What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

[Shalista]

Had he met her before, Shalista? Was he fine with her before?

yes but he was mostly distracted by kirby when he mugged her for snuggles previously (you know, the whole, "I'm cuddling your hooman and theres nothing you can do to stop me" )

but bax is good with strangers 90% of the time. what i wanted was to see how hed react to her coming up ALONE. and the answer was not good

[Lotsaquestions]

Well he saw a cat the following day (albeit at a distance). Still focussed, but he came away when I said 'leave it' and got a treat. Normally he would be 'GRRRRRR CAT!' no matter the distance. So unless he didn't notice it was a cat it did seem to change his behaviour. I won't be doing it again though, poor thing.

[JudyN]

See how well trained Jasper is?



He's really not keen on this muggy weather. I know that sun can be his nemesis but it's been quite grey here for a while and much of the time he seems a bit out of sorts - on walks he often looks like he's lost a shilling and found sixpence. Still, he enjoyed our 4-mile walk this morning - which took about 2 hours because of all the meandering, sniffing, stopping to chat and, of course, obeying the road signs

[ZaraD]

See how well trained Jasper is?



He's really not keen on this muggy weather. I know that sun can be his nemesis but it's been quite grey here for a while and much of the time he seems a bit out of sorts - on walks he often looks like he's lost a shilling and found sixpence. Still, he enjoyed our 4-mile walk this morning - which took about 2 hours because of all the meandering, sniffing, stopping to chat and, of course, obeying the road signs

I feel how Jasper looks in that picture all the time, I'm just always tired with my condition but I keep going and stay positive .

He's a very beautiful dog , very elegant looking.

[JudyN]

Thank you! Though I wouldn't say that's one of his most elegant poses

It's great that you're staying positive. Having fibromyalgia, I tell myself that I can get to the end of the day with a feeling of having earnt a good long sit-down and veg on the sofa without actually having done that much. My friends have to do a whole shedload of housework to get to the same state!

[ZaraD]

Thank you! Though I wouldn't say that's one of his most elegant poses

It's great that you're staying positive. Having fibromyalgia, I tell myself that I can get to the end of the day with a feeling of having earnt a good long sit-down and veg on the sofa without actually having done that much. My friends have to do a whole shedload of housework to get to the same state!

My mom has fibromyalgia too, she's in a lot of all the time, I help her all the time so it eases her pain, she's waiting to see pain management as none of the meds the doctor has tried work.

[JudyN]

I'm sorry to hear that, Zara My aches and pains are pretty low level - my shoulders are sore at the mo but then I have been gardening. It's not always easy to find a balance between staying comfortable and enjoying yourself. I've been on amitriptylene for years now which works for me, but I'm sure her doc will have tried her on that or something similar.

Aromatherapy massage has helped too, but even gentle massage can be too much for many with fibro.

Oh, I've just thought - I started taking Menopace Plus for menopausal symptoms and not only did it help with those, it made me feel better all round. You can take it regardless of life stage (or even gender - after checking with them my son tried it for his ME/CFS, and though it didn't help him, he didn't grow boobs or anything ). It's really just a general supplement, so she might want to give it a try - after checking with the doc of course, in case she's on anything that could contraindicate it.

[ZaraD]

I'm sorry to hear that, Zara My aches and pains are pretty low level - my shoulders are sore at the mo but then I have been gardening. It's not always easy to find a balance between staying comfortable and enjoying yourself. I've been on amitriptylene for years now which works for me, but I'm sure her doc will have tried her on that or something similar.

Aromatherapy massage has helped too, but even gentle massage can be too much for many with fibro.

Oh, I've just thought - I started taking Menopace Plus for menopausal symptoms and not only did it help with those, it made me feel better all round. You can take it regardless of life stage (or even gender - after checking with them my son tried it for his ME/CFS, and though it didn't help him, he didn't grow boobs or anything ). It's really just a general supplement, so she might want to give it a try - after checking with the doc of course, in case she's on anything that could contraindicate it.

Thanks Judy I'll keep that in mind when she sees her GP again to check, she's always rooting in her chair as she can never get comfty , she can't even dress herself or wash herself anymore as she has it really bad even just raising her arm hurts so bad, that's why she moved in with me so I can care for her. It's an awful condition her GP said it affects people differently from mild to severe.

[Lotsaquestions]

Fibro is such a horrible thing to have. My dad has CFS which is similar but leans towards the exhaustion side rather than the pain. Wish they would hurry up and figure out a) the exact cause and b) a cure!

I agree with Jasper, that is the best way to deal with this horrible heat. Wish it would go away, but looks like it is here to stay through the summer.

