Hey 50 & over gang We have a new spot

[pennreporter 12]

Below I've copied an article written by Cokie Roberts (news reporter). I also have put down more pets than I care to think of and also say I'm never going to get another. I now have 3 aging Basset Hounds. So this story especially hit home with me.

Puppy love

The final days of a bedraggled and beloved old basset hound.

By Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts bner, our basset hound, has slept in our bedroom since he came to live with us 10 years ago. At first, he'd hop up on his favorite chair to spend the night, but as the leap got too hard to manage, he'd settle on the floor, curled up on a smelly old bedspread.

Now he has trouble making it to the second floor, but since he hates to be alone, he just sits at the bottom of the staircase and barks mournfully. When the guilt gets too great, or the noise too loud, Steve relents and carries him up the steps, risking a wrenched back on every trip. As Cokie moaned one night, "It's like having a baby in the house all over again."

So it is. As Abner's declining days remind us, the two stages of life that require constant care and attention are the beginning and the end. Both involve a lot of cheering up and cleaning up. In one notably dismal experiment, we even tried putting Abner in toddlers' pull-up pants, with a hole cut for his tail. He walked right out of them.

Yet caring for someone else, even a scruffy old dog, is a blessing. A caretaker receives a precious gift - a gift of love, certainly, but the value goes beyond gratitude. It's a chance, rare enough in life, to be needed and wanted.

We're not overly sentimental about this. Caretaking can be hard and dispiriting work, for both people and animals. Getting down on your hands and knees, sopping up Abner's mess at the end of a long day, is not exactly an ennobling experience. We buy rolls of paper towels by the dozen now and are thinking of investing in disinfectant spray. Still, the odors never really disappear. Nor do the stains on the rugs and the floors.

Abner was never a sleek or handsome dog. In fact, he's downright goofy-looking. When we first saw him, as a 3-year-old, Steve's reaction was, "Why did God make a dog who looks like that?"

Now his ears are constantly scuffed and soiled from dragging on the ground, and we sometimes kid that he looks like a "bag basset." Yet the thought of losing him pierces us with pain. We've rejected suggestions that it's time to put him to sleep, and our vet, a lovely man, agrees with that decision, at least for now.

"Abner doesn't know how bad he looks," the vet says cheerfully. "As long as he still enjoys every day, just try to keep him comfortable."

We always thought "basset" was an English name, but it's actually French, and means "low." That's low in stature, of course, but low in intelligence as well. A recent book ranked 132 breeds of dog according to mental acumen, and bassets were right at the bottom, at No. 125.

But he can't be all that stupid, since he has managed to appear on the radio many times. We both broadcast from home occasionally, and Abner has a knack for barking right in the middle of our commentaries. Many listeners have remarked, in fact, that he often has more insightful things to say than we do.

Abner has never been very athletic or energetic. Throw him a ball and his reaction is bewilderment. About the only thing that perks up his ears - and his ears take a lot of perking - is the sound of a refrigerator door opening. In his younger days, he could actually open the refrigerator door himself, although he never learned to close it. And after he ate an entire 10-pound ham one Thanksgiving and sent us racing to the doggy emergency room, we got a new and very expensive refrigerator that defies his best efforts at breaking and entering.

It seems that Abner has never really thought of himself as a dog, and he hates kennels. So now when we travel, we have to recruit various neighbors and students to dog-sit for him at home. Still, he's a constant worry. Just like a baby.

So why bother? Well, Abner is the sweetest creature imaginable. Kids can pull his ears and poke his eyes and his strongest protest will be to walk slowly away. He'll sit at your feet for hours at a time. And when you come home at night, there is that face in the window, silly and stupid and totally captivating.

It's really quite simple. Abner loves us, without conditions, without limits, without questions. And we love him. How many things in life are that plain and that pure?

Soon after this article was written, Abner died peacefully in his owners' arms. Cokie and Steve Roberts are USA WEEKEND contributing editors. Cokie Roberts is a political analyst for ABC and co-host of This Week; Steve Roberts is a contributing editor of U.S. News & World Reportt and an analyst for ABC and CNN.

