Jabber Jaw

It's been over a month since my last post. I've certainly been busy with house stuff, visitors and of course, the ever growing, increasingly mobile baby. She has learned to flip onto her stomach and is not that great at rolling back onto her back. So she gets stuck on her stomach and screams. It's quite tempting to strap her down at nap time and bed time, but I think there are laws against that. The swaddle worked until she figured out how to flip onto her stomach IN THE SWADDLE. Mein Gott, this kid is stubborn and squirmy!

After a whole day (and some times all nights if I'm home alone for a stretch) I find that I have nothing to give outside of caring for the baby. I don't have a lot of energy for much else and that sucks since my dogs are giving me evil looks for not taking them on walks. I would like to try to work up to walking them again for their health and my own. We are all on a diet (save the baby) since we all got a bit pudgy over the winter.

Patton has knee problems (luxating patella) and our vet said surgery would fix it but that is expensive. So he needs to lose a bit of weight and take joint supplements to help keep arthritis at bay. Having reminders that my fur baby is mortal and getting up there in age hurts my heart. I want him here with us forever, as I do all my pets/babies. Horace consulted with a vet on his hips and unfortunately is not a candidate for stem cell therapy. However there are some shots he could take, acupuncture and supplements which may help him. It's weird having to help my dogs with similar problems as my own. I guess I feel their pain, almost literally.

Speaking of, my health shit hasn't abated at all since the baby arrived. It is very hard to deal with it all on top of caring for a demanding little human. Difficult, but not impossible. (I just had to take a break to let my fingers rest from typing.) The latest on my journey through it all has been challenging. First, my biologic medicine isn't working as it had been pre-pregnancy. Apparently post-pregnancy, a woman's body can change the way it responds to medications. I'm anxiously awaiting insurance to approve a switch to a medication injected once a week. Also, the steroids I so wish to stop taking have made me cranky and hungry; an eating machine derailing my goals to drop a few pounds. Yeesh. They want me on it at least until my flares are under control, then I can start weaning. Third, the pain in my jaw and face has been constant for over a year. I was unwilling to get xrays during the pregnancy but finally did at my subsequent cleaning in March. The dentist stated, in his opinion, my jaw is showing significant damage in the joint. He recommends surgery and gave me the number of someone to consult with in Missouri. I made myself an appointment with a dental pain doctor who specializes in facial injections. (Apparently the jaw joint - TM - is so intricate, it is nothing like a regular joint and harder to treat with trigger point injections.) I am hoping, between the both of them, that surgery is the last resort and I can try a myriad of things first. I've read that jaw surgery should be the absolute last resort because so many things can go wrong. If they tell me to have surgery, it must mean the damage is pretty severe. I already avoid things like chewing gum, eating popcorn and other hard foods, and giving blow jobs to 50 guys a day as a source of income. Ha! Just seeing if you are still reading this. :) So lately my life has been baby care, calling doctors, harassing receptionists into providing my records, making appointments and making arrangements for EK while I attend all these appointments, trying to hurry up the insurance process for the new medication, and being very crabby.

All of this gets so old. But I must carry on, as well all do when facing life's challenges. Excuse me, I need to end this post. The squirmy baby is awake and hungry!

Tschus