Teeth Update

This afternoon, I visited the ear, nose and throat doctor. According to him, my sinuses are "angry and inflamed". I am having a CT scan next week to make sure nothing else is going on, but he does not think the teeth and sinus inflammation are related. In the interim, I got an antibiotic to help the sinus issue. If the CT scan is clear, we will talk about other options in my follow up, next Thursday.

I was surprised that I had a sinus infection. I pretty much told the nurse I did not think there was anything wrong with me. Guess self diagnosis is not always the best answer. :)

So stay tuned. I ate some salsa at lunch today and got some on those teeth and is still hurt....GRR. Thank god Monday is almost over!

Nearing Basement Nirvana

Well, I am finally nearing basement nirvana. Today, the weather was AWFUL and I managed to convince my brother to come up and finish hooking things up and putting things together. For his efforts, I cooked dinner.

The one thing he did hook up was a DVD player...so for all my critics out there, I now have a DVD player and know how to use it. Still no DVR, but maybe there is hope. :) Tonight is inaugural yoga night in the basement!

Overall, I am very, very happy. The only thing that did not go according to plan was the configuration of my office. When properly framed and insulated, we lost about 4 inches of space - just enough to be about 1/4 inch short in being able to get my printer cart into the layout. Yep, the furniture is specific built for the room, and the printer cart was my mom's and it just happened to fit...but it does not fit anymore. We have found an alternative that will work for now...just required a little creativity.

What is stopping me short of reaching nirvana is that there are still papers all over the upstairs that need to be addressed and filed. I decided that was too much for tonight. I also had an adult meltdown tonight...my home computer is slower than slow, and I called my mom in a huff at 6PM and asked her to come up and see what the *&^&*^%$ problem was. This has been going on for a long time, and tonight, as I was trying to connect the wireless 10 key and mouse I bought today, I just reached my limit. We did some things that should help...if not, the sonic boom we hear in the next few days will be me sending my computer to the moon without a spaceship!

Overall, productive weekend. Tomorrow, I go the ENT to see about my tooth/sinuses, and I think I am glad I am going, as I have had increased discomfort in my face since seeing the dentist last week.....

Have a great week!

Remembering the Fallen

Left to Right:

Sergeant Daniel Sakai - End of Watch: March 21, 2009

Sergeant Ervin Romans - End of Watch: March 21, 2009

Sergeant Mark Dunakin - End of Watch: March 21, 2009

Police Officer John Hege - End of Watch: March 24, 2009 (organ donor)

As many of my readers are aware, our family has the unfortunate distinction of being surviving family of a fallen law enforcement officer. My cousin Michelle's hubby, CHP Lt Michael Walker, was killed in the line of duty on 12.31.05 in a traffic accident. He and his partner had stopped to assist a car on the side of the road, and the scene was struck by a driver who was driving too fast for road conditions on that rainy New Year night. Mike and the driver of the vehicle who struck the scene were both killed in the accident. Alcohol was NOT a factor.

Tomorrow, Michelle will attend the funeral of the officers killed in that horrific incident in Oakland, California. Four officers of the Oakland PD were killed in the line of duty while trying to apprehend a suspect recently released from jail who had a no bail parole warrant out on him. Rather than go to jail, this individual made a choice to take the lives of others.

These officers were sons, husbands, fathers, brothers, best friends...the list goes on and on. That day, March 21, 2009, forever changed the lives of countless individuals. Children are without fathers, wives without husbands, parents without children. Going to work every day meant putting their lives on the line to keep citizens in their communities safe from individuals like Mr. Mixon. The officers on the scene of this tragedy will have to live with this for the rest of their lives.

Michelle has chosen to attend the ceremony to support the families of the fallen and for a number of other personal reasons. As I watched a newscast over the web about the events that will take place tomorrow, it brought back many memories of my own experience. The families of these fallen officers must now live in the aftermath of the decision of one individual to maliciously cause harm to their loved one.

As you pass police officers in and out of your community, be sure to send them a nod of appreciation for the sacrifice and risk they take to keep you safe. Please keep all individuals involved in this tragedy in your thoughts. The road ahead for them is long, the path to follow not determined by any one roadmap, yet a series of individual roadmaps as each person follows their own journey.

