Update on Linus...

So I just spoke with the Veterinarian who performed Linus's surgery today. Apparently it was not an abscess on his gum, but a tumor of some sort. He removed it as well as that tooth because the tumor had grown through and above the tooth into the interior of his mouth.

He recommended sending off the tumor to a Pathologist so he can identify the type of tumor. He said it is either a benign Epuli or malignant Squamous Cell Carcinoma (skin cancer). Both of which can return, but obviously the malignant type would be most worrisome as it can spread quite quickly

Of course, I googled both.

The only treatment for the malignant option would be removal of surrounding jaw bone and tissue then testing to insure the margins are clean. Radiation is not effective in this type.

Treatment for the Epulis is similar, removal of surrounding teeth, tissue and bone along with radiation is recommended.

I'm not sure what the turnaround time is for the pathology, I will find out when I pick him up.

So....while I'm sure the surgery will leave Linus feeling better once he heals up I'm concerned about what this is and what we will need to do for him. For 13 years old he still has so much energy and spunk, granted his endurance is not what it was but he still loves to chase his squeaky toy, go for walks, and ride in the car.

I'm not one to borrow trouble so I won't spend too much time worrying....yeah right!
:(

***UPDATE***

The results of the histopathology report should be back within a week.

Linus has spent the evening somewhat groggy and not quite himself. He keeps nodding off with his head held up, then startles himself when he realizes he fell asleep. He did eat some soft food and has been drinking water.

I took Baby for a walk/run and Linus was with it enough to stare at the door after we left...so he's a bit bummed about missing a walk but I didn't think the heat or activity would be good for him just yet.

Hopefully a full night's rest will help get him back to his old self!

My 13 year old pup!

IMG_0476f - Linus
Originally uploaded by dehmystic

Today I dropped Linus off at the vet's office for a checkup, shots, and to have an abscessed tooth removed. This will be his 4th tooth to be removed! Do they make doggy dentures? At this rate he may need them!

He was so excited to go for a car ride, that I felt bad ending up at the vet's office. I hope they take good care of him!

So how many of you have nicknames for your animals? I mean my dog's name is Linus, but we call him everything from Linusocilies Triangle, Linosaurus Rex, L-dog, Play-dog, Furry F%$*, Fur-o-saurus and so on.

Our other dog, Baby, is also known as Baby-Saurus, Baby-Saurus-Rex, Needy-girl, Baby-girl, Girly-girl, Tasmania-DevilDog, LabRatTerrier, Baby-pup and so on.

Comment on this post with your Pet's pet names!

Poor, poor pitiful you!

Here's a photo of Baby looking pitifully sweet over the arm of my chair.

Natural Medicine Talk Health Forum

Today I got a link to the Natural Medicine Talk Health Forum. This forum is geared toward people interested in posting questions and information regarding natural medicine. NatMedTalk.com contains postings that review and discuss various health topics of the day.

Whether it be the results of a new study on the health benefits of supplements or natural remedies NatMedTalk.com covers it by providing a forum for posting various topics..

The site includes a variety of forums such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Cancer, Heart Health, Dentistry, Vision, Diabetes, Diseases and Alternative Therapies.

Many of the NatMedTalk.com member postings also include links to other health sites where you can delve even deeper into the detail of a particular topic. NatMedTalk.com is not a bad site to check out if you’re interested in learning about alternative therapies for what is ailing you.

Cheesy pic

Ok all, so the pic I used in the prior post did not meet DH's standards. So he created an alternate for me to use. Check it out:



So I guess the next post I have about a financial topic, I'll use this picture.

If you want to check out more of DH's artful shots, just head over to his Flickr page. Post a comment if you see something that you like! He loves feedback!

Spend less than you make...DUH!

Okay, so keeping in the theme of interspersing this blog with financial tidbits here's another one. I found this link on Simple Dollar (again) but this time it is to another financial blog called Saving for Serenity. This article is called Spend Less than you Earn and at first I was thinking, well duh! Then I considered it a bit more and after reading the article it is not just about the simple act of not spending all of your money it is truly about being conscious to the fact that every thing you do IS A CHOICE. We choose to overspend or we choose to save. We choose to buy a new car or we choose to repair our old one. We (and by we I mean YOU) have the power to make better financial decisions. The big question is why don't we always do so?

Salad so nice, I had it twice!

food0011_NI
Originally uploaded by dehmystic

So here is last night's dinner. Another spring mix salad with dried cranberries, goat cheese, almonds and a couple of cherries and some tiny toasts on the side. Oh and raspberry dressing.

Another difference is that I had DH professionally photograph it first. Beware of looking at it too long as you might drool on your keyboard!

