The return post strikes again!

So there seems to be a recurring theme.

I seem to have a little while away from blogging and then come back with a return post.

Guess what?

I'm doing it again!

I know I know, but unfortunately that what happens when you have a disability such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Bones break, which means lots of time at the hospital and time in plaster, resting.

However, all that been said, we are still here and are determined to keep going with the blog.

I do keep the Instagram and Facebook page updated regularly, so if we are ever missing, be sure to look there for an update.

In terms of what has been happening, you can read from my previous post that I had an operation in June and that the bone graph didn’t take. 

Unfortunately, things haven’t changed much since my last post, my femur and tibia fractures are still not healed, meaning I’m in a lot of pain and now my orthopaedic surgeon has broken his ankle so is off on long term sick, which leave me very much in limbo. 

When he returns I will be having further surgery but until then it’s just a waiting game. 

On a brighter note, Lottie is great and is now 7. 

She is still up to plenty of mischief and loves a good belly tickle. 

Before things went a little manic, I had some blog posts (including reviews from companies) half wrote, so you will see those coming soon. 

We look forward to re-joining with you all. 

Love Jessica and Lottie 

So we return.......

Well, Hello. 

It seems ages since I said that on here (probably because it is) and we sincerely apologese for that. Unfortunately having Osteogenesis Imperfecta can make life unpredictable due to fractures, operations etc, and that's what exactly happened here. 
So sit down, grab a cup of coffee (or iced water in this weather) as this will be a long one! 
As some of you may know, who follow us on our Facebook page, I had an operation last July 2017, to replace the metal rod that is in my femur. Just as things were getting back to normal, I rolled over in bed and had a spiral fracture of my femur, the same leg I had operated on. 
I spent four weeks in hospital and was discharged on Christmas Eve (yippeee) I was so glad to be home for Christmas. 
I had a quiet Christmas with Lottie and family and did plenty of resting in the hope that the fracture would heal. 
Unforutenyl after many hospital appointments between January and April, the fracture was not healing as expected and it was decided by my surgeon that he would need to carry out surgery to do a bone graph with synthetic bone, and replaced the broken screws. 
The surgeon wanted to do this in April, however, I'm currently doing my Master's at Universtiy and wanted to sit my exams before surgery, as I have such a good relationship with my surgeon who I've known since I was 2 he agreed, on some strict instructions!
I had the surgery on the 13th of June and despite it being a bigger operation than we all first thought, with IV morphine and other painkillers I was recovering well. The only complication I had was a rare reaction to the synthetic bone, which made my leg extremely swollen, I was assured this would go down. The only problem this caused is I was too wide for my electric wheelchair (which was on loan) so we had to contact the wheelchair services to get the next size up, this meant I was able to be discharged until this arrived. 
However, 12 days later I developed a UTI which turned into Sepsis. It was a very scary time for us all of us and I became poorly quite quickly. I was immediately put onto IV antibiotics, fluids, and paracetamol. 
I was quite poorly for a few days but the antibiotics showed slow signs that things were improving. I had 8 days IV antibiotics and it was then decided the IV version would be stopped and we would watch and wait. 
During the time on the antibiotics and even when I had finished them I felt awfully sick all the time and the thought of food was horrible. This was blamed on the antibiotics and the sepsis. 
I spent another week feeling sick and slowly trying to get myself better so I could go home. 
The day we meant to be coming home, I woke up been very sick and had diarrhea. This was later diagnosed as C Diff, which was caused by the antibiotics. C Diff is basically an extreme case of sickness and diarrhea as the IV antibiotics I had for the sepsis had killed all my good bacteria in my gut meaning the bad bacteria could thrive and grow. This meant I needed a further 10 days of oral antibiotics to cure the C Diff. However, once the symptoms had eased I could go home on the antibiotics, and carry on to recover home. 
I was discharged from hospital on the 8th of July, a long month after I was admitted.  
Since being home things, I am still in a lot of pain due to the fracture but at least I am in my own environment. 
I did go back to see my surgeon on the 13th of July, and it wasn't the best of news as the synthetic bone that was inserted hasn't mineralised yet as it should, but we are just waiting and seeing what happens when I go back to see my surgeon on the 4th of September. 
So as you can see, this is why I haven't been updating our page. Now I'm home and feeling slightly more human despite the pain, I'm hoping to get back to updating you guys regularly. Also, thank you if you got this far, I know its a long post but wanted to explain in full what had happened so it didn't look like I was abandoning you guys. 
Here are a few pictures of us over the last few months. 
Speak soon, 
Jessica (and Lottie of course) xxx

Update | Blogging, bones and beyond.

