College Take 5

I have a feeling that those interested in reading my posts are going to be in luck this semester, since I would much rather write here and I have a lot of papers to put off!  As you may have gathered I am back in school!

Since my last post, I have quit my job, packed up my life and moved away.  I left beautiful cool Colorado for probably the closest thing to hell on earth (or at least in the United States), Phoenix Arizona.  I actually do like Phoenix quite a bit it is just rough for now as the summer finishes off, then I'll be down here swimming outside in December while my Colorado peeps are living in a slightly colder hell of their own.  This is my first time to experience the Phoenix heat and well yeah... its hot.  I am literally drenched when I go places more often than not and tend to stay inside most of the time. The necessity of trips to the store are questioned more and Pepper is adjusting to her new very limited (twice a day) access to the outdoors.  Other than that the heat isn't too bad and on occasion, after being thoroughly chilled by the lovely and necessary AC, I have been seen sitting at an outside table enjoying a fry or 2 (or 1000, freshmen 15 here I come!)

Pepper is settling in though I don't think she is a huge fan of school life.  I think she misses her freedom and her buddy, my parents dog, Walter.  However she is easily the most popular creature on this campus and would give even the most famous celebrity a run for their money.  I am simply the invisible and irrelevant person who holds the other end of the leash, plus I give her food.  Actually today I came home to discover I am not really needed for that either.  She had jumped up on my shelf, pulled down the bin that holds her food, pulled open the lid and helped herself to breakfast and then some!

The biggest shock of all to me is the amount of damage my brain seems to have had over the years.  It is just not what it used to be.  I can imagine this is how a person who goes back to school in late adulthood feels, only I'm 23 not 43.  I am hoping it improves as I get further and further out from chemo but I have heard that my anti-rejection medication has the same effect so I am guessing the memory loss is here to stay.

I have also found that I am pretty much done with school.  There is a reason why most people only go for four years.  The worst part is that I still have no idea what it is I really want to do after, at least job wise, and so I lack real motivation to get my schooling done and the idea of quitting seems kind of appealing.  Any job ideas?  Keep in mind I am immunocompromised, so things like pediatric ER doctor are kinda out.

School stuff aside my latest mission is to find myself some more friends and to expand my Arizonian social circle.  Of course finding a boy would not hurt either.  I am after all 23 and I have been single my entire life! Yes I know that is slightly shocking.  I am however currently taking applications in this department and decided to add to Pepper's skill set to run up to guys on command and lick them or something to initiate a conversation!  Ok all joking aside I really do need to make some more friends and am thinking about starting a gaming (board, cards, etc.) on campus.

Alright enough procrastination for one day.  I've got a paper to write (yes already!)

These two hooligans chillin' in a box while I unpack

My room

More of my room and Pepper's perch

Pepper's new favorite

Tangled Adventures!

Hi blogollowers!
Its been awhile since my last post.  Sorry about that.
I have decided to stay home from school again this semester.  Don't worry my health is good still!  I made this decision because of my service dog, Pepper.  She needs more training to help her be the best she can be and I felt that staying home would be the best decision for her.  This way I am able to give her more attention through this training phase then I would at school with my busy schedule.  I plan to return in the fall, though given all the turns my path has been taking who knows if this will really happen!  

While I am home I am hoping to finally get a job!  While I wait (and probably even while I am working)  I have started an Etsy shop!  I have been wanting to do this for quite sometime.  As many of you may know I am a huge crafter.  I guess when you have spent most of your life sick and unable to do active things, you develop more sedentary hobbies.  For me this was crafting.  I can knit, crochet (yes they are different), bead and sew and all of these crafts will make an appearance in my shop.  My shop is a way for me to earn a little money and have something to do with all my projects, without getting on the hoarders show! Stop by and check out what I have for sale, also tell your friends!
  
Check out my shop here or by going to https://www.etsy.com/shop/tangledadventureshop 

Pepper!

As promised here is the story about what I have been up to lately!

This all started last January when I came across a site that advertised diabetic alert dogs.  I am thinking I was doing some sort of search on service dogs but I can't really remember.  Anyway, I knew that this would be a perfect thing for me.  I really love dogs and have been wanting on for, well... forever, and my diabetes has gotten very dangerous since my transplant.  Dangerous because as I have mentioned in previous posts (see here)  I don't notice when I get low until I am super low, which could lead to me passing out.  If no one is around when this happens I could die because I don't get sugar to my body soon enough.  At the time I did't know about continuous glucose monitors.  The dog seemed like the best solution.  Unfortunately these dogs can run many many thousands of dollars, in fact a low priced dog is around 20,000.  YIKES!!!!  After learning the cost I moved on realizing that this life saving pal was beyond my reach.

Enter October:
I began searching again for a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD).  This time I came across some information about how you can train your own, which greatly reduces the cost!!!!  What this meant for me: I could actually afford one!  Although I had gotten my CGM (check my blood sugar and warns me when it is going low)  I was finding I still had lows that went unnoticed for a long time.  My alarm might go off, but I would either sleep through it or not hear it.  It was then that I realized that a dog would help me live independently which is what I have been wanting to do.  I began looking for a dog to begin training and came across my little Pepper!

She was the last dog left from a litter of Aussiedoodles (australian shepherd poodle mix) and best of all she was being tested for her service dog (specifically a DAD) potential.  How perfect!  One thing lead to another.  The papers were signed and Pepper became mine!

I picked her up the day after learning my fate.  She is awesome!  Very well behaved and learns quickly.  She is super sweet and loves to snuggle.  I am enjoying the training and am so glad that a service dog was a possibility for me!

What is a DAD?

A diabetic alert dog is a dog that can smell the changes in blood sugar a person goes through.  They are trained to give an alert to the handler when their (the person's) blood sugar either rises too high or drops too low.  These dogs can also be trained to do additional tasks ranging from getting juice for a low to alerting others of the danger.  What is awesome about these dogs is that they often pick up on the blood sugar change 15 minutes or more before it is picked up on the monitor.  This allows the person to deal with their blood sugar and fix it before it becomes a problem.  In my case Pepper will be able to alert me to a low, much earlier than I would feel it, preventing my sugar level from getting low enough to be dangerous!