We're Baaaaaaack!

"Woo! Wait until you hear what happened to Mom and us!"

Wow...it feels good to be back. We've been unexpectedly away for a few weeks due to health reasons, both me and three of my FiveSibes. I am not sure how many of my dear readers know that I was diagnosed with degenerative Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Fibromyalgia (FM) about six years ago now. Learning to adjust life to an auto-immune disease is something I am still trying to do. My head says "hey, let's do this and this and this..." while my body says, "um, nope." I always looked, and still do, to my Gibson for inspiration, who lived with Canine Epilepsy for most of  his life. He was truly amazing and as many of you know, he dealt bravely with many side effects of his medications, such as weak hind issues and lethargy. These issues are not much different from some of the issues I deal with on a daily basis having RA and FM. 

I think of my sweet, brave furagnel Gibson all the time, and push on, just like he did. I can hear his woos. He always loved to talk. I can see him in his lift harness, with his stability brace on, big ol' Husky smile wooing "Come on, Mom. You can do it. I wuv you!" Many days I have what is referred to as a flare, which means I am pretty much sidelined by one or more of the symptoms, including pain, exhaustion, and muscle weakness, and what they call "Fibro fog," where your energy is just so zapped, you cannot think about things. I'm choosing to go the naturopathic route and not take the strong medications they want me on. There are just too many unknowns, including the big "c." No thanks. I'll take my chances going a different, more holistic route. This past month, I was hit with a few flares and had no choice but to put many things, including my writing, on hold while I upped my physical therapy, supplements, treatments, and rest periods. 

Wolf stayed right by my side all through my flare.

For now, I'm back on an upswing, but never really know for sure when a flare will strike. So I'm using my time to get back to blogging and writing! I miss all of our Blogville pals! A lot has happened for the past several months here, some I briefly touch on over on my FiveSibes Facebook community page, that I need to write a few posts here to catch everyone up on!

First up - three of my four Huskies are recuperating from being sick themselves. A mystery ailment. One day, Harley started vomiting and having diarrhea, getting worse over the next day so much so that she wound up barfing up what appeared to be buckets of water! Then Chloe and Bandit began with the big "d".... talk about scared! I never in all my 12 years of having these FiveSibes ever had more than one Husky sick at a time, let alone three! And from what? My vet paid us a house call to give them all full exams, and the testing began. Giardia. Negative. Worms. Negative. Bloodwork taken, with most results coming back negative so far. (Thank God!) We are now on to urinalysis. The Sibes were placed on antibiotics and anti-diarrhea medication, with Harley getting a shot to help with her vomiting until we could figure out what in the heck was going on.

Wolf worried about his pack family and kept an eye on them.

Thankfully, the pups started to rebound after the medication kicked in, and they are now feeling themselves and back to almost eating normal (Harely's appetite is still not quite fully back).

And then last night, a Husky Conference took place...

And this happened...Husky play! A sure sign they are feeling back to their healthy selves! What a happy sight to see!

But, the mystery has not been solved. No new food or treats. Nothing tossed in the yard. No catching of wild critters. No new any thing. However, it is spring, and did a neighbor spray their yard? All of my neighbors have dogs. I know Mother Nature has things blossoming, but there are no shrubs or plants or flowers in my yard. I made sure it is all dog-friendly. While we do have a giant maple tree that has been dropping "helicopters" that Chloe and Bandit think are treats raining from the heavens, they have eaten them in years past and been just fine. Maybe they ate too many? But, Harley does not eat them, and she was the sickest. And Wolf does not eat them either, but he did not get any symptoms. So what did the three come in contact with that made them sick? My pups share beds, water buckets, and my house. Such a puzzling mystery. I have come to realize that if the urinalysis come back negative also (and I sure hope it does), I may never have any answers. I just pray they never get sick like that again! 

So, hopefully, the FiveSibes and I can stay healthy and #LiveGibStrong for a long time to come! And it really is good to be back "home" to Blogville! 

Here's to a Happy & Healthy "Wordy" Wednesday!