I've been having widespread pain for a while now, but my right elbow is really killing me. I am definitely right-handed but I need to start learning to do certain things with my left hand because my right elbow just hurts too much. It's hard to brush my hair with my right hand. I normally sit at the right end of my couch and keep my mouse on the arm of the couch beside me. And beside the couch is an end table where I keep a drink. But using the mouse hurts my elbow. They probably make a mouse shaped for a left hand, don't they? And often now it is very difficult to lift a glass from the end table with my right arm. I might have to rearrange my living room so I can sit on the other end of the couch and easily pick up my drink with my left arm.
Other things that are painful or difficult to do with my right arm include opening my car door, carrying things, pouring a glass of milk, getting wet clothes out of the washing machine, and scrubbing my carpet where the cat peed.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Pooping in Alignment with the Earth's Magnetic Field?
Yes, according to this article, researchers have discovered dogs tend to align themselves with the earth's magnetic field when they go potty. After watching 70 dogs poop a grand total of 1,893 times, they determined that dogs prefer to align themselves in a north-south position for eliminating.
So after I read that article, I paid attention to Isaac when he went potty for the rest of the day. He peed three times, all aligned in an east-west position. However, he pooped once and did position himself north-south for that.
I told him he was peeing incorrectly but he did not seem concerned.
So after I read that article, I paid attention to Isaac when he went potty for the rest of the day. He peed three times, all aligned in an east-west position. However, he pooped once and did position himself north-south for that.
I told him he was peeing incorrectly but he did not seem concerned.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Prong Collars
When I got Isaac from his trainer, I also got three collars - two regular collars and one prong collar.
If you're not familiar with prong collars, they are metal collars that have little prongs, sort of pointy metal pieces, that go against the dog's neck. They are sometimes used when training dogs because you can easily correct a dog that is wearing one by tugging on the leash. That's because if you tug kind of hard, it causes pain to the dog. If a prong collar is too tight or if it's not used correctly, it can really hurt a dog. It can make sores on the dog's neck. It can really hurt.
That's not how they are supposed to be used, though. And that is certainly not how it has been used on Isaac.
Before I decided to apply for a dog from Isaac's program, I talked to the trainer. One of the questions I asked her was what kind of collar she used with the dogs she trained. She told me she occasionally used a prong collar and went on to explain when and why she would use one.
She said occasionally she used one with a dog that pulled a lot when walking on a leash because it's fairly self-correcting. If it's uncomfortable to pull on the leash, the dog won't do it. And as long as the collar fits properly, the dog won't be injured by a prong collar used in this way. The dog controls how much pull is put on the collar.
She said she also sometimes uses one when working with a handler that has little arm strength. The prong collar allows the handler to control the dog with much softer movements and it's much easier to deal with pulling and to keep the dog from taking off after a cat or squirrel.
I used Isaac's prong collar very briefly after I got him, then put it away. I didn't think I needed it.
Over the past year, my back has gotten much worse. When I first got Isaac, I would try to hold onto the leash when he tried to take off after a cat or deer. A few times he got away from me anyway, but many times, I was able to keep hold of the leash. These days, I can't. And Isaac has figured that out. I've been having more trouble lately with him taking off when he sees something or someone he wants to chase or greet. He doesn't do it when he's working but he does it when we go for walks or just in the lobby of my building. It's becoming a big problem. I think he's doing it because he gets away with it but if I try to hold onto the leash when he tried to bolt, it triggers such incredibly painful spasms in my back that it makes me cry. I've tried to just hold on anyway and ignore the pain, but it's the kind of pain you cannot just ignore.
Today I decided to dig out Isaac's prong collar. I only put it on him when we were going outside. I took it off as soon as we came back in.
I watched him very carefully while using it to make sure it wasn't causing him discomfort. What I noticed is that he was much, much less likely to try to jump up on neighbors in the hallway or in the elevator. A couple of my neighbors commented on the change in his behavior, too. I'm glad they noticed it, but on the other hand, that shows you what a problem it had become, that they would notice this and see it as a big change.
