EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Hi All! I have been keeping up with Wallace and all of you. I read the posts everyday.  I relive the trials and tribulations with all of you. I cry when you cry. I just don't say much anymore. 

I just needed some support. I am going to a plastic surgeon tomorrow to see about a place on my lip that has not healed up for months. I have already been to 3 doctors to get to where I need to go.  They will probably be doing a biopsy at some point.  The scary thing for me is I am a singer. I have done professional choir singing, taveled in musical shows, and in professional choirs. I been a music director at churches and substitute teach often for music.  I have been told that if this lip biopsy doesn't go exactly right that I could have nerve damage in my lip area and face. I don't know if I will be able to sing the same again if my lip won't work. I am asking that if you all have time to keep me in your thoughts.  Thanks.

Our little Hondo is doing great.  He is still a sassy thing and is just turning 6 months old.  I will try to post some new pics.

Hi Peri,

You can be sure that we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.  Take one thing at a time.  I once did a lot of singing when I was younger and I know how much a part of your life it is.  But don't let your thinking jump ahead.  Sometimes our minds work overtime and give us the scariest scenarios.  If you let us know the day of your biopsy, we can all join together and send you good energy and light --and I have an inordinate supply of candles here.  I will light several for you on that day.  Between the candles and the circle of good energy,  you will be surrounded  by  Light, warmth, and lots of company during the procedure. (Be careful, though.  If you start talking out loud to us, they might decided to test you for "other" conditions;))

So glad to hear little Hondo is doing well.   Send those pics.  And please join our discussions whenever you feel like you can.  You know you are always welcome.  Dutch earned you a lifetime membership.

Barb

Hi Peri,

Was glad to see you popped in, but am sorry to hear you have to have the biopsy.  I too am sending positive, healing energy your way.  Keep us posted and we will all certainly keep you in our throughts and prayers. 

sorry to hear you're having troubles - hoping all goes well with the biopsy

sending big hugs and manfred slurps

Oh I am so sorry to hear about your surgery, such a worrying time for you.

Please stay positive, my friend had similar on her bottom eye lid. She had to go under the knife twice as it was malignant. But her eye looks perfect, they did such a good job, there is no sign of a scar.

We will all be thinking about you.

Gillian xox

Peri,

Thanks for the update on Hondo. Would love to see some pictures of him.

Barb said it so well, better than I could, please do let us know the day and time and we will be sending prayers your way.

Hi Peri - glad you reached out for help - that is what we do here.   I will absolutely send you love and light that everything goes as it should.   I will be thinking of you today and lighting a candle so you may continue to sing and use the beautiful gift you have been given.  Please do let us know how it goes...lots of hugs and love coming your way.

Give that Hondo a hug from me and let him provide you with strength when times feel overwhelming - it's amazing how they can do just that...

Hi Peri.......I had a biopsy on my lip several years ago.  It's just a very small area.......but I understand your worry and concern.  While I don't sing, I worried myself sick about it.  Turned out, it was just fine.  Here is hoping the same outcome for you!

I went to the doctor today about my lip.  He looked at it and said he didn't know ,"what the hell this is".  He says it looks like someone took a chunk out of my lip.  I like down to earth honest doctors. if they don't know just say so.  He did examne it alot and decided to have me keep ointment on it and take a strong anti-viral medicine to see if it is a viral infection.  I go back in a week to see if it is better, if not they will excise it. He did say that a non-healing sore can turn cancerous. I don't have to be in the sun to get a lip cancer. So I won't know anything more until the medicine heals it or next week.  Thanks for all of the special thoughts.

Hondo is currently in "the dog house". He has ben tearing up newpapers and magazines while we are gone.  We have learned to put them all up but he got a hold of a construction diagram of some basement remodeling and tore it up.  Hondo's "Dad" is pretty angry.  Hondo is the most stubborn thing. He will not come when you call him unless he wants to, he picks on our sweet Lady until she bites him. She runs and hides from him. Last night I went in the basement and he had some how gotten the bag of Lawn food off of the workbench and tore it all up. We had lawn food everywhere in the basement.  He has the attention span of a gnat and is often quite as annoying.  Chuck told me today that he woke up at 4 am and cried he missed Dutch so much.  He in some ways wants Hondo to be Dutch but I tell him there will never be another Dutch.  We have to take Hondo as he is and work with him. Maybe Hondo is going through the terrible twos. 

Here are 2 pics of him. He thinks that he should play in the shower with you when you are in there. He shoves the curtain back like it is in the pic. He actually sometimes climbs in with you sometimes. He thinks the sprayer is like the hose outside so he will bite the water. Hope this is not too risque for you all.

Here he is in his typical sleeping position. He is in Lady's place behind the recliner. Taking over as usual. 

Hi Peri,

Sorry to hear about the lip issue, you will be in our prayers.  This groups prayers are pretty strong, so think positive.

