I went today to the allergist to have my allergy testing done. After sitting there for about an hour of testing the results were in....no allergies....<minor allergy to dust>....Highlights of Conversation with Dr. Houser:
SCH is crazy...He was speechless that they didn't know that there was a cough drop in my mouth. He was very perplexed when he saw my CT results and was really worried about what the scan had shown. Thankfully, my dentist, Dr. Yerkey, was intelligent enough to suggest a gum/cough drop in my mouth (according to Houser). He told me that the x-ray/MRI office located in the same plaza as his office encourages you to have something in your mouth, if you're feeling anxious...WHAT?!...Overall he was very thankful that the situation didn't stem further...me too.
I'm still a little nerved about the radiologist would also suggest that I have my sinuses "cleaned out" by an ENT on staff at the hospital. Ummm...excuse me but my ordering physician is the one who calls the shots. I've already had several dates with an ENT and have had No results. Then there's always the test results..my sinuses WERE CLEAR!! Yes please let me schedule a surgery....<imagine that scenario....MAJOR MELTDOWN>....
The end result is that I have chronic sinus infections. No big deal, he said that I'm allowed to have one per quarter....that makes me laugh out loud...but if I have more frequent infections then I have to go see him. He prescribed a new nasal spray that I can use when I'm more symptomatic...as right now...I can't hear correctly out of my left ear.....Bill said that the volume level on the tv has been getting louder. But that's up for debate...Is it really my sinuses or could it be...A screaming parrot in my ear...hmmm....Challenging question!!!
Thank you to everyone for the prayers over the great cough drop debate. I'm also very thankful to hear that I wasn't allergic to my feathered children. I was dreading the thought of shots, but you know I would be driving to Boardman weekly and paying a weekly copay just for a houseful of spoiled birds!!!
**Coming soon....We leave for Lake Erie in two weeks...My parents are bird-sitting....I'm not ready for this as I've been with them EVERY night since they came home....Bill has been on the road 2-3 nights/week but that doesn't mean anything either. He always talks to them before bed....Uncle Nick Nick met the parrots too....I'm afraid that he's going to get a serious injury, Rockie doesn't take well to Fuzz jumping at his cage.....
It is reassuring to know that I don't have to worry about boarding the birds. Both set of grandparents are bird sitting during vacations and I couldn't be more thankful. I knew I would have it bad, but this a maternal thing....Even poor Syta gets spoiled as I call cleaning her fish bowl....Cage cleaning...Uniformity in this house!!!
Love from the Nest!
I'm signing this blog because right now the parrots have "pepper breath"...Little did I know that parrots LOVE anything hot....bring on the jalapenos.....
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Three Winged Circus
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of events, hence the title three "winged" circus.
First event-the great "cough drop" debate. I've been having chronic sinus infections that have been treated with in doctor terms "bazooka antibiotics." I saw my brilliant allergist who shipped me off to have the dreaded CT. Much to my delight, my primary care physician has a Cat Scan in their office. Of course they wouldn't allow me to have the ct done there as my order physician was my allergist...not part of the doctor complex. This meant I had to go to the dreaded hospital for my ct...dry heaving as I write about it. As many of you know, I have an extreme phobia of hospitals. I scheduled my ct scan for 7:30 in the morning and warned the department that I was coming loaded with Xanax and antibacterial accessories. Fast forward to the next day, I get a phone call from the allergist stating that they found a "mass" in my mouth and that I needed to contact my dentist or oral surgeon right away. Instant Meltdown....Fast Forward again to the dentist visit..With the support of my faithful husband, we braved the maze of the hospital to get my ct films and went to see my dentist. Much to my surprise, he can't find the "mass" in my mouth and being the wonderful guy that he is, he called the head of radiology to try and figure out what was going on. The dentist asked me if I had gum or anything in my mouth the morning of the scan....<deer in the headlight look>...I couldn't remember what I wore that day let alone what was in my mouth. I was fortunate enough to remind them that I had a nose ring. After much discussion with the radiologist, the magic/dreaded word came out of his mouth....Rescan....WHAT?!!! So the next day I was contacted by the hospital, who was more than accommodating with my work schedule. They were sure to make sure that I didn't have anything in my mouth this time. I even was to wait on the ct table while the head of radiology came to read my scans...Surprise, there's no mass...I did have a cough drop in my mouth...How embarrassed am I....The radiologist was apologetic for my undue stress, and saying his staff should have reminded me....It's not their fault by any means, these things happen and they were so wonderful about the incident...But you know I was the discussion at the water cooler...."you know that crazy girl who came in last week, well boy was she a trip..." I'm just so thankful that I didn't have a mass and that we could laugh about the event..However, allergy testing is next week....I'm getting to be a pro at this stuff...5 sinus ct's under my belt and 4th time for allergy testing....my luck I'll be allergic to cough drops...I'll never live that one down.