I have bought some sensitive skin baby bubble bath in the hopes Merlin will have fun splashing around in his paddling pools in it, keeping him cool. At the moment he is just moving from room to room panting. We take him out and he can barely manage the end of the road before turning into Mr Panty Waddles. He's fine when we get to the river, but getting to the river has proved difficult. It wouldn't be so bad if the humidity wasn't nearly 80%!! Where has the wind gone?!

[JudyN]

Mr Panty Waddles Silly question, but why the bubble bath? Is it so you can kill two birds at once - cool him down and bath him at the same time?

I think it's hotter where you are than down here - it's just 19c here today. First J said he'd rather play in the garden instead of having an afternoon walk - though occasionally he's just stand there with a ball in his mouth and when I threw another he didn't let go of the first so it just hit him on the head and dropped to the ground Then I offered him a walk and we got halfway through the subway a stone's throw from the house, he stopped and thought for a few mins, and then told me he wanted to go home.

Zara, gentle hugs to your mum Boy do I know the difficulty of finding a comfy chair, and then faffing about with different cushions and whatnot. It's like being the Princess with the Pea, just a millimetre away from perfect and you simply can't settle. I do realise how lucky I am to have it so mildly though - a lot of people my age have all sorts of issues like arthritis, dodgy knees and so on and put up with much more than me (and moan about it less ). Structurally, I'm in very good working order - 'very little wear and tear' as a rheumatologist once told me

[ZaraD]

Mr Panty Waddles Silly question, but why the bubble bath? Is it so you can kill two birds at once - cool him down and bath him at the same time?

I think it's hotter where you are than down here - it's just 19c here today. First J said he'd rather play in the garden instead of having an afternoon walk - though occasionally he's just stand there with a ball in his mouth and when I threw another he didn't let go of the first so it just hit him on the head and dropped to the ground Then I offered him a walk and we got halfway through the subway a stone's throw from the house, he stopped and thought for a few mins, and then told me he wanted to go home.

Zara, gentle hugs to your mum Boy do I know the difficulty of finding a comfy chair, and then faffing about with different cushions and whatnot. It's like being the Princess with the Pea, just a millimetre away from perfect and you simply can't settle. I do realise how lucky I am to have it so mildly though - a lot of people my age have all sorts of issues like arthritis, dodgy knees and so on and put up with much more than me (and moan about it less ). Structurally, I'm in very good working order - 'very little wear and tear' as a rheumatologist once told me

Maybe it's because Jasper keeps you fit, I know my tow keep me way more fitter than before I became an owner, before I was a couch potato , now I feel like wonder woman

[JudyN]

Yep - I'm much better than I was before I got him. And he's a distraction, as well. With fibro, you can be OK when your mind is on something other than your body, but once you haven't got that distraction, you tend to notice your brain telling you about each and every sensation, a bit like static when you're tuned between radio stations. As an example, when I'm quietly sat in my work chair I have to undo my bra and as soon as I settle down on the sofa in the evening it comes off. But if we have friends round or go out for a meal, I'm quite comfy with it done up. Which is just as well really

So it's a vicious circle really - if you can't get out and do things, you're far more aware of all the sensations that your brain is telling you are pain even when there's nothing (much) wrong in the body, which makes you feel worse, which can lead to you getting worse and being able to do less... and so on.

Pilates can be a good form of exercise for fibro - it can literally just involve lying on the floor and sliding your legs up and down, once you've learnt how to make sure you're using the right muscles - but again, this is something your mum would need to discuss with her doc and the pain clinic.

[Shalista]

not to toot my own horn but PT is frequently recommended for fibro. i did aqua therapy with a woman who had it and she said it helped alot.

[JudyN]

I used to do aqua aerobics It was good, but... all that getting changed, struggling into my Speedo (lots of bouncing that needed to be controlled ), then getting dry, showered, dressed and sorting my hair was more tiring than the actual session.

[ZaraD]

I used to do aqua aerobics It was good, but... all that getting changed, struggling into my Speedo (lots of bouncing that needed to be controlled ), then getting dry, showered, dressed and sorting my hair was more tiring than the actual session.

That's exactly why it would be no use to her she'd be tired before the session even begins ,

I'm hoping someone can help me , my mom just came running to me ( I was in the garden playing with Sampson and Lara) and was in a right state , I said whats the matter she said that she just had a phone call from a woman saying she had joined up to something (mom said she forgot what she said she sighed up to) mom told her that she hasn't signed up to anything as she's in the support on ESA and then the woman said oh right I'll cancel you out.

But mom said she can't remember who she said she was from , and it's got her worried now that it's a spammer and that they knew her name and now they know she's in the support group so is worried if they might steal her identity.

I'm not sure they can use her identity if all they know is her name and that she's on ESA? I looked the number up on Google but can't find anything on who the number is only that it's Liverpool based. They already knew her name and they said her first name then last name. So I'm not sure a spammer would now her name , it's a landline number starts with 0151

What do you think as she's in a frantic state with worry.