Ami, I love you dearly but you are a definite hard to my health!

Yeesh about 6-7 weeks ago, I was sleeping on the couch at doggie dinner time and Ami decided to wake me with a friendly paw to my lower leg. Riiippppp. Another skin tear. Very briefly, 2 days later, signs of possible infection which clean up and more frequent bandage changes quickly reversed. But - it is only in the last few days that there has been no seepage from the healing wound ( by "secondary intention" meaning there was no skin to cover so coming in with granulation tissue.) Now covered with only scar reduction tape.

A few days after that, he was laying on the floor asking for belly rubs - which I supplied. At the end, just before standing up, I learned over to kiss the top of his head. Bad me - he jumped up and smashed his very hard head into the side of my left nostril and the maxilla above my left lateral incisor. Since I only had a few stars and no nose bleed I thought it was nothing, forgot about it for a few days. Right to until I started to get multiple paresthesias in a couple branches of a facial nerve, into my left eye. And my left lateral incisor became numb. Thinking it was nerve damage like my hand last year, we just waited. Welp. Now I have him infection right where he smashed my face. Saw the dentist, did panoramic x-ray, no apparent tooth or maxilla damage though possible him abscess. Now on antibiotics but doesn't appear to be improving. Husband says not ready to lance yet (nooooooo). Put a warm pack.

And finally. Found days ago? He came bouncing on from outside with muddy paws. I forgot to shut the bedroom door. He went bouncing onto our bed. With my week old new linen duvet slightly exposed. I went trying to cover it and that playful, bouncy, happy big boy have me his big old paw to the back of my left hand. With another skin tear from his bear claw. More steri strips (hubby said that one could use stitches but I declined.)

And. I must confess. I whacked the back of my right hand two days ago on the side of the woods stove door. Sigh. More steri strips. So now I am managing 3 wounds, one in final stages of healing, two fresh requirement bandage changes and since the back of my hand, need to hold in place with the stretch cuffs of my Geri sleeves.

Sigh. My mom was right. Getting old is NOT for sissies.

But also maybe, not for ladies with bouncy dogs

And. My 7 year old dryer went kaput. Just a felt seal around the front of the drum but require whole drum replacement. Parts 698. New dryer, delivered, installed, haul away with tax 787. What a waste.

So. How's your spring going

Welllll.... for the past few days our spring has been really nice, for a few days before that ... not so nice, then a few days before those it was really nice and who has any idea what tomorrow will bring.

We were in the 80's for a couple of days and then yesterday it dropped into the 70's with enough of a breeze to make it feel really cool ... I could not get the house warm yesterday and today I have the front and back doors open.

So how's my spring been ... let's try erratic!!

I'm getting my mice under control, haven't trapped any for the last day or two but did hear one getting into something in the kitchen sometime last night. Rustle, rustle ....

I have a small washer that works well; actually not too small, I can wash 5 pairs of jeans in it at a time. The gas dryer I have - left by prior owner - is good but it pulls too much electricity. I need to find a replacement for it - a gas dryer with a lower draw on the batteries!

Still not sure if I'm going to have trees this year or not. both the maple and oak have flexible old growth which leads me to believe they aren't dead but so far nothing that really looks like buds ... on the other hand the fig is putting out leaves like there's no tomorrow ... maybe I can get more than a couple of small figs this year. It's in a pot and it needs to be in a bigger pot ... but a quick looks ays that figs like to be rootbound ... go figure.

With the weather I've been leaving the door open with just a gate across it... of course Zeus figured out how to open it and I had three wild dogs out roaming around. If Sky didn't immediately head toward Darryls garbage pit I wouldn't mind so much but she's come back a few times with glass ... not impressed.

Neighbors with the dome are back ... they're not a bad group of guys but I really don't need any more neighbors.

Funny. Well, not so funny. After reading your mouse post the other day, that evening going to bed, I saw one scurry across the floor. Put three traps out and next morning, he was a goner. I'm really tired of critters but I guess my critter issues are better than citified rats. Not sure I could deal with those.

It is cold, rainy and very windy. I can't get warm today. My mouth is not getting better. Wayne lanced it this morning but no improvement. Here's thinking the antibiotics the dentist prescribed is not right and of no better tomorrow, will change to augmentin and metronidazole. If nothing else, that should certainly have me running to the bathroom

As for your trees? One way to tell if they're alive is to just barely nick the bark with your fingernail - if it's green, they're alive.

One bit of good news - my fence was an easy fix. At that lady minute, before traipsing through Tick City, since the snow melted, I checked around the pool and found the break there. About the only place the wire was buried! Critter chewed. But at least we're back in service and I don't have to worry about Ami getting into neighbors' fowl.

Responding to the good news first ... I'm glad that fix was an easy one, wading through snow and mud and just plain muck is not my idea of a fun day.  We really gotta get our critters under control.  

We go from upper 30s/lower 40s and rainy to mid 60s or low 70s and sunny. It's definitely the edge of spring here where plants can still get the snot knocked out of them by a cold night but we are generally starting to get some warming during the day that is getting into the ground. Daffodils are starting to bloom and my peaches are thinking about it. No budding from any of the other fruit trees though. Calling for some decent storms possibly Friday.

It was 60 the other day then several days it didnt go above tue teens and super windy. Today it hit 27 tomorrow is supposed to be 50. The chives say spring is here the strawberries do not.