Second Event-CiCi loses her tail feathers. My poor baby parakeet looks like she's lost part of her body. Of course it was the day that I found out that there wasn't a mass and was over the moon, but very run down from all the stress and anxiety. Bill was out for the night, so I spent a little bit of time with the birds in the living room. The parrots were on top of their cage while the keets were taking turns playing cause and effect...flying of the cage, yelling at each other, and all the other things the "rodeo clowns" do. I was getting all the birds rounded up because I was afraid I would fall asleep and wake with bird poop everywhere. Poor CiCi was trying to get back to her cage when I slipped and found her under my foot. I was so scared that I had killed her but to my surprise she was still alive, but the poor baby was losing her feathers as each second went by. I scooped her up and took her over to the sink to asses the damage. Her entire back is naked of all her tail feathers. I called Bill and sobbed once again on the phone....Thankfully she's still the same happy bird minus some feathers. Somewhere, my name has fallen onto the "wall of shame"
Third event-Trip to the Vet for the parrots. I'm proud to report that they are healthy a few modifications to diets and exercise are needed, but for being parrot parents for only two months, we've earned the seal of approval from the vet. We return in ONE YEAR for another wellness check-up. Both Big Girl and Rockie were champs. Of course I'm sure we embarrassed them as Mom and Dad coming walking in with their "yellow and blue" blankies to match their colors..yellow crowned, blue fronted. I also had a diaper bag of baby wipes, bottled water, our hand towels because the scent of home may comfort them, treats, food....All for just one little trip to the vet. Spoiled brats!
Thankfully this two week span has come to an end and I'm so excited to lay my head down on my pillow and try to catch up on the lost hours of sleep I've had over the past two weeks. Many prayers were sent up for me and my family and I'm so thankful for a wonderful support system, even though it was a cough drop, the time in between was a nightmare. CiCi losing her feathers was tragic for me, but she's still showing the other keets that it doesn't take a tail to keep her from moving around...And I'm so very relieved to find out that the parrots are doing so well and are HEALTHY!!!
New topic for discussion at our house is to microchip the parrots......Due to religious beliefs Bill and I are indifferent.....
Good Night from the Anthony Nest!!!
disclaimer-drool spots are to be disregarded as the author is falling asleep as she's typing....
