Carmella Gets Her Leg Brace!

A box arrived on my doorstep today that was about 1 foot square. It seemed smaller than I imagined, but when I opened it there was the brace sitting diagonally amongst balls of newspaper.  I took it out and looked it over. There was no assembly required other than to position the straps with velcro that was attached to screws on either sides.

Trying it on Carmella was a little tricky. She got a little irritated with all the fiddling around with her foot because it didn't seem to want to fit into the shoe part.  She lay on the bed and didn't want to get up at first.

When I did get her to stand she started off on tiptoe.

but gradually as she wore it longer her foot slipped down into more of a correct position.

I had to watch her to make sure she didn't try to chew it, and I gave her a rawhide chew to occupy her until she got used to the brace.

For awhile she hopped like a bucking bronco or held it out to the side and tried holding it up and walking on three legs, but after about an hour she seemed to almost forget she had it on.

I decided to se how she did outside in the back yard, and it wasn't long before she started running with it on. She still looked a little like a bucking bronco, but over time ran more naturally.

I was kind of surprised that she didn't trip even once! She began to look like all the dogs in the videos I watched! Alot of photos were too blurred but I managed to get a few good action shots.

Here she is carrying a stick in her mouth. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining.

Carmella looks like a racehorse when she runs! The instructions said to just keep the brace on her for an hour or so a few times a day, so once statred getting tired shelay in the grass for awhile.

Then I took her back inside, took it off, and went back to working on my custom order metal clay ring so that it would be ready to ship on Saturday. Carmella had a look of satisfaction on her face as though she knew that things were on the way to healing.

Sales have begun to pick up somewhat on Etsy in recent weeks!  Keep it coming. I just paid a chunk on my Care Credit bill, but there's still a long way to go before the balance is paid off.

My new copper flower line is out now, so to help contribute towards Carmella's medical costs please consider purchasing some of these pieces, buy an ad on my blog, and/or use the donation button in my sidebar.

Thanks to all those who have already purchased or donated.

Blogging about Carmella's situation, tweeting about it, and posting links on your various social networking sites will help, as will sending your friends to either of these shops;

http://giftbearer.etsy.com/

http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

I need to start planning now for Carmella's stem cell transplant, and in the meantime the brace will prevent her injury from getting worse while I raise the necessary funds.

There's a vet reviewing her X-rays as we speak. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Spring (and Regeneration) is In The Air

 Yesterday the sun was shining and it was one of those days in which the leaves seemed to glow like good chalcedony. I walked over near a peach tree I'd had for 6 years or so which never had gotten a successful crop before (what peaches it had the first year promptly fell off and never reappeared) and lo and behold this year there are peaches growing! They were very well camouflaged because if I hadn't been looking at a certain angle and the sun hadn't been shining in just the right direction I might have walked right by and missed them altogether!

As you can see here, some are already as big as a golf ball and are showing just a hint of color! Peaches are just about my favorite fruit of all, so I plan on guarding these with my life. Once they get bigger and are closer to being ripe I'll wrap each one in mesh to keep out the bugs and birds. I'd say there are probably 20 or 30 on this tree. I planned ahead to save on my grocery bill, and it seems this has finally paid off.

The two Granny Smith Apple trees in the back yard have only gotten one or two apples in the past year or so, but if the peach tree is bearing fruit that could be a good sign for the apples this year.

Carmella has been having a good time and has been a really good sport while waiting for her leg brace to be made.

She really enjoyed the warm weather and walked and nosed around the yard looking for squirrels and birds. We've got a few nests on the porch's eves that look like they might contain some expectant mothers ready to lay their eggs soon, busily flying back and forth carrying twigs and soft material in their beaks. Carmella finds this fascinating, looking upward and barking as they go about their business.

Then when she tires of that she eventually lies down in the grass to soak in the sunshine.

I stayed out there for hours to catch her in her cutest poses. Getting her to stay still long enough is not easy, but after she'd burned off some of that excess energy I was able to get some really regal shots. She has some really beautiful expressions, but you have to get very lucky to catch her in those before she moves or changes how she holds her face.

A friend of mine says she looks like Gene Simmons when she pants.

Finally she was hot and tired and went onto the back porch to lie down in the shade.

Next for Carmella; I need to continue looking into contacts and pertinent research for Carmella's stem cell transplant to regenerate the ligament tissue and neural cells.

I've been preparing for the show coming up in just two weeks, getting all my ducks in a row. My jewelry shop sales number continues to hover at 89 sales. Need to break that soon. It's been stuck there since January 21st.

Please help Carmella and consider making your purchases at http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/  for your Mother's Day gift or any other occasion for which you might want jewelry and in the process get yourself or a loved-one some unique and beautiful jewelry.  If you've looked, hearted, (or didn't) and said to yourself "someday" this would be a good time to take the plunge.

