Out of the Blū

Sunday, February 9, 2025

I know some of y'all have been curious...

I know some of y'all have been curious about Bear and the ice dispenser, so here he is with cheese vs. no cheese.

We cheese him for several reasons:

It's not safe for him to be so wild on the slippy floor, as seen by him almost falling
He used to bite us in his excitement and he got better about that, but still, why risk it?
It's obviously triggering to him for some reason and why rile him up if we don't have to?

He was definitely worse when we first got him - biting and body-checking, and trying to maul the fridge. I think that repeated exposure to the noise every day with cheese has lessened his reaction to a more playful vibe because I can obviously get ice now - it's just not worth doing without the cheese. 😂 We've been doing this for almost a year now - it's hard to believe we've had him for that long!

You can tell he's on alert the moment the fridge chimes when I change the dispenser from water to ice. Unfortunately, his wild response isn't limited to only the ice dispenser. He does this for basically any rumbling noise, including moving the trash and recycling bins weekly. We just manage him with treats and/or keeping him away from the noise (locking him in the house when we move the bins).

Edited to add: Other long-lasting treats work IF HE'S INTERESTED. He'll grab his bones and run outside if he likes it. If not, you can see the struggle as he tries to contain himself for the treat.

Friday, February 7, 2025

This makes my third week on Testosterone and Hypothyroid meds.

This makes my third week on Testosterone and Hypothyroid meds. According to the doctor, I should be feeling pretty good by now - and I do.

No migraines since I started these meds
Sleeping better
Not always cold; in fact I'm sometimes warm without a hoodie and blanket
I've got a bit more energy
Even though I've felt stress, I'm not taken out by it
Not as achy as I was, but it's still there
Have possibly lost a little weight, but I'm not really tracking it
I still have bouts of brain fog, but I'm finding my words better than I used to

This is DEFINITELY improvement. I'll have my hormone levels tested pretty soon and see how it looks from that perspective, but I'm grateful that I'm feeling a good bit better.

I don't know what would get me back to 100% (or if it's even possible to do so), but I'm going to try to stay on top of my self-care and continue looking for answers for whatever ails me. I won't say that I don't trust doctors, but I feel better when I'm an active participant in my care. It feels better than taking someone's word over something as important as health.

Also, just throwing this out there since it's a health update: My lichen sclerosis is under control, as well. My downstairs is ok and still there and doing what it should. I was terrified that it would never be ok, but it is and that's a huge relief.

Look at this dog.

Look at this dog. He's got dog business to do. No time to explain why the blanket needed shaking. He checked on me, then was on his way. 😂

Shaun swept and vacuumed this morning.

Shaun swept and vacuumed this morning. When I came downstairs, I didn't see Bear anywhere, inside or out. When Bear came back in the house, he was covered in leaves - most of which he shook off onto the freshly-cleaned floors. He must've been playing in the bushes. I don't know why he loves the bushes so much, but he is always in them. 😂

Pictured here is Bear - exhausted from dirtying the floor and beating up my flippy-floppy.

Being a menace is hard work. 😂😂😂