First event-the great "cough drop" debate. I've been having chronic sinus infections that have been treated with in doctor terms "bazooka antibiotics." I saw my brilliant allergist who shipped me off to have the dreaded CT. Much to my delight, my primary care physician has a Cat Scan in their office. Of course they wouldn't allow me to have the ct done there as my order physician was my allergist...not part of the doctor complex. This meant I had to go to the dreaded hospital for my ct...dry heaving as I write about it. As many of you know, I have an extreme phobia of hospitals. I scheduled my ct scan for 7:30 in the morning and warned the department that I was coming loaded with Xanax and antibacterial accessories. Fast forward to the next day, I get a phone call from the allergist stating that they found a "mass" in my mouth and that I needed to contact my dentist or oral surgeon right away. Instant Meltdown....Fast Forward again to the dentist visit..With the support of my faithful husband, we braved the maze of the hospital to get my ct films and went to see my dentist. Much to my surprise, he can't find the "mass" in my mouth and being the wonderful guy that he is, he called the head of radiology to try and figure out what was going on. The dentist asked me if I had gum or anything in my mouth the morning of the scan....<deer in the headlight look>...I couldn't remember what I wore that day let alone what was in my mouth. I was fortunate enough to remind them that I had a nose ring. After much discussion with the radiologist, the magic/dreaded word came out of his mouth....Rescan....WHAT?!!! So the next day I was contacted by the hospital, who was more than accommodating with my work schedule. They were sure to make sure that I didn't have anything in my mouth this time. I even was to wait on the ct table while the head of radiology came to read my scans...Surprise, there's no mass...I did have a cough drop in my mouth...How embarrassed am I....The radiologist was apologetic for my undue stress, and saying his staff should have reminded me....It's not their fault by any means, these things happen and they were so wonderful about the incident...But you know I was the discussion at the water cooler...."you know that crazy girl who came in last week, well boy was she a trip..." I'm just so thankful that I didn't have a mass and that we could laugh about the event..However, allergy testing is next week....I'm getting to be a pro at this stuff...5 sinus ct's under my belt and 4th time for allergy testing....my luck I'll be allergic to cough drops...I'll never live that one down.
Second Event-CiCi loses her tail feathers. My poor baby parakeet looks like she's lost part of her body. Of course it was the day that I found out that there wasn't a mass and was over the moon, but very run down from all the stress and anxiety. Bill was out for the night, so I spent a little bit of time with the birds in the living room. The parrots were on top of their cage while the keets were taking turns playing cause and effect...flying of the cage, yelling at each other, and all the other things the "rodeo clowns" do. I was getting all the birds rounded up because I was afraid I would fall asleep and wake with bird poop everywhere. Poor CiCi was trying to get back to her cage when I slipped and found her under my foot. I was so scared that I had killed her but to my surprise she was still alive, but the poor baby was losing her feathers as each second went by. I scooped her up and took her over to the sink to asses the damage. Her entire back is naked of all her tail feathers. I called Bill and sobbed once again on the phone....Thankfully she's still the same happy bird minus some feathers. Somewhere, my name has fallen onto the "wall of shame"
Third event-Trip to the Vet for the parrots. I'm proud to report that they are healthy a few modifications to diets and exercise are needed, but for being parrot parents for only two months, we've earned the seal of approval from the vet. We return in ONE YEAR for another wellness check-up. Both Big Girl and Rockie were champs. Of course I'm sure we embarrassed them as Mom and Dad coming walking in with their "yellow and blue" blankies to match their colors..yellow crowned, blue fronted. I also had a diaper bag of baby wipes, bottled water, our hand towels because the scent of home may comfort them, treats, food....All for just one little trip to the vet. Spoiled brats!
Thankfully this two week span has come to an end and I'm so excited to lay my head down on my pillow and try to catch up on the lost hours of sleep I've had over the past two weeks. Many prayers were sent up for me and my family and I'm so thankful for a wonderful support system, even though it was a cough drop, the time in between was a nightmare. CiCi losing her feathers was tragic for me, but she's still showing the other keets that it doesn't take a tail to keep her from moving around...And I'm so very relieved to find out that the parrots are doing so well and are HEALTHY!!!
New topic for discussion at our house is to microchip the parrots......Due to religious beliefs Bill and I are indifferent.....
Good Night from the Anthony Nest!!!
disclaimer-drool spots are to be disregarded as the author is falling asleep as she's typing....
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Squak All about it.....