Also, please keep the donations, blog ad purchases, and supply sales coming. Each of these will bring me closer to my goal. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far. Blog, tweet, and spread the word to all dog-loving buddies!

For jewelry:

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

For supplies:

http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

Carmella Sees The Orthopedist

This morning we headed to Northlake Veterinary Surgery to find out the extent of the damage to Carmella's ligament and get her set up for a custom brace.

The office was not far from my house, set off the street in an unassuming little building surrounded by a small strip of land containing ornamental grass like that outside of GA. Veterinary Specialists. Sitting just outside Stone Mountain nobody would know from looking at the outside that this small clinic housed state-of-the-art facilities and dealt in high-dollar treatment for canine and feline orthopedic disorders.

Only when you entered did you find out that many rescue organizations brought their dogs here; dogs with broken legs needing repair, dogs with hip displaysia, and dogs with a whole variety of joint and ligament problems, many of whom had been down on their luck until finding that right person willing to go to the mat for them.

A large black Newfoundland limped with his owner to the car, back leg and side shaved.

As we waited in the waitingroom a red Doberman came out with an elderly woman. "What a beautiful dog" I commented.

The woman regarded me with amusement and with a tight-lipped smile said, "An expensive dog!" Sure, it was pure-bred, and most likely show quality but that wasn't what she meant.

Carmella pulled heavily on her leash and whined in anticipation of meeting new people, new dogs, and new experiences. She looks at the world with curiosity and wonder much as a young child does on vacation.

The receptionist asked me to fill out another new patient form because the online system had failed and they'd lost data for the past week. My friend and I talked to each other and some of the women in the waitingroom.

A few dogs came and went and then a vet tech called Carmella back to one of the inner examining rooms.

I noticed that the room contained two small rugs; one on the table and the other on the floor below. Carmella nosed around sniffing and listening at the door to the people and dogs who had come in the front entrance, then plopped down on the small swatch of carpet in front of the chair I was sitting in. She got up and lay down several times, bounced on her leg trying to propel herself forward with exuberance toward the sounds she heard coming from the next room.

In walked a tall, thin young man with dark brown curly hair and a scruffy beard who looked more like a stoner than someone you'd expect to find in an animal hospital. He wore blue scrubs and seemed a little disheveled. He came around the metal examining table with outstretched hand smiling broudly.

"Miss Carlington?" he said in a falsetto voice. "I'm Dr. Corse". Shaking my hand, he then looked at Carmella who had already started to jump up on him. "She's not shy" he laughed, taking hold of her on the head with both hands and looking her in the eye. Carmella licked him and wagged her tail.

"This dog has a very interesting history" he went on. "Dr. Muller told me, and I don't think I've ever really seen a case like hers with myoclonus and a carpal ligament injury. Whether or not the two are related is hard to know for sure but we can do both a neuro exam and an orthopedic exam to see how much of this is related to possible nerve damage and how much related to the ligament, how much might be arthritis-related with one of the joints in the wrist." He went on to explain that in some cases the central nerve can be affected and cause lameness and sometimes it is intact and not a contributing factor.

We discussed the options of surgery, a brace, and stem cell transplant, and I was glad that he was not averse to the idea of stem cell transplant although he said that not alot of research has been done on its use on this type of ligament. He had heard about that German Shepherd with Hip Dysplasia on TV lately who had a successful outcome treated by Dr. Hines in Alpharetta. I told him I would rather work towards regeneration of the ligament than destruction of bone which would forever and irreversibly change her range of motion. I couldn't bring myself to go that route. Something about it is repugnant to me. He said with the brace there was no rush to do surgery, but that he didn't think it would heal from the amount of scar tissue which might develop over time and her leg would probably do the same flimsiness once it was removed after any length of time.

In any case stem cell transplant might or might not work, but it sure couldn't do any harm. I'd heard the same thing about the CSF procedure from Dr. Muller, and it ended up working to cure the distemper, so I thought, this kind of statement is a good sign. Maybe the two are cut from the same cloth.

He examined Carmella's response to pinching the top of her foot and leg, and tapped on her tricep. He noted that the main nerve was intact but that there could be some problem in smaller surrounding nerves although it was impossible to know for sure because of the jerking that might be disrupting her reflexes.

Then he walked her around and felt all her joints, commented on what good overall physical condition she was in.

I told him that I had read up on the brace and that would give me time to look further into the stem cell transplant and exactly which technique might help heal both of her current problems in the leg, while preventing any further deterioration. He seemed to think that was a good plan, and said he could take some X-rays to see what small parts of the wrist might be affected so that the right brace could be built for her. They would put her under "light sedation" and then move her leg to see how far it hyperextends on X-ray. I asked whether there was any risk of making the injury worse, and he said that the pressure applied for that was less than the pressure she applied standing on it.

