**Julie**

boogerbearoriginal

How'd it go wtih the Dr. the other day? Do you feel better about whatever you've decided? If you don't want to share, or would prefer to PM me that's cool.

BTW - if you ever want to walk the dogs together let me know. We've been good about taking him everyday at least once but it'd be fun to have company.

Julz629

Right now, we're tracking my blood pressure to see any patterns.  I have a digital machine and I am taking my blood pressure throughout the day and keeping track of it.  I've only been tracking it for 5 days, but it seems that it starts out relatively normal in the morning (usually about 125/85) and works its way up throughout the day, sometimes up to about 160/100 by the time I go to bed.  I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks and he'll take a look at my numbers and then we'll decide what to do.  One thing he may want to try is taking me off of my birth control for and tracking it for a couple weeks like that to see if that has an impact.  We also did all the other tests -- an EKG which was normal, and blood work and urinalysis which we are still waiting for the results of. 

We also still need to address the BC issue but this is more pressing for the time being.  I usually see my primary care physician for my annual exams, but he referred me to a new OBGYN because he wanted her to be involved, too.  First of all, I had other questions about wanting to switch to a non-hormone based BC and he wanted me to discuss that with her.  Also, in case we need to medicate for high blood pressure, he wants her opinion since a lot of blood pressure meds can be problematic for women who are pregnant.  Since we plan on having kids in the next couple years, he doesn't want to prescribe me something that I will have to stop taking when I get pregnant. 

So basically, nothing right now...  Just tracking my blood pressure.  And I had to warn my co-workers so they don't think I'm crazy when they hear the pump thing when I take my blood pressure during the day.

As for dog walking, I am definitely up for it!  I am on morning duty with our dog and I take him for a walk every morning before work and Andy takes him out when he gets home.  But we also take him for a 3rd walk a lot of nights, especially if it's a nice night.  Our dog can be a little crazy and the more we take him out, the calmer he is.  Is Bingo trained?  Are things going well with him.

Thanks for checking in!

boogerbearoriginal

Glad to hear you're working on things with the Dr. Hopefully you get all your questions answered. I know the pill can increase your BP so if its good that you're exploring your options.

AM dog walking probably won't work.  I leave for work pretty early, usually about 7:15 am, so I typically get up with only enough time to let him out, feed our furry family members and get ready for work. I could try to get up earlier, but I don't see that happening lol

Bingo is fairly well-trained. On the nights I have class he's a bit more crazy simply because he's been alone for longer, but he's pretty good on the leash. He has met a few other dogs, my sisters, Dan's parents, and he got along with them. He's very easy-going and friendly. And up to date on his shots. Other than liking to chew up my shoes when we leave him alone he's been really well behaved.

Julz629

No worries about the morning walk -- I am not a morning person either so I am usually rushing out the door at 7:50 to take him for a 15 minute walk and then I leave immediately after.  But sometimes I take him for another walk in the evening and of course the weekends are always free game.

Do you leave Bingo out when you leave home?  We close both the pocket doors and keep Jackson in the kitchen.  When we're home, he has free rein of the house, but I just don't trust him all day.  I would have to make sure every shoe was put away, remote controls were out of reach, etc. etc. etc. so it's just easier to leave him in the kitchen.  He has a bed, bones, and water in there so he's fine.

It must be nice to have a bulk of the training done.  Jackson was not a very good puppy and it was frustrating.  He was a big biter, horrible in the cars, got into EVERYTHING, and liked to chew the rugs.  He's so much better now.  As cute as they are as puppies, I really don't miss that phase.  It was so bad that I would seriously consider getting a grown dog next time around.

What nights do you have class?  Let me know when you're around.  I am around most evenings, unless I am at the gym.  And the next couple weekends are relatively not crazy (yet anyway).  Did you plan on going to the GTG this weekend?

boogerbearoriginal

We leave him out - but most days he's only home alone about 3 hours. He will chew things if we leave them around - like shoes - but he leaves most stuff alone.

One of the big reasons we decided to rescue an adult was because we knew it would be difficult for us to dedicate the time it takes to train a puppy. But he's only a year so he's still got a lot of puppy in him! Rescuing can be a really positive experience, like we've had, but there are also people who ended up with dogs with serious issues. I suppose that's true if you get a puppy too. Puppies are really cute but it was nice to be able to bring him home and have him already housebroken.

Any how - I have class on Mon/Wed except next week I don't have class Wed and my final is the 18th. I won't be at the GTG I have a lot of homework and stuff to work on around the house. We're still not completely unpacked.