Stayin alive, stayin alive...

...ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' ali-i-i-i-ive.

I've had this song stuck in my head.

But the part about "I'm a dancin' man" makes me feel a little blue.  So I get up off the recliner and dance a few steps to feel better.  Some folks might call it "moving around" but I like to think of it as dancing.  Riff gets up off the floor - all excited, tail curled tightly over his back.  He's ready to JUMP and BARK, because he's pretty darn sure SOMETHING IS HAPPENING.  He hasn't seen me dance much, so he's not sure what's going on.  He glances at the TV - did the Giants hit a homer?  Nope.  TV's off.  Poor pup can't hear the song in my head, so I sing a few bars for him: 

Whether you're a mother
Or whether you're a brother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin'
And ever'body shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive....

...but by the time I reach the ah, ha, ha's, he's barking and carrying on way too much, and he's jumping on me and I'm almost falling down, and I'm laughing, but it hurts.  It hurts quite a bit.  So I sit down again. 

I tell Riff, "We'll go outside in a minute.  Just let me ice my back for a few minutes longer, young feller.  You whippersnapper, you.  Baby dog.  Big goober.  Restless baby dog..."  And I'm rubbing his shoulders like he likes, and he's settling down again.   

Keeper has watched the whole thing from under the kitchen table.  She's quite a bit more laid-back than Riff is.  She lifted her head to watch us dance, but now she sighs, and lays it back down.  Life isn't very exciting for the puppers when 'mom' has a bad back. 

Learning PATIENCE isn't easy either.  So I've decided to go ahead and get a cortisone shot in the disc in my back.  Maybe it'll take some of this pain away, and let me start my cool new exercise program to build strength in my back and legs, and prevent this sort of nerve-pinch from ever happening again.  May 12th is shot day.  (Shudder.)  I'm sure it will be FINE.  FINE!!!  In the meantime:

I've read a few books...

....I've put ice on my back, and a heating pad on my leg - pretty much all day, every day (it seems like)...

....and even got wired up to a TENS unit. It's an electrical nerve stimulator, designed to help Pain Go Away.  The PT said it's like allergy medicine.  Not a cure, but it helps with the symptoms.  It's something I never thought I'd try.  But beggars can't be choosers, as me old mam used to say.  Pretty much whatever they suggest, I'm willing to give it a try.

All of this is helping.  YAY!!!    We want to get back out to the agility field....ASAP!


Totally enjoy watching all the YouTube videos of friends running dogs at shows like the USDAA show in Prunedale.  (Fantastic runs!  Looks like it was a lot of fun.  Keep those videos coming!)  I bought the LiveStream for the World Team Try-Outs this weekend.  And must admit I look forward to watching the Derby (even though I think they run those horses way too young.)

I was trying to explain to the PT how cool the Agility Community is (he does TaeKwonDo, so he's into sports communities)...but I got all verklempt and had to stop.    

Working hard at getting better....
I miss everybody!