He said that they could do that and make the mold today and that it would all take about 2 hours or so.

They said they'd call me when she was all done and then my friend and I left to kill some time at my house. Carmella was finished around 3:00 and we headed back to pick her up. She was a little calmer than usual but not extremely sedated.

The vet filled out some forms, and I filled out some forms related to the brace, the vet tech told me it would be delivered to me in about two weeks and then the receptionist checked me out. The bill just about knocked me out and I asked her to give me as much time on my Care Credit as humanly possible because I'm going to need it! I pulled out a few of my business cards and asked her to spread the word to all the staff that I make jewelry and that these sales will help pay off Carmella's veterinary expenses. She nodded and took them.

Carmella had a lttle bit of diarrhea in the pinestraw outside but other than that did not to seem to have any side-effects.

We headed home and I gave her dinner, then finished a small bowl of pasta myself.

I listed a few things in my supply shop while Carmella took a nap. Then I took some cute pictures of her when she woke up stretched and moved around a bit in the kitchen.

I want to thank all those who have donated recently! Your contributions are much appreciated! To those who are reading and would still like to help Carmella, keep it coming;

* Purchase an ad on my blog in the "Top Spots"
* Buy Jewelry from http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
* Purchase Supplies from http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
* Use the Please Donate to Carmella Button in my sidebar for whatever amount you can afford.

Every reader who helps Carmella in any of these ways will be an important part of the solution and will bring us a little closer to our goal of $6,000.

In today's economy medical expenses can be almost as devastating as the health problems they come from, not only in human health but for pets as well. These animals rely on us to be their protectors, and as any animal-lover can attest, they give back so much more!

Step by step we are returning Carmella, this incredibly special dog, to full health.

With Love and Action All Things Are Possible!

New Possibilities for Carmella

A company called Ortho Pets is improving the lives of lame dogs and even some cats with custom-made braces and prostheses making normal ambulation easier and more comfortable.

After speaking with Dr. Muller a few weeks ago I did some reading and found that with rest and protection from further damage some ligaments can improve and in some cases heal.

Scar tissue can build up around damaged ligaments and strengthen them enough to bear the weight a dog normally puts on his or her legs.

Carmella now has an appointment for Wednesday, April 21st with a veterinary orthopedist named Dr. Corse of Northlake Veterinary Surgery who will take a look at her Carpal Ligament and make a mold of her right front leg which can then be used to create a custom brace.

I went to the website of Ortho Pets which seems to be the leader in the orthotic and prosthetic device field for animals, and what I saw was quite innovative!

After reading everything I e-mailed them and sent pictures of Carmella's leg, and one of the owners of the husband and wife-run business wrote me back with some initial recommendations.

Included was this link to a video of one of 4 types of devices used in cases like Carmella's in which the Carpal ligament is unstable and lax. This particular dog is wearing two braces of this type, and has the problm in both front legs. The dog, is able to get around quite well, and unlike with the surgery that is usually recommended for these dogs the legs are not fully rigid and the device allows for some natural bend in the leg. This type has a shoe at the bottom;
http://www.vimeo.com/9601164

Here's a dog with a similar model but on just one front leg;
http://www.vimeo.com/9131566

This one is another variation that does not have a shoe on it, for dogs that don't need quite as much support;
http://www.vimeo.com/9120305

This is a dog with only 2 legs using two of their prosthetic devices!
http://www.vimeo.com/9120345

The quote I was given for Carmella's particular orthotic is around $500 (for just the brace, not including whatever else she might need).

I don't know for sure whether this is paid for through the vet's office or directly from the company but I hope I can initially pay with Care Credit, as I don't have that kind of cash! I am still way far away from my financial goal and have several thousand dollars yet to raise. Carmella has had more than her share of bad luck for one lifetime, maybe even two lifetimes!

I've been trying to limit the amount of exercise she gets until she can get one of these, but that is pretty hard to do beause she tears around the house even when I let her into my room at night to get up on my bed. I'm always worried she's going to injure her leg further because she bounces around so much. She hardly ever just walks from one room to another; she runs at top speed and makes sharp, jarring turns just about whenever she moves. Giving her a rawhide bone keeps her still for awhile, but she is so high energy that  she'd nearly have to be sedated to get her to slow down!

In an effort to bring in some funds I've pulled out a few art pieces I made that I've held back for a few years, but will now offer these for sale to pay for Carmella's expenses. I hope there are historical collectors and other enthusiasts who would like to buy these.

The first two are paintings from my September 11th Series. They are the only remaining paintings I have, as the others were lost at a gallery and I have been unable to locate the rest of the set.

