Squirt - my Queen has crossed The Bridge

I'm stilll holding your hand and am glad to hear things are coming around.

You will love the prednisone, I always got a lot of cleaning done at one in the morning:D:D:D:D;)

Leslie,

Just catching up on your string. Sorry to hear you have been having such a rough time! But, it sounds like your doctor is being very thorough and will have you fixed up as good as new (well, maybe not quite!) soon! ;) I agree with Addy - you will love the Prednisone! I once told my doctor if I could buy it on the street corner, I would be very tempted! :cool:

Take care of yourself, lady! Give Squirt an extra hug from me, too!

Well, I wish I could say that I am loving, or even liking, the pred but I can't. While it has helped with the pain level it also makes my heart pound especially at night and is making me antsy, like my skin is crawling off. I shake anyway and that has tripled on the pred. Thank goodness no one here has to have shots! :D

It has opened my eyes to the horrid effects of chronic inflammation, tho, in a very forceful way. The first night on it, I slept for the first time in ages, getting up only once to use the bathroom. I didn't hurt. But I forgot to take the PM dose the next day and that night was horrendous - pain came rushing back and because I had known a moment's relief, it seemed much more intense. When I asked about why he was giving me pred he said because my "system" is chronically inflamed and that is affecting every aspect of my being, including the mental fog I have been in and that has been getting progressively worse - to the point I have had to take a sabbatical from my courses because I simply cannot concentrate, comprehend and remember well enough to do the work.

So I have been doing a bit of reading on inflammation and am astounded by all it can do to the body, mind, and emotions. I can't help but think of our precious babies here and what their various illnesses are doing in their little bodies, the inflammation they live with just as I do. It is a vicious cycle, illness feeding inflammation, inflammation feeding illnesses. One source states that it is "like a forest fire, which starts when dry, dead plant material catches fire and gets hot enough to ignite even green trees and plants." Chronic inflammation affects healthy cells, making them "sick". I have known on a mental level how diet and environmental exposure can affect our bodies but I am beginning to understand at a visceral level just how damaging chronic inflammation is to any living entity. Our babies deal with so much; would that I were as stoic as them! But I whine MUCH more! :p I understand better and can empathize more deeply with what Squirt is living with every second of her days.

So, from this experience I will be making some drastic changes in my life. I have already emptied my cabinets of processed food items. I will have to learn to eat differently, to live differently, in order to combat the inflammation in my body. I have taken a tiny step back and am looking not at my body as a whole but more closely at cell level and what I can do to help the cells become healthier so they can fight the inflammation as they are intended.

Why, oh why, must I be one of those humans who is so thick-headed it often takes a bulldozer to get my attention?! :rolleyes::eek::p

Here is one of the many "blessings" pred bestows upon me -

I do my utmost to keep food particles from going down my kitchen drains, using sometimes 3 strainers, each more tightly woven than the previous one, to get as much as possible.

While making some Cheddar and Broccoli soup, I let it get too hot and it stuck to the bottom of the pan. This afternoon I carefully wiped, rinsed, and strained; rinsed and strained; rinsed and strained that pot. After the pot was clean of debris, I got a sack out to dump the strained material in to put in the freezer til trash day. I carefully emptied and rinsed each strainer down into the finest one. Knowing my hands were shakier than usual, I used both to slowly raise the full strainer and dump it into the sink. :rolleyes:

OOps, now there is a bad case of Pred Brain! Sorry, I did laugh though :) Cheddar and broccoli soup eh?! I never heard of that one :p Hope it was tasty! x

Maybe you need a lower dose? How long do you have to take it? They overdosed me on it a few times. I ended up only able to take a child's dose now if I need it for my ashthma.

When hubby ate only whole grains, veggies fish and fruit, his arthritis was better so there is a connection. He has it throughout his body.

I've been taking 20mg twice a day - this morning is the last dose - thank goodness! My house is covered with neatly organized PILES of stuff. Not that I used all that time and energy to PUT THEM UP....nooooo...just make nice, neat piles everywhere. :rolleyes::p

Yes, diet is critical for inflammation and my diet has been pretty awful for some time. It is less expensive to use prepackaged foods - open a can and dump it in a pot, or open a box or bag then bake or nuke. Fresh fruits and veggies, fishes, nuts and limited poultry are the goal but no red meats or dairy products (which I live on! :eek:), no processed / packaged foods, no fast foods. And, of course, around 2AM one of my little demons was demanding a McDonald's Big Mac - and I don't particularly care for them. :rolleyes: Instead I ate some Greek Yogurt (YUK!) blended with banana and blueberries. Another disappointed demon. boohoo :p I have to go pick up another round of ABs today and made a list last nite of anti-inflammatory foods to get while I'm there. (This round of ABs is not to take right now but to have on hand should another abscess start and the docs are not available - again. :p Never seems to happen during the week!)

Squirt had a rather restless day yesterday. Lots of roaming around the house but it wasn't the aimless, frantic wandering of CCD. She just seemed restless. She was very present in her eyes. I've done my best to honor all her wishes but the one about no more nail trims is about to be violated. They must be trimmed a little bit at least or she's not gonna be able to walk soon. But I will try to do it myself. I will not take her back to Doc. If I have to get a groomer to help, I will go that far. She fights me so hard it may better to get help from the start - she does better if Mom isn't around. Either way, a nail trim is in her near future. ;)

Her appetite is strong and she is reminding me once again when it is meal time - something that makes this old heart Sing and Dance. And several times she has nipped at my feet or shoes while preparing meals like she used to. Then I turn around later to see her standing in the closet with her head and tail hanging low or asleep in the bedroom with her chin on the water bowl and am reminded of how tired she is. It is such an emotional roller coaster - from immense joy and hope to deep grief in the space of 60 seconds. So I do my best to hold onto the good moments, to rejoice in them every opportunity. My Queen, my love, my Savior, my Sweet Bebe.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Trish! You don't know about Cheddar and Broccoli soup?! :eek: Oh my! How deprive you have been! I will get the recipe for you to try and post it here in a bit. It's YUMMY! I can't eat a lot of it or my gut is torn up nor do I need much broccoli because of my Hashimoto's but I do love it and it is good for me in moderation. Plus, I can eat this when my teeth are in bad shape. ;)

Leslie:
I know all about inflammation. I am the queen of it. I used to drink tart cherry juice for it. Now I take tart cherry pills I get at Amazon. They help tremendously. I have them on their auto delivery. I am glad you are taking the time to pay attention to your health, we all are guilty of neglecting ourselves. I am in my room as I cant face being in the office without Grace for now. I would never make a good foster parent as I get too attached and it would be like this experience every time. Grace just struck a chord in me. She was just the sweetest cat I ever had, and I miss her so much. She made quite an impression on my heart. Did you ever get that wheel chair for Squirt? Did it fit her, and if so is she using it? Have a good day with the babies.
Blessings
Patti

I read about a certain type of cherries for anti-inflammatory diets but don't really care for tart things. I may have to learn to tolerate some of that tho. Giving up diary and sweets is hard enough without torture! :D

I am relieved to learn (I just looked it up!) that pizza at the youngest grandsons' pizza party tonite DOES in fact qualify as non-inflammatory. ;):p YAY! I love Larry's Pizza! oook....I'll eat a salad, no dressing and just glare at everyone else, OK?! :p:D