According to my GP I'm normal! That's a first, I've never been normal in my life - and who would want to be. I'm not diabetic, my liver & kidneys are doing their job, my cholesterol is 4.77, and my blood count is normal. My thyroid is 9, normal is between 7 and 20, so it's a little low but nothing to worry about yet. My mum has hypothyroidism and her sister has Hashimoto's thyroiditis, so both are on thyroxine. My GP said it would be a good idea to be tested again in the future.
My manky toes are fungal - like you need to spend years at uni to work that out. So I have a prescription for lamisil tablets, which can cause the feeling of butterflies in the stomach. The chemist is out of stock but should have some in later today.
I now have NO excuses left to get out of the Great South Run or the London Marathon (if I get through the entry ballot in October).
Wednesday 30 April 2008
Monday 28 April 2008
It's true - an apology
Those of you who know me well know that I'm a listless sort. I'm a couch potato where possible and am always feeling tired. The GP is always telling me that taking more exercise and losing a couple of stones will fix it. How on earth are you supposed to get more active when your get up and go got up and went years ago?
In the last week I have made a concerted effort to try harder. I've been on walks with K, as Scooby is not up to them any more, and we have the Wii Fit which I do every day for at least 20 minutes. Today I feel so alive and bursting with energy. I've paid for my entry into the Great South Run and at the moment I feel that I'll be able to run it all - 10 miles!
So it's true, exercise can make you feel less tired. To all the GPs over the years who have told me to get off my backside I apolgise. It seems you do know what you are talking about after all.
In the last week I have made a concerted effort to try harder. I've been on walks with K, as Scooby is not up to them any more, and we have the Wii Fit which I do every day for at least 20 minutes. Today I feel so alive and bursting with energy. I've paid for my entry into the Great South Run and at the moment I feel that I'll be able to run it all - 10 miles!
So it's true, exercise can make you feel less tired. To all the GPs over the years who have told me to get off my backside I apolgise. It seems you do know what you are talking about after all.
My New Blog
A few days ago I wrote about entering the Great South Run this year. Well, I've parted with the necessary money to do this and have started a separate blog to post about the ups and downs of getting me fit and ready to attempt this.
Look in the Blogs link further down on the left.
Look in the Blogs link further down on the left.
Saturday 26 April 2008
Fit to drop
Yesterday I got the Wii Fit. I brought it home, along with 2 friends. Surprise, surprise, A chose to finish work at lunchtime - well it was Friday! - so the queue of people waiting to use the Wii board and show off their fitness (or lack thereof) was quite big. I'm not going to embarrass anyone by detailing their BMI or prowess but the audience was usually in hysterics.
During all this our osteopath friend arrived to give K & I a cranial session each. We then convinced her to have a go or three. There were a few aches later.
Today K & I had another 20 minutes each on it. That flipping Step Aerobic bit is HARD! Either that or I am just not co-ordinated. However I am the best skiier by over a second. My only gripe so far is that the beginners press-ups section also has side lifts. I can't do press-ups so I was hoping it would start with half press-ups, where you kneel on all fours and lower your top half to the ground. This wasn't the case so I scored a big fat zero on that section and got a slight wrist-slap from my virtual personal instructor.
At £65 it is cheaper and more fun than the gym. We have been swapping Wii codes with our friends so we can track each others progress/record point scores. I foresee a lot of healthy competition coming up.
During all this our osteopath friend arrived to give K & I a cranial session each. We then convinced her to have a go or three. There were a few aches later.
Today K & I had another 20 minutes each on it. That flipping Step Aerobic bit is HARD! Either that or I am just not co-ordinated. However I am the best skiier by over a second. My only gripe so far is that the beginners press-ups section also has side lifts. I can't do press-ups so I was hoping it would start with half press-ups, where you kneel on all fours and lower your top half to the ground. This wasn't the case so I scored a big fat zero on that section and got a slight wrist-slap from my virtual personal instructor.
At £65 it is cheaper and more fun than the gym. We have been swapping Wii codes with our friends so we can track each others progress/record point scores. I foresee a lot of healthy competition coming up.
Thursday 24 April 2008
He's back!
D is home and back on dry land again. Unfortunately he's left his balance and vertical hold back onboard. He'd stumbling round the house like a toddler learning to walk. Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow.
