The good, the bad, and the ugly

The good news is that Heather was home for Christmas.  We had quality family time with my parents - and that gift is priceless.  It was also great to spend time with Heather's boyfriend, Kevin, and her puppy, Pearl.

The bad news is that her neuropathy and fatigue issues are worse than they were this summer.  

The ugly would be that damn tick that is responsible for all the bad health issues that Heather is dealing with.

The good news is that Heather loves her new job and she still enjoys the off season quiet beach season.  There are probably 90% fewer people at the beach during the winter.  Kind of a DUH statement.  You can still get some spectacular beach days, but the wind off the ocean is brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr freezing cold and that in itself is bad bad bad for Heather's neuropathy.

Some bad news (actually more annoying than bad) is that Heather had to deal with some crazy home repair issues that involved way too much time before and after work.  Instead of catching up on sleep and resting, she was dealing with some time consuming, intrusive and annoying things at the cottage.  Thank goodness for her good friend Derek.  He did so much to help Heather and and I am forever grateful for that.  In a perfect world, I would be retired and would have been able to go down for a few weeks to help Heather deal with the cottage.  The good news though is that Heather and I both have great jobs and that is something I never take for granted.

More good news is that Kevin is going to be with Heather to ring in the New Year.  Heather, Kevin, and Pearl will start off 2016 with love, laughter, and new beginnings.

Speaking of Pearl, it isn't until you have a puppy that you remember how much energy they have.  Let's just say that she broke out of her metal crate while we were at brunch.  She didn't destroy anything, she just wanted to see if Heather was still in the house.  This energetic puppy also scaled a four foot brick wall to then scratch on the front door to come inside.  Yep - she wanted to be with Heather.  Pearl is a rescue and she has separation anxiety issues when Heather is away.  I get it.  I am not a rescue, yet I get a bit crazy if I don't see Heather every few months.   

The good news is that Heather is working with new doctor in North Carolina who is talking with the NYC medical group.  This will mean more blood work and adjustments or additions to meds.

What is really bad and ugly are the way that the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) set the Lyme guidelines which are followed by the medical community and health insurance companies.  The CDC and IDSA maintain that Lyme disease can be treated with short courses of antibiotics and that persistent infection is rare or non-existent.   Lyme patients that were not diagnosed in the early stage can tell you what an ignorant and stupid statement that is.  You know the saying: "Walk a mile in my shoes.  Don't judge another person's life until you've been forced to live it."


When Lyme isn’t detected in the early stages, it becomes Chronic Lyme, a condition which the CDC and IDSA both deny even exists. They will continue to deny it, because if there’s one thing insurance companies hate, it’s chronic disorders they have to spend time and money treating. Therefore, a panel with ties to insurance companies gathered to write up official Lyme guidelines that assure patients are only allowed a few weeks of antibiotic treatment and are not to be diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease (even if clear symptoms persist and invade the nervous system).

The good news, is that I will stop my ranting, for now, this blog went from good, to bad, then ugly.  I will step down from my soap box and stop giving my opinions about the politics, red tape, and games that corporations play when it comes to health care issues and what is best for a patient. 

Heather is a good person.  Contracting Lyme disease was bad for Heather.  However, she is determined to not have this ugly disease destroy the beautiful, kind, hard working, and caring person that she is.  

One of my wishes for 2016 is that Heather continues to heal from Lyme and that she has more good days than bad days.  She deserves that.  Actually all good people deserve that.  

Happy New Year.  May 2016 bring everyone love, laughter, happiness, and good health.

xoxo
Lisa

Christmas 1959

Santa looks intoxicated and I am terrified.  Love this picture and that my parents sent this card to family and friends - hysterical. 

Happy holidays to all - may they be filled with love, time spent with family and friends, and more memories to tuck away.

xo
Lisa

Happy Birthday to me!

The best things in life aren't things.  Yes, it seems so simple, but it makes so much sense to me now.  I have grown to realize that what really matters are the people that we love, the people that we help, and memories that we make.  When I was younger, I used to have a BIG list of "things" that I wanted (not needed) for my birthday and Christmas.  Except for never getting a pony, I was a very fortunate young girl to have such a loving and generous family.  

However, with age comes wisdom and I now realize that the most precious gift to me is time.  Time with family and friends.  Time to learn new things.  Time to help others.  Time to sit back and remember how truly blessed and lucky I have been. 

