Monday brought the most incredible news. Toby’s groomer said he was a good boy! He was such a good boy that she didn’t even charge me a “Dangerous Animal” fee. Everyone decided that with Toby’s weight loss, his calming medicine worked more effectively.
To be honest, I would rather be fat and feisty.
(Yes Toby did get a treat for being a good boy, but only a small one.)
On Friday, I finally got to go to a doctor to get a referral to see (ha ha) an ophthalmologist. I figured while I was there, I would ask the doctor about a few other things like the dizzy spells I had in February. I mentioned that I had already updated my glasses and thought that maybe I needed to see an ENT?
No, given my cluster of seemingly unrelated symptoms, I was told that it sounds like I have something wrong with my brain, not my ears. The doctor immediately wrote out an order for me to have a CT scan. I asked her if by “wrong with my brain”, she meant tumor or disease, and she said that it seemed that a tumor was unlikely. What I described sounds like MS. Well, that was certainly not what I was expecting when I set out to get some Restasis that morning.
I went home and did some reading about MS, and it does sound like what I have been going through. I had always thought that MS was a terribly awful disease, but from the article I read it seems that if you take medication for it, you can lead a pretty normal life.
Toby has his next grooming session tomorrow, but as soon as we are done, I have a list of doctor appointments and tests that I need to schedule. While it sucks to have a disease, it would be nice if treatment could help me feel better. I want to be healthy enough to spoil my Toby as much as I can.
I could have told you there was something wrong with your brain without the scan.
Things are so much better with my little Toby that I had to draw some pictures of us. It’s like I have my sweet little puppy back again. We have been doing so many fun thing lately that it makes my heart hurt. I can see in his face that he feels he is finally breaking through with training me.
When we go for walks, he will stop at random places and ask for hugs. (Eeee!) He does tricks nearly as well as Geordie. (Toby is more food oriented, so a good training session to him is when he can steal at least one treat.) My folks have been teaching him to say “Ruh-ro” like Scooby Doo and swear that he has said it on at least two occasions. In the evenings, we sit on the floor while he chews on hooves. A few times he has draped his head over my leg and gone to sleep after he was done.
I am so happy to have my happy boy back with me.
Toby gets a tiny treat whenever he goes into his kennel. He insists that his toys also get a treat (which Toby kindly eats for them).
Smile, Toby. You are one loved little guy!
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Still looking for that perfect holiday gift? Than look no more! Bitey Dog and Toby are here to share their latest adventure in Dream Our World. Inside, the boy visit the museum of their dreams and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.
You would think that masks would have been my friends this past year, hiding my appearance from inquiring eyes. On the contrary. If you’ve ever wondered what that stuff feels like, it is like one of those horribly painful sunburns where even the softest silk feels like sandpaper against your skin – where simply moving is agony – where you absolutely positively do not want some smart aleck little brother to come along and slap you for the sheer enjoyment of your misery. Trying to wear a raspy mask over psoriasis is actually quite painful.
Despite how much this looks exactly like one of my drawings, it is actually borrowed from the internet.
Americans are very polite about something like this. Nobody pointed at me and shouted, “Eww, that’s grody to the max!” In fact, they said nothing. If I brought up my appearance, though, they would jump in with tons of questions and healthy curiosity. Speaking as the resident weirdo, insults aren’t nice, but saying “Hey, what happened?” is perfectly fine. It’s OK to ask questions. The elephant in the room knows it’s there.
Getting to wear my unique gift from God on my face has made things harder when it comes to business. It is difficult to approach people with confidence and try to introduce them to my work. It is also more difficult to get a service sector job where you are the face of a business. While no one will admit that “fugly” is the reason for not hiring you, you will simply find that someone else always gets the job.
Have I tried medical care for dealing with this condition? Yes. The doctor charged me $300 for a 5 min consultation. Her advice? Hydrocortisone. Mmm hmm…Yup, I am definitely in the wrong line of work.
At least Real Life Toby doesn’t care about how I look.
Mom, mostly I look at you from this angle, and all I see is up your broken nose.
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Royal Purple Velvet Pillows are now back in stock! These 10″ pillows would make a wonderful gift for the whimsical child in your life – or the whimsical child inside yourself! Each pillow is trimmed with gold braid and has a silky tassel at each corner. The center is secured by two matching fabric buttons which give the pillow a pleasingly plump look.
These pillows and other fine gifts are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios. All items are made in America and ready to ship.
When the pencils are gone, this will be the new normal.
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Coming soon: How to Train an Incorrigible, Determined, Intelligent Terrier
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While the Bitey World still has color, consider adding some bright sweaters to your home!
These sweaters and more are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.
OK, so I may have gone a little overboard with cocoa. If the end of the world is coming, though, that is definitely something you don’t want to be without.
As long as there are toys at the end of the world, I’ll be good.
Poor Bitey and Toby. It’s always the kids that suffer.
It is looking like what I thought was a simple case of osteoarthritis is either psoriatic or psoriatic + rheumatoid arthritis. Very suddenly I have lost nearly all the strength in my right hand. (Unfortunately I am a righty.)
For the time being, Bitey and Toby will have to be drawn with my left hand. As you can see, they don’t look quite how they usually do. I am also having the fun of learning to use a mouse with my left hand. Oh the joys that abound in Bitey Land!
Like Job, I am trying to be grateful for this most recent challenge. If you are a subscriber to bootstrapping philosophy in neuroanatomy (i.e. W.H. Calvin’s The Throwing Madonna) , potentially switching hands like this might help to unlock my crippling writers’ block. Of course, I still can’t draw, write or type anything I think up. Hmmm….
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To find out what trouble my boys have been up to, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside they view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun!
Dream Our World is available from my shop.
Now is the twilight of the garden. The last of the veggies have been gathered and the plants uprooted. Tiny Toby has appointed himself my assistant in bringing the harvest down to a more manageable size.
After eating far too many green beans for such a small body, Toby whined for me to take him out. Fearing the potential consistency of such a bean-fueled accident, I rushed my boy outside. Under the watchful light of the moon, I was serenaded by the hindquarters of my puppy with the eternal refrain, “Toot, toot, toot”.
Ahh, the joys of a late summer’s night with a gassy terrier.
I will get those green beans.
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If you would like to spend even more time with my boys, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams and view the world of art from a canine perspective.
Dream Our World is available through inter-library loan or at my shop!
When Toby doesn’t feel well, he likes to go under the furniture to get sick. Last time he had an upset tummy, he went under the bed where I tuck an extension cord power strip for when I need to charge things. Little stinky monster decided to puke into all of the little plug holes in my power strip. I didn’t notice it until it had dried. Honestly, I don’t know how this puppy hasn’t managed to kill himself the way he finds dangerous trouble to get into.
What? I’m not dead.
I don’t know what you are complaining about.
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To find out what other trouble my boys have been into, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Bitey and Toby view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun! Dream Our World is available from my shop.
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 