Summer 2010!

I have neglected my blog for a year now! I have been reading some inspiring pages on the web, tho and I want to start again.

First I want to tell you that my puppy Jack, who will be 2 years old in 8 days, has had a career change. Linda, his trainer, and I have mutually decided that he is too energetic for the type of service tasks I will need him to do. In Linda's words "He is not showing signs of slowing down. I can have another dog trained for you

before that happens (if it happens.)" Jack is going to live with Linda's family. He will be trained to retrieve do

wned ducks and Linda's husband will take him hunting in the fall with their other two yellow labs "Honey" and "Decoy."

After only a week 0f searching high and low, she found a dog who passed all her tests with flying

colors! Incidentally, it was "low" that she found him.
The Odessa pound. You can't get much lower than that. Despite being skinny and tick ridden, he was the best natured dog ever. Looking at his teeth, she thinks he is younger than 2 years old.

He is just amazingly sweet, smart and loyal. After only a week with Linda, she told me he is so loyal that there is nothing he wouldn't do for his person.

Fall is Coming!

I have renewed energy today! If not physically, then mentally! Oh, I can't help but enjoy the cool breeze. Its 73 and it feels awesome outside. Its August 31st and we have had temps over 100f this month. I have no tolerance to the heat anymore now that my body thermostat is broken. I never get chilled anymore. Its uncomfortably cold in my house for others, but it feels good to me and heat just makes me sick. That being said, bring on the cooler weather of fall! My a/c bill will get relief too.

My puppy is laying under the table at my feet. He will be one year old tomorrow, September 1st. I absolutely adore him! He is so smart and I can't wait to teach him something new. The lady who will be training us is coming over Sept 6th. I contacted her about obedience training, but after she read my goals to have him trained in service tasks, she informed me she was qualified and experienced to to train him in service dog tasks too. WOO HOO! Our prayers have been answered. I was resigned to the fact I'd have to move to Houston to find a suitable trainer. Houston to be close to MD Anderson and the great medical center there. For now, I will plan to continue flying to Houston every 3 weeks for Avastin treatments.

Back to Jack. So far, he walks well on the leash, he knows sit, down and stand. He knows to sit and wait for the ok to go to his food at mealtime and sit and wait for the ok to jump out of the van. We are working on stay. Hes learning not to maul visitors. He is still a puppy. A puppy in an adult body, as my friend Rob says. He is making progress though.

To MD Anderson Once More

First, I saw my future service dog and life partner, Jack.  We met his trainer at Rice Village shopping center and I got to spend time with my boy.  He's still a baby.  Almost 5 months old.  So we decided to let Kelli keep him another month and get him used to walking on the leash and socializing him more.  That gives me more time to get his stuff ready too.   I will clicker train him, then when he's older I'll train him to do service  dog tasks but I haven't researched a trainer or facility yet.  

To my good fortune, my friend Haylie went with me to Houston as I had a very busy schedule AND the Rotory House had no vacancies (don't they know who I am by now?)  We stayed at the hotel around the corner (and thats another story.)  Had my MRI's and CT and the doctor reported that all was stable.  

Saw Dr. Slopis, the NF doctor and he explained why I was probably having the upper body prickles, redness, imbalance,  and headaches when having coughing spells.  I may have encountered a little swelling around my brainstem last time I fell, so was given a regimen of steroids.  I was actually looking forward to those because they give me energy.  Incidentally, ALL my doctors at MD Anderson are excellent and I highly recommend all NF2'ers to go there if possible for complete NF2 care.  We have so many more issues than just cutting out tumors!

I saw Dr. Schiffman, the neuroncology-opthamologist about my prism lenses and shes awesome!  Another great NF2 doctor.  I have tumors on my optic nerves and slight cataracts on my corneas which was all news to me, but I have good crisp eyesight.  I just have a problem with double vision, but its corrected with prism lenses.  Unfortunately there is not an eye doctor in my town that is a specialist in prisms.  Grrrrr.

I had my 8th Avastin treatment uneventfully.  No one said anything about my tumors shrinking, but at least they don't seem to be growing.  YEAH!