It begins again

Yeah... so it's been a long time since I've posted on here. Let's see... what's new since I last posted...

I've been working at the State for a little over a year now, in Education. The fiscal side. Man, it's hard to watch the lack of funds for our second most important thing in this country! (Healthcare being the first, of course!) But I like the work (most times) when I'm not being inundated with ridiculous amounts of it.

ALSO! And this is a big ALSO! We bought a house! Our first house!!!! Soooo happy with it. It's adorable, built in 1940, and the neighborhood is old and nice and pretty. A couple of bad elements down the street, but nothing Compton-ish... And Lola LOVES the backyard sooo much! Finally, she has her own yard to run around and PEE in! haha...

I've also tried a stint as a vegetarian for the last 3 months or so. I've been pretty good at it, but I'm not sure my body is so happy.

I've also been getting my health in line. Last year (around this time) I had surgery to remove a large cyst on my ovary, and they had to take the filopian tube. :( No fun, but it helped with a lot of the hip pain I was having. Apparantly it was like carrying around a small child and never being able to give birth. My hips were screaming!
This year, my endocrinologist helped me regulate my thyroid. I thought this would fix the 6-year-long problem I was having with my period (omitting gorey details here). My gynocologist even thought that would fix the problem, too! Alas, it was not to be! Still having the problem! So, my gyno said there was only 2-3 things it COULD be, so let's do an ultrasound. We did, and lo and behold, it was one of the three. The easiest to deal with (if not the cheapest). But it will be a quick fix (out-patient surgery, of a sort) scheduled near the end of this month. I cannot describe how excited I am for this to take place. It's like an amputee is going to get a new arm (given that THAT was the limb previously missing, ha). My relationship with my husband should improve in no small measure, as well! And I can SWIM! Goodness, that is exciting to me!

Yesterday, however, I was hit with some craptastic news. Well, my husband and me, both. We took our dog, Lola, to the vet to have a problem looked at. She had been going potty more frequently, especially in the house WHILE we were there, which just isn't like her. And we noticed her "trying" to go outside, but nothing would come out. Also, when we'd clean up the pee inside, it would be pink. Awww, poor Lola! What could be WRONG with her??? I was so worried!
So, the vet took a urine sample and sent it for a culture, and also took x-rays. I should mention, Lola had previously been put on a special diet for having crystals in her urine. Well, the vet said that when she took the sample this time, you could hear it crinkle like it was crunchy! Poor Lola has crystals again, AND a bladder infection, to boot. *sigh* Then the vet (who did NOT like to give bad news, poor lady) told us the x-rays showed that Lola has stones almost completely filling her bladder. Poor thing! (I can't say that enough, I feel SOOO bad for her!)

So, the diagnosis ALONE cost us $320, then we had to get antibiotics to get rid of the infection (another $30). The vet put Lola on a special diet again (same as last time) in hopes that the special food will help break up the stones and crystals. But she will have to be on that food for the rest of her life! Craptastic, what'd I tell ya??? That food is bloody expensive, as well, about $45 for a normal size bag (that size usually costs about $25-30).

AND, if the new diet and LOTS of water don't work, then she will have to have surgery to remove the stones. That could cost $1500-$2000. Woot.

Not that she's not TOTALLY worth it (we consider her our daughter!), but I don't know where we are going to get that kind of money. We're saving up for the house, so we can steal it from there, but that's limited. I just hope we don't have to do surgery because I want to be as un-invasive as possible.

So, monkeys, what's been going on with YOU these last few years?