He had a GREAT time! By the time we got home (25 minutes, thanks to a small delay for traffic) my ears were crying out for silence. I learned that he and another teen had made vegetarian curry for 18 people on Monday evening. He enjoyed cleaning the head (toilet to us landlubbers). He knows quite a bit about sails - names, which mast they go on, what different bits of the sail are called - and can haul on the ropes to raise or lower them. He's steered the boat, navigated it, cleaned it, done all sorts. In fact, the only thing he didn't do was get time to be bored!
He passed his RYA Beginners Certificate and can't wait to go again to work on his Competent Crewman Certificate. Sounds like a really expensive hobby in the making. EEK!
I gave K a scare whilst we were fetching D. Some of the other teens wanted his e-mail address and, of course, I had to give it to them because he couldn't remember it exactly. I had my feet on the pontoon and leant across a couple of feet of water to lean my elbows on the side of the boat. K did NOT approve - at all! She was panicking about me slipping and falling in - no chance, I was hanging on far too well. When I stood back up again she grabbed me and told me off for being irresponsible and then wouldn't let go till I promised to behave.
He had a GREAT time! By the time we got home (25 minutes, thanks to a small delay for traffic) my ears were crying out for silence. I learned that he and another teen had made vegetarian curry for 18 people on Monday evening. He enjoyed cleaning the head (toilet to us landlubbers). He knows quite a bit about sails - names, which mast they go on, what different bits of the sail are called - and can haul on the ropes to raise or lower them. He's steered the boat, navigated it, cleaned it, done all sorts. In fact, the only thing he didn't do was get time to be bored!
He passed his RYA Beginners Certificate and can't wait to go again to work on his Competent Crewman Certificate. Sounds like a really expensive hobby in the making. EEK!
I gave K a scare whilst we were fetching D. Some of the other teens wanted his e-mail address and, of course, I had to give it to them because he couldn't remember it exactly. I had my feet on the pontoon and leant across a couple of feet of water to lean my elbows on the side of the boat. K did NOT approve - at all! She was panicking about me slipping and falling in - no chance, I was hanging on far too well. When I stood back up again she grabbed me and told me off for being irresponsible and then wouldn't let go till I promised to behave.
Wednesday 23 April 2008
I must be mad
During today's jaunt with my friends Ann mentioned that she is raising a team to do the Great South Run in October. This is to raise funds for her youngest child's school. It's a special school, and it has just had all it's outdoor play equipment condemned.
The Great South Run is 10 miles! I can't even run 10 feet without puffing. This is going to be interesting. I'll be touting for sponsorship nearer the time. My first 'race' will probably be The Race for Life in July - a mere 5km.roughly 3 miles. Look on the bright side, I now have the necessary motivation to get fit, and as K has also said she wants to do both events she will get fit too.
All I need are some volunteers to have oxygen/alcohol waiting for me at the finish line. Wonder who I can pressgang into that?
The Great South Run is 10 miles! I can't even run 10 feet without puffing. This is going to be interesting. I'll be touting for sponsorship nearer the time. My first 'race' will probably be The Race for Life in July - a mere 5km.roughly 3 miles. Look on the bright side, I now have the necessary motivation to get fit, and as K has also said she wants to do both events she will get fit too.
All I need are some volunteers to have oxygen/alcohol waiting for me at the finish line. Wonder who I can pressgang into that?
Sunday 20 April 2008
Spreading his wings part 2
D is going away for a few days tomorrow - ON A BOAT. He's going to learn how to sail, along with 11 other young people, on a boat run by the Ocean Youth Trust http://www.oytsouth.org/
I will be handing him over at 2pm tomorrow and collecting him at 12pm on Thursday. The sailing forecast seems to be fairly gentle so seasickness shouldn't be a problem. They also have RYA handbooks with details of all the awards that are available and what you have to do to earn them. The OYT staff sign each bit as you achieve it and if you get all the relevant bits signed you get a certificate.
Hopefully his teamwork skills will improve and he will achieve some of the stuff in the beginners section. D is looking forward to it. All I have left to buy are some thick socks to pad out his wellies.
Yes, I know he will miss 4 days of 'school' but what he will learn onboard will serve him better in the long run.
I will be handing him over at 2pm tomorrow and collecting him at 12pm on Thursday. The sailing forecast seems to be fairly gentle so seasickness shouldn't be a problem. They also have RYA handbooks with details of all the awards that are available and what you have to do to earn them. The OYT staff sign each bit as you achieve it and if you get all the relevant bits signed you get a certificate.
