Sheba Recovered; ❤️ Shoja

tuesday

I can’t say enough about how good Dr. Shoja is for me. I am so lucky that our medical system gives me access to her…free…forever. My fellow FNDers in the UK get little to no help with their condition. Many get speech therapy but with only limited success. I met online Dr. S. yesterday morning, but I couldn’t speak for the first six minutes. I tried and tried, but all it did was make head bob, my arms and hands jerk and twitch, so we switched to me chatting in text. Eventually, I was able to speak with her. We used chat until I could speak.

And at the end of every meeting, she says how she wishes we could have more time, but we can continue at our next session, and she gives me a date and time. I’ve taken breaks in the past, sometimes for quite a long time, but it is clear to me that she thinks I should stay in touch with her, so I very willingly shall.

I get very emotional when it is time to say goodbye. I am so profoundly indebted to her for the support she provides to me. I am so, so grateful for that. However, when I referred someone with FND to her, she wanted to explain to me why she couldn’t take my friend on. Her explanation made me realize that the severity of my condition, plus the fact that I live alone and have no family support, earned my status with her. I’m extremely lucky that St. Paul’s transferred me to VGH, Dr. s’s hospital.

Sheba is doing very well. We walked with no sock yesterday, and it went very well. We will walk with our friends this morning, and then we go to see the vet.

My gazillion avian friends are mostly gone because a Peregrine Falcon has become a very familiar sight here at Pinecone Park. It’s been here for four days and so all my little winged friends are gone. Pinecone. Park is empty of birdsong. 

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I wrote the letter below toa website that publishes work by people with disabilities. I’m not certain at all that they will be interested. Their call for entry reads as rather academic to me. But it’d be great to do something rewarding and fun.

wednesday

Wednesday was really a great day! It began with a trail walk with our friends and Judith is back with a new hip. She stopped walking with us a year ago, so it is positively wonderful to have her back. She is a great woman whom I like very much.

And then we went to Thomas the vet, and he was wonderful. Next time part of one of her pads disappears, I will take her in to see Thomas, and he will take a swab for analysis. Doing so, he thinks, will confirm an autoimmune disorder, and if it is confirmed, a very small dose of prednisone will manage the problem. She’s had problems with her feet her entire adult life, so it would be miraculous to be able to end this nasty disabling issue of hers.

The other problem she has is leaking urine. It’s a common problem in big bitches who have been spayed. But there’s a pharmaceutical fix, and we’re on it, and it’s a very gentle drug. And finally, her wheezing/coughing: it’s normal, her habits fit the pattern that is normal for many dogs, and not a medical problem at all. So, I came away very happy and grateful for Thomas.

Sheba’s in good form now. She’s no longer wearing a sock, and neither is she licking her foot. And on Saturday, just before Dianne arrives, she goes for her grooming, and she’ll be beautiful for Di’s visit. We’re both very happy that she is better. You should see her, full of energy and eager to play.

I’m so sad for her that I am so weak and possessed of a painful shoulder. I can neither sustain long walks nor throw the ball with my right arm. Some of my left-handed throwing goes mighty wrong, but I’m pretty good now. I just want to wait to be sure her foot is fully recovered before we chase balls.

Life is back to normal.

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My very favourite piece of writing is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It absolutely stupefied me when I read it. Every word is perfect. So, when I heard that The National Library in London was putting on a display about the GA, I booked a ticket to London. 

The exhibition was extraordinary. From the entrance, you follow the development of the GA chronologically. The first artifact you see, as I recall, is a letter, and a phrase or even a sentence, was underlined with red thread. And there was a cord that numbered the artifact, and here I’m recalling artifact #1. And then it would give you a sentence number, telling you the position of the underlined words in the GA. The exhibition thrilled me because I felt rewarded for idolizing the GA. Here, splendidly, was a gorgeous display of artifacts that showed how much work went into his speech. He built his speech with tested materials.

I was thinking about that exhibition and my love of the speech because his presidency was the apex of enlightened leadership for me (knowing nothing about him or his work), I’m a sucker for literacy. It was similar with Obama in the speech he delivered that drew national attention to him for the first time. The way they write and speak makes us confident that these fellows also have a very sophisticated and powerful minds.

But now….