Staying the Course -- 01-25-2016

[Superbob]

Happy start to a new Staying the Course Week.

I am off to aqua therapy (oh the joy of 90 degree water) in a few minutes, so this will be brief.

I have lost 7 pounds since sweet Ellie Mae, Superdawg II, came into my life.

My son had chest pains and other symptoms over weekend, went to ER, was admitted for one night, tested galore, and put on strict instructions to eat right and exercise more. He's walking Dasher dog so we can do some walking duets. Got to get his cholesterol down. Mine is world-class (not bragging or anything).

Son of Superbob has put me on a new family membership at the Y he's just gotten, so I guess after aqua PT ends I'll have no excuse not to go to Y pool on my own.

I am pleased with the recent weight loss. Ellie is a great personal trainer. She has minor surgery Wednesday to remove a suspicious mass that hopefully will be found benign or if not will be all the bad stuff there is, and gone. Keep her in your thoughts if you will.

Love to hear how all of you all are doing!

I love the Super Bowl matchup -- normally I root for Panthers but being a Tennessee Vol fan I will be rooting for Peyton to win the big game, which probably will be his final as a player after an amazing career. I am giving him some of my steely resolve. : )

Cheers,

Superbob

 

[epstns]

Congratulations on the weight loss, SB! It is always so encouraging to see some progress at the start. I'm still lugging around some of the holidays, myself, but I do plan to focus a bit more on exercise to give me a chance to get back to "normal weight" before spring.

We're keeping Ellie in our thoughts and prayers. She has so much life ahead of her, and we hope it will be of the highest quality. I know her "parents" will take good care of her, so we're just sending "good health" vibes her way as insurance.

I'm no football fan, so I'll not offer an opinion on the Super Bowl. Somehow, when my daughter was little, we always thought of Super Bowl Sunday as the best day to go to the video store. Everyone was watching the game, not movies, so all the newest ones were still on the shelf. I guess today's children won't know what that's about, much less what a weekly serial movie was at the theater. Oh, and 25-cent movie tickets are a quaint bit of history, too - along with the 3-cent stamp and the 10-cent streetcar ride in Chicago.

 

[Duffey]

I'm hoping all turns out well with Ellie, Superbob, and I hope your son has inherited your steely resolve so he is able to get his cholesterol numbers down. Our weather's on the upswing. After last week's frigid temperatures and precipitation, we are suppose to warm up and dry out. That bodes well for taking grand dog Yoshi for afternoon walks. Steve, I bet you drop those holiday pounds super quick! You do have steely resolve!

 

[skeptic49]

Glad to read about your weight loss progress, SuperBob. I hope that Ellie recovers and that there is no further problem for her. Our little puppy got spayed a couple of weeks ago and yesterday the stitches were removed and she is fine. We're still in puppy training mode as far as housebreaking, etc. but making progress. We're enjoying plenty of daily walks although the recent snowstorm did halt our walks temporarily. Luckily, the warm temperatures the past few days have helped a lot as much melting has occurred to the 22.4 inches of snow we got over the weekend.

Jim

 

[honeybunny]

Sorry to hear about your son, SB. How old is he? Dasher and Ellie will keep you guys healthy with daily walks. Congrats on the weight loss. I found your lost lbs., BTW.

Best wishes for Ellie's successful surgery.

 

[harrietW]

7 lbs nice weight loss congrats. Sending prayers for Ellie and hope your son has success with his cholesterol levels.

 

[Superbob]

Thanks all, Harriet hope you are doing well in your recovery. My son will turn the big 4-OH in a few months, HB. This was a wake-up call for him and he's taking it seriously.

Glad you all survived "Jonas," Jim. I know you are enjoying that puppy.

Let us know about your continued walks with granddog Yoshi, Duffey.

Steve, Super Bowl Sunday has become a party day whether one likes football or not. DW and I make a huge pot of chili for the whole family and that's become a tradition.

Ellie is perking up after her surgery yesterday. She wanted her usual morning walk today. Should have the biopsy results back within a week. (Fingers crossed!)

I should weigh again soon, but I know I cannot sustain the rate of 7 pounds down in just two weeks. So I may wait a little bit longer and hope for 10 down. Obviously I really needed to lose -- no doubt I piled on some pounds after losing Sadiedawg, my 15-year walking companion, last August.

Good cheer to all! (Did I say I qualify for another month of aqua therapy? A luxurious warm pool, usually just me in the water, and a cute gal as my therapist. Is this Heaven or is it Iowa -- couldn't be Iowa, that's where all the wacky politics is going on.)

 

[Superbob]

Now down 8.2 pounds since adopting sweet Ellie Mae on January 9. Dawgs make the best personal trainers.

 

[AmyBL]

Dogs are wonderful personal trainers. They help the heart in multiple ways. I am about 2 weeks out of OHS. We have two dogs, Tina, a small 50 lbs pit bull mix, and Teddy, 160 lbs, mastiff-St. Bernard mix. Everyone was afraid that when I was discharged, Teddy would demand attention by throwing his big paw in my lap and then push his big dog face next to mine, slobbering all over me. My husband thought, "why don't we get a squirt gun and give Teddy a little liquid discouragement?" Well, in true Teddy fashion, it did not work. When I was released, Teddy came to see me by pushing his stinky dog face next to mine. As he was getting ready to "give me the paw" Larry sprayed him in the face, hoping he would back up, sit down, or otherwise get the message to retreat. No such luck. Teddy was squirted, and instead of retreating to wipe his face, he used me as his personal towel. I just love that big stinky beast. He makes me laugh and I can't stop!

 

[Superbob]

Good for Teddy! What a great story about the companionship of dogs after heart surgery! I know that my Sadiedawg was right beside me as I recovered 11 years ago and she seemed to understand that I couldn't take her on our usual long walks for a while. Her presence certainly helped me recover. A few years later, she suffered a terribly dislocated hip in a car accident and I then was her rehab buddy.

Wishing you the best for continued smooth recovery, Amy, with lots of affection from Tina and Teddy.

 

[AmyBL]

Thanks, SuperBob. I completely agree that they just know . . A friend of mine wasn't feeling well one day. He went home to lay down and his dog was acting very strangely. She was crying, licking his hand, and just couldn't rest. He went to the ER. Come to find out, he was having a heart attack!

 

[Superbob]

Compelling story, Amy. I have read other reports of dogs being able to detect health emergencies or problems in humans. Sensitive souls.