Tempting Fate

It's a difficult post to make, but such a landmark occasion we just can't let it slip by unnoticed. It's been over two months since my last seizure. This is something of a record for me, and one that is very welcome.

I know that simply by putting this into words is going to be just the cause the blasted seizure monster needs to come a running. But right now life's too good not to see the silver lining.

The past few months have gone by so quickly, but we've got up to all our usual stuff. Out running in the woods at the weekends and generally getting under everyone's feet during the week.

It's mum's turn to be off work this week and she's started taking down the curtains and pictures and mirrors - yep, she replaced the one I tried to kill dad with! Looks like the place is going to get a coat of paint whilst she's off work. That means I'll get booted out regularly I guess. Not that I'd be any trouble of course, being so agile and nimble on my feet. I don't know what makes everyone think I'm so clumsy (maybe the fact we're running out of mugs - dad).

So far this month there's been plenty of fun to be had with dad being off work and now mum, and then we've got a long weekend coming up on Friday. So I'm sure it's going to be a good week.

Where's Dad?

It's been a strange weekend. Dad got up early on Saturday, loaded up his car and I haven't seen him until late evening. Same again Sunday. So where's he been and why couldn't I go with him?

Mum decided to take me out for a walk on Saturday. So we went round the park and I got all dirty. When we got home mum and Chris coaxed me upstairs and tried to put me in the bath. What were they thinking? Like I'd just jump in and let them wash me or something! Eventually they gave up - so I won!

Today dad didn't get up early, and he didn't go to work. So it looks like he's got some more time off. Now we all know what taking time off means. It usually coincides with me going wonky and having seizures. Lately we've been doing so well, it's long overdue.

It turns out dad was working on his car all weekend. When today it turned out he still needed to finish things off I thought I'd give him a hand, or paw. I'm not sure it was appreciated though. When dad lay down and slid under the car, I'd go and give him a face lick to see if he was ok. He didn't really appreciate it, but he was in no position to argue.

Why is Everything Always So Last Minute?

After going to the vets at the only time they had available on Wednesday, we thought it was a bit tight for the tablet deadline. Ideally we wanted in on Monday, but Wednesday was what we got.

That meant getting the on-line order placed on Wednesday, hoping they shipped on Wednesday (but realising that the appointment was at 14:40 meant catching the post would be lucky). That would mean that by choosing next day delivery we'd get them Thursday - but should we miss the post it would be Friday for sure... right? Well we even managed to get the address set for dads work place so there would be no problem with someone needing to be home to sign for the delivery or if there was a problem getting them through the letterbox.

Well nothing ever goes that smoothly and to plan. Turns out that the tablets were shipped on Wednesday (Hooray!), but only as regular first class post - not next day as required (Booh!). So they didn't show up on Thursday. And on Friday at 14:00 they still hadn't arrived :( That means we'd run out of KBr over the weekend!

Now that may not sound like a big deal. But we're now at the longest period without a seizure to date! Running out of drugs then having a seizure would just be typical. Then we'd be all frustrated and angry about it being the lack of drugs to blame.

So dad calls the vet and arranges to get a weekends worth of KBr to see us through until Monday and a little more "just in case". So 21 tablets from the vet, just got to go pick them up and pay. At least there's some good news, there's no prescription charge as they are supplying the drugs. Bit of a swizz if you ask me. But it's been a while since we bought vet drugs, but it's an emergency so we'll just do it.

21 x 325mg Potassium Bromide tablets comes to £6.56 which works out at about 31p per tablet. I need 6 of these a day, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. Now compare this to the price we pay on-line for exactly the same drug. 15p per tablet! Less than half price.

You can easily see why we must buy drugs on-line and not from the vet. For 3 months worth of KBr and Epiphen we just paid around £150, which works out at £50 per month. Now if we were to buy this from the vet this would double to £100 per month. An absolute scandal. There is no possible way that a vet can justify these kind of mark ups in price for drugs when they are charging and making money for their services.

Back to the Regular Vet Visits

Dad took me into work again today. It was the first time in ages since I've been there. At first I wondered where we were going as it's unusual to get up so early and leave the house without breakfast!