Lottie is quite the slave driver and when she kept trying to jump up to the computer chair, I knew it was time to pull my finger out a write another blog post. 

Although I have posted a few review posts (we have lots more coming up too). I haven't posted an personal life update in forever. 

Funny Bones 

If you follow us on Facebook, you will know I had another operation on my right tibia in July. I had a metal plate inserted to try and heal the fracture from 2014. The operation was a success and the surgeon was able to get the plate into place, but because my bones are so small the plate is a little large, so will need to be removed next summer. I also have to have the rod replaced in my right femur (thigh bone) as it has bent and moved over time. Both of these are quite big operations but we will cross that bridge when we comes to it. 

That's how I roll

In other news, I'm currently in the process of getting a new wheelchair. Now for those that aren't familiar with the current wheelchair service through the NHS in England. Due to very limited resources the NHS are only able to provide a basic manual/electric wheelchair. Unfortunately for many complex disabilities such as mine, these wheelchairs simply aren't fit for purpose, they neither provide the comfort or support that a disability like mine needs. After all I can fracture from jumping, so having a specialist wheelchair is important.. If you choose not to have one of their wheelchair they offer you a voucher for the amount that the wheelchair would of cost the NHS. 

Many local hospital are able to purchase these wheelchairs at the NHS rate, most specialists wheelchair cost around £20,000 and my NHS voucher will be for around £3,000. 

If you opt for this scheme, unfortunately you are very much on your own regarding raising the rest of the funds. I'm currently looking at different ways to raise the extra needed. Obviously the wonderful Brittle Bone Society will be able to help but as they are only small funds are limited. I'm hoping either Apple or Amazon are reading this post, as I'm sure they have a spare £17,000 lying around (one can wish!). Seriously though if anybody reading this has any ideas/or wants to help raise the extra money needed for my new wheelchair, please contact us by Facebook/Twitter or leave a comment. 

I know some of you may think this post is a little depressing, and not like many of my others. I started this blog to raise awareness of Osteogenesis Imperfecta and unfortunately at the moment I am having a rough time of it. I don't want to write a unrealistically as that is not raising awareness for anybody. I hope you guys understand.... 

Now on a brighter note, Lottie is doing great, she was diagnosed with dry eye but that is being managed really well with eye drops. 

She had a fab summer as you can see from the photos below, and made lots of new furry friends.

We both cant wait for Christmas as it my favourite time of year, and we have a Christmas Gift Guide coming soon so be sure to look out for that. 

I have being well and truly told off by Lottie, and blogging with now be much more regular.  Watch this space.... 

Love Jessica and Lottie xxx 

The journey so far | Black and White Sunday

When I started this blog back in April. My main aim was to raise awareness of my disability - Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and how Lottie has changed my life. 

Since then things really have been a whirlwind experience. Blog hops were something I hadn't even heard of, never mind participated in! Other dog bloggers have been very welcoming to their pack, letting me join Facebook bloggers groups and even featuring me in an international post! More about that coming very soon. 

Not forgetting the reason I started this blog. I thought it would be a great idea to give you an update of what’s been happening over the last few months.

If you follow our Facebook page you will be well aware that I had a major operation back in May. Nearly 3 months on this is my progress.

The operation was much bigger than first anticipated. I spent about 2 weeks in hospital followed by several weeks of bed rest at home. I had plaster change after plaster change as many of them either rubbed my leg or were too uncomfortable. At first hospital appointments didn't shed much light on how successful the operation was.  The bones hadn't started to heal at all, something my surgeon was quite concerned about. I won’t pretend it was a smooth ride. I’m just not used to be at home, so I was driving my mum mad and vice versa.

My leg back in May. 

The blogging was keeping me going. I learnt so much along the way; I got involved in lots of blog hops, made connections, and increased our Facebook followers. We even made connections with companies that specialize  in dog products. We have had several products sent for us to review which is something Lottie was extremely excited about. Even when I was unable to do ‘normal’ things I still had my blog!

All this good sprite definitely helped me heal! During my next hospital appointment we had the news we had been waiting for, the bones had started to heal. Just a tiny little bit! But still, some is better than nothing.

I have had intense Physio to try and build my leg muscles back up. I lost a huge amount of strength after the surgery; it certainly doesn't take long for them to waste. Now thing are starting to definitely look up. My old ‘normal’ life is coming back, for now anyway. My mum always says until the next time. It’s enviable that I will have to go through this whole process again in about 12 months.

