Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Anipal Photo Hunt #6 - "Hey! That's Not Me!"
What a fun challenge today, Cokie! My (Maggie) coloring is unusual since I'm a blue tortie. I thought and thought and then I remembered that I have always teased @SidTheCatahoula about being a tortie dog. So, here is me and my doppelganger, Sid.
9-29-10
I omitted another dear tortie dog, Butus the Dane! Please enjoy my tortie dog friends.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know - by Mom
Mom is taking over the blog today:
I want to thank @Wildboutbirds, Honeybell's, mom for giving me the courage to write this. this is her blog about hidden illnesses: http://honeybell-hoover.blogspot.com/ Hidden illnesses affect how we percieve things, and I believe our twitter friends know when something is wrong. We all have things to deal with, but sometimes it is hard to know what a disease is like if you have never met anyone with it. Please ask me questions about celiac disease and I will be glad to answer them to my ability.
1. The illness I live with is: celiac disease. I was undiagnosed for so long that I have other food sensitivities such as dairy and soy. Celiac disease has also impacted my thyroid function and I have hypothyroidism. Of course, depression often runs with this disease for many reasons. I am also a recovering alcoholic.
2. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006.
3. But I had symptoms since I was a child.
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is figuring out how to eat in our fast paced culture.
5. Most people assume that all I have to do is not eat bread. AND the big one, that there is medication for this (medications are still in R&D).
6. The hardest part about mornings is trying to find something to eat that is not bread, wheat cereal, oatmeal, or cholesterol containing.
7. My favorite medical TV show is House mainly because he is such a curmudgeon. However, they have had an episode about celiac disease.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without are silicone cooking utensils.
9. The hardest part about nights is depression, wondering how I can continue to cook my meals when I am elderly, wondering if the food experiment will make me sick, hating myself for being fat but not sure what I can give up to lose weight. Luckily, I have no desire to drink, so that isn’t an issue.
10. Each day I take 21 pills & vitamins.
11. Regarding alternative treatments, I would love to find one, but this is all food modification. There is no magic pill to make me better.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose visible. People can understand a limp.
13. Regarding working and career, it is very difficult as a professional to dine out with colleagues. I have to ask the waiter in detail about food preparation, and I just sound picky. Sometimes after a contamination, I need to sleep for hours. You can’t say to your boss, I need to sleep to help my body recover from a hidden illness. People don’t get it. If you aren’t throwing up, it doesn’t exist.
14. People would be surprised to know that wheat in the forms of flour or gluten is hidden in many foods. My food also has to be produced in a wheat free environment, and most restaurant kitchens are not set up this way. When wheat is accidentally consumed, we call that contamination. Only time and strict adherence to a gluten free diet will heal.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been to figure out that no matter how much you change yourself for the better, something will always come up and grab you in the ass to give you a reality check.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness is to resist cinnamon rolls.
17. The commercials about my illness- since there are no celiac disease commercials, the depression ones make me annoyed as hell.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is eating a sandwich whenever I want wherever I am.
19. It was really hard to have to give up cheese due to lactose intolerance.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is changing the type of cookbooks that I read.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would order a fantastic meal at a 5 star place, no wine though.
22. My illness has taught me that you have to be advocate for yourself with the medical profession. If you don’t tell them in their vocabulary, they are less likely to hear you.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is, “Oh, you can just have a salad. That’s safe.”
24. But I love it when people find a restaurant that is gluten free friendly especially for me.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is from a Steely Dan song:
Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again
When the demon is at your door
In the morning it won't be there no more
Any major dude will tell you
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them that this disease ain’t for the faint of heart.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is people don’t care.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was the day my husband made a special trip for a white soda.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because, well, I’m a day late, but I needed to get out my feelings.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel that you have taken the time to care, and that means the world to me.
I want to thank @Wildboutbirds, Honeybell's, mom for giving me the courage to write this. this is her blog about hidden illnesses: http://honeybell-hoover.blogspot.com/ Hidden illnesses affect how we percieve things, and I believe our twitter friends know when something is wrong. We all have things to deal with, but sometimes it is hard to know what a disease is like if you have never met anyone with it. Please ask me questions about celiac disease and I will be glad to answer them to my ability.
1. The illness I live with is: celiac disease. I was undiagnosed for so long that I have other food sensitivities such as dairy and soy. Celiac disease has also impacted my thyroid function and I have hypothyroidism. Of course, depression often runs with this disease for many reasons. I am also a recovering alcoholic.
2. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006.
3. But I had symptoms since I was a child.
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is figuring out how to eat in our fast paced culture.
5. Most people assume that all I have to do is not eat bread. AND the big one, that there is medication for this (medications are still in R&D).