Hopefully his teamwork skills will improve and he will achieve some of the stuff in the beginners section. D is looking forward to it. All I have left to buy are some thick socks to pad out his wellies.
Yes, I know he will miss 4 days of 'school' but what he will learn onboard will serve him better in the long run.
Anyone seen my appetite?
It's gone off again. I'm full of catarrh. Instead of a full Sunday roast, which I smelled cooking all afternoon and felt gaggy, I had macaroni cheese out the freezer.
I'm wondering if I have hayfever - which would fit in just fine with everyone else here. The lilac tree is blossoming, I've been out in the garden, I've started sneezing but only occasionally, my eyes have itched for a few minutes. Roll on 30th April when I go back to the GP to find out if the blood tests showed anything. Not that I'm expecting any earth-shattering revelations, I think I'd have had a phone call by now if anything serious had showed.
I'm wondering if I have hayfever - which would fit in just fine with everyone else here. The lilac tree is blossoming, I've been out in the garden, I've started sneezing but only occasionally, my eyes have itched for a few minutes. Roll on 30th April when I go back to the GP to find out if the blood tests showed anything. Not that I'm expecting any earth-shattering revelations, I think I'd have had a phone call by now if anything serious had showed.
Thursday 17 April 2008
I've been tagged
My friend B (see Blogs I Like, as I haven't worked out how to make words into links yet) has tagged me. The rules are as follows:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.
Six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself (Only 6?!)
1. I have to use the same coloured pegs on one garment. This is not as bad as my Mum who makes sure her pegs are a contrasting colour to whatever she is hanging out.
2. I bite my nails.
3. I used to make my own wine, and if the taxes on it keep going up I might have to start again.
4. I love maths, and am plodding through a maths degree with OU.
5. I'm good at putting my foot in it. (This might qualify as important).
6. I don't like big or frequent social occasions.
Now I have to find 3 more victims, I mean friends, to tag. And the lucky winners are Deb, Sue, and Hannah.
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.
Six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself (Only 6?!)
1. I have to use the same coloured pegs on one garment. This is not as bad as my Mum who makes sure her pegs are a contrasting colour to whatever she is hanging out.
2. I bite my nails.
3. I used to make my own wine, and if the taxes on it keep going up I might have to start again.
4. I love maths, and am plodding through a maths degree with OU.
5. I'm good at putting my foot in it. (This might qualify as important).
6. I don't like big or frequent social occasions.
Now I have to find 3 more victims, I mean friends, to tag. And the lucky winners are
Tuesday 15 April 2008
Green fingers!
Early last week K & I, or rather K with a little supervision from me, planted some seeds - Livingston daisies, trailing lobelia, sunflowers, snapdragons and lavender. The sunflowers poked through on Saturday. Over the weekend the others showed signs of life and by today we have plenty of each. Lavender is notoriously hard to grow from seed so the fact that we have 8 seedlings through, with a few more potential ones to follow, is great!
This weekend D planted his hanging tomatoes. These seem to be low maintenance compared to standard ones - no pricking out, negligible chance of the slugs getting to them, good crops - apart from needing regular watering. I hope I'll be making lots of tomato puree come August.
This weekend D planted his hanging tomatoes. These seem to be low maintenance compared to standard ones - no pricking out, negligible chance of the slugs getting to them, good crops - apart from needing regular watering. I hope I'll be making lots of tomato puree come August.
'Normal' Service being resumed
My parents came down to visit on Saturday and went home this morning. Hence my lag of blogging. My Dad needs something to do - he's not one for sitting down - so we started a project in the garden.
A & I have been planning this for a while. We used to have a shed in the top right corner of the garden. Unfortunately this shed rotted away in places, and plants made inroads through its walls in others, so it had to go. A & D had a wonderful time with hammers and saws one afternoon 3+ years ago dismantling it and loading the detritus into a skip. They left behind the base mainly as a weed suppressant till we could decide what to do with it.
Eventually A & I settled on turning it into a raised herb bed. Unfortunately that patch doesn't get enough direct sunlight to make a good place for herbs, particularly the Mediterranean types that we love to use in the kitchen. So we're making a two tier border to link the top border with the right-hand border. The herbs will go into the top border once I've got it cleared - for me, read my friend Jan, with James and Neal.