It Makes You Realize What's Really Important

12 1/2" X 12 1/2"

$300

These are both framed.

George W. Bush in the Oval Office

12 1/8" X 15 1/4"

$350

The third is a ceramic sculpture.

Papoose

6" X 3 1/2" X 4"

$135

The sculpture was inspired by Eskimo art.

Please leave a comment if you're interested in purchasing one or more of these art pieces and leave a way for me to contact you and I'll provide you my Paypal e-mail.

If you would like to help Carmella there are a number of different ways to do so;

1) Purchase one of the art items in this article

2) Buy a small Top Spot banner ad in my sidebar through Scratchback

3) Purchase jewelry from http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

4) Purchase supplies from my supply store at http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

5) And/Or use the donation link on the top right of my sidebar in whatever amount you can afford.

Please also forward the link to my blog to as many people you know as you can and ask that they be a part of the solution as well. I'm beginning to worry if things don't pick up soon that I may not be able to pay the minimum payment on my veterinary credit card. With your help the balance can eventually be paid off and we can get her the help she needs to fully heal from what has happened to her.

Keep Carmella walking and running!

My goal is $6,000

Easter-A Message Beyond The Religious

Some people associate Easter with the resurrection of Christ, but if we look at its broader implications to all people of all belief systems the take-home message is really one of hope and regeneration.

Think about it; the common tradition of hunting for brightly colored Easter Eggs is inherently about pleasant surprises, beauty in otherwise simple things, comforting and happy images of adorable bunnies, and other baby animals that symbolize youth, freshness, and life full of possibility and wonder.

Trees are budding, crocuses sprout from their slumber and pop forth their cheerful colors in shades of purple, and birds begin to stir in the trees, chirping as the sun comes up each morning signalling the beginning of Spring.

This is a time to take stock, evaluate where you are, and where you need to go from here, clean out the old, and phase in the new.

For many art based businesses, this year, even more so than years past, this is a time to fine tune one's operations and to decide which baskets we place our "eggs".

For some this may mean doing more shows, and for others looking for more stores through which to sell our wares, and/or it may involve looking at new ways to reach out to customers in existing venues to affect the perceived usefulness of the product.

One way I do this is to try to think of every possible use one might have for the products I sell and promote these uses along with the product. This doesn't always work, but it is one more tool you can utilize.

Think of each potential customer as not just that person but as a social network. Ask yourself who they buy for beyond buying for him or herself.

That person themselves when first viewing your product may not immediately think of all possible uses for it, so something you suggest may jog their memory and turn a view into a sale.

Does this customer have a daughter who is getting married next month?

Does she have a sister whose birthday is coming up?

Is this person a young man with a girlfriend who just happens to love pearls and he might want to buy her something for an upcoming dinner date?

Maybe the person now viewing your unique greeting cards needs a special Mother's Day card that has a message he or she just can't find in a commercial store.

Customization is always popular. A name, a color, a specific stone, or other image that has special sentimental value to that person or their loved-one may make it worth spending the cash they are holding onto.

With so many demands on an often tight budget people want to get something they feel justifies their spending it on a non-necessary item. The potential buyer may feel guilty about spending any unnecessary money, but this can be offset by the value the item imparts upon their lives and the lives of others they might give it to.

Take for example a veterinarian whose livelihood depends on maintaining a steady stream of regular customers.  That vet may find it advantageous to buy hand-made dog treats from your small business because giving these away to his customers while they wait in the waitingroom helps to cement the relationship and builds loyalty.  Some vets already offer this, and others may not have thought of it yet. If you mention this in your advertising, on business cards, or in talking to people one-on-one you may gain some buyers that had not considered before that this will help them build and maintain loyalty in their customers!

Similarly, hair ties may go over well in hair salons. These can be great as add-on point-of-purchase items at checkout, or as giveaways with services that the salon wants to sell more of. Spending $30.00-$40.00 on a bunch of hair ties for the salon owner just might bring in several hundred or more dollars in business, so although there is some initial investment, the expenditure pays off and is not frivolous.

Gifts make people feel appreciated and loved and employers might want to give these as incentives or rewards for a job well done, especially if they cannot afford to give raises this year. With job descriptions expanding beyond salaries any little token of appreciation throughout the year can help to remind workers that their contributions in the workplace have not gone unnoticed.

By the same token, supplies enable potential buyers to do many things which expand beyond the face value of the product itself. They can be used to create items for re-sale, to create lower-cost gifts instead of spending more money on finished items from a commercial store, they can be used to decorate one's home, to entertain children, or to give as charity offerings to organizations that use crafting/art as part of their programs to help others less fortunate.

If you're a teacher you know that the budget for art has continued to shrink, especially in the public school system, so buying supplies for the classroom can enrich your curriculum. When your students learn the valuable lessons that art and fine craft can illustrate, the returns are immeasurable! Besides, this is a prime opportunity to teach children why it's important to support small business/micro-enterprise.

