Let me preface this by saying that I'm not that into self pity. I rarely mention my medical issues, and you won't hear about them much. But everybody needs their chance to whine, and besides, my chance to whine comes with a chance to brag on a Hooligan, so it fits.
RA sucks. There is nothing I have ever experienced quite like never knowing when a joint is going to give. Just now I reached for my water glass, and my elbow...well...I'm not sure how to describe it. It didn't pop, it...slipped is the closest word I can think of. You can feel the bones sliding past each other in an entirely unnatural way. And it hurts. All day, every day, some days worse than others.
Today was a "worse than others" kinda day. I know it's going to be when the Hooligans start the day licking my joints and gazing at me with deep canine concern. And all of them, in their own little ways, help me through these worse days.
Pickles is extra sweet and glued to my side, giving me all the comfort and warmth his little body can muster.
Katana picks up the many things I drop in the course of a day, to save me the bending.
D'Artagnan keeps the girls in line. He plays with them and keeps them busy enough that they don't miss it when I have to skip their walk. He also fusses at them if they get too boisterous.
Ginny is my angel. She catches me when I start to fall, she walks at my s-l-o-w pace at my side, better than a cane because she requires no grip. And best of all, when I have to climb Hooligan House's 14 stairs, she's right there to give me a hand.
Some people (I suspect many of my family members are among them) think I'm nuts for living with a house full of dogs with my health so shaky. Surely, I fall enough without risking being knocked over by a dog?
But here's the truth--I'm not sure I could get through the bad days without them. And aside from the services listed above, they lift my spirits, make me smile through the pain, and give me a reason to get out of bed and move (which keeps my condition from degrading quite so quickly).
Love those Hooligans.
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