Once we got to work dad gave me my breakfast. Just as usual these days I polished the lot of in one go. Mum and dad reckon I've turned into a normal dog now. Since the last set of seizures I now eat anything and everything. I'm always on the scrounge and have also been bad in going in the kitchen bin for scraps. Up until the last seizures, even when offered something, I'd let it fall to the floor to give it a sniff before deciding if I want to eat it or not. Now I don't seem to be so fussy. If it's being offered or left lying around, I'm eating it!

We saw the vet in the afternoon. Dad walked me down there which is always fun. Dad 'fessed up about weaning me off the drugs and me having a big seizure. The vet wasn't too harsh, but dad said in future we'll stick to the drugs and talk to him first next time.

It's still not a fun day for dad's wallet. £91 for blood test and £150 for 3 months worth of drugs. Still at least by buying them on-line we're still paying effectively half what the vet wants to charge for their drugs!!!

Taking blood was as easy as ever. The usual shaved off patch and I was so good I almost offered him my paw to let him do it. Even with the needle in there's no reaction and I sit there all good  and looking like butter wouldn't melt in my mouth. We'll find out early next week if I'm on the right dosage of Epiphen and KBr.

As good as I am, whilst dad's writing this I'm going in the kitchen bin for scraps!

No News, is Good News

Well not a lot has been going on recently. We've had some pretty awesome weather over the past month. Loads of snow to play in and then even more mud to wallow in as it melted.

Every time we go out to the woods I come back filthy and need a good hosing down before I go in the house. It's just been a great month for being a dog. Eating snow or bathing in mud, what could be better.

Dad's got me on the drugs again so that means a little battle in the evening 'cos I don't want to take them. But I'm usually too tired to put up a fight in the morning and I get woken up with a hand around my snout, head tipped back, mouth pulled open and a neck full of tablets before I've realised what's going on!

Still if it does make life different from last month then I'm all for it. I only put up a fight for a bit of fun anyhow.

Fun and Games

This week you'd hardly think we'd had such a hard time of things recently. It took a while but I'm pretty much back to my old self. I'm still a bit more clumsy and have given mum and dad a fright a couple of times when I misjudged my footing on the stairs and ended up bumping down them on my belly to land in a curled up heap at the bottom.

I demonstrated just how clumsy I was when I went out for a walk in the sun. I spotted a deflated football in the distance and decided to make it mine. It didn't move as I grabbed it at full trot, and then over I went, tripped over by my own feet.

Dad thought it hilarious as he kicked the flat football I'd charge after it and nearly always trip myself up as I grabbed it or when I tried to bring it back.

This week my friend Missy ended up at the vets as she had trouble walking. Turns out she's got Arthritis, which isn't good news at all. So she'll be on pills now to ease the pain.

A Much Better Week

Over the last week things have gotten much better. With the seizures stopped I'm gradually getting back to my old self. Every day that goes by I get a little better.

The seizures have definitely caused some brain damage, more memory loss than anything else. Dad's having to retrain me so I can at least get back to the basics of Sit and Down. I've been doing pretty good though.

The worst affect seems to be my coordination. I've always been clumsy, but now I seem to misjudge distance and will walk into the corner of the table or edge of a doorway. I've lost count of the number of cups I've knocked over or broken. This may be due to the reintroduction of the drugs.

Dad's put me back on the Epiphen and KBr. At least if they don't have any affect on prevention, maybe they'll at least minimise the duration and effects of the seizures. We're willing to try anything after this last really scary bout.

On Tuesday when dad got in from work I was in a right state. I'd poohed on the floor and walked in it. Then lay down in it. I was all matted with dry slobber from from the weekends seizures and so was really smelly. Normally that would mean a trip outdoors and a hosing down with the garden hose and a good shampooing. But dad felt sorry for me and decided to put me in their bath and give me a warm shower.

Well that meant going upstairs, and I don't do that yet. They're still too scary. So dad picked me up and carried me upstairs - I'm a big girl, so I'm surprised I didn't put his back out! He put me in the bath and turned on the shower and I just lay there and let him wash me.

When we've been out for walks dad's taken me on the extending lead so he can keep in touch. But yesterday he let me off on my own as I'd been so good. In fact even when on the extending lead I wont go further than the normal lead, so dad figured I needed some freedom.

It was good to be off the lead as then I could go sniff and play everywhere. I even had a go at chasing my own shadow, but it kept teasing me by always running a bit faster than me and staying out of reach.

