Spiriva 1, Me 0

[susandennis]

Spiriva is an expensive inhaler that I use to keep me breathing in spite of my Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ). I used to take it plus 2 others. I managed to eliminate the 2 others and I've felt so good for months - breathing like a champ - that I thought maybe I could at least reduce the Spiriva. I have 3 months worth on hand but to get to January (when the insurance renews and starts paying again) will mean another $340.

I take 2 pulls on the inhaler every morning. I tried doing it every other morning and tried one pull a morning. Neither worked well. Nothing disastrous but I can tell when climb stairs or first wake up or first start swimming. I really like breathing like a champ. Turns out I like it at least $340 worth so I refilled the prescription this morning.

I'm glad I tried cutting back. It's nice to know and a good reminder of how good I have it right now. Six months ago I thought I'd never breath like this again. So I'm grateful for Spiriva and grateful I can afford it and glad I can get it.

Since the day I brought her home 5 and a half years ago, Zoey has had a bowl full of dry kitty kibble in exactly the same spot. She is served her wet cat food on the counter in a corner but the dry is always there on the floor just outside the kitchen. About a week or so ago she stopped eating the dry. Meanwhile she was eating all the wet food I would give her and demanding more.

So yesterday I got a different kind of dry. I let her sniff it and she seemed interested until I put it into the bowl. She ignored it. So I got a smaller bowl and filled it up and set it next to her wet food bowl. "Oh boy!! kibble!!!!" She at so much so fast that, of course, she then threw it all up. But, now is back to munching now and again. So now, she has her own dining area. Wet food, dry food and her water glass (she does not like water from a bowl, only a water glass), in a special section of the kitchen counter. It's sure easier for me but what a freakin' princess. Next thing you know, she'll be bitching about a pea under her mattress.

Yesterday when I was setting up the new computer and packing up the old stuff, I also rearranged some plugs and ports and power strips and now I can easily charge up both my watch and my swim music player at the same time without having the living room look like an extension cord warehouse. So yeah!

I'm not sure what's on today's planner. I think I might make a new pocketbook maybe. I have 17 minutes of my current (audio) book to finish. I might do that. I have a good new one queued up. It's going to be another hot one outside so I'll be inside.

Comments

[hopefulspirit.livejournal.com]

It's great you only have to take Spiriva now instead of that along with two others. Medication can be so expensive.

Zoey is hilarious. LOL

Sue from London

[(Anonymous)]

I was told recently a cat's instinct is not to drink anything if it's near their food. Something to do with the possibility of contamination .
I do enjoy reading about your life every day Susan. Take care oh and i wish you wouldn't refer to yourself as old ! I am 64 and we hopefully have a lot of living to do. XXX

RE: Sue from London

[susandennis]

Hi Sue. I have heard that about cats and drinking water, too but Zoey says that's a bunch of hooey.

If you want to live long, please do. To each her own.

[galebird.livejournal.com]

My cat will drink from anything that stands still and holds water so his dumb ass didn't get the memo either. In fact, he'll share the dog's water bowl with her! The dog things the cat's a strange smelly puppy with sharp edges and doesn't mind sharing thankfully.

Also I like hearing about Zoey's food adventures because this new to me cat seems to have similar attitudes. It makes me feel he's a lot more normal than he may seem to my inexperienced eyes.

[susandennis]

I think cats get points from the cat union for being cats BUT I think they get more points for fucking with you any way they can.

[maju01.livejournal.com]

Our cats also seem to prefer drinking from a glass rather than a bowl. Weird.

[susandennis]

yep weird.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

jwg has told me about a cat he lived with before I knew him who liked to drink coffee, preferably out of a cup being used by a human. (Apparently she did it by dipping a paw into the cup and licking it.)

[susandennis]

Do not tell Zoey, please.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

I'm going on the assumption that you don't let her see your LJ.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Praise the Lord for the NHS - £3.85 for each item on a prescription here on the small island - my GP writes each of mine for 2 months at a time so two months worth of your inhaler would cost you around $5.00... If you are over 65 it would be free.

One of our cats would only drink from a small, ornamental, battery operated fountain in the living room. Another preferred the water left out in the yard for the birds.

[susandennis]

I could totally afford $0.

I once got Zoey an adorable kitty water fountain. She refused to have anything to do with it. Her first choice is my water glass. But, she's also fine with her own.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Tegi m(y daughter's cat) has a kitty fountain. She is not impressed, but does get some amusement from pushing it around the floor as far as the cable allows!

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

We are constantly having to tweak how Misty is fed because she has so little interest in food (very odd in our household of food-obsessives)

[susandennis]

I used to think that I'll leave the food out there and if she eats it great, if not, her tough luck. Now, of course, I toss the food she hates and buy more of what I hope she likes. And hate myself for it.