Dinner Tonight

Spring mix salad with cranberries, goat cheese, almonds and a
raspberry vinegarette dressing. Plus a few pita chips on the side.
Yummmmm!

Brew Art

daily0099_NI
Originally uploaded by dehmystic

So my talented DH took this photo of Killian's Irish Red Beer in our kitchen (turned temporary photo studio). We'd finished dinner of italian chicken tenders with pea pods and grape tomatoes, Kashi fiesta 7 grain mixed with corn, beans, and peppers, and croissant rolls. Something I just whipped up from what I had on hand. Tip: Italian dressing can season just about ANYTHING. I use it on chicken, potatoes, veggies, pasta, rice...

Anyhow, DH decided to "have" a Killian's beer and offered me one which I gladly took him up on. No wonder I finished mine first, his was busy at the photo shoot! I do have to say, this photo does make it look pretty!

I can relate...

I just read this post on The Simple Dollar blog.

I say I can relate due to many reasons:

#1 I've been under a ton of debt before and it sucks the life out of you.
#2 I've felt aimless and goal-less at times.
#3 I've thought about goals and not moved in any direction to obtain them.
#4 I've sought out joy in joyless tasks.

Lately though, I've realized that I am finally feeling more positive, more calm.

#1 We're making progress toward our (attainable) goal of eliminating debt.
#2 I feel that I'm closer to identifying my true goals and I'm taking steps (even small ones count) toward those goals; writing on the blog more, exercising, etc.
#3 I'm able to include happy tasks into my life; walking the dogs, cooking a meal, etc. and enjoy them instead of viewing them as chores.

I think the point of Trent's post is to show that if you aimlessly muddle through life then nothing you want will ever get done, nothing will be meaningful and you'll just wonder why. However, if you CHOSE to make a change then you can change your life. One small change may be all that it takes.

We had a class in college called Managerial Readings, and in that class we covered a book called The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. One of the most personally empowering things I learned from that book was to simply ASK for what you want. You can't assume that people will step up and give you what you need. How do they even know? Are they psychic? I can personally attest that this simple tool worked for me. I simply asked for something at work and it happened with minimal effort, cajoling, etc.

I CHOSE to ASK. That, quite simply, made all the difference. Just one small change in the way I approached the situation was all that it took.

What change can you make today?

Healthy Fellow Blog

So today I surfed on over to the Healthy Fellow Blog. This health blog is written by a self proclaimed natural health critic. Healthy Fellow contains postings that review and discuss various health topics of the day. Whether it be the results of a new study on the health benefits of coffee or natural remedies for high blood pressure the Healthy Fellow covers it in a concise format and includes useful links to relevant articles on the site. The site includes a useful tag link list as well which makes it easy to find articles on topics as diverse as Fish Oil, Ginger Green Tea, or Probiotics. The Healthy Fellow articles also include links to other health sites where you can delve even deeper into the detail of a particular topic. All in all, The Healthy Fellow is not a bad site to add to your daily blog roll.

What the $&@!@?????

Giant Obama Head

Spotted this in the parking lot of a Super 8 in Eureka, Missouri. This giant head (and shoulders) were headed to (or from?) Presidents Park in Black Hills, South Dakota.

Red Pill Studio Celebration of Song

We went to The Sheldon Concert Hall tonight to attend Red Pill Studio's Celebration of Song event. Four songwriters performed: Javier Mendoza, R. Scott Brian, Amy Petty, and Levin Bilchik. It was like a songwriters in the round performance. Really cool!

Baby's new "friend"

Got a dog walk in before the rain and came upon this feathered friend
that Baby tried to eat! Luckily a little prodding from me and it flew
away.

Something Kurtis says...

Ed is kinda corny.

Spackle the Crack

So I spotted this advertisement on a blog and it just "cracked" me up:




http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/specialty-shops/longtail-ts-longtail-shirts/t-shirts/long-t-shirts.aspx?src=PRWVC

Debt Free?

So, as I've mentioned before one of my favorite financial blog sites is Simple Dollar. I've been reading it for over a year now and through that site I've found a few other notable personal finance blogs. One of which is called No Credit Needed - Debt Reduction Rocks.

Since we've made it our goal to become less debt laden (dare we say debt free?) we've taken steps to pay off our auto debt early and just recently wiped out the last of our credit card debt. We've established an emergency fund and began saving in earnest for specific goals (new car for DH, etc.)

I know some of my blog readers may be wrestling with the same financial demons that we have had to deal with so here's a link to some basic steps to take if you're trying to get out of debt:

http://www.ncnblog.com/2009/05/05/a-10-step-outline-of-our-financial-plan/

We have a few more goals in mind as well like maxing out our retirement savings options as well as setting up a vacation fund. I think it's important to make saving for the fun stuff a part of your financial plan!