Silverlining wrote:Alysson...couple of comments....good for you on the adoption! You're certainly experienced in dog therapy. I think it's a tossup between addressing emotional dog issues and physical dog issues...all of the above stresses me out because I love my fur babies SOOOO much. I think you guys are doing a very thorough job of analyzing the situation from all angles and I feel you will make the best decision for all concerned. This summer, we're going on a 7 week West Coast vaca and have made the decision to leave my 7 yr old aussie at home with my son moving in during that time. We're taking my 2 yr old dachshund. The aussie doesn't travel well and is neurotic (the doxie is a travel champ, as long as he gets food, he could care less about anything in life lol). But my aussie will have separation anxiety, which just breaks my heart
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Silver, thanks for your comments. I hadn't thought of it being a toss up between emotional vs. physical issues with dogs, but I see that now.
Yesterday, I got a reassuring email from the rescue's medical coordinator. She wrote: "Layla came through that [heartworm] treatment beautifully, and tested negative for heartworm infection at her most recent annual exam in late March of this year. It is also true that she will undoubted have some permanent scarring in her pulmonary artery and (perhaps) other organs from the previous infection. However, she’s 'functionally' normal, meaning that she can romp and run hard without any signs of reduced heart or lung function. This has been my experience with other dogs after heartworm treatment, too. In 10+ years of volunteering with GSRA and watching quite a few dogs go through heartworm treatment, I have never seen one go on to live other than a completely normal life."
Of course, she concluded that there are no guarantees about a dog's health and that we should talk to our vet about our concerns. Apparently, heartworm infestations are very common in the southeast.
So we will meet Layla tomorrow after my 1st appointment with a functional medicine MD. If she appears to us to be functionally healthy, we'll probably move forward with a two-week trial period. But we'll sleep on it and not make a decision that day.
Ultimately, I'm sure it's best that you not take your aussie on that 7 week trip, given his/her issues. Still, I know that heartbreak you're talking about. But do have a fabulous time on your trip regardless. My husband and I have done one and two month camping trips in our VW van across the country. We have so many incredible memories and plan to do more traveling like that in the future.
My latest fasting insulin level is 1.9, fasting glucose 91 and A1c 5.5...and this with occasional exogenous insulin use, low carb most days and exercise to lower higher spikes...sigh...it's an ongoing battle..
It sounds to me like you are managing this issue fairly well, considering. Our bodies can be so demanding of us.
My Hashimotos was diagnosed 20 years ago from a routine TSH test. I was referred to endocrinology and had very high antibodies. I've taken generic synthroid ever since. My antibodies are gone now and like you, I'm on a high level (150mcg) levothyroxine for my size. My doc says my thyroid is mostly dead now due to the antibodies attack? I've always questioned the idea that you can diet your way out of hashimotos...but I've never given that a run...
Some people (certainly not most) can go into remission from Hashimoto's after going gluten free and not need to take meds anymore, but my understanding is that it would need to happen early on. Twenty years later, it's probably too late to get off the meds because the antibodies do destroy the thyroid gland over time.
I follow Izabella Wentz, PharmD, a pharmacist who developed Hashimoto's and then went into remission after finding her root causes. She did a ton of research into root causes and has written an excellent book that I recommend titled
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. For example, infections (such as from yersinia) are a major root cause of Hashimoto's.
Have you ever had an ultrasound of your thyroid? We should have them periodically to rule out thyroid cancer because we are at higher risk for it. I had my first one last year. The endocrinologist said I had no nodules or anything suspicious looking but that my thyroid is small due to the disease process.
I don't know if you'd be interested in the free online Healing Hashimoto's Summit from June 13-20, 2016. I've signed up. I figure I might learn something useful. I think part of the reason I'm on such a high dose of meds is that my body isn't converting T4 to T3 very well. Maybe I'll get some ideas about that. Here's the URL:
http://healinghashimotossummit.com
ApoE 4/4 - When I was in 7th grade, my fellow students in history class called me "The Brain" because I had such a memory for detail. I excelled at memorization and aced tests. This childhood memory helps me cope!