[JoannMarie 0]

Thanks to all for the great stories and poems about our pets. Orea, I decided long ago I just could not enjoy my life without a dog living in my house. Fortunately my DH feels the same way. In recent years we have enjoyed the company of two shelties at a time (shelties being our preferred breed, but love them all). Since Abbie passed last winter, we decided to wing it with just Jack. He misses her - we all do - but he is a great little friend and we absolutely love him. I have talked to my kids and they understand a dog may be part of the inheritance package (the best part!), and they can decide who will be the lucky one to have the honor of completing the cycle. Whoever it is, I have complete confidence our dog will be loved and cared for whether we are here or not.

I can't speak for No California, but the Cincinnati area has been a home away from home for us for years. We never had the chance to live there, but many close relatives do, and we visit often. DD got her master's at UC, so she has lots of friends in the area. It's a great city, beautiful countryside - I would not hesitate to move there if I were in your circumstances. Best of luck to your DH with all the interviews and job search stuff. It's not fun, but it sounds like things are moving along...

I hope you are doing well. It's certainly not easy for you, either. Been there, done that. Cherish him - he needs it - and you will be strengthened.

[gone 4 ever 6]

Mimi..so sorry to hear about your cat.

I have 2 cats and love them dearly. They are 13 and 12 Father and daughter.

I am constantly fighting not to get another cat when people offer me one. I will eventually get a dog again after I fence in my yard next yr. (hopefully) I love animals and would have a farm if I wasn't in the city. LOL

[orea15 0]

Thanks for your insights on Cinci. I've only been there once for a day or two, so it helps. My brother lives there, but frankly he is pretty much a stranger to me. Maybe God wants us to finally get acquainted. ???

And thanks for all your good wishes and prayers. It means a lot.

[pinkxx88 0]

Hi Everyone,

I am being banded tomorrow, really scared and nervous. At the risk of sounding stupid, what is a PB?

Thanks.

[lynnt1215 1]

Hi Everyone,

I am being banded tomorrow, really scared and nervous. At the risk of sounding stupid, what is a PB?

Thanks.

Pb -productive burp. brings up anything stuck

sliming - excess saliva build up with a near stuck incident or similar.

I seem to be having majot issues with these lately.. Not sure why. but no matter how little I eat I get that tightness and feel miserable for about an hour.

Next Dr. appointment is June 19 and I have not had a fill in quite awhile

[Charlene K 1]

Pb -productive burp. brings up anything stuck

sliming - excess saliva build up with a near stuck incident or similar.

I seem to be having majot issues with these lately.. Not sure why. but no matter how little I eat I get that tightness and feel miserable for about an hour.

Next Dr. appointment is June 19 and I have not had a fill in quite awhile

Girl, I am having the same problem. I am tight in the morning then as the day goes on I loosen up. I was scheduled for a fill tomorrow, but I canceled. I think it is Water retention from the warm weather. It has been around 90 degrees. I scheduled an appt. for June 11.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Honestly, I am glad to be done with all of that. I am really enjoying having the sleeve. I get full fast and never have to worry about being too tight or too loose. I am really glad that I never ever have to go back for another fill.

[Charlene K 1]

Honestly, I am glad to be done with all of that. I am really enjoying having the sleeve. I get full fast and never have to worry about being too tight or too loose. I am really glad that I never ever have to go back for another fill.

Yeah, I wish I had the sleeve, but insurance is just now starting to pay for it. Had I been self-pay......I would have gotten one.

[Great2BThin 5]

I'm very happy with my band. I've had no issues other than being too tight once and a small unfill took care of that. I like the idea of fills and being able to adjust it as needed. I feel this will help me keep the weight off, as I've always been able to lose the weight, just never able to keep it off. I'm not familar enough with the sleeve to know if it can be stretched out in time. I know 2 people that have had bypasses and eventually went back to old eating habits and stretched out the pouch and regained a lot of the weight. I am hoping and praying that the band will prevent me from doing so. That being said, I do fear having a slippage or flippage and being self pay even more so.

[Charlene K 1]

I'm very happy with my band. I've had no issues other than being too tight once and a small unfill took care of that. I like the idea of fills and being able to adjust it as needed. I feel this will help me keep the weight off, as I've always been able to lose the weight, just never able to keep it off. I'm not familar enough with the sleeve to know if it can be stretched out in time. I know 2 people that have had bypasses and eventually went back to old eating habits and stretched out the pouch and regained a lot of the weight. I am hoping and praying that the band will prevent me from doing so. That being said, I do fear having a slippage or flippage and being self pay even more so.

