desertranger Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 This is hard to write about but that's what happens when you're a type 'A' personality. You don't want to admit your weaknesses. I think mine may be having a negative effect on Jin. Let me explain. I suffer from PTSD and several painful physical conditions that can be quite severe. Mix those together and it's like lasing stick of dynamite when they go off at the same time. Most are old injuries, shoulder, back, hips, leg and ankle down the right side from the military and sports. Some of those were muscular injuries that never healed properly others bone held to gether with poates and screws that aren't flexible when the healed bone is. The rest is he result of aging, I'm 63; I have bursitis in the right hip and knees, arthritis in my right shoulder, arm and wrist and it's beginning to show up in my left shoulder and hip. I nice mix for an active person. That's alright. No sympathy please. As my doctors say I'm in good health, it's just that I'm rusting. I have been told dozens of times to reduce the intensity of my outdoor activities like sailing, hiking, rock and free climbing, reduce the load of my pack; now down to 20lbs from 35lbs. A few days ago it was mentioned that I may fail my physical endurance exam for SAR work this year. And the one that hurts the most, stop driving the Dirt Dawg, my home brewed wall climbing rock crushing Jeep. It's very hard on the body. Toss in the ADD and PTSD and my life can be a mess sometimes. This week there has been a series of storms with some wild barometric changes that has kept me in pain most of the week. About 1:00 this morning I woke screaming in pain I could barely move and felt I was on fire. The only solution is to get up and to do a series of excercises almnog with a very strong pain killer. I've not had this severe attack in several months. Worse was what it did to Jin. He ran terrified into the back yard and hid there. Judi had to carry him inside where he was shaky and breathing heavily from anxiety? fear? somethng else. When I came aroind I was horrified to see what happened. to him. I was finally able to get him into bed he still was breathing heavily way and it was difficult to get him to cuddle to tell him it was alright. That also left me in a deep depression, part of the PTSD. I woke up at 6:00 doing better but I'm now worried about Jin's state of mind. I can't have Jin running in fear every time I have a physical attack of that kind or enter a state driven byt the PTSD. That is something I have little control over. I can become almost incapacitated from either physically or mentally. Somehow I have to teach him he is not the target and I need his help. In the future I can see him retrieving the med kit that has my injectables' but last night that had to come from my wife. It took hours to calm Jin down and I'm not really sure I did or of what his mental condition is right now after last night nor how he sees me this morning. This bothers me greatly which could be the PTSD working on me or just my normal paranoia about Jin. At any rate I also have to work today so I'll check in later. Comments please. I'm out of time so this is uncorrected for grammar, spelling and sanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Can he just sleep in a crate somewhere away from where you sleep. Maybe cover his crate with a blanket so that he feels very secure. That way if you have an attack like that he would be far away and in his own safe area. That way you could take the time to get yourself together again without scaring him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medic4taz Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm sorry to hear all that has happened to both you and Jin. Jin I'm sure will recover -- he just needs some time and reassurance. As far as training goes - this may be a perfect opportunity to look into some formal obedience and look further into possibly trainign him as an assistance type dog. There are dogs out there for everything from siezures, blindness any many other disorders. Why couldn't Jin be taught about your condition and what to do in those emergencies. As intelligent as BC are it should be to hard, its just getting the proper education. How to find that - I'm not sure -- did a search through google for assistance dogs etc and training. There are several web sites, but nothing specific I can nail down as of yet. I will keep searching and if I find something I will forward it on. Best of luck and hope everyone feels better... =) Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hi DR,no weakness in that post; very courageous to share your situation because you care for Jin so much. I too feel Jin will recover from the event so don't add to stress by worrying too much about him. I gather that unfortunately pain may strike not only at night. I wonder if as time goes by Jin will sense this and get used to occasions when you need to show your pain. It seems awfully impersonal to write like this and believe me I don't mean to be.It is just the rotten situation you are in and how best