Whether you own a business that markets handmade art or fine craft items, know someone who does, or whether you live outside that construct and work in a more traditional field, Easter and the beginning of Spring carry a universal theme. Today brings with it yet another opportunity, and the greatest value is not of material things themselves; rather demand's driving force is the relationships they forge in our lives.

http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

Carmella Needs a Miracle

Today Carmella saw Dr. Muller about her right front leg. I was thinking mostly about the stem cell transplant when I went in there, and getting the EKG so she can get on the medication, Procainamide, for the myoclonus but now there is an even more immediate situation with her worsening wrist. This is the second vet in the past week to tell me that she is going to end up lame if she continues to jerk. The continuous impact is making it worse and worse and the wrist if left untreated will end up lying flat on the ground.  Also, then her left leg could go bad in the process of trying to compensate for the right, and then she'd be in really bad shape.

If it hasn't already, the ligament will eventually tear. She needs surgery and the particular surgery he said they do for this is basically fusing the bone by putting a metal plate inside. She would not be able to bend her foot flat when she lies down and it would be forever in a locked position so she could walk on it.

I can't stand the thought of it, and I can't stand the thought of her going lame either. I hope that's not the only option, and on top of all that it will cost thousands of dollars.

If we can't find a way to control the jerking the surgery might not work.

While my friend and I were there, Dr. Muller called a pharmacy in Canada and one here and came back and said that neither carried Procainamide. It looks as if it used to be used in humans for heart problems but was pretty much made obsolete in recent years by newer drugs.

I don't know what we'll do if we can't get it. I'm going to see if I can check online pharmacies in India and a few other developing countries.

Now I'm really going to have to raise major money to get her through this. I don't know why this had to happen to her after all the stuff she's already been through.  After she was cured of distemper I thought she was home free, but now we are faced with another huge mountain to climb.

I just had a thought; I hope it wasn't the Zithromax she was on for her opportunistic infections that caused the problem with her ligament. I know it has been linked to that in humans. All the macrolide antibiotics have.

Dr. Muller suggested not doing the EKG since we don't know if we can get the Pracainamide anyway, and he said the only heart problem that is at all possible in a dog this age is heart block and that's very unlikely.

He told me he knows an orthopedist for animals who works over in the Northlake area who is good and also compassionate that he can talk to about Carmella's case and he thinks he'd charge less than they would at GVS.

He's also going to call the Neurologist Carmella saw over there the other day and talk to her.

Biarcliff Animal Clinic where Dr. Muller works has a charity that usually helps in cases like this but donations have been way down and they don't have the money.

Just a few more inches, and my hair will be long enough to sell.

I want to thank Janice at Heartworks for buying an ad on my blog! Please check out her wonderful plaques, mandalas and other handmade items by clicking on the new banner at the top of my TopSpots.

If any of you readers would like to help Carmella you can purchase an ad by clicking on the link at they bottom of that list and for $5.00 you can have a presence there too.

If jewelry, scarfettes, hats, or other accessories are your thing your purchase will help there too. Everything needs to go in my Etsy shop; http://giftbearer.etsy.com/ , jewelry and wearables. My goal is to turn it over completely and start phasing in all new pieces. Be sure not to miss the new hair flowers that wer recently listed; great to match Spring outfits! The buyer who brings my sales number in this shop to 90 will receive a free gift with their purchase.

or if you're more in need of supplies you can get some really unique ones here; http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/ 

Carmella needs the help of the community now more than ever. You can be a part of her miracle so that she can have the comfortable and healthy life she deserves. There's much work to be done, but I promised her I would never give up on her and I intend to stick by her. She's had too many turn their back on her like so many other dogs have that came from shelters. There's something about Carmella that just reaches into your heart and that's why I chose her out of all the others.

The Other Human Cost of the Economic Crisis; A Quiet Storm

Everybody knows that the fallout from today's problematic US economy causes financial loss, loss of homes, loss of jobs, and other tangible devastation, but there is another more insideous casualty, one that often takes a back seat to the other more measurable losses, and that is its effect on human relationships.

Although one would theorize that when you remove money and material things from the equation man's first reaction would be to band together with those closest, pool resources, and make relationships front and center of one's life, valuing those relationships more than ever, too often the very stress that brought one to that point threatens to tear apart those near and dear.

Perhaps this is the cruelest effect of all, as one can replace money and things later, but the bonds we forge with other fellow human beings are as unique as snowflakes, no two of them alike. These cannot be duplicated or substituted, and people, unlike money and things aren't interchangeable.