6. The hardest part about mornings is trying to find something to eat that is not bread, wheat cereal, oatmeal, or cholesterol containing.
7. My favorite medical TV show is House mainly because he is such a curmudgeon. However, they have had an episode about celiac disease.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without are silicone cooking utensils.
9. The hardest part about nights is depression, wondering how I can continue to cook my meals when I am elderly, wondering if the food experiment will make me sick, hating myself for being fat but not sure what I can give up to lose weight. Luckily, I have no desire to drink, so that isn’t an issue.
10. Each day I take 21 pills & vitamins.
11. Regarding alternative treatments, I would love to find one, but this is all food modification. There is no magic pill to make me better.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose visible. People can understand a limp.
13. Regarding working and career, it is very difficult as a professional to dine out with colleagues. I have to ask the waiter in detail about food preparation, and I just sound picky. Sometimes after a contamination, I need to sleep for hours. You can’t say to your boss, I need to sleep to help my body recover from a hidden illness. People don’t get it. If you aren’t throwing up, it doesn’t exist.
14. People would be surprised to know that wheat in the forms of flour or gluten is hidden in many foods. My food also has to be produced in a wheat free environment, and most restaurant kitchens are not set up this way. When wheat is accidentally consumed, we call that contamination. Only time and strict adherence to a gluten free diet will heal.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been to figure out that no matter how much you change yourself for the better, something will always come up and grab you in the ass to give you a reality check.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness is to resist cinnamon rolls.
17. The commercials about my illness- since there are no celiac disease commercials, the depression ones make me annoyed as hell.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is eating a sandwich whenever I want wherever I am.
19. It was really hard to have to give up cheese due to lactose intolerance.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is changing the type of cookbooks that I read.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would order a fantastic meal at a 5 star place, no wine though.
22. My illness has taught me that you have to be advocate for yourself with the medical profession. If you don’t tell them in their vocabulary, they are less likely to hear you.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is, “Oh, you can just have a salad. That’s safe.”
24. But I love it when people find a restaurant that is gluten free friendly especially for me.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is from a Steely Dan song:
Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again
When the demon is at your door
In the morning it won't be there no more
Any major dude will tell you
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them that this disease ain’t for the faint of heart.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is people don’t care.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was the day my husband made a special trip for a white soda.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because, well, I’m a day late, but I needed to get out my feelings.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel that you have taken the time to care, and that means the world to me.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Readpawty Books - October/November
This post will be put on the fabulous readpawty blog that Pumpkinpaddy put together. I have chosen 2 books for #readpawty. As usual. you will chose one and we will discuss at the next meeting. I will be doing reviews of the books in the Anipal Times. I am rolling over the 3 previous books in case someone didn't get time to read them.
The first is a new novel, Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James. A librarian has this really cool Maine Coon cat who walks on a leash. The libraian solves the murder of a well known author, Godfrey Priest. The book had 2 things that mom loves - libraries and MC's! This is so new it probably is not available available in libraries. However, Amazon has reduced priced new and used copies. Mom's copy is available for loan.
The second novel is one of the best I have ever read for facing life's trials and joys. The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein. If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm rides shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift. Denny marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man.
See you at #readpawty Tues October 5th at 8 pm EDT.
Anipal photo hunt - Be the change
Cokie 's photo hunt has asked us to"be the change" by publicizing unadoptable animals. Here in Missouri our laws are such that puppy mills abound. My featured anipal is a lovely little lady chihuahua who was rescued from the mills. She is fostered by our #nipclub charity, the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.
This is Tillie is a sweet little 5 lb Chihuahua who has had a very sad and hard life as a puppy breeder. She has spent her entire 7 years of life living in a very small cage in an Ozark puppymill. She is uncertain of human touch and sometimes even fearful, but she is quickly learning to trust her foster mom. Tillie will need a special family to show her lots and lots of love and attention, and to assure her that no one will ever be unkind to her again. She will do best in a quiet home with another small dog(s) for companionship, and a fenced yard is required. Tillie is current on her immunizations, she has been heartworm tested, microchipped, spayed, and has had her teeth cleaned. Her adoption fee is $175. If you would like to know more about Tillie, please e-mail lesa_davis@att.net.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Cokie's Anipal Photo Hunt - Blog Paws
Mom went through her archives, and found one pic to fit this week's theme. This is Rudy toward the end of his life keeping warm on Mom's laptop. That's all we can say about it, we all get leaky eyes when we see this.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Anipal Photo Hunt - Where is our bed?
On any given minute on any given day our beds are where we flop. Couches, tops of chairs, kitty tower, bed, you name it, we're there. On this particular day, Parker decided to share the ottoman with me. He is a snot, you know?
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