There will be photos once I've got them uploaded - too tired right now and bits of me ache that I didn't know existed. I've been lifting slabs, breaking slabs with a hammer and bolster chisel, edging the lawn, shovelling sand, and dodging the rain.
It'll look great once it's done
A & I have been planning this for a while. We used to have a shed in the top right corner of the garden. Unfortunately this shed rotted away in places, and plants made inroads through its walls in others, so it had to go. A & D had a wonderful time with hammers and saws one afternoon 3+ years ago dismantling it and loading the detritus into a skip. They left behind the base mainly as a weed suppressant till we could decide what to do with it.
Eventually A & I settled on turning it into a raised herb bed. Unfortunately that patch doesn't get enough direct sunlight to make a good place for herbs, particularly the Mediterranean types that we love to use in the kitchen. So we're making a two tier border to link the top border with the right-hand border. The herbs will go into the top border once I've got it cleared - for me, read my friend Jan, with James and Neal.
There will be photos once I've got them uploaded - too tired right now and bits of me ache that I didn't know existed. I've been lifting slabs, breaking slabs with a hammer and bolster chisel, edging the lawn, shovelling sand, and dodging the rain.
It'll look great once it's done
Thursday 10 April 2008
Catching Up
I've been a bit busy of late, sorry.
The strange creature in the previous post is a bee-fly! Thanks to my friend Z for the information.
K found her key! This is a major miracle as normally once she's lost something it stays lost forever. She was so relieved she was in tears.
Scooby is still wobbly but still happy, apart from being on 'house arrest' on vets orders.
D is spending most of his holidays at Games Workshop. He's a happy bunny now we've bought his posh shoes and shirts ready for his interview next week and work in July.
A is working too hard and is a bit grumpy. The grumpiness is how I know. Sometimes I wish the 'experts' who decide the timescales for projects could see the effects their idiocy has on the worker bees.
I've lost some more weight! In January I weighed 13st 12lbs. Now it's 13st 5lbs, a whole half a stone. I've just started walking a bit more. K & I have decided that a good walk in a morning is a great way to start the day. Coming back to a glass of ice cold orange juice is even better.
After some negotiations - okay, disagreements and re-thinking - we're finally going to sort out the top corner of the garden where the old shed used to be. I did want a raised herb bed but A & I couldn't agree on the height or the building material. So instead we're going to use log-roll to make a square-ish bed that links the top and right borders. Plus most of the herbs I want to grow prefer plenty of sun and the top corner doesn't get as much as the top border so I may re-arrange them. I've always fancied growing my own medicinal/culinary herbs. Watch this space.
The strange creature in the previous post is a bee-fly! Thanks to my friend Z for the information.
K found her key! This is a major miracle as normally once she's lost something it stays lost forever. She was so relieved she was in tears.
Scooby is still wobbly but still happy, apart from being on 'house arrest' on vets orders.
D is spending most of his holidays at Games Workshop. He's a happy bunny now we've bought his posh shoes and shirts ready for his interview next week and work in July.
A is working too hard and is a bit grumpy. The grumpiness is how I know. Sometimes I wish the 'experts' who decide the timescales for projects could see the effects their idiocy has on the worker bees.
I've lost some more weight! In January I weighed 13st 12lbs. Now it's 13st 5lbs, a whole half a stone. I've just started walking a bit more. K & I have decided that a good walk in a morning is a great way to start the day. Coming back to a glass of ice cold orange juice is even better.
After some negotiations - okay, disagreements and re-thinking - we're finally going to sort out the top corner of the garden where the old shed used to be. I did want a raised herb bed but A & I couldn't agree on the height or the building material. So instead we're going to use log-roll to make a square-ish bed that links the top and right borders. Plus most of the herbs I want to grow prefer plenty of sun and the top corner doesn't get as much as the top border so I may re-arrange them. I've always fancied growing my own medicinal/culinary herbs. Watch this space.
Monday 7 April 2008
What is it?
I found this near the patio doors this lunchtime. It seemed 98% dead, barely moving, so after I took it's picture I pot it outside on a dandelion flower. It wasn't there later so either it had recovered and flown off or had been blown off by the wind.
It looks like a bee but the legs were more thin and elongated, like a mosquito. At the front there seemed to be either a very stiff tongue or a stinger of some sort. It's wings had either gained or lost pigmentation, and the fur down it's back was patchy - bee coloured round the sides but bare black down the middle.