I would have gotten a sleeve if insurance had paid because that is what the doctor recommended for me. I was at a BMI of 52 and he thinks when it is that high you need a sleeve. He thinks the band works for those that need to lose less than 100lbs. That is only one doctor's opinion. I have never lost this much weight in my life. The band definitely is a good tool.

By the way, DH is approved for gastric bypass. Now he needs a surgery date.

[Great2BThin 5]

My BMI was 43 or 44 and I had over 100 to lose, 135 to be exact. My surgeon does bypass, band and sleeve, unless you have a medical reason that makes one procedure not a good option he sortta leaves it up to the patient to decide. I chose band because I was self pay and it was about $10,000 cheaper than the others, plus I didn't want thing rerouted or cut away. Who knows if anything ever goes wrong with my band I may opt for another procedure.

Congrats, Arlene, on hubby being approved!! Will Dr Davis do his as well? BTW, ever hear if Big Medicine will be back on the air? I miss that show.

[Apples2 19]

Honestly, I am glad to be done with all of that. I am really enjoying having the sleeve. I get full fast and never have to worry about being too tight or too loose. I am really glad that I never ever have to go back for another fill.

Denise...I, for one, really appreciate (and will in the future) the fact that you are on this thread and LBT keeping us informed on your progress and the different aspects of the sleeve. One never knows where they will be with their band in a year, two years, three. You had success with the band and then all of a sudden could no longer tolerate it. There's nothing in this world that is 100% and nice to be informed by a sleeved person if one of our bands became intolerable.

I'm similar to Long. No troubles to speak of and in hopes of hanging onto my band for a good long time. (fingers crossed). :thumbup:

[Charlene K 1]

My BMI was 43 or 44 and I had over 100 to lose, 135 to be exact. My surgeon does bypass, band and sleeve, unless you have a medical reason that makes one procedure not a good option he sortta leaves it up to the patient to decide. I chose band because I was self pay and it was about $10,000 cheaper than the others, plus I didn't want thing rerouted or cut away. Who knows if anything ever goes wrong with my band I may opt for another procedure.

Congrats, Arlene, on hubby being approved!! Will Dr Davis do his as well? BTW, ever hear if Big Medicine will be back on the air? I miss that show.

Long, his recommendation is gastric sleeve or bypass for those over 50BMI and more than 100lbs, but if your BMI is that high so are the lbs. I know what you mean about the cost....I think a sleeve is around 20,000.

Yes, Dr Davis is doing his gastric bypass. He should get a date next week. When I asked the PA in January about Big Medicine she said they were waiting on funding. Since then he has moved from Methodist Hospital to Herman Hospital. When I go in June I will ask about the show.

[Elayne 0]

I haven't been participating in this forum lately -

I'm trying to spend less time on the PC (AND my butt).

I had my first fill today - 3cc and it wasn't as bad as I anticipated.

The only GOOD needle is a KNITTING needle in my opinion.

The doc told me to put my hands behind my head.

With my Italian background - I was unable to talk without using my hands so I when I tried to say something he humorously scolded me and explained that he didn't want to risk me pushing his hand away.

My youngest daughter (23) is fascinated with medical procedures - having had much to much hospitalization for her own ailments - and watched closely.

It's NEVER my philosophy to believe "ignorance is bliss" - but I made exceptions for procedures involving needles.

I generally look to the side and hum.

The procedure took just a few minutes - most of it spent scanning and mapping the port area.

After the little band-aid was in place - little Miss Nosey informed me that the needle wasn't nearly as large as she thought it would be.

Nice to know - I guess.

I'm back on liquids for a day or two.

Exercise is difficult for me - Despite the good intentions - I abandon the whole boring business within minutes.

But - I've rediscovered an old love - gardening!

A bit every day - and at least I'm having fun and have something to enjoy long after the sweat dries.

I plan to make a small waterfall on a gentle slope in my yard.

Herbs and morning glories in the raised bed instead of buggy squash and blighty tomatoes.