I'm terrible. I can't stop laughing right now. 😂😂😂

I'm terrible. I can't stop laughing right now. 😂😂😂

Before I say what I'm about to say, some backstory:

I like lights on. I like it bright and light in the house.

Shaun is the opposite. He likes it dark. He is always complaining about me turning lights on without warning him, even in the daytime when there is a lot of natural light and it's not super jarring to turn lights on.

So it's late right now. We're in bed with the lights off. I'm on my side facing Shaun while scrolling on my phone. I decide it's time to dim my phone by turning on the "Night Light" feature.

I, (really and truly) accidentally turned my flashlight on directly into his eyeballs. 😂😂😂

He laughed it off and I can't stop laughing, but I do feel bad at the same time. I might need to rearrange my menu so that doesn't happen again.

I don't know why he puts up with me and my nonsense, but I'm glad that he does. 😂

Me and Kira went out today.

Me and Kira went out today. We saw some balloons this afternoon. We could see them from the back yard, but one was landing near the road as we were heading to our appointments. That will probably forever be one of my favorite things about here.

We went and got some piercings today. Kira got her other nostril pierced, so now she's symmetrical. I got the second holes in my earlobes redone. They were done with a gun 1000 years ago and one of them was a bit lower than I wanted it. I've been wanting them redone since I was in Cincinnati and finally got around to doing it.

The shop (Evolution Body Piercing) was not only efficient and clean and super professional, but gorgeous, too. It had this weird dark, nature-meets-industrial vibe. It was decorated with all kinds of rocks and plants and geodes and a fountain. It also doesn't do anything but piercing, which I thought was neat.

We had a pretty good day. Now I'm off to do my sadly-neglected nails. I've been super bad about leaving my gel down for 3+ weeks and I have some breaks to show for it. Time to get right. 😂

New collar, a tag, and a house key.

New collar, a tag, and a house key. We're ready! ❤️

Some light reading for anyone interested...

Some light reading for anyone interested. This describes Oreo - down to the itching skin. 😳 It's so wild to me that his body can be starving despite him being fed.

This was sent to me from the amazing Aunt Taimi. She deserves some serious credit for keeping this kid alive since he was released from AMC. She's figured out the fat content he does best on and everything. I'm going to need her to show me how she's been caring for him before I bring him home. I'm terrified that I'll mess up his progress.

I can only take credit for picking him up. I have no idea what I would have done if he'd been able to come home with me initially like I'd planned. Best case scenario is that the vets here could have figured him out. Worst case is that he reached a low too low to come back from.

I don't think I can properly express how grateful I am to Taimi for the way she's cared for and advocated for Oreo. She has put her time and energy and effort into investigating his symptoms and helping him. I have never had a foster so intense. But I credit her and her years of experience in every one of his health gains.

I guess I am off to search up some EPI groups on here. I am so looking forward to being reunited with Oreo, but I feel like I'm going to need the support. This is 100% new to me and I want to do the very best I can for him.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency-in-dogs

Oreo went to the vet today.

Oreo went to the vet today. He got his vaccinations, so now that's done. He still didn't like it. He's just not ok with being poked, poor buddy.

He's up to 41.8 pounds now, so he's gained ~4.5 lbs.

He didn't feel great today when he woke up, so Aunt Taimi was quick with the anti-nausea meds again. He was also doing the "downward dog" type posture which is a sign of pain in the tummy area. She's been keeping a log of his meals and nothing had changed. He has managed to keep his meals down today.

They were unable to test for it today, but he is almost certainly pancreatic insufficient based on everything we've noted and what the vet observed. They gave him an enzyme to start that should (eventually, in like a month) help him have fewer bad days.

Until then, our sweet boy is doing pretty well. The vet trip didn't wipe him out today. He played with Kiwi after he got home. That's a great improvement over having to be carried into the house and tucked into bed.

His lows have also gone from "I might be dying" to "my stomach hurts and I'm not feeling well" so we'll count that as a win, too.

I've gone ahead and ordered him a tag for his collar and am anxious to bring him home. I've missed that sweet boy and am practically counting the days now! ❤️

Toebean went to the vet again today.

Toebean went to the vet again today. He's now on Gabapentin plus an antibiotic, as well as got an anti-inflammatory injection. They couldn't see anything wrong with his mouth that would make him cry and can't find a reason other than anxiety or pain for him to be pulling his hair. 🙁

I guess if none of these things help he'll be seeing a specialist soon. Poor buddy.

Aunt Taimi got a wild wake up this morning.

Aunt Taimi got a wild wake up this morning. Oreo and Kiwi were wrestling on the bed!

I hear that our sweet boy has had a good day. I'm glad to hear that. He's currently snoozing and hopefully he and Kiwi will let everyone get some rest tonight. 😂😂😂