Mystery Unsolved

So today, I returned to the dentist for the 4th time...hoping it would be the charm. No such luck.

After 4 sets of xrays, some more drilling, some scraping and some poking, we are still no closer to solving the mystery of why I cannot chew on the left side of my mouth. It was determined I had a superficial abscess (thus the poking - which has resulted in a fairly substantial red, irritated spot on my gum) but it does not appear to be causing any infection. I bit on some more paper, and my bite seems to be relatively aligned. My dentist showed adequate concern, but it still somewhat at a loss as to what the problem is. The end result was some souped up ibuprofen to get the apparent inflammation down and some special rinse to kill any lurking bacteria that might be wreaking havoc in that spot.

So, now, we wait for 5-7 days to see what the ibuprofen does...and then I have no idea. A few weeks ago, I had a raging sinus infection, and part of me wonders if the leftovers of that are contributing to this. I get 2-3 sinus infections a year, so I am accustomed to dealing with them, however, this most recent one had a new twist - so much pressure in my face and jaws I could not lay on my side or stomach. One likely outcome if this round of methods does not work is a trip to the ENT to make sure I don't have some sort of lingering infection that is causing the pain. I don't think I do, but I am not sure what the options are after this...and clearly living with this and dealing with it is not what I am hoping the outcome will be. Today, on three separate occasions when she was drilling, I was nearly in tears...and am somewhat fortunate she did not drill the side of my face as I jumped and pulled away...

UGH...no fun. I am very grateful tonight to be employed with very, very good dental insurance.

Motivation has Surfaced...

After one of my agility friends who is a nurse suggested that is might not be a good idea to let my tooth go because if it abscessed the infection could go straight to my brain if it got into my sinuses, I called the dentist and made an appointment to deal with the tooth issue. It is for next week as of now, but I think I might be able to get in tomorrow - playing phone tag with the receptionist as it appears there was a cancellation. Just for you Linda. :)

I also picked out carpet and it is getting installed on Friday. I may be able to reclaim my basement this weekend.....

Where have we been?

We have been running around like crazies, that is where!!! And to be truthful, I am absolutely exhausted.

Last weekend, we went to Louisville for a dog show. Not our greatest weekend, we were 2-6 with no double Q's. We left on Thursday and did not get home until Sunday at 7:30 - this was a big trial with lots of dogs, running small to tall. Boo on small to tall! But it was fun to get away with friends, and good to experience competing in a different venue. The issue of course was the handler, not the dog. We competed on our home turf this weekend, and mom worked a few things out...amazingly enough, she was 2-2 on Double Q's. She is resting quietly on the bed with me. :)

I have also been pretty focused on working out - I feel better, look better and sleep better, so I have really been forcing myself to make time for the gym, even if it is only 20 minutes. I have a little gym at work - certainly not the nicest gym in the world, but it is cheap ($5 payroll deduction) and convenient. I have been going after work, which also has the benefit of missing rush hour traffic. I can be home in 20 minutes, eat dinner, and take little miss Chelsie Belle for her walk. I am a night owl...which is a problem on school nights. I am working hard to change that...which is easier said than done. The exercise has made a difference.

This weekend, in addition to getting 2 double q's, I also got to spend some time with the Quisenberry's and see Ohio State's first game in its new stadium. Thursday was my little Tigger bug's 1st birthday (where has time gone??) and Saturday was her birthday bash. Although I actually missed the party, the post party was a little more quiet and I got to spend a little more time with the kids. B and I tool Bryce on a walk around the block while he rode his tricycle..the weather was gorgeous (oh, please let spring be here!!!) Before that, I got an early hall pass out of course building and headed up to watch my softball girls beat the Spartans of Michigan St in their big ten opener. Those ladies are not afraid to swing their sticks!!! Final score - OSU 8 MSU 0. GO BUCKS!!!

Finally...the basement. IT IS ALMOST THERE!!! My parents have graciously agreed to touch up the trim and chair rail before carpet, which is the last thing that will happen. I had the solar lighting people out on Friday, I am going to get some solar lighting in the pantry area in the kitchen, which will make a huge difference!!! I hope to pick out carpet this week...and maybe next weekend, I will be able to reclaim my basement????? I promise...when things settle a little, I will put an album of the MESS, I mean basement. :)

Is it any wonder I am exhausted? And to think, we start the whole process all over again tomorrow. I better get to bed soon....