So things are getting better, but just one day at a time.

Eleventh Hour

This weekend has been one of the hardest for us all. The seizures just never seemed like they were going to end. They got to the point where dad didn't even record them as they were just going on and on with a two to three hour break in between. I'd only just started to recover when another would strike and leave me all debilitated, disorientated and blind.

Dad had a decision to make that I know weighed heavily on his conscience. Was it the time that all pet owners know will arrive eventually but fear having to make the call?

Dad had been up all night each of the nights from Friday. Sleeping when he could on the sofa downstairs. I spent most of the time between seizures pacing and whining or just laying there wanting attention, but not wanting attention, just not knowing what I needed or wanted.

So we went into Monday with dad lying on the sofa again. At midnight I started with a Tabasco moment and dad caught it in time to stop the full seizure. This repeated a few more times, and then again at 3am and again just as mum got downstairs at 7am. Dad managed to catch them and stop the full seizure. Having had to stay home another day from work he was exhausted from lack of sleep.

Since 7am there's been no more sign of the seizures. I've just reverted to the state where I'm scared of most things, strange noises like the telephone or someone upstairs cause me to jump in surprise and look for the source. I'm struggling with commands and wont sit or lie down without being helped through it. But there's still something of me in there. Dad made some toast and whilst he was making it I eagerly raised my paw to ask for some, I just love butter (well margarine).

So at least now dad can get some sleep and with some retraining and care I'm sure I'll be back to my old self soon. It's then just a question of how long until the next cluster? But for today, we'll just live in the moment.

Seven Years of Bad Luck

01:30 Dad hadn't been in bed long when I started thrashing about and got him up to take me out. A little earlier than expected. I've also done something not so good to my hip or thigh. It's painful and I may have strained it. Getting up from lying down causes a cry of pain, so it looks like a bit of rest is needed.

03:00 After the last seizure I did my usual trick and decided to leave dad trying to sleep on the sofa downstairs whilst I went back upstairs to sleep. Dad hadn't long followed me up when I went off again.

07:05 I sure hope dad forgives me for this one! When I came around and wanted to charge off out of the room dad grabbed me and we started off downstairs. Just at the bottom I tripped dad up and he went crashing down the stairs and into the mirror on the wall. It was quite a thud. Dad lay on the floor for a while as mum came rushing down to see what all the noise was about. Luckily the only thing broken was the mirror, but it sure took the wind out of dad and left him with a grazed and bruised elbow and knee, some cuts on his knuckle where his hand smashed the glass, a badly twisted toe which makes him limp and worst of all a lump above his eye where his head smashed into the frame! We thought he was going to get another black eye.

09:15 Again dad hadn't followed me back up to bed very long ago when he had to bring me back downstairs after another seizure. He was a bit more careful this time. I also got given a Previcox (anti-inflammatory) to see if that eases the pain in my leg a little.

11:25 Dad had gone back to bed and I was downstairs with mum when another seizure visits.

13:35 No sooner had dad finished writing this when mum shouted from downstairs "She's off again". This time I was awake and standing behind mum in the kitchen when I started chomping and thrashing.

15:00 Just when I'd calmed down and was resting comfortably in the front room another seizure struck.

19:00 Dad thought he'd tidy me up and gave me a bath, because I was a bit smelly from all the wee and slobber. No sooner was that done than I had another seizure by the back door. I couldn't stand up and my legs were all over the place. Before dad could get me outside I poo'ed right onto his foot. Dad's really in the firing line today.

New Year, Same Old Seizures

Thankfully it's been quite a while since my last seizure, 44 days ago. So todays seizure wasn't unexpected. We've been waiting for it for a while now, but what's really lucky is that dad booked a week off work to use up some more of his holiday. So at least I wasn't home alone when it happened.

12:40 Dad was working on the computer as usual, but was just about to take me out to the woods on a very rainy day. I lay snoozing behind him when the usual head shaking started and into full seizure I go.

16:05 I was snoozing in my bed after spending most of the afternoon unable to get comfortable.

21:10 About on schedule I went into seizure again. Mum thought I'd jumped off the wardrobe as from down stairs there was a hefty bang on the floor.

23:55 Like clockwork 3-4 hours and another seizure, this time in bed again.