to 'acclimatize' Jin to it. I am sure given the right guidance he will become a great help to you and make your bond even closer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcburniefarm Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 http://healthcarenews.com/article.asp?id=2071 German Shepherd is early warning system for boy with siezures My son has Fragile X Syndrome and Autsm, this was a link from my support group. Pirate has a role in our life he has already assumed: keep track of his "herd" bot David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 What about working with Jin to get him more comfortable with this type of episode? In Click to Calm, the author talks about training the dog to associate our signs of stress with positive reinforcement. This is opposite of the usual advice to people with aggressive or fearful dogs that they learn to be relaxed and not show signs of stress which is hard for most of us to follow when we're faced with stressful situations. Instead, you practice tensing up, tightening the leash, speaking in a higher, tenser voice, etc. All the things you might do when you encounter a trigger for your dog and using a clicker approach to help the dog learn to see those behaviors as a positive thing for him. Maybe this approach could be adapted for Jin to incrementally counter condition his response to your symptoms? It would take some work I'd think, but might be worth a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Nothing useful to add really, but I just wanted to say that it's the first time he's seen this happen, so of course it freaked him out. With some training, he'll get it and I'm sure, be quite the aid to you. Don't feel blue ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 First, sorry so hear about your struggle. I also agree that Jin will come to understand it. This disease is something out of your control. When you are feeling better( or the best you can) come up with a plan. Having plan in hand will give you comfort. Be it as simple as a command that Jin go play hide and seek - hiding in her crate. Focus on what you can do, not on what you cannot do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martySQ Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Ranger, Agreed...Life is hard, and sometimes it sucks. Jin will learn that is just part of what makes Ranger his man, and adapt. He'll learn to be there for you as you were for him. Remember, he is still pup, and it takes time to learn good people skills. He's a smart dog and will learn over time you aren't really a grizzly bear when you roar, and that your roar is a call for help. You just watch and see... Chin up good fella... Other than that, I'm usleless for info for yuo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted April 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 First I thank you all for concern about me. I shall be alright or whatever it is that passes for all right. Have to be, gotta big weekend coming up. It has gotten much worse in the last couple of years and Bas my last BC never saw it. Can he just sleep in a crate somewhere away from where you sleep. Maybe cover his crate with a blanket so that he feels very secure. That way if you have an attack like that he would be far away and in his own safe area. That way you could take the time to get yourself together again without scaring him. *talking to a 3 yr old* Yes Tommy, he can sleep in a crate. Milk, orange or apple? We don't have a crate for him. Believe it or not I've never had a crate for any of my dogs. He sleeps on the bed or at the foot of it. See? I am feeling better... it's them special drugz *evil laugh* What about working with Jin to get him more comfortable with this type of episode? In Click to Calm, the author talks about training the dog to associate our signs of stress with positive reinforcement. This is opposite of the usual advice to people with aggressive or fearful dogs that they learn to be relaxed and not show signs of stress which is hard for most of us to follow when we're faced with stressful situations. Instead, you practice tensing up, tightening the leash, speaking in a higher, tenser voice, etc. All the things you might do when you encounter a trigger for your dog and using a clicker approach to help the dog learn to see those behaviors as a positive thing for him. Maybe this approach could be adapted for Jin to incrementally counter condition his response to your symptoms? It would take some work I'd think, but might be worth a shot. Nice, I like that. Good idea. Here have a handful of ego points and go to he head of the class. I really think I can make that work with Judi's help. In fact the more I read it the more I think I can make it work. Ranger, Agreed...Life is hard, and sometimes it sucks.Jin will learn that is just part of what makes Ranger his man, and adapt. He'll learn to be there for you as you were for him. Remember, he is still pup, and it takes time to learn good people skills. He's a smart dog and will learn over time you aren't really a grizzly bear when you roar, and that your roar is a call for help. You just watch and see... Chin up good fella... Love it Marty, The nice thing about life being hard is when someone wants to chew my ass off all they get is scar tissue. The problem with PTSD is it's a bitch to control. But I'm getting better at it. Grrroouchwwrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other than that, I'm useless for info for you! Pounce!! Chew! Chew! Maul! Maul! Maul! :D No you're not. you make a good chew toy. Ouch!!! (that one was real.) Shetlander I've now read what you said a bunch of times. I'm trying to figure out how to put it to practice. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Shetlander I've now read what you said a bunch of times. I'm trying to figure out how to put it to practice. Thanks again. You're very welcome. I find clicker training can be both very useful and creative dealing with challenging situations and behaviors. As an aside, Click to Calm (author Emma Parsons) is a great clicker training book in general though it is marketed towards dealing with aggressive dogs. She gives lots of good pointers on the technique in general and it was extremely useful for my fear shrieker Sheltie on our walks. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Thanks for sharing that difficult story. You've gotten some good suggestions - I agree about trying to find some assistance dog training. Even if Jin is never official (or even unofficially) your assistance dog, the training may help in day-to-day life. One question nobody seems to have raised: have you ever noticed Jin having any similar sort of panic during storms?? I'm wondering if it was actually the storm that freaked him out in the first place, perhaps you didn't notice (if sleeping!), and when you woke up, perhaps he was already having some anxiety - and that just put him over the edge?? I did have one dog (BC mix) who didn't show anxiety in storms until she was over two years old - so I think it can come 'out' anytime (I suspect it was there earlier, but just didn't manifest itself very noticeably). There have been LOTS of posts about thunderphobia and the like. Maybe those would help, either alone or in combo with the other ideas. Best of luck to you! As someone said, I'm sure he'll get over it. Just hope you can prevent it from recurring! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted April 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Thanks for sharing that difficult story. One question nobody seems to have raised: have you ever noticed Jin having any similar sort of panic during storms?? I'm wondering if it was actually the storm that freaked him out in the first place, perhaps you didn't notice (if sleeping!), and when you woke up, perhaps he was already having some anxiety - and that just put him over the edge?? Best of luck to you! As someone said, I'm sure he'll get over it. Just hope you can prevent it from recurring! diane You're welcome although I honestly don't know why. I'm just trying to find a solution to something I know will happen again. Storms? What's a storm? Oh you mean a thundertorm . Those are very rare here. Most storms here are several days of violent barometric change, extreme temperature changes, winds in excess of 50 mph. possibly some rain and sandstorms that can blanket the sky. The noise would have been bass wind chimes, trees banging, howling guy wires from the radio antenna and the wind noise itself. He doesn't seem to be noise sensitive. I digress, the whether alternates from one day to the next over several days. Eg Monday it was in the 80s, Tues hi 70s and Weds in the 60s. Yesterday it was 80 and today 90+. I;ve seen the temps here drop as much as 15F in 20 mins after the sun sets at the right time of year. What caused Jin's reaction was my waking in panic and screaming loudly in pain. It frightened him terribly. Bas was the same way. I can take a lot of pain but I have feel it coming to be able to concentrate and control it. I can't be worrying about Jin being afraid. A severe attack can drop me in my tracks without a sound. Then a scream, if I can get it out is what calls for help. Thank god they are rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Hang in there Ranger Dude! I wouldn't worry too much about Jin. BC's are quite sensitive but I come from a very loud and rambunctious family. What other people call loud arguments, we call discussions! And if dispatch or someone else gets my Irish up, I tend to have a verbal coniption fit! The dogs all scatter, except Skip, and he just tries to crawl inside me! After the "storm" passes, we are all happy, and ready to throw the dang ball already! They are sensitive, but I have found they are very forgiving of humans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 Just to clarify - some dogs DO sense the barometric changes, even moreso than thunder itself. But you know your dog best - and if his reaction wasn't storm-related, well, then it wasn't. I do agree about border collies' forgiving nature.... diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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