FLAIR AND OTHER PROBLEMS

[Sukie427]

Hi, all Our son and his wife came to visit and we took them sightseeing around Northern Arizona and then spent a few days at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Everyone had a great time. This despite the fact that I am in the middle of a flair. My legs have been feeling extremely heavy and hard to move. I have also discovered lately that when I am walking my legs just stop moving and I can't get them going again without somebody pulling me or pushing gently from behind. That scares me because my dad had Parkinson's and he used to get that, although the doctor keeps assuring me that I don't have that. I finished my PT for balance, but it really didn't help all that much. I have been falling quite a bit but so far no broken bones. I am also having severe heartburn and it feels like my esophagus and upper stomach are on fire. Went to see the gastro and he set me up for an upper endoscopy early next month, plus added Protonix to my daily med regimen. Just not feeling good, but I have learned not to stop moving. When I am watching TV, I use my 1 lb. weights to exercise my arms, and I put on 1 lb. weights on my legs to exercise my ankles and lower legs. My PT taught me never to stop moving so I am doing the best that I can, even when I feel that I can't do one thing more. Yesterday I had 4 of my bottom teeth pulled and replaced by a temporary bridge--I feel like I look like a rodent! Thank goodness no pain, though. BTW, I just put in my first application for a service dog! Average wait time: 5 years. But I am applying everywhere, so hopefully I will get one sooner. Best wishes to everyone and good health to you all! Sukie427

[jackiesj]

Suki HI!!TY for your example.This is all so scary, in bed today myself.You shared some really good tips.Grt PT!I love the humane society and any animal.I have found animals so honest, compassionate and your service dog(horse, monkey so much can be done) will bring new life added upon x 1,000.Keep up on emails to them for where you are on the list because many pull out.My rescue from the shelter has turned into my service dog and he is adjusting good.My Schnauzers have all been so keen to each movement, in believeable..Puppy phase was horrible.Best wishes I am so excited for you! What site did you go thru and wondering from the group if they know more......

[jimeka]

Sukie427 sounds as though you had a good time with your son despite the relapse. It's not a nice feeling when you have to drag concrete legs around with you all day. I fall a lot more these days because my brain is telling me my right leg has moved but it hasn't and it gets stuck and I fall . I don't know how many more twists and turns my right ankle will take, it seems to be permanently swollen in certain parts. As for a service dog, maybe Bygonelines can help. She has a really good one called Willow, maybe private message her and she will help you. Hope that you get one quicker than in 5 years time. In the meantime, keep enjoying life, blessings Jimeka 🦋 🌈 🤗 🍫

[erash]

Sukie427

Wishes ng you well 🌈

What is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary like?

[Sukie427]

Thanks to you all for your best wishes. Bygonelines and I have been messaging and she has given me some places to try, and that is where I applied. My husband and I volunteer at the local Humane Society but they try to move the little dogs that seem to get adopted faster in this area. We also rescue pit bulls; despite their bad rap, they are loving, faithful and loyal. We rescued our brindle female Molly when we were still in FLA as Miami has a pit bull ban and so in Miami they just dump them over the Broward County line. Our black male was a survivor of NFL star Michael Vick's dog fighting ring, whom we adopted from Best Friends. Erash, the sanctuary itself is in a 38,000 acre canyon in Kanab, Utah called, appropriately, Angel's Canyon, and at any one time they have about 1200 to 1800 animals. They are a federally licensed facility to rehabilitate injured wildlife such as falcons and other birds, whom they release back into the wild. They have all types of companion animals whose only crime is being homeless, but it is totally no-kill. Some have special needs and others come from horrible abuse or hoarding situations. They have a puppy pre-school and a brand new state-of--the-art veterinary hospital with 7 vets and many vet techs. Just an amazing place. There is also Best Friends Animal Society, which does the fund raising (everything they have is from donations; they get no help from any government agency), picks up local rescues around the country as partners, has turned Los Angeles into a no-kill city, also New York, and is working on others. They are leaders in the no-kill movement, and largely due to their efforts, the number of animals killed in shelters has been cut in half, but their goal is to "Save Them All." They also lead the fight for legislation against puppy mills, against breed discriminatory legislation, and stronger laws to punish animal cruelty and abuse. They also have 0n-the-ground rescue efforts for companion animals who are victims of natural and human-made catastrophes, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Syria, and the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida. Animals are so intuitive; every time I fall, Molly comes over and licks my face while Shadow stands very still next to me and offers me his back and neck to grab onto and help myself up. And they aren't even trained! Sometimes, one or both of them just go and get my husband. My horse is also intuitive that way; If I don't feel well, he really behaves himself; otherwise, he likes to grab plants and just play around on the trail. I don't intend to wait for 5 years; I am applying everywhere that I can, and I found a service dog agency that uses rescue dogs and trains them to be service dogs. I am also looking into adopting a homeless pittie (there are far too many of them) and having her privately trained. I don't know how I am going to do it, but time is getting short as my mobility is getting worse, as is my cognition. I am going to try to ride tomorrow and get back to moving after getting past a URI that should've been gone two weeks ago but the MS just creeps right in on top of it and the next thing I know I am too weak to move. Life kind of sucks right now, but once I get moving again it should get OK again.

[kdali]

I'm glad everyone had a great time! Good on you for doing what you need to to keep moving, very inspiring 😍 I hope you are resting also, you have had a busy week to also be flaring.

[Sukie427]

Thanks kdali . I have been resting. I should probably rest some more, but I so afraid of becoming a couch potato....I am on a Medrol dosepack to help keep the stupid MS at bay while recovering from the URI, so I hope that I am good to go. We'll see. I am going to ride tomorrow, and we'll see how it goes.

[kdali in reply to Sukie427]

It's tricky to balance everything!