It's too easy for people to turn on one another in times of extreme financial stress; wife against husband, sibling against sibling, son or daughter against parent, or friend against friend. In the heat of the moment when backs are against the wall some rather than reaching out may close in and begin operating from a place of  "every man for himself" in the fear that if they dare to offer help to another they might lose their balance, fall and never be able to get up again.

Things said (or not said) are often taken the wrong way or have meaning ascribed that was not intended, and at a time when support is most needed it seems to fall on deaf ears or is not counted. One can become so overwhelmed with their current circumstance that they don't see what you're doing in reciprocity and misinterpret a simple request that may be merely part and parcel of the give and take in a relationship as their being taken for granted.

In an environment when money has lost its value I think some people begin to treat what they do for others in their relationships as though it were a product with a specific market value and in their state of agony they create a mental checklist of what favors are worth on both sides, deducing by some faulty assessment that theirs are worth more than yours. I hate to see this because it pits otherwise friendly people against each other, more like enemies or adversaries than friends or relatives.  Besides, everyone has their own unique skill set and "assetts" and therefore what each brings to the table is valid in its own right. The best relationships are those in which the people compliment each other, not duplicate each other.

One person, for instance might not be able to drive and that's one way that the other person can be of help and support to them, and the other person may have a skill they can teach the other, provide them lunch, crochet them a scarf, etc.

Our society in many ways is moving more and more towards a bartering society and my theory is that most people are still feeling their way around in order to try to adapt, and some aren't adapting all that well to this new reality. This is when interpersonal problems can arise.

For me it is not hard to grasp how to make this kind of system work because I've never had alot of money and have had to rely on other creative means to "pay" people back, but to those who are used to having money and don't have it now for the first time in their lives, I can imagine it must take alot of getting used to. Those individuals are used to being paid cash, and lots of it, are not used to waiting, and now they feel they're not getting paid what they're "worth" and so they feel cheated. Unfortunately one cannot manage personal relationships like you run a fortune 500 company. It may be easier if you could because you'd always know where you stand, but on the otherhand that would still place the two at odds to some extent and it lacks the warmth and trust inherent in a personal relationship. There are these gray areas in relationships that are not so gray in business, but if there is basic trust these can be navigated and worked through.

One would like to think that those closest to you will have your back through thick and thin, and that they know you care about them too even in times of stress and that you have theirs too; that such human connections stand the test of time, money problems, health problems, and other adversities,  and that trust will endure in spite of all that. One would hope that those closest will recognize that you are not the enemy; the circumstance is, and will eventually come around to realize that their frustration was misappropriated, and that the relationship will end up stronger.

As human beings our very survival depends on the give and take that goes on in relationships and our search for connection is an interal part of what allows us to overcome the obstacles we encounter.

If we remind ourselves and our loved ones to hang in there and to resist the urge to pull away there is hope that these adversities can be put behind us, as we forge ahead in this "brave new world". Together we stand; divided we fall, so let's make a conscious decision to stand together in this tough economy!

National Health Care's Moment of Truth!

Today is the day that H.R. 3200 will be voted on and decided. It's been awhile since I've reported on the progress of this bill because there has been so much back and forth as to what it will contain, when it will be decided, and even if it would be passed at all.

Partisan maneuverings have dominated over the past few months, resulting in what looked like a deadlock and a collossal power-struggle between Democrats and Republicans.

Then once the bill was revised some Democratic members of Congress did not want to vote in favor of it because too many concessions were made in the interest of bipartisanship.

The website http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text tracks changes in the bill. The original word count was 176,276 and after changes it is now about 3 times longer; 395,096 which represents a total of 1,002 changes in all; meaning the document has changed statistically 76% !

That is quite a big shift from what the original text contained!

The Republicans keep complaining that if the bill is passed it will contain Medicare cuts, but as I read through the bill I could not find anything significant in the way of Medicare cuts, and in fact there were lots of areas in which it would be increased including the eradication of cost sharing for medications for dual eligibles (those who are so low income they are on both Medicare and Medicaid), doing away with the "donut hole", and providing such servives as marriage counseling, mental health counseling, and better coverage for dialysis, to name a few.

The downside of the bill from what I can deduce is that there are alot of budget items for Medicare and Medicaid as well as other forms of coverage that amount to increased paperwork, evaluation of various programs, and various forms of health education of staff and in some instances, patients. It doesn't seem that education has done much to change the mind-set of either consumers or healthcare providers; many nurses are still overweight for instance, people still smoke despite all the education currently out there about the dangers of such things, and creating more beaurocracy around such new initiatives probably won't help either, and it is money better spent on assuring that people get the direct patient care that they require.

On the positive side are incentives to small businesses that currently can get away with not covering their workers so that now it will be viable, even advantageous for them to do so, and the choice to "opt in" to a public healthcare option! I had thought all mention of the public option had been wiped from the bill, but luckily not!