Dad's become a writer.....Check it out...
http://www.thegroundhogchronicles.blogspot.com
http://www.thegroundhogchronicles.blogspot.com
I'll teach them...
Anytime we want Big Girl to do something cute, like walk down the hallway to her cage, she leaves a little "surprise" for us. Watch where you step when you come to our house, you never know when/where she's gone bombs away. Usually we watch for "poopzilla" to strike, but tonight I was caught off guard. Normally Bill is on guard, but boy did he miss a pile. My normal nightly routine is to run the sweeper around their cages etc. Well I was using the hose with attachments and sucked up a pile of green goo...I screamed and started dry heaving at the same time. Bill ran over with the wipes and started working on the mess and started gagging himself. Needless to say, my $500 dyson has now seen the likes of Parrot Poop.
Her official Indian name is "Big Poop"
Excuse me while I hop online and starting buying stock in Clorox wipes....
Her official Indian name is "Big Poop"
Excuse me while I hop online and starting buying stock in Clorox wipes....
Friday, April 6, 2012
Therapy Bird....
As many of you know, Rockie, our blue-fronted Amazon, is 20 years old and was considered to be a "mean" bird. We didn't have any intentions of buying two parrots, but after much time (5 minutes) of the pet owner making us a deal, he was ours. I wasn't sure about this bird, but when I leaned down to the cage to make eye contact with this bird...He met my eyes!! I knew from the way that he looked at me that he was supposed to be ours, I wasn't sure of the reason at that time.
These are the facts that we knew about this bird.
1. He was a breeder (they are trained to be mean)
2. His breed (Amazon).
3. He hardly ever gets out of his cage
4. His diet- which consists of seed.
5. He lived in a cage with ancient toys.
6. He needed a new cage because the old one looked like he was cage trailer trash.
7. They didn't know if he talked.
Views from his old cage:
Facts about this bird AFTER he came home
1. He has a new cage.
2. The old cage and toys went in the garbage or for scrap parts!!!
3. His wings have been clipped-the most horrible job I've seen.
4. He's horribly afraid of towels....hmm...makes you wonder. Towels are usually encouraged to help reduce stress in your bird...NOT this bird!!! (Big Girl either, the keets do fine as we've had them since they were babies).
5. He has learned to play, this bird is soooo smart, We constantly have to change his toys as he gets bored easily
6. He isn't so much the "m" word as was told to us (we don't use the word mean)
7. Positive reinforcement is the key to this bird...."your such a good boy, you're fine...."
8. Desensitization is working well. We've been able to successfully get him out of his cage. We started the first month by letting him out his cage daily and allowing him to go in and out as he pleased. You've seen previous pictures of him at the table etc.
9. We have a vet visit coming up and I'm curious what else were going to find out!!!!
10. His locating call for Bill and I is ironically "hello".....
11. He and his sister Big Girl imitate the Cockatoo Benny they lived with.
12. This bird has finally learned how to "preen" himself...His skin and feathers are so sensitive because he didn't know how to take care of them....No one taught him.
13. We've progressively changed his diet from all seed to mixing more pellet as it's much healthier for him.
The biggest accomplishment came over the past week. He's really bonded to me because I believe that God sent this bird to me because we both have mental health issues. He's truly my therapy bird. He's learned to give me kisses....He actually lets me pick him up....hands around his entire body and lets me flip him over. He's snuggles up to me like he knows that's my mommy!!! Don't be fooled...my hands are still accessorized with bandaids!!!
Here are a few pictures of him right before he went to bed last night....
Notice the new toys :)
His feathers are getting so much better!!! This is the area I'm working on with him!!!
Gee...who likes the camera?!?!
Okay I'm mom, I'm ready for bed!!!
Video of the two cockatoos we own..Ha Ha...
These picture was taken just a little while ago when I had him out of his cage for the first time without the assistance of Bill...
We continue to make progress each day with him!!!
Jasper proofing my blog.....
The keets giving their input....
