I'll start with the sad news. Lowell called me yesterday morning while I was driving to the Cove for water aerobics. He was sobbing because they had just come home from the emergency vet, where they beloved 11 year old dog, Trillian, had passed away. So very sad. Both he and Emily are devastated.
They had an appointment today with a veterinary surgeon to go over ultrasound results from last week showing she had a large, cancerous tumor on her liver. The surgeon was going to discuss if it was operable and what the outcome might be. Well, she didn't make it to that appointment. She was unconscious in their bed this morning, so they rushed her to the emergency vet where she passed away peacefully, naturally. Emily adopted Trillian from a shelter 10 years ago, before she had even met Lowell. She was Emily's baby, so she's absolutely devastated.
In some ways, this death was as good as it gets for a dog. Trillion was only sick for a few weeks, but her last day, Monday, was a lovely day. Lowell said she seemed to be her old self all day. Monday night she slept on their bed, snuggled up with the humans she loved before she slipped into unconsciousness during the night. It was also a blessing for Emily that it happened during her summer vacation from teaching. This way she still has a few weeks before school starts to grieve and process it all before she goes back to work.
Lowell and I cried together on the phone. Then I called Mark and cried some more. I'm just so sad for the two of them. I ended up sending a gift certificate to Emily to her favorite spa to let her have a peaceful day pampering herself. I sent Lowell some money through Zelle with the note that he should spend it on himself for something nice that he might not otherwise buy. We also sent a loss of pet card. Mark sent them each a little token that has the Rainbow Bridge poem or sentiment on it.
Nothing can take away that pain except time, which won't take it away, but it will ease.
Now for the good news. This morning I was very happy to see 266 on the scale. YAY!
I admit that I was hoping to hit 265 by the time we got on the airplane Friday, and it's possible that in two more days I could do it. That seems like a nice round number. It's not a great number, but it represents a good start. I've weighed about that or even less than that several times in the last four years. LOL It's not a super significant number, but at least I'm heading in the right direction.
Being at Evey's for 10 days will be a challenge. Even if I eat my usual meals when we are at the house, there are going to be several restaurant meals plus my birthday! I am basically NOT dieting on my birthday, which could mean I'll put on three to four pounds in that one day and work the rest of the time to take them back off. Well, if I just stay the same for those ten days and come back, jump on the scale the next morning, which is August 14, and see that I'm still 265, I'll count that as a huge success.
Today I'm heading up to the ballroom to buy some tickets for upcoming events at Solivita. Then I'll head over to the Cove for water aerobics again. This will be the last time for that until we get home from Evey's. Mark can't go because he has another NARFE web event to attend in the house. I'll have lunch with Mark when I get home, and then we are going back to the village center for a skin cancer check up. Our dermatologist, Dr. Schlauder, volunteers hours at both Solivita and the Cove at least once a year to do free skin checks. Unfortunately, we missed the one at the Cove while we were at the wedding in Buffalo, so we are planning to do it today. Neither of us have anything we feel is suspicious right now, but it's better to get the once-over anyway. After that we have to go to Mark's comic store because he hasn't picked anything up for about a month or more and then do a little shopping. Tonight I have synagogue choir rehearsal again, so it's a busy day.
I've already planned my day's calories and logged in the new weight. Another pound gone took away just 7 calories from my allotment for the day. I'm down to 1463 for the day now, but my plan is only going to include 1361. Water aerobics uses up 191, so my net calorie intake will only be 1170, according to the Lose It! app. That should make it another great day.
I've got only one complaint today, and it actually started yesterday morning. I'm afraid I may have developed another bout of diverticulitis. Why does it always happen before a vacation? Dang. The last time was a few days before we were going on a cruise! Yesterday, I woke up with the pain in my lower left abdomen and it stayed all day. This morning it's still there. I can't tell if it's worse, but it's definitely not better. I've had this four times before. The first time was decades ago, when I didn't know what it was. I went to the ER and was diagnosed with it and given antibiotics. The second time was after we had moved here. Because so many years had passed, I didn't recognize the pain, so I was convinced it was a GYN problem and wasted time getting and going to an appointment with that doctor, who, of course, found nothing. That took over 8 days and by then it had gone away on its own. The third time I went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics and also sent me for a CT scan involving swallowing the chalky liquid. It proved there was diverticulitis. The fourth time, which was only about six months after that third time, we were leaving for a cruise the next day. I called the doctor and she prescribed the antibiotics. That cruise wasn't a lot of fun because I was supposed to have no alcohol and only bland food. We ate in the buffet every night so that I could have more control over what I ate. That was May of 2016.
Since then, I have been very careful not to eat popcorn, seeds, or nuts because each of those four attacks were about three days after I ate either popcorn or nuts. This time I didn't eat those things, so I'm kind of surprised and have no explanation. The only thing I can think of is that I had one ear of corn for dinner Sunday night. No doctor ever told me to avoid corn, but other friends have told me that THEY were told corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other foods with tiny seeds like watermelon should also be avoided. GEEZ. I'm going to be super bummed out if I can't eat corn on the cob anymore.
So I have a decision to make today....call the doctor for antibiotics or let it go and assume that it will resolve on its own in about 8 days. It's not super painful this time, but it's noticeable and uncomfortable. Walking and water aerobics make it more noticeable. Just sitting still doesn't make it go away. It's always there.
I know. You are saying, "That's a NO BRAINER! CALL the f----ing doctor, you idiot!"
I hear you. Don't deny it.
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