If I could ask for anything, I would like to go back in time when my beautiful grandmother and her sisters were alive and we could sit around the dinner table and share stories and I could introduce them to the newest members of our family.  Since that can't happen, I try to learn from their example.  Family was the most important thing.   

Growing up, our extended family gathered for most holidays and celebrations.  You got together because you wanted to see each other.  It wasn't an obligation - it was a yearning.  The adults would chat in the dining room and anyone under 18 would get to sit at that amazing "kids table".  There weren't  any distractions like today - texting, facebook, cell phones.  Yes, I am that old school girl that prefers real communication.   Pictures were taken, but they were minuscule in the amount compared to this digital era.  Memories were mostly tucked away in your mind and heart.  I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything.

I had a wonderful birthday.  I was able to spend it with family and friends, we laughed, we sang, and we danced.  However, my favorite gift for Christmas will be having Heather home for the holidays.  We will sit around in our matching pajamas, watch romantic Hallmark Movies, bake bread, and just enjoy our time together.  

I see a photo session in Heather's future.  Get ready Heather - time to capture and make more memories.

Thank you Mom and Dad - I am one lucky girl.  I love you both.

xo
Lisa

Cold, Rain, Pain

Heather came home in the fall and I took some pictures of her on our Lyme Awareness patio.  This picture makes me so happy - the colors, her smile, that adorable puppy.  I haven't seen Heather since August and one thing I noticed was that this colder fall weather has been hard on her neuropathy. 

Cold weather is often a trigger for nerve pain.   Over the past few months, Heather has been experiencing more nerve pain in her feet (not just the toes).  She is also dealing with bouts of fatigue and sometimes her body just aches.  She said it isn't like the flu - but more "lyme" like.  With that comes some brain "fog" when fatigued, and overall she feels like crap. She has good days, but the night time is hardest. 
 
She is improving, but to be honest, any little setback scares me.   The medical community has so much to learn about Lyme disease and the protocols for treating chronic lyme are not consistent.   Even using the term "chronic lyme" is debatable by some.  It made me sad to see her in pain and so sleepy.  But I am glad that she can come home and rest. 

As her Mother, it is my job to worry and assure her that everything will be OK.    It just makes me so sad to hear her cry out of frustration with this disease.  However, as I said earlier, Heather is a trooper, she is an amazing patient, and she is determined to stay positive and push forward.  

I love you Heather
xo
Mommy
 

Lassie and the stairs.....

So the truth is that Lassie HATED climbing the indoor stairs.  
He would spin until he was ready to climb or until I told him to go up. 

However, if you throw in a spin command, he looks SUPER intelligent and obedient as he spins and waits for his next command.  

Whew – that was a long explanation for a simply adorable video.  I miss you Lassie.

Lassie and Timmy

Everyone knows that Lassie and Timmy were a team.  I had my Lassie, but people would always ask "where's Timmy?"  Initially there wasn't a Timmy for Lassie.  However, when I started dating Joe, I met his youngest brother Timmy.  Perfect right?

Well, it was better than perfect.  Timmy was the perfect pairing to my Lassie.  Last year Timmy was able to make his first of several trips to Virginia to visit with us.  Lassie and Timmy LOVED each other.  Timmy's favorite thing to do was give Lassie a treat.  When Timmy returned home, I would call him and he would ask to speak with Lassie.  Timmy would talk to  Lassie and with a little prompting from us (I just whisper the word FOX and he barks like a wild man), Lassie would bark back.

I have learned a lot in the few years that I have known Timmy.  I have learned that the entire world should spend a day with Timmy.  Timmy is compassionate, loving, intelligent, funny, gentle, and honest.  He doesn't live with regret, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body, he would never judge anyone, he embraces each day as a gift from God and enjoys it.  Timmy is pure and his thoughts and feelings for other people are pure.  Pure Love.  No hate.  No criticism.  No anger. Peace and peaceful. 

Timmy loves his family, he is a huge NY Mets fan, he listens to his Neil Diamond CDs every night, he loves to go bowling, he attends mass every Sunday, he has won metals in the Special Olympics, he worked for 30 years at the Sheraton Hotel, and he LOVES to sing and dance. 

Joe and I worried about telling Timmy about Lassie's passing away.   We were hoping that Lassie was going to be able to make it until December 12th when Timmy was scheduled to visit.  Sadly that didn't happen.  When we called Timmy that night, we told him that Lassie had been diagnosed with Cancer a few months ago and that recently it became difficult for Lassie to walk and there wasn't any medicine that could make him better.  Timmy was quiet for a minute, then he said that he was glad that he met Lassie, that he would miss Lassie, but we were all lucky to have had Lassie in our lives.  Timmy said he would miss talking with Lassie, but he knows that Lassie isn't hurting any more.  Such faith and strength.