He never looked uncomfortable. His tail was wagging away the whole time. He just wasn't jumping on people or pulling on the leash.
It actually allowed me to be very gentle with him. Instead of holding the leash really tight and pulling on it myself when a neighbor walked by, I was able to hold the leash normally and Isaac decided not to pull. It meant taking Isaac out did not involve a wrestling match, which is what it sometimes feels like.
My plan is to keep using the prong collar for a while. I hope that at some point I can stop using it and he'll still behave like he's been behaving with it on, but for now I'm going to keep using it. I may decide not to use it when he's working, since I usually don't have trouble with him pulling or trying to change critters when he's working. I might just use it when we go out for a recreational walk. I was really happy with how well he did with it on today, though.
If you're not familiar with prong collars, they are metal collars that have little prongs, sort of pointy metal pieces, that go against the dog's neck. They are sometimes used when training dogs because you can easily correct a dog that is wearing one by tugging on the leash. That's because if you tug kind of hard, it causes pain to the dog. If a prong collar is too tight or if it's not used correctly, it can really hurt a dog. It can make sores on the dog's neck. It can really hurt.
That's not how they are supposed to be used, though. And that is certainly not how it has been used on Isaac.
Before I decided to apply for a dog from Isaac's program, I talked to the trainer. One of the questions I asked her was what kind of collar she used with the dogs she trained. She told me she occasionally used a prong collar and went on to explain when and why she would use one.
She said occasionally she used one with a dog that pulled a lot when walking on a leash because it's fairly self-correcting. If it's uncomfortable to pull on the leash, the dog won't do it. And as long as the collar fits properly, the dog won't be injured by a prong collar used in this way. The dog controls how much pull is put on the collar.
She said she also sometimes uses one when working with a handler that has little arm strength. The prong collar allows the handler to control the dog with much softer movements and it's much easier to deal with pulling and to keep the dog from taking off after a cat or squirrel.
I used Isaac's prong collar very briefly after I got him, then put it away. I didn't think I needed it.
Over the past year, my back has gotten much worse. When I first got Isaac, I would try to hold onto the leash when he tried to take off after a cat or deer. A few times he got away from me anyway, but many times, I was able to keep hold of the leash. These days, I can't. And Isaac has figured that out. I've been having more trouble lately with him taking off when he sees something or someone he wants to chase or greet. He doesn't do it when he's working but he does it when we go for walks or just in the lobby of my building. It's becoming a big problem. I think he's doing it because he gets away with it but if I try to hold onto the leash when he tried to bolt, it triggers such incredibly painful spasms in my back that it makes me cry. I've tried to just hold on anyway and ignore the pain, but it's the kind of pain you cannot just ignore.
Today I decided to dig out Isaac's prong collar. I only put it on him when we were going outside. I took it off as soon as we came back in.
I watched him very carefully while using it to make sure it wasn't causing him discomfort. What I noticed is that he was much, much less likely to try to jump up on neighbors in the hallway or in the elevator. A couple of my neighbors commented on the change in his behavior, too. I'm glad they noticed it, but on the other hand, that shows you what a problem it had become, that they would notice this and see it as a big change.
He never looked uncomfortable. His tail was wagging away the whole time. He just wasn't jumping on people or pulling on the leash.
It actually allowed me to be very gentle with him. Instead of holding the leash really tight and pulling on it myself when a neighbor walked by, I was able to hold the leash normally and Isaac decided not to pull. It meant taking Isaac out did not involve a wrestling match, which is what it sometimes feels like.
My plan is to keep using the prong collar for a while. I hope that at some point I can stop using it and he'll still behave like he's been behaving with it on, but for now I'm going to keep using it. I may decide not to use it when he's working, since I usually don't have trouble with him pulling or trying to change critters when he's working. I might just use it when we go out for a recreational walk. I was really happy with how well he did with it on today, though.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Taking Down the Tree
Last night I started taking the ornaments off my Christmas tree and today I packed them all away. I realized, though, that I didn't really want to take down the tree.