The weather doing the up and down has created some really weird snow issues. Today is the 60th day my house is in an avalanche warning zone this year. Today i also decided my job was super depressing. Yeah totally cliche to bitch about your issues to your local bartender or liquor store clerk but yesterday we had the 2nd death of the season at wolf creek ski area. Someone i knew in passing but when your friends with the person that found the body and pulled him out of the hole, its kinda rude to not just let him (and the rest of ski patrol) rant.

Penicillin, is that the pink bubblegum smelling liquid? Might be amoxicillin. It cause me to be an asymptomatic strep carrier. Im also convinced it was why i contracted strangles from a sick foal.

I think you need to use a better disinfectant. Also pants...... My husband learned pants are a good idea with cats and a dog that we describe as having giant cat like claws.

You own betadine? Chlorhexadine? Hibiclens soap? The last one is used in showers prior to and sometimes after surgery to prevent infection. The first 2 if bought plain instead of in soap, shampoo, or cream form you just rinse with. No one with pets should be without betadine and/or chlorhexadine. Growing up on a farm, taking some veterinary classes in college, and always having cats, dogs, and small animals those things are just standard household items to me.

My husband's brother, who is a doctor, was impressed by my shelf of bandages and separate shelf of disinfectants of various types when their dad incorrectly tried to break up a dog fight at our house. After he set the container of turkey they'd brought on the lower table to unpack it into the stove while surrounded by wiggling, excited dogs. Both were not a smart idea and he ended up with his fingernail split all the way through from trying to grab the smaller husky instead of the 120lb akita that squished her for being between him and the food. He originally just stuck a bandaid on his finger but injuries from dogs and cats are highly susceptible to infection due to the high levels of bacteria in their mouths so should always be cleaned thoroughly prior to any bandaging. I told my husband's brother when he got here and he cleaned it up properly.

It is often best not to cover up shallow wounds that will not come in contact with debris. Infectious organisms love dark, no air flow, damp places to grow. Another reason for topical antiseptic creams since people put waterproof band aids on everything. Use breathable bandages, gauze and fabric tape, or just a fabric wrap when possible to keep the wound clean but reduce the ability of dangerous bacteria or yeast growth under the covering.

Although the first doctor I saw last year that did abdominal surgery kept insisting I not cover the surgery sites when it was already covered by my pants and rubbing. After I had an allergic reaction to the glue he spread EVERYWHERE to cover what would have been 2 tiny slits from using laporascopy. My entire lower abdomen turned into weeping blisters with the surface layer of skin gone. Every time I protected it from more abrasion it got better and every time I listened to him it got worse. I decided he's an idiot, disinfected the wound daily, spread a cortisone cream on the area, and put breathable surgical compression bandages over it. Then I also got a second opinion on my surgery and had a second surgery to further reduce my chronic pain beyond what the first doctor felt was necessary.

It's not part of my typical veterinary and wound care training but I also always keep a bottle of Tea Tree Therapy antiseptic cream on hand. Excessive application of tea tree oil has been shown to cause nerve damage. Usually that's people using straight tea tree extract while the Tea Tree therapy cream is blended with aloe, chamomile, alcohol, comfrey, eucalyptus..... but like peroxide that can damage newly growing tissue it's still best applied once after the injury and then use something else. My sister and I used it after walking the dogs down a creek, getting into some really smelly mud, and then slicing our legs up crossing a field of rough grass. We were practically guaranteed an infection if we didn't promptly thoroughly clean the smelly bacteria filled mud in the little cuts all over our lower legs so we immediately showered with a betadine rinse and then spread Tea Tree Therapy cream over our legs. Neither of us ended up with a single infected cut.

Husband is emergency physician. Betadine, chlorhexadine etc in the medicine cabinet. He cleans my wounds. Steri strips them when done.

As for pants, I was wearing pants AND had a down throw over me. I have special cut resistant sleeves I wear on my forearms over my long sleeves. I have 72 year old fragile steroid skin - I've been known to tear my skin just putting my hand into a cereal box to open the cellophane.

Actually @amymeme can you ask him how to describe an illiostomy in a way that the va will understand that it is going to the bathroom. We got denied caregiver for the 2nd time despite jerry not being able to do his ostomy because of his tardive dyskinesia. If it goes all the way to a hearing before a judge he is going to show them exactly what it is and what he can and cant do. But id like to avoid that embarrassing biohazard.

Husband says you need your physician involved - demonstrate the degree of tardive dyskinesia, as there are degrees of disability. Also said it's like some one with a hand tremor trying to drink a cup of coffee (that he knows personally.)

But. He also said "let the judge see exactly what is at issue." Then he used the f word about the VA.

I would explain in graphic language that he has a baggie full of poop attached to his abdomen that needs to be swapped out periodically and that his hand/body shakes from the tardive dyskinesia, like a week dog when it comes in our of the rain and shakes "shit everywhere."

Both his pcp and his psych dr filled out the paperwork that basically put him at borderline needing nursing home level care/supervision. Mild to moderate dementia from bipolar td from bipolar meds ostomy from being shot in the ass in his service with the coast guard. 70% disability rating 100% unempoyabilty. Everyone cusses when discussing the va.

First denial said there wasnt 6 months of proven need, even though there was. Second one claimed there was no sustained functional impairment. And they somehow reviewed 12 years of records including that when i tried to work full time and he had access to his meds he overdosed from taking them more then once, something like 60 flexeril. But when we hope for things to just not get worse, i will stop my rant now. We may have to go the embarrassing biohazard route.