Timmy and I both have December birthdays and last year was the first time we celebrated them together.  Timmy was born on Christmas Eve in 1957.  When we celebrate our birthday's we have one cake that says Happy Birthday Jesus, Timmy, and  Lisa.  After our meal, the dance party begins with Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, any other music that Timmy likes.   

Timmy then serenades us with a few Neil Diamond and Abba songs.  I love watching him sing and dance.  It makes everyone in the room smile.  Before you know it, everyone is singing and dancing.  Some of our dance parties have lasted until 2am.

When Timmy visits us next week, he has decided to dedicate one of his songs to Lassie.  It won't be the same without Lassie there to great Timmy, but I know that there won't be a dry eye in the room when Timmy sings his song to Lassie.  They will be tears of sadness, yet tears of joy.  Joyful and thankful that Timmy is there to comfort us, teach us, guide us, and love us.  Joyful that Timmy and Lassie created a bond that will last a lifetime.

Thank you Timmy for loving my Lassie.   You two were perfect together.

xo
Lisa

"Lassie come home" please.....I miss you

and.....I will love you forever.  Lassie passed away today from a valiant battle with a soft-tissue cancer in his front leg.

As a young girl I was in love with Lassie.  I waited with anticipation for each show.  I wouldn't let anyone change the channel until the end when they whistled the theme song and Lassie   raised her (his) paw.

Every few years they would have contests to win a Lassie puppy and I would submit an entry.  Just like the Publisher's Clearing House contest, I never won.

In 1994 they made another Lassie movie and during the promotion, they were taking Lassie around the country for a book signing party.  Heather was 12  years old and away at camp, so I grabbed my niece and away we went.  As you waited in line, the trainer gave strict instructions that you couldn't pet Lassie.   Everyone walked by, had their pictures taken, then moved on.  What did I do.  I petted his head and I was quickly reprimanded.  Maybe I didn't set the best example for my niece, but oh well - this was the real Lassie.

Well, in December 2005, on my birthday, I woke up and realized that I was ready to get a dog (my previous dog had passed away 7 months earlier).   So I grabbed the Washington Post and lo and behold, there was a litter of collies in Maryland.  I jumped into my car, drove to the breeder, walked into the backyard and there "he" was.  It was the Lassie that I dreamed about my entire life.  

I loved to take him out and hear people call out "There's Lassie."   I beamed and said that HE was Lassie.  Then Lassie would lift his leg and they would make some comment like "you gave a boy dog a girl's name."  Yes I did.  I did it because I could.  I did it because I wanted to.  I did it because it made me so happy.  However, he never seemed to master lifting his paw when I hummed the theme song. (see the clip below for closing credits from the Lassie TV show).

I finally had my Lassie.  He was gentle, majestic, and loyal.  He loved playing with his stuffed animals, barking at the fox, boat rides on the lake, sleeping on the couch while company visited, visits with his dog and human friends, and trips to the beach.    

Let's reflect on the puppy teething years - Lassie may have been house trained immediately, but those teething years were expensive - or let's just say he had expensive and unique taste.  By the time he was 15 months, he had chewed/destroyed:

• hose nozzles,  
• all the knobs on the outdoor gas grill and the electric starter push button, 
• an expensive pair of shoes delivered from Nordstrom and still in the shoe box and then wrapped in the shipping box (one shoe was yummy - the other not so much)
• two lamp shades
• the backs off of frames that sat on window ledges - the bonus was they could now hang on the wall  

Puppies chew and have indoor accidents - I wouldn't trade any of it for a second. 

He wasn't much of a watch dog - no matter the time of day or who was at the door, he NEVER barked if the doorbell rang or even if someone knocked on the door.  He never ran to the door to see who it was.  He would saunter to the door, get a look to see if it was friend or foe, then he would walk away and wait for me to answer the door.  He had me trained quite well.   

However, he could hear the fox across the lake and then he would give that big dog bark.  When friends came over, he would high pitch bark until he received dog treats. Yes, once again - he trained  us.

Last December, Lassie developed a lump on his front leg.  He was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer.  Lassie's cancer diagnosis came within a day of Heather's Lyme diagnosis.  My two brave patients.

