Ready for a Break

Whew, what a hectic week.  Have you ever seen an email at work and felt like the other people copied weren't reading it?  This has been going on for months and even though I re-sent the information to the person and mention to other people that I don't think the current information is being used, nothing happens...until...it is time to ship the product and there are discrepancies.  Then it's "Why didn't I get this information" and "Someone didn't follow procedure" and everyone points the finger at everyone else.  Ugh.  I can't wait until I don't need this job anymore. 

One of the big bosses at our other plant is retiring at the end of the year because of medical issues.  I'm assuming cancer because they talked about treatment for a year.  That is not the way I want to retire.   And then, last Saturday, one of our co-workers had a heart attack and died during a bicycle race here in Tucson.  He was only 54.  His office was next to mine although he traveled most of the time.  We just never know when it will happen.

Update on Jimmy-dog:
Last week, Jimmy-dog had his surgical consultation.  The surgeon was not convinced that removing the adrenal tumor would alleviate all of his symptoms.  He also evaluated his back and hind-end weakness and said that he seemed to be doing ok for now and he didn't recommend any treatment but referred me to the internal medicine vet.  So, on Friday, we went back and repeated Jimmy-dog's history to the Internist.  She did another ultrasound and said we should do the 8 hour adrenal test to rule out Cushing's because even though the 4 hour test came back negative, she still thought his symptoms pointed to Cushing's Syndrome.  I'm beginning to feel like I'm going in circles with these diagnoses.  The first surgical consultation recommended the same course of action, the 8 hour test, and I am wondering why my vet didn't follow up with it.  She must have been convinced that surgery was the answer.  It would have saved me $450 for two more opinions and another ultrasound.  Anyway, I'm going to schedule the 8 hour test for January because the next few weeks are too busy and it's another $400.  If that test comes back positive, hopefully, Jimmy-dog will react well to the medication.  If not, surgery will be back on the table but I really don't want to do that.

And, thank you to the reader who suggested buying an egg-crate orthopedic mattress topper to use as a dog bed for Jimmy-Dog.  I found a queen-sized one at Walmart for $20, folded it twice and wrapped it in a large flannel sheet.  It is plenty big for him to stretch out and provides a comfortable sleeping spot while being much cheaper than a conventional dog bed of equal size.  Great idea!  Luckily, I don't have any dogs who shred dog beds.  They only destroy squeaky toys.

In other news, my mother is in California for the next few weeks and she seems to be having a good time so far.  She will be back here before Christmas and then will have to decide if she wants to stay in AZ or move to CA permanently.  My nephew came down with a cold last Friday and stayed home from school yesterday (Monday).  It was only one day but in my head I always over-react.  What if he misses too much school?  There is a 9 absence limit and then classes have to be re-taken.  What if it turns in to pneumonia and lasts for weeks with doctor visits and medications?  What if he's faking it?  What if he gets behind on school work and his grades fall?  What if he gets sick next year at college and doesn't know what to do?   Calm down.  He went to school today and has the next 5 days off to rest and catch up on any homework.  I have been trying to educate him on when to take cold medicine and when to go to the doctor, the difference between viral and bacterial infections, the importance of fluids, etc...  He doesn't like to take any medicine but I want him back in school asap.  Graduation is only 6 months away and we are going to make it!