I have found that the lights on the tree provide just the right amount of light at night so I can sleep without having the overhead light on. Due to my PTSD, I often have trouble turning off all the lights at night. Even if I am feeling all right and am able to go to sleep with the lights off, if I have a nightmare and wake up in the dark, it's really scary for me. Isaac can get up and turn on a light for me if that happens, which helps. But most nights, I have to sleep with a light on.
The light makes it hard for me to fall asleep, though. I end up with my arm over my eyes or my pillow halfway over my face, because the light is too bright and it bothers me.
The lights on the tree have been perfect, though. I can turn off the overhead light and it's dim enough to sleep but there is enough light that my PTSD doesn't get triggered and I feel safe and there's no panic if I wake up in the middle of the night.
I think I need to get some sort of a small lamp that will provide about the same amount of light as my tree. I'll have to look for one. In the meantime, I decided to leave my tree up for a couple more days.
I have found that the lights on the tree provide just the right amount of light at night so I can sleep without having the overhead light on. Due to my PTSD, I often have trouble turning off all the lights at night. Even if I am feeling all right and am able to go to sleep with the lights off, if I have a nightmare and wake up in the dark, it's really scary for me. Isaac can get up and turn on a light for me if that happens, which helps. But most nights, I have to sleep with a light on.
The light makes it hard for me to fall asleep, though. I end up with my arm over my eyes or my pillow halfway over my face, because the light is too bright and it bothers me.
The lights on the tree have been perfect, though. I can turn off the overhead light and it's dim enough to sleep but there is enough light that my PTSD doesn't get triggered and I feel safe and there's no panic if I wake up in the middle of the night.
I think I need to get some sort of a small lamp that will provide about the same amount of light as my tree. I'll have to look for one. In the meantime, I decided to leave my tree up for a couple more days.
Financial Assistance for People with Disabilities
I wanted to provide links to a couple of articles about sources of financial assistance for people on disability.
Financial Assistance for People with Disabilities
Help for People Waiting for Social Security Disability Benefits
Finding some source of assistance while waiting for Social Security disability benefits is crucial because the process of getting disability from Social Security can take a long time. It generally takes three or four months from when you apply to get a decision, but only about 30% of people get approved the first time around. Most people have to appeal. It can take a year or more before you start receiving benefits.
I was really lucky when I had to stop working and applied for disability. It took only four months for me to get approved and I did not have to appeal. I was approved on the first try.
I also had a retirement fund that I was able to cash out. Because I was not at retirement age, I had to pay a penalty. I don't remember how much it was, maybe 10%? Also I had to pay taxes on it, so I did lose a good bit of it by taking the money out early, but if I hadn't had that, I would have been in serious trouble. I was able to live on that retirement fund money for the four months until I got my disability.
I talked to a lawyer that specialized in disability claims when I was applying and I asked him what people live on while they wait. He told me many of his clients ended up homeless, living in shelters or on the street, while they appealed denied claims for disability. That was really scary to me.
Financial Assistance for People with Disabilities
Help for People Waiting for Social Security Disability Benefits
Finding some source of assistance while waiting for Social Security disability benefits is crucial because the process of getting disability from Social Security can take a long time. It generally takes three or four months from when you apply to get a decision, but only about 30% of people get approved the first time around. Most people have to appeal. It can take a year or more before you start receiving benefits.
I was really lucky when I had to stop working and applied for disability. It took only four months for me to get approved and I did not have to appeal. I was approved on the first try.
I also had a retirement fund that I was able to cash out. Because I was not at retirement age, I had to pay a penalty. I don't remember how much it was, maybe 10%? Also I had to pay taxes on it, so I did lose a good bit of it by taking the money out early, but if I hadn't had that, I would have been in serious trouble. I was able to live on that retirement fund money for the four months until I got my disability.
I talked to a lawyer that specialized in disability claims when I was applying and I asked him what people live on while they wait. He told me many of his clients ended up homeless, living in shelters or on the street, while they appealed denied claims for disability. That was really scary to me.
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