The Sunday political commentary shows on TV this morning showed staunch conservatives like Karl Rove loudly protesting the fact that the President had some executive priviledge that he could make use of to get this bill passed, and they referred to the wording of the bill as "Bernie Madoff" politics. They seemed to be grasping at the last straws they could before it became a done deal. Statements like "There will be blood on the Congressional floor and it will be Democrats' blood" seemed the order of the day, and these representatives of the Replublican Party lauched dire predictions if the bill passed, one in particular being that there would be a "Republican take-over" if the bill went through. I seriously doubt that will happen especially if it ends up helping them and their families and friends in addition to Democrats. While the bill could have had more supports in it for individual citizens I think overall it will be an improvement.

It is 10:29 EST here and I just heard the news say that the results of the vote are due any minute now! Last I heard this afternoon the Democrats have the number of votes they need! Now it's all over but the waiting.

Help Heal The Damage

Want to know how you can help?

Jenn of likealilyamongthorns featured these Delia Earrings, part of my Carmella Collection yesterday in her wedding blog, "The Adventures of a modern Housewife". They'll make a wonderful addition to any bride's outfit on that big day!

Read the write-up, and purchase, and or send the link to your frends and help Carmella in the process.
http://amodern-housewife.blogspot.com/2010/03/wedding-wednesday.html

 If you have a wedding or formal occasion coming up I have an intrigueing variety of jewelry pieces that are sure to make your experience one-of-a-kind and extra special! I also take custom orders if you have specific colors or styles in mind for the bride, bridesmaids, and any others who require something you don't already see in my etsy shop; http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

You can also purchase one of the ad slots to your right in my sidebar (click on the link at the bottom for instructions on how) at a cost of $5.00, or donate in any amount with a credit card or Paypal account through Paypal by going to the link that says "Please Donate To Carmella". I still have a long way to go to pay off her medical costs.

I just returned from GA. Veterinary Specialists after a long day. While we were there Carmella was excited at all the other dogs coming and going and whined almost non-stop wishing she could play with each one of them. The building was a large gray stone-looking brick structure with what looked like a cast iron sculpture out front of a tree and boys climbing up it after a cat that was perched on the furthest limb. Surrounding that on two crossing sidewalks were tufts of long ornamental grass growing like tentative topknots in hard-packed soil bogged down slightly by the recent rain.

My friend and I entered through the front entrance with automatic doors and made our way through a series of wooden benches to our left and right up to the reception desk in the center of a large atrium. Carmella could hardly contain herself and pulled almost hard enough to knock me down. It was quite a feat holding onto her leash and signing in, then filling out the preliminary paperwork. Tying her leash to a bench on the right I managed to complete the form and return it to a staff member as she walked by but not before Carmella began dragging the bench part-way across the floor. I caught her just in time and pulled her back. She was intent on making contact with an elderly Golden Retriever who sat nervously on the floor at the adjacent bench her owner was sitting on.

Unsure of Carmella's intentions she wimpered and looked up at the woman who looked back at me a little awkwardly as Carmella shreiked loudly at her dog in malamute-like tones tugging so hard at the leash she nearly choked.

My friend went outside to answer her cell phone and it wasn't long before Carmella and I were called back to wait in a room for the neuro vet. I think it must have been 30-40 minutes before she was ready to see us and in the meantime Carmella had to go to the bathroom, so I took her out front among the sparse tufts of grass. She peed and pooped without much delay and was then ready to go back inside. My friend came out just as we were headed for the front door and we went inside, she in the waitingroom, and Carmella and I to the inner room where we waited for the doctor.

The neuro vet looking to be in her early thirties, slim, with long dark brown hair pulled back in a long ponytail came in soon after trailed by a vet tech and an intern, and shook my hand a little too hard as though to convey something, though I'm not sure exactly what. Something about her seemed too deliberate but she smiled and introduced herself and the intern and asked how Carmella was and inquired about the symptoms that brought her in. Just as I came back into the room I'd heard her discussing Carmella with a man in the next room whom I supposed was Dr. Johnson (the male neuro vet who had refused to do the CSF procedure back before Carmella had started jerking and languished over his decision for weeks while Carmella began developing neuro symptoms that increased by the week). I just caught the tail end of their conversation but I'd heard him say something about Dr. Sears to the female neuro vet. I wondered whether he had told her that he'd refused to treat Carmella 17 or some months ago and why (that it wasn't in the medical literature).

This new vet asked me lots of questions about her myoclonus and any other neuro symptoms, and also asked whether she had any more respiratory symptoms. I thought "why would she now?" Then she did a thorough neuro exam checking her reflexes, looking in her eyes, looking to see whether she responded to sharp objects, etc, as the vet tech and intern looked on. Eyesight was good, reflexes good, other than the leg and the myoclonus all alse checked out. That was the good news. Then came the bad.

