.

Only thing is I'm a bit hyper now. After dad got in about 16:30 I was really, really pleased to see him. I wonder what mum's gonna think when she gets in?

18:45 That's the trouble with writing on here. It seems like every time I say something about seizures, it spawns another. Not long after dinner I fell into a seizure again whilst just lying watching TV.

22:30 Looks like this cluster is set for another night.

Time to Get Up for Work

06:00 Wake up dad it's time to get up for work! Well it will be in 30 minutes. But seeing as it's that time of the month I thought I'd get you up early with another seizure.

It's been nearly 24 hours since the last one and I thought we were getting away with it.

Still, I'm a little less confused this time around. Last time, after I was settling down dad thought I was going upstairs to the bedroom to go back to sleep. Instead I thought "this is where mum and dad go...", so I went into the bathroom for a wee!!!

14:00 It's a good job dad managed to work from home today. At 2pm I was lying in my bed when another seizure hit.

16:00 Like clockwork. On the hour for another seizure whilst lazing in bed.

19:20 I kept telling mum something was going on. Dad thought I was hungry and wanted some more food. I kept on giving mum the squeaky yawn and oww oww oww'ing like asking for dinner. Then went into a seizure before dad could catch the early "Tabasco" stage. When dad let me out afterwards I was pacing up and down the path like my bum was on fire! Looks like this sneaky cluster is a slow starter.

21:05 Just as mum was going out shopping I had a Tabasco moment. Mum managed to catch it in time and distracted me so I didn't go into full seizure.

22:40 Not long after mum got back from shopping I was dozing in bed when I went into seizure. We missed the Tabasco moment this time. I think it's probably when I'm asleep and it starts that it's easily missed.

That Time of the Month Again...

09:45 Being the weekend I couldn't let mum and dad lie in bed all day. So I made sure I woke them up by having a seizure. I thought we were another week away from this, but I guess the seizure monster had other ideas.

Full of Beans Friday

As dad had yet another flexi-day from work... yes, I know he could almost be a teacher with the amount off time of he gets... we went out into the woods for a run around. Whilst the weather's gotten really cold lately it was still a really nice day for a trip out to the woods.

I was in really good spirit today. Almost as soon as the lead was off I shot off into the woods for a good old chase around hunting them pesky squirrels. All the way around the walk I spent little time near dad. I was just off into the trees having fun.

Normally when we go there, for every mile dad walks I run five - today it was more like ten!

The trust are doing a lot of work in the woods lately. They're chopping down lots and lots of trees. Thinning the woods back to its original state. They're taking out a lot of the newer trees and returning it to its previous more natural condition and allowing the naturally occurring trees to take back over from those that were introduced by man.

It makes a big difference in the areas they have started. The woods are a lot brighter without so much of a canopy. I'm sure they know what they are doing and it'll still be a great place to go chase squirrels in.