Any ideas?
Sunday 6 April 2008
Wow!
I staggered into the bathroom at 7.45 this morning, looked outside and thought "What a miserable looking day". It was misty and the ground was wet. So I went back to bed.
A wandered in bearing a cup of tea at 9.00 and told me he'd had to clear off the hot tub lid. I asked him if it was still raining, and he said he'd cleared 2 inches of snow! He got my attention straight away.
A built a snowman with Scooby's help. Scooby shouldn't have been out in it really, but this may be the last snow he sees and he loves to romp around in it.
Strangely enough the kids were up, dressed and out very quickly this morning. D has gone into Southampton to Games Workshop. K went out for a snowball fight and came home at 12.15, minus her door key which fell out somewhere - she's going back out soon to find it.
Now, at 12.50, it's cold but the snow is melting fast. It never lasts long here :-((((
Friday 4 April 2008
Vindication?
A few weeks ago D had to go to for an Educational Psychologist's assessment. He first had one 2 years ago as his handwriting is slow, laborious, unreadable and he does as little as possible of it. Back then he was given permission for extra time (slightly slow processing speed) and either a scribe or a laptop to do the written work. I rang the Ed Psych who did this assessment and asked if I needed a new one for this year's exam-fest. Apparently the reports last 2 - 3 years so she just sent me a covering letter basically saying carry on as before.
The college where D goes on Wednesday evenings for his Maths A2 classes - yes he's only just 16 but you can't keep a smartie-pants down - decided they'd like their own Ed Psych to have a look at him. And they didn't even offer to charge me for the privilege - as D is under their usual age remit they would have been within their rights to (£300 +).
The report came back yesterday. His handwriting speed has improved from 4 words per minute (wpm) to 10 wpm. His typing speed has improved from 9 wpm to 19 wpm. 19wpm is the average HAND writing speed for his age so the report said that access to a laptop/PC for exams was a definite must. She also saw first-hand how he needs time to sort his thoughts out and put them in to some semblance of order, so he can still have extra time (up to 25% extra). Also his spelling, although better than the majority of his peers, is slightly down compared to his other cognitive abilities - all above average of highly able.
All the way through his school career, which finished 4 years ago thanks to me showing some guts to home educate, he was constantly admonished for shoddy writing and feeble output - it would take him all lesson to write a few sentences. A & I weren't too bothered by the scruffy writing - have you seen ours?! I wish that we had pushed for some form of assessment or that school had mentioned that it might help. Instead we weren't too concerned and they seemed happy to accept that.
My son is no longer the nervous wreck he was 4 years ago. He is no longer too scared to talk to anyone he doesn't know (he used a bit of humour with the Ed Psych lady this time and I was banned from going in with him), he is no longer shouted at for being lazy or not trying hard enough and he has blossomed.
This is the college he is going to in September. D has 2 GCSEs from 2 years ago (Maths - A; Chemistry - B), a pass at an OU short course (S194 - Introducing Astronomy), a pass at CLAIT Dreamweaver (web-site builder thingy), and a B at AS Maths. This summer he is finishing his A2 Maths, GCSE Geography and IGCSE English. This college has accepted him to do 3 more A Levels - Further Maths, Chemistry and Computing - and if he fails his English he can have 2 years to do the GCSE instead of the usual one!
They are also offering free access to the Study Support Unit to help him organise his studies and make sure he's up to speed on all he's supposed to be doing. They're going to give him a laptop for the 2 years he'll be there and provide scribes for his lessons to take notes as D can't cope with doing that and listening to the teacher at the same time. They are putting him into the Gifted & Talented stream and will make sure he gets lots of extra-curricular experience.
They have a University Admissions Co-Ordinator who will make sure he applies to the best universities because he's obviously very bright (their words 5 months ago). D has decided that he fanices Oxford, followed by Nottingham. Not bad for the boy who, 18 months ago, wasn't going to college full-time (adult education classes were it), wasn't going to Uni (Open University instead), couldn't contemplate mixing with his peers at all, and was scared to go out once the schools let out for the day.
So if there's anyone out there who is considering home education for their child(ren), it is no barrier to post-16 education. Nor does it mean that you can't reach for the stars.