Little do the keets know that today just wasn't only bath day, it's clip wings/nails day.....They won't be happy..
These are the facts that we knew about this bird.
1. He was a breeder (they are trained to be mean)
2. His breed (Amazon).
3. He hardly ever gets out of his cage
4. His diet- which consists of seed.
5. He lived in a cage with ancient toys.
6. He needed a new cage because the old one looked like he was cage trailer trash.
7. They didn't know if he talked.
Views from his old cage:
Facts about this bird AFTER he came home
1. He has a new cage.
2. The old cage and toys went in the garbage or for scrap parts!!!
3. His wings have been clipped-the most horrible job I've seen.
4. He's horribly afraid of towels....hmm...makes you wonder. Towels are usually encouraged to help reduce stress in your bird...NOT this bird!!! (Big Girl either, the keets do fine as we've had them since they were babies).
5. He has learned to play, this bird is soooo smart, We constantly have to change his toys as he gets bored easily
6. He isn't so much the "m" word as was told to us (we don't use the word mean)
7. Positive reinforcement is the key to this bird...."your such a good boy, you're fine...."
8. Desensitization is working well. We've been able to successfully get him out of his cage. We started the first month by letting him out his cage daily and allowing him to go in and out as he pleased. You've seen previous pictures of him at the table etc.
9. We have a vet visit coming up and I'm curious what else were going to find out!!!!
10. His locating call for Bill and I is ironically "hello".....
11. He and his sister Big Girl imitate the Cockatoo Benny they lived with.
12. This bird has finally learned how to "preen" himself...His skin and feathers are so sensitive because he didn't know how to take care of them....No one taught him.
13. We've progressively changed his diet from all seed to mixing more pellet as it's much healthier for him.
The biggest accomplishment came over the past week. He's really bonded to me because I believe that God sent this bird to me because we both have mental health issues. He's truly my therapy bird. He's learned to give me kisses....He actually lets me pick him up....hands around his entire body and lets me flip him over. He's snuggles up to me like he knows that's my mommy!!! Don't be fooled...my hands are still accessorized with bandaids!!!
Here are a few pictures of him right before he went to bed last night....
Notice the new toys :)
His feathers are getting so much better!!! This is the area I'm working on with him!!!
Gee...who likes the camera?!?!
Okay I'm mom, I'm ready for bed!!!
Video of the two cockatoos we own..Ha Ha...
These picture was taken just a little while ago when I had him out of his cage for the first time without the assistance of Bill...
We continue to make progress each day with him!!!
Jasper proofing my blog.....
The keets giving their input....
Little do the keets know that today just wasn't only bath day, it's clip wings/nails day.....They won't be happy..
Sunday, April 1, 2012
And Supper is Ready.....
Just a little photo shoot of the Flock baking biscuits with Bill....
Recipe:
1. Package of Biscuits
2. Mixing bowl and cooking utensils
3. Preheated oven
4. Cookie Sheet
**Secret Ingredient....One Stupid Human that thinks the birds are actually helping <aka Bill>**
Pictures from the cooking class......
So during the cooking class, Mom slipped the parrots an Avicake....Syta is checking out Bill's Iphone....The keets are being the keets....
So from the Anthony kitchen.....
Squawk, chirp....BELCH...
Rockie, Big Girl, Kyle, CiCi, Jasper, JiJi, and Syta.....
Recipe:
1. Package of Biscuits
2. Mixing bowl and cooking utensils
3. Preheated oven
4. Cookie Sheet
**Secret Ingredient....One Stupid Human that thinks the birds are actually helping <aka Bill>**
Pictures from the cooking class......
So during the cooking class, Mom slipped the parrots an Avicake....Syta is checking out Bill's Iphone....The keets are being the keets....
So from the Anthony kitchen.....
Squawk, chirp....BELCH...
Rockie, Big Girl, Kyle, CiCi, Jasper, JiJi, and Syta.....
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