A Lifetime of Love

First, let me begin with the news about Kiana . Her mass is pretty much gone with only a small, residual spot remaining. The doctor is confident it was an infection in her bone and contributed to the pain in her hind legs. She probably got some type of puncture wound (from a stick or something) that was too small for us to notice, causing it to become infected. The vet took her off her arthritis medication because her hips look better, too. We have to monitor her behavior over the next 2 weeks to determine if the pain was mainly caused by arthritis or the infection. If she begins to show signs of pain, we'll put her back on the medication. That was a huge answer to prayer and I thank God for teaching us the lessons we learned but also sparing her life (at this point). Second, Paul made it safely to Iraq on Wednesday. He called my sister and has emailed a couple of times. She seems to be doing okay, but is dreading returning home to an empty apartment. I don't blame her! Kaylee ...

Before I begin, let me just tell you that Th's favorite channel on television is Food Network. He especially loves to watch Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and every night before bed, he is allowed to watch it if he a) had a good day at home/school and b) took a nap. I was up late last night for moral support for TJ . He has some Microsoft tests he has to take, and he took one yesterday and has another one scheduled on Friday. Anyway, he was up late working on homework and needed some computer help. He asked me for assistance, and I offered to stay up with him in case he ran into some more difficulty (it was with Excel, not anything to do with hardware). He said, and I quote, "You're the Excel expert." And I am because of my military training. Crazy, huh. I joined the A.F. to work on airplanes yet I left being an expert on Excel. It's because I created spreadsheets to track different aircraft tools and equipment more efficiently, and you know the saying, you learn by do...

Kiana had a bad day today. She was doing so well; TJ had her out yesterday playing with her ball. Have I mentioned how much she loves her ball? It's a big, red ball, and she can barely fit it in her mouth. She has to open her mouth really wide to get it in there, and it's all scratchy and rough from her teeth marks, but she loves it! We've bought tons of tennis balls hoping to get her "hooked" on those, but she prefers the big, red ball and leaves the tennis balls for Jenna to unpeel and break apart. Anyway, she was really playful yesterday morning and spent a good bit of the morning outside with TJ and the boys. I guess she overdid it because yesterday afternoon and all day today she's barely moved. Of course now I worry if the cancer is eating her alive (and I don't even know if it is cancer yet) so I make sure I give her plenty of hugs and kisses before I leave or go to bed at night; I don't know if she'll be alive when I see her next. I know th...

Kiana is doing better. She is taking pain medication, and it seems to be helping her tremendously. She is more active and actually gave me a "hug" last night (she jumps up and puts her paws on my shoulders), which she hasn't done in a very long time. She is also excited to go outside again, all of which are wonderful signs that her quality of life is improving. It really was heartbreaking to see her just laying around, depressed, and in pain. Plus, her relationship with Jenna (our Golden Retriever) was suffering because Kiana didn't want Jenna laying on her or playing with her (it caused Kiana pain). It caused Jenna to become depressed, too, since she couldn't be around Kiana without hurting her. Last night they were wrestling in the house a bit, and later they were back to snuggling together on the couch. I am still feeling nausea and exhaustion, plus I have been having terrible headaches from stress and lack of sleep. I have a midterm exam on Monday, 4 less...

Kiana has hip dysplasia . Her left hip is totally out-of-socket. The vet said she is surprised she has lived this long (K. will be 8 in May). I didn't realize she had lived a long life; I thought old for a dog was past 10 or 12. On top of that, she found a mass in Kiana's knee. She is on an antibiotic and has to return in 1 month. If it is still there, it's cancer. If not, than it was just an infection. If it is cancer, she has 6 months -1 year to live. I can't believe it! TJ said he didn't even want to tell me, but I'm glad he did so I know what we're up against. Of course now we are praying that it isn't cancer, and trying to provide her with the most comfortable life possible. For the last week or so, she has been living the life of luxury- sleeping on the couch, totally being catered to, loved on, etc. TJ told the boys she was sick, but hopefully she'll get better and we won't have to break the news to them that she is dying. TJ told me ...

Well, we went to the vet. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a complete exam, either. TJ has to drop her off in the morning. The doc wants to sedate her so she can get a complete x-ray of her hips, and then she'll do a complete orthopedic exam. Of course I got a little misty-eyed as she told us her preliminary findings: hip dysplasia. I asked if she was sure, and she said as sure as she could be without having an x-ray. I told her what I had researched last night, and rather than dismiss what I told her, she did some examining to rule it out. I thought Kiana had degenerative myelopathy. It's ironic, but I just learned about this in one of my classes. This happens to people who have a stroke, CP, or other neurological damage. Basically, our nerves are covered in a coating called myelin. When a person suffers a stroke or other neurological distress, the myelin coating breaks down, similar to the rubber coating on an electrical cord. Without the covering, the nerves are exp...

Kiana goes to the vet this evening. I was able to get an appointment tonight so TJ can come with me. I did some research on the Internet last night and no longer think it's her hips but something more serious. She seems to show those symptoms more so than hip problems. I showed my findings to TJ and I think he agrees with me but doesn't want to outright say it to keep me from getting upset again. If it is what I think it is, more than likely she'll have to be put down. I don't know if it will be immediately, but that is the only option. I don't even want to share what I think it is because I am praying that it is her hips. From what I found out about hip dysplasia, there are a myriad of options from exercise to medication to surgery. Hip dysplasia is a best-case scenario, and I am praying for the best! I'll update more tonight after we get home. Her appointment is at 7pm, but then of course we have to get our kids in bed once we get home. Please pray for us. I k...

Kiana (my dog) has gotten worse over the past few days. I am going to call the vet in the morning. I didn't call last week because I thought maybe she'd get better, but she has increasingly gotten worse just since Thursday. We used to call her Chewy (like Chewbacca from Star Wars) because she sounded just like him. When I'd walk into the room, she was so excited to see me! I'd have to greet her first thing when waking in the morning just to quiet her down so she wouldn't wake the kids. She doesn't make a peep now; she only looks at me and raises her head a little. She is very lethargic, but she does still love to play with her ball! It is breaking my heart! I have tried to control my emotions in front of my kids, but I cry each time I think of her. TJ reassures me that she is eating (and pooping!) just fine, so it's more than likely her hips. I just hope that whatever it is, it can be taken care of at a reasonable cost. I had my ultrasound on Thursday mornin...

TJ and I have 2 dogs, a golden retriever named Jenna and a German shepherd named Kiana (pronounced Key-auna). We've had them since before we had kids, and they used to sleep with us in bed (both weigh about 60 pounds) until we moved from California to the Carolinas. They are like our kids, and we love them like our kids, which is why it breaks my heart to see Kiana in her current state. Both dogs were born in 2000, Kiana in May and Jenna in August. We had Jenna first, and Kiana joined our family by divine intervention. At 18 months old, Jenna was still having accidents in the house. She would do fine in the evenings and on the weekends when we were home, but during the week, we'd come home to a wet mess. We took her to the vet because we thought she was having kidney trouble. The vet told us her symptoms were that of loneliness, and he recommended we get another dog so she wasn't home alone. TJ and I wanted to get a German shepherd puppy, but before we had the opportunity, ...