It sounds like Hondo needs can therapy.   You need to get about a dozen empty soda cans.  Go to the dollar store and buy a couple of bags of marbles.  In each can put 11 marbles in it and use some duct tape to seal the hole.  Place the cans around the house.  When Hondo does something he shouldn't;  take a can and throw it at him, aim to hit him.  It may help if you yell "CAN" at him as you throw it.  It won't hurt him.  You want him to associate the word CAN and the can coming at him.  This is an item we learned from Dan Morris our dog trainer.  He was a K-9 instructor for 29 years in the Air Force in the U.S. & in Germany.  He said to set the dog up if he like to counter surf.  Take a treat and tie on a 12-18 inch fishing line on the other end tie it to the can.  When he takes the treat the can comes with it.  Just take a can and place it on the pile of paper or what ever and it will stand guard for you.  You would not believe how it works on Ayasha.  When she gets in that red zone and doesn't listen, that rattle of the can, will get her to duck and the ears are flat on her head and comes slinking back to me or Terry.  It took maybe 5-10 throws for her to learn.

Frank

Hey Peri - Hopefully the meds will help - I have been thinking of you all day today.   I love the honesty of your Dr...now just to figure out what it is...

LOL...I don't mean to laugh at what Hondo is doing, but yep...sounds very much like what goes on in our house - so I can totally appreciate the frustration.    Love the pic of him pushing the shower curtain back - "hey, is that for me?"   Jackie ate our town permit out of the window during some recent construction, I taped the pieces back up...LOL (all in all though we have been VERY lucky with what she has chewed based on my previous shepherd).   Jackie loves to steal the wet wash cloth from the shower after I am through and run through the house with it.  One day she stole my razor from the shower - I was in a panic trying to get it from her.  She will come when she is in the yard - but get her out in the open - no way - tonight I took her to a dog park, one end is a dog park the other is a field for baseball/soccer - well, she decided to run right through the soccer game - they were not happy but she would not come when I called her.    What I have found is that if you are going to leave the pup home for any period of time try to have him tired before you leave him - walk/run him - do whatever to tire him out so he doesn't get bored and rip the place apart.   I do have to say that has worked for us.  Either way the terrible 2's are def just that for some - so I hear you.  He is lucky he is so cute - hopefully your husband is not too hard on him for having some fun while you were gone.   I found these "treat balls" - you put food in them and they roll them around and the food falls out - gives them something to do so they don't get bored - well, at least for a while.

I hope he doesn't get sick from the lawn fertilizer - ugh on that one.   

Prayers are headed your way, Peri!

I recently had a basil cell carcenoma removed, and while it the "best" kind of skin cancer to have, it's still disturbing...

Frank - I have to say that is great info...I accidentally found out about using the "cans"...I bought a small bag of rocks to decorate a bird house I have and one day Jackie was barking and barking - I had the bag of rocks on the table and out of frustration I grabbed the bag and threw it in her direction (not at her just by her) - it scared the heck out of her and now I keep 2 bags handy at all time - all I have to do is say rocks and touch the bag and she backs up and stops barking...it really works!!

Peri,

Hondo is a little devil but isn't he only about 5 months old? He's a baby, just needs to learn what's appropriate. Have you considered crating him when you aren't home?

Ahhh Peri.... i am so sorry to hear about your lip.... i do hope it goes away and that all will be fine. I didn't know you wre a singer. I wish we could hear you. I love listening to folks singing. Please know that i am sending many, many healing thoguhts your way.

Regarding Hondo.... you made me laugh.....he is a pup and full of energy.... i swear they always get into trouble... and i swear also at that age until 1.5 or later... it seems that the males especially have what i call "selective hearing" 

He also sound like a very bright boy.   When he does inappropriate stuff.... use that to teach him games.... when you teach a dog mind games, especially the really smart ones... they not only like it... but all of a sudden they start really paying attention to you because they want to do more... in short they want a job.

Like when he pulls the shower curtain ... say something like "pull curtain" and tell him good boy... once you do this enough and you think he made the connection between the command and the action........ ask him to "pull "... if he does reward him ..... and then......take him else where and ask him to 'pull " (like maybe in your living room if you have curtains there)..... then.... (this is what i did with the pull command) tie a rag to a bottom drawer and ask him to "pull" that... if he does he will now be able to open draweres from you..... and you are only a step away from now teaching him to get you stuff from a drawer.

This is how i train my dogs... and they open drawers, doors, find all kinds of things for me in the house and bring it to me, they put stuff away... etc, etc... it is amazing.... and all i did was take a bad behavior put a word to it and channel it into something useful.

If he doesn't come when you call him.....call him once( stand where he has you in his line of sight) when he doesn't come..(which you know he won't ;)) turn around and YOU run away from him!  The curiosity of where you went will just kill him and he will seek you out. ..... at which point....when he comes to you (out of curiosity) then reward him heavily with treats. Do this again and again....and over a short period of time he should  want to come to you when you call.

Hi Peri,

I hope everything works out well for you.

Ahh, Puppy antics, aren't they just the best!

Good tip on getting Hondo to come back to you Olesia.   I've used a squeaky toy in my pocket and when they've run off, I walk away squeaking the toy, they just can't resist it.  Perhaps you may want to go back to using a long lead and when out in a park let him walk on ahead and turn around calling him, give him a tug to reinforce and when he comes give a high value treat.

They certainly keep you on your toes.