The college where D goes on Wednesday evenings for his Maths A2 classes - yes he's only just 16 but you can't keep a smartie-pants down - decided they'd like their own Ed Psych to have a look at him. And they didn't even offer to charge me for the privilege - as D is under their usual age remit they would have been within their rights to (£300 +).
The report came back yesterday. His handwriting speed has improved from 4 words per minute (wpm) to 10 wpm. His typing speed has improved from 9 wpm to 19 wpm. 19wpm is the average HAND writing speed for his age so the report said that access to a laptop/PC for exams was a definite must. She also saw first-hand how he needs time to sort his thoughts out and put them in to some semblance of order, so he can still have extra time (up to 25% extra). Also his spelling, although better than the majority of his peers, is slightly down compared to his other cognitive abilities - all above average of highly able.
All the way through his school career, which finished 4 years ago thanks to me showing some guts to home educate, he was constantly admonished for shoddy writing and feeble output - it would take him all lesson to write a few sentences. A & I weren't too bothered by the scruffy writing - have you seen ours?! I wish that we had pushed for some form of assessment or that school had mentioned that it might help. Instead we weren't too concerned and they seemed happy to accept that.
My son is no longer the nervous wreck he was 4 years ago. He is no longer too scared to talk to anyone he doesn't know (he used a bit of humour with the Ed Psych lady this time and I was banned from going in with him), he is no longer shouted at for being lazy or not trying hard enough and he has blossomed.
This is the college he is going to in September. D has 2 GCSEs from 2 years ago (Maths - A; Chemistry - B), a pass at an OU short course (S194 - Introducing Astronomy), a pass at CLAIT Dreamweaver (web-site builder thingy), and a B at AS Maths. This summer he is finishing his A2 Maths, GCSE Geography and IGCSE English. This college has accepted him to do 3 more A Levels - Further Maths, Chemistry and Computing - and if he fails his English he can have 2 years to do the GCSE instead of the usual one!
They are also offering free access to the Study Support Unit to help him organise his studies and make sure he's up to speed on all he's supposed to be doing. They're going to give him a laptop for the 2 years he'll be there and provide scribes for his lessons to take notes as D can't cope with doing that and listening to the teacher at the same time. They are putting him into the Gifted & Talented stream and will make sure he gets lots of extra-curricular experience.
They have a University Admissions Co-Ordinator who will make sure he applies to the best universities because he's obviously very bright (their words 5 months ago). D has decided that he fanices Oxford, followed by Nottingham. Not bad for the boy who, 18 months ago, wasn't going to college full-time (adult education classes were it), wasn't going to Uni (Open University instead), couldn't contemplate mixing with his peers at all, and was scared to go out once the schools let out for the day.
So if there's anyone out there who is considering home education for their child(ren), it is no barrier to post-16 education. Nor does it mean that you can't reach for the stars.
Wednesday 2 April 2008
The beginning of the end
Over the past week or so we have noticed Scooby's rear legs have developed a mind of their own. We all laugh at Tom & Jerry when their legs are all over the place, but it's not so funny when it happens in front of you. He suffers from hip and elbow dysplasia, arthritis, iffy skin, degenerative disc disease, and possibly degenerative myelopathy. The latter has no diagnosis, it's just what is left after unsuccessfully treating whatever else it might be. I am hoping against hope that he's just tweaked something and will improve over the next week or so, but realistically A & I are preparing ourselves for the worst.
The vet has said that making it to Christmas is expecting a lot. She is going to contact the orthopaedic/neurological specialist who did Scoob's dorsal laminectomy two years ago. This operation involved removing part of on vertebra and all of one ruptured/protruding disc. He recovered well from this, the only lasting side effect has been his tail hanging slightly off centre.
Back in October Scooby had some more x-rays and MRIs done. These showed that scar tissue is forming at the operation site and he has another pinch point developing in the spinal column up near the neck. At 9 he is too old to go through that sort of surgery again. Plus the bill for the last operation, inlcuding all the diagnostics, was over £4,000. Needless to say the insurance company have said no more spinal/hip/nerve coverage - is fair enough really, our premiums will never amount to the £4,000.
So my boy is growing old disgracefully. At the vets there is a wallchart for dogs ages. It's not 7 dog years per human year. This is just an average. Small dogs age more slowly than big dogs. Scooby's 9.5 years make him nearly 85. When you think of it like that, his lifespan doesn't seem so bad.
It hurts like hell to think about though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)