She asked me whether Carmella was on any medication for the myoclonus and I told her no she wasn't. She admitted that there wasn't much that would work for myoclonus and that the only thing she knew of that worked enough to really reduce the jerking significantly was a drug called Procaine which she said could have cardiac side effects so the dog needed to have an EKG prior to starting it and that it comes in injectible form or pill form. The pills have to be given 3 times a day.

She went on to say that not much else that she knew of could be done and that myoclonus wouldn't show a lesion on an MRI because any structural changes would be on the cellular level and microscopic if any, and it could be caused by purely electrical disturbances originating from possibly neurotransmitters in the nerve root "or the invironment around it" (where it meets the spinal cord in the shoulder).

She seemed to be extrapolating from what she'd read; things I've also read in medical journals. Her phrasing was "They think it's caused by that". She seemed to be reaching for answers that weren't verifiable by any tangible means like one who has heard a myth passed down by their ancesters and tells it again from old stories one heard as a child, so certain of the truth of this theory through sheer faith, yet so uncertain by any accepted scientific standards of proof. It is one of those theories accepted by the specalty more by default than by reason. She seemed to want to leave it at that and think no further. She said that she didn't "want to biopsy the nerve root"; that "that wouldn't be fair to her" as if to imply that would be the only way to find a focal point.

I mentioned the possibility of a stem cell transplant and she replied that was not being done yet outside a lab and that she couldn't do it. I told her that I didn't think she could but that there are two vets that I know of in town already doing it on dogs and that one in Alpharetta had been on the news just recently. The other was on Hwy. 78. I silently wondered how she could have been totally unaware of this great discovery hitting the market when it's all over the internet now and on the local news. It's even in journals, (but I guess not the ones she reads).

She seemed embarrassed or irritated; one or both by my giving her that information and said she would be really glad if there were a cure, but her words had a hollow ring to them as though she didn't really mean it if she couldn't have known it first.

I had the sense that she was paddling hard trying not to drown in her own cluelessness, covering it up with a guarded and clipped defensive demeanor as the conversation got more specific. Her friendliness quickly faded to a tense and deflective stance in which she resembled a bird perched high atop a way-too-slender limb on the verge of cracking beneath her feet.

She said that the fallen arch in the leg was, as I thought, due to the jerking, and that it probably wouldn't get better but if the jerking was lessened it might prevent it from getting worse. Without controlling or stopping the jerking it would certainly continue to deteriorate. The ligament has been stretched too much; not her specialty she said, but an "orthapedic problem". I asked what could be done about that part of the problem and asked if a splint would work and whether any sort of physical therapy could prevent further damage. She responded by telling me I'd have to ask an orthapedist and a physical therapist. That sounded kind of smart-alecy to me, as she did not recommend any names, just left it at that and stared back at me almost defiantly as if to say, "So there!"

I told her that I really don't know what to do with that information. She continued to flounder.

(I'd assumed they had those specialists there but felt it was futile to ask at that point as she seemed to be taking every one of my valid questions as a personal attack. As she offered no help hooking me up with them I did not want to take another trip out there across town on a maybe). She did sign my insurance form, handed me a card and a one-page typed report, shook my hand hard again, and I checked out and put the papers in my briefcase.

My friend was waiting in the atrium and I told her what happened. She was flabbergasted. that she was just dismissing us like that with no follow-up. I said, "Well at least this documentation will help somewhat when I approach the stem cell transplant vet. It may not need to be pinpointed exactly if she's right that it's coming from the nerve root in the shoulder. Stem cells could probably be put there and they'd migrate directly to where they're needed, and since this is already shown to be successful for ligament regeneration it might help in that spot at the wrist too!"

Perhaps despite her uncooperativeness and lack of preparation this vet had really given an answer anyway although mired in layers of porcupine quills. If she's right that its cause is due to problems with neurotransmitters I don't know whether stem cell transplant fixes that or not. I'll have to do some more reading about that to determine if it would. I still have access to some of the top specialists in that field on the committee I spoke of in one of my earlier posts. They are likely to be a storehouse of information since they are doing alot of research on various stem cell techniques. As I recall some mentioned in their bio that they sub-specialized in neural cell regeneration! Perhaps they will know the missing piece. Armed with that specificity I can then approach the stem cell vet and discuss the best way to go about it.

This dog didn't deserve what happened to her and deserves to be restored to complete health again. Because so many dropped the ball I am now paying to correct the mis-steps they made, as is Carmella.

My goal this year is to sell all my current inventory, help Carmella with the proceeds, and begin to phase in all new pieces! With the community's help I know this can happen! With Love and Action All Things Are Possible.