Fallen off the face of the earth....

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth...these past few weeks have been just a bit crazy! I was in Boston Sun-Tues for work, and am headed to Louisville tomorrow for a three day agility competition....driving down with my friends Diane and Sue. Hopefully, little miss Chelsie Belle will be ready!!!

Basement progressing nicely...I know I still need to post about that, but honestly folks, I just don't have the energy to do so!!! I worked with Joe right up until I had to get ready to leave on Sunday, and have agility shows for the next 2 weekends, but there is an end in sight. Joe took a bunch of his tools home Tuesday, which freed up a lot of space - and wow, what a difference that makes!

Tonight, I went shopping at my new favorite store, White House Black Market. My friend Diane (hair chik) had a party there and there were about 10 of us there shopping and trying on clothes together - while drinking wine. It was a ton of fun. Got a pair of fabulous jeans (thanks mom) and 2 super cute tops. All decked out...and ready to go!!!

I promise, I will post about the basement...eventually. Hope everyone is well, I am off to bed!!!

It wasn't broken....

So why did my dentist insist on fixing it?

The only health care change I had to make when I changed jobs was my dentist. I found a new one - one that is PAPERLESS, which is wonderful! Close to home, nice people, etc. So on my first visit, I get the normal bite xrays...and it turns out one of my fillings has "leaked" and there is still some cavity that needs to be filled. I looked at the xray - just a tiny dark spot, but practically on top of the nerve of my tooth. I ask can we watch it, of course the answer was no.

So I get it filled, no problem...within a week, I had such sensitivity I could not chew on that side of my mouth. So I go back, she drills a little more and tells me that sometimes the alignment of our bite is different when we are numb, and if it is off, the misalignment can sort of "bruise the teeth" and make them sensitive. She said the new shape of the tooth should help, and to give my teeth a chance to heal. Ok, I can live with this - there is an end in sight.

THIS WAS OVER 4 WEEKS AGO....AND SWISHING MY LISTERINE (STORED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE!) IS STILL INCREDIBLY PAINFUL!!! I hate to be a pansy, but something is not right over there. I do think I am going to have to go back...which i am not excited about...I have this pit in my stomach that tells me really the only option left at this point is a root canal...UGH.

The tooth was causing me no issues at all prior to the visit. It wasn't broken...so why did she try and fix it????? And force me to live with discomfort since about January 19th????? Ugh.

Success Is Not Measured in Q's

We had another competition this weekend...and while we were only 1-4, I was so proud of her and how she ran! We seem to be just a fraction of a second off - today, it was me, getting out my command for the next obstacle while she was in the middle of a jump. GRRR. I did not like this particular sequence - the dogs had a ton of speed (3 jumps in a straight line) and then had to pull left on to the dog walk with what had to be the minimum distance required by the AKC between obstacles. Of course, she made the entry to the dog walk fine...the danger is that the dogs are going full speed one direction and then having to turn the opposite direction to go up a dog walk can cause them to head up at an angle - and consequently fly off the dog walk. Thankfully, that was not an issue...and she was moving rather quickly across the dog walk to boot!

After you mess up, typically what you do it try things...to see what your dog can do. My whole plan changed...and my baby angel never missed a beat. Some of the things we did required some advanced skill - in particular, a "stay" on the table. Most dogs HATE the table, because it means they have to stop running the course. I can leave Chelsie on the table and work out ahead of her to get in positions that really help me handle challenging situations. Today, I left her on the table and handled a very tricky sequence of events in a manner that only a handful even tried. Chelsie did it no problem...never broke stride after leaving the table. I was so proud of her - we got so many compliments on the run, and many people asked if that was my "plan". I said no, it wasn't, but she made it look like it was! Good girl, Chelsie Belle, good girl.

Our next trial is in Louisville in two weeks - going with a group so it should be a ton of fun. I am really looking forward to getting out of the dirt and trialing on a smooth surface. She is running so well and we are really bonding - and having a ton of fun. And that is what it is all about. :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!