Thursday, March 2, 2023

Another Random Update and Ziggy's Health

 I'm hardly updating at all this year! All I can say is we've been busy, just not on finishing the house though I did take four 1x4s and add wood filler where needed and sanded them, awaiting the stain which may happen next week. I dare say it will happen next week. Tonight, Hal's sister is coming up for the weekend, so we'll be doing other things, hopefully, more donating and looking at carpet remnants for the living room.

A couple weeks ago Hal tapped the 10 maple trees we used last year. We had around 5=6 days in the 40s, weird for that early in February. We only got about 25 gallons of sap and he still hasn't boiled it, fortunately it turned cold again so it ought to be fine. He's also had to plow the driveway and my walking trails more than once as winter decided to barrel right back in. 

I've been walking the dogs, of course, and unpacking the odd box or two, throwing out stuff and donating the rest if we can't use it. Also, cleaning out my sewing room of boxes of extra yarn and fabric I don't have an immediate use for. I may never have a use for most of the yarn, I just can't get enthused about crochet anymore. I think I still will sew though; I've finally set up my sewing machine and darned some socks and put buttons back on shirts. If nothing else, it cleaned up a large pile of clothing on the floor.

Ziggy is on medication now for Cushing's Disease. For the last few months, he's been getting his liver and kidneys rechecked and while we got his kidneys back in working order, his liver values went into the red. I hadn't realized all the bread he was stealing since last August, his constant begging for food, and lately his excessive drinking were actually symptoms. I figured the bread thievery was taught to him by Oakley. Doggie see, doggie do.

Cushing's is apparently often caused by a tumor on either the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland, I don't know which. From what I've read online the adrenal tumor is more likely to be deadlier, but I'm not going to have exploratory surgery done to find out. He turned 12 in January; I'm not making that same mistake I did with Rocket. He's been on these pills for about 9 days now and I do think he is drinking less, at least I haven't had to fill the water dishes as often these last couple of days. Maybe he is begging less, he doesn't try to climb on me as much anymore, which is what he was doing several times a day for the last couple of months. The pills, Trilostane, aren't a cure, but hopefully they will help him feel better.

Oh, 2 weeks ago today we went back on Keto. I have determined it is impossible for us to do this all the time, we really like a nice piece of bread, or cake, or pasta, or rice, the list goes on, but we will try to go lower carb and lower fat when we go off it which tends to happen a lot when family visits. We'll see how it goes. So far, I think Hal's lost at least 4 pounds, and I've lost 7. Five of that came off in the first week, so I know that was just water weight. I plan on doing this till at least the end of April, at which time I will be attending a baby shower for one of my nieces. I am sure there will be cake.

And finally, we seem to have recovered from keto, no more coughing jags unless it's because we inhaled something we shouldn't, etc.

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