Literally, It Is A Dog's Life!

　

Morning guys, the sun is finally shining & I feel that this will be yet another positive & happy blog for you to oggle at...

March Nails - Pink Oriental :)

A week last Friday, I volunteered at a reptile handling session in a retirement home in Sidmouth. It was great fun & the residents enjoyed it so much I think they will soon want another visit! I really enjoy seeing people's faces light up when they get to handle something they wouldn't normally in everyday life. It's been great to get out the house & help out with something I love when I have been able to.

Last Monday, Stef & I joined up with our friends, Jo & Jason & gave the charity pub quiz ago at the Lord Nelson that my sister had arranged to help towards her trek for LLTGL. I must say, for us, even though we had the super quiz master Jason on our team, we did bloody well, we didn't win... But we had a good giggle & Lauren managed to raise £125.75 towards her goal...

Now I dont normally rant & rave about medicines & the equipment I have to use, obviously its been a god send to me all my life but then I guess in a way I kind of take it for granted... Nebulising is just a chore in my eyes but something I have been so strict about ever since I got my new lungies. I won't ever miss a dose, even if I don't get in til late from a night out seeing friends or an early morning start to get to Harefield, they will be done regardless...

Now I certainly won't slag off my little eflow, it has been my best friend for years, with how compact & silent it is compared to the noisy nebs you used to get many moons ago... But my poor little eflow has been getting on a bit & what with even having new parts for it, it would usually take my two nebs I have through it, twice daily, a good hour to eventually be inhaled. This impacted massively on my daily routine depending on what I had planned as you can imagine.

Last week I had a rep come to my house one evening & show me how to use my new I-Neb, (AAD) I am literally still buzzing even now, each & everytime I use it at just the ease of the device & how bloody fast it is to have my medications!

The I-Neb AAD System

The system only delivers the medication to you as you breathe it in & unlike old nebulisers, you get 100% of the treatment directly into your lungs.... Extremely important to me! Depending on your cycle of breathing, you can have the neb done in a matter of minutes or even, 10 breathes! The cleaning cycle of the equipment is very important however, but I would much rather take the time to clean it properly so I can use it everyday rather than having the ordeal of sitting on the sofa for an hour just breathing in the mist & not knowng just how much I am 'inhaling'. It saves so much time, I get the best of both worlds, the treatment I need directly into my puffers & more time to actually 'live' & enjoy life... So anyone who had a similar problem, I couldn't recommend & rant about it more highly, get onto your medical teams!

I had my second class of self defense on Wednesday & my friend Jo came along too which was great. I loved it even more than the first & it's definately building up my stamina & self confidence already. I can't wait for this week's session....

On Friday, I had a few hours out with my sister, Lauren, who will soon be turning 26 the week after next & we went to visit Dartmoor Zoo again. The weather was quite pleasant so made the day even more enjoyable, we had a nice catch up, I got some exercise (although, my arthritis has been playing up a lot recently, especially in my back & legs) & some lovely fresh air, she even helped me with my food shopping afterwards so I didn't need to worry about it over the weekend....

Posing At Dartmoor Zoo

Lynx Photo Bomb! 7/3/2014

Lauren & I With The Tigers

I have Harefield the week after next, I am feeling so happy at the moment I think it's reflecting in my health. Even though my lung function isn't soaring, which I don't ever expect it to after my acid reflux, it is remaining stable & sometimes even creeps up the odd digit or two, so I am confident I should have a glowing report & Dr Carby will be happy with me.

Now before I go, I want to tell you the news I have been holding in for a few months now... Something we have been so excited about but I have wanted to keep it private until I was ready.

For the last 7 weeks we have been 'sitting' our very good friend's American Bulldog, Kimba. She is the most amazing dog, so affectionate with people & other animals just not too keen on other dogs because she was attacked when she was a pup herself. I have absolutley loved having a dog in the house & we have completely fallen in love with her. Kimba is so well behaved & really fallen into place with us here, so much so, that she will now be a permanent resident to our home....

Kimba

Cuddles In Front Of The TV

Not only that, but in a few weeks, she will be joined, by Kaos. Our little baby American Bulldog boy. We will have our work cut out with some strict training over the next few months but I really cannot wait to have him home with us & complete our family.

Our Kaos

Little Chunky Monkey

I am all smiles each morning for now, some days I obviously have my 'moment's' but I really cannot complain - I love my life. I am finally embracing it by the bollocks & doing what I can to stay well & keep happy. None of which would have been possible for that amazing man that selflessly signed the organ donation register which ended up giving me my second chance & just look at what he is helping me achieve....

Until next time, I hope you all stay safe & thank you as always for taking the time to read. xxx