Lassie was 9 at the time of diagnosis and we decided that the treatment options were too invasive, would destroy his quality of life and wouldn't even guarantee a cure.  We decided to let Lassie enjoy life.  We were told that he would last 3-6 months.  Well, My Lassie didn't listen and lived for almost year.  I know - he's such a good boy.  

After his diagnosis, Lassie refined his dietary needs and realized that nasty tasting pills were best disguised in McDonald's cheeseburgers and left over filet mignon from the restaurant.  It is was a privilege to be Lassie's personal chef.  He never complained, and he thought homemade gravy should be served on everything.  He was a true southern guy.  

It would be hard to guess what Lassie's favorite food was.  Ice cream, leftover milk in a cereal bowl, french toast and syrup, fried eggs and grits, Boar's Head thin sliced london broil lunch meat, or chicken skin and gravy.  Don't get me started on his love of dog treats shaped like double-stuffed oreo cookies.  Lassie loved his treats.  

My heart is broken, but I am so thankful to have had the real Lassie in my life.  Thank you Lassie.  Thank you for your constant love, devotion, wet kisses, muddy paws, high-pitched herding bark, and faithful companionship. 

I will miss stepping over you when I get out of bed, and I don't know what I am going to do without my faithful companion that followed me around the house 24/7, especially when I couldn't sleep.  Good thing Lassie didn't have a day job saving people that fell into wells - at least he could rest during the day after my restless nights.

Thank you Lassie for your unconditional love.  Thank you for just being you.  You exceeded and fulfilled my "Lassie" expectations.  In my mind there will never be another Lassie. 

I love you Lassie - forever and always- to the moon and back - I love you.  

WOOF

Please enjoy this 30 second clip of Lassie in 1958 - a wonderful year I might add.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp6v0jHSENY


Here are some more pictures of Lassie

I am thankful for....

So much has changed since this was posted in 2015.  However, the memories and love remain forever in my heart.


Thanksgiving 2015.   They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so I will keep this simple.  This year I am thankful for Heather's medical team, Heather's strength and improving health, my parents and Joe for all of their love and support, Lassie, my family, my job, my freedom, wonderful friends, trips to the beach and, that many of my prayers were answered this year.  Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

xo,

Lisa

Please enjoy some pictures over the years - they certainly show how blessed I have been.

Pearl and Heather

Kevin and Heather

My Lassie

Dad, Mom, and Jesse

Mom and Dad - Celebrating an anniversary

Dad's 80th Birthday Party

Heather, Dad, and Lisa

 Heather and Grandma

Butler Cousins

Dolan Cousins

Trips to NYC

An evening out

Four Generations of Love

Joe, Joe Sr, Dalton, Timmy

Snow days

Beach Time

More Beach Time

Silly Cab Pictures with Heather

Cocktail hour at the beach

Messy beach hair

Best Friends

Mets Fans

Christmas with Dalton and Heather in NYC

Family Gatherings

Playing on the lake

Puppy Therapy and Lyme Nerve Pain

Last month Heather rescued a 4 1/2 month old female hound/lab mix, named Pearl, from a Kill Shelter.  Heather has had her for about a month and she has been such a snuggle love bug companion.  Pearl also fell in love with Kevin too.  

What never ceases to amaze me about dogs is their sensitivity and awareness of their owner's emotional and physical health.

One of Heather's chronic Lyme conditions is neuropathy in her feet.  It is worse in the colder months.  This stabbing pain occurs most often in the middle of the night.  When I have spent time with Heather, her feet and legs will sometimes twitch while she sleeps as her face grimaces in pain.  

Of course, Pearl prefers snuggling in Heather's bed instead of her dog bed.  In the few weeks that Heather has owned Pearl, this sweet puppy can sense when Heather is in pain.  Heather will wake up in pain and find Pearl sound asleep on her feet to keep them warm.  Heather said that the other night only one toe was hurting and without Heather touching the toe, Pearl started nudging it.

It is obvious that Pearl and Heather were meant to be together.  Heather rescued this precious puppy and Pearl seems to sense Heather's pain and tries to provide extra comfort.  I can't wait to meet this adorable puppy and see Heather.

xo
Lisa

P.S.  I must add that Pearl is a puppy and not perfect.  She chews things, she can scale the baby gate, and she can open her cage.  She is learning though.  I'll accept the chewed up wicker basket in exchange for this unconditional love and comfort that Pearl has provided to my Heather.