I went swimming today which might not seem like much, but to me it’s a big milestone. I didn't do any swimming, but just going into the water was good enough for me. I start back to University on the 22^nd of this month; I’m doing it part time as this will be much more manageable. I have been successful in finding a work placement which lasts for 6 months. Something yet again I never thought would have ever been possible 2 months ago.

As for the blog, I seriously want to give it a face lift. I have a great blogging friend who is going to help me change the layout (Blogger and me are not a match made in heaven). She has also put me in touch with an artist that has kindly offered to create a cartoon graphic for our header. We have a photo-shoot coming up with a local photography; my mum definitely isn't David Bailey (she tries her best).

The name Waggy Tales just came out the blue. I spent many hours sat in front of my computer screen trying to think of a genius name but couldn't. Then Waggy Tales just sprung out of nowhere and it stuck! I’m no computer whiz and at that time had no idea about buying a domain name. I naively thought I didn't need one. 5 months later, I have spent my life on Google. After a lot of research, unfortunately our domain name is taken. I really wanted ww.waggytales.co.uk but it’s not available. This leads me at a cross roads – do I change our name so people can find us easier. Or do I stick with Waggy Tales and our BlogSpot web address. I still haven’t made the decision fully; it’s such a tough one. There will definitely be more info coming soon.

Just to finish the post - I went to zoo yesterday and brought Lottie this cute elephant as a present. She loves it, it makes the ideal cuddle buddy. 

Jessica and Lottie. 

We're participating in the Black And White Sunday Blog Hop hosted by Dachshund Nola and Sugar The Golden Retriever - thanks again, guys!

Disability Awareness Series Part 4 | Dogs really do change lives!

Many of my readers will already be aware I am currently writing a disability awareness series to help you guys have a bit more of an insight into my life and the real problems disabled people face everyday. We have found so many furry friends including the great Blacky the Wheelchair cat. Over on his page Facebook page they are also doing a disability awareness week to help raise awareness of disability.

We decided together it would be great for me to write a guest post that I would help to raise more awareness of my disability. As well as tell my story of what it is truly like to be disabled and how one small little dog  has changed my life.

Having a disability I feel is sometimes quite an odd concept to understand. Even just the word disability labels me on the things I simply cannot d and how my ability to carry out those activities is hindered. What astonished  me most is we don't judge or label 'normal' people on what there ability level is. When you meet someone  new you don't introduce them as ' Hi, this is Scott and he can't play the piano'. It  just sounds silly and in fact pointless, why would I need to know that about him anyway. Well I feel the same about my disability, I don't want to be labelled on the things I cannot do, I'm just Jessica, nothing else just me!

This in my eyes has evolved a whole new culture that looks at disability from the wrong angle. I have a disability called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bones) which basically just means my bones are more fragile than most, as a result I have to use a wheelchair full time. Throughout my life I have faced an awful lot of discrimination. When people see me in the street they don't see me they just see my wheelchair and assume I either can't communicate or don't have the mental ability to do so  and simply either ignore me or talk to the person that is with me and thus am sitting there thinking 'Helloooo I am here, I can hear you and I can talk!'.

This is where Lottie comes in, I will admit I never quite expected the reaction to alter so much! People now just see me as a fellow dog owner instead of a wheelchair user. They come up and talk to me, let the dogs say hello and then we both carry on our normal day to day life, just like everybody does!

I have always wanted a dog, and finally got to get one on my 18th Birthday. Before then it was always a no from my parents and with good reason too, I had many lengthy hospital stays as a child and it was just simply unpractical. However as I grew older the hospital stays became less frequent , so that barrier was finally removed!

I mainly wanted a dog for company, I have always loved animals as they don't judge or label. To Lottie I am just Jessica, not Jessica with a disability who uses a wheelchair  She doesn't care about that I am simply just her mum. What I hadn't accounted for when I got Lottie was all the other aspects in my life that she could help me with, such as  my confidence, the ability to open up a whole new world  I didn't know existed as well as gaining me more independence by helping me around the house.

Before having Lottie I would never of started a blog to help raise awareness of my disability neither create a Facebook page. The support I have received has been amazing and I thank you all so much. I have made so many friends not only online but also by attending training session with Lottie there again something I would never of done without Lottie. By attending these classing I have been able to train Lottie handy tricks that can help me around me house such as fetch my slippers and pick things up off the floor that I have dropped.

Dogs brings something humans simply can't. It always been a saying I have great belief in, and  that has certainly been the case with Lottie.

I hope this post has given you more of an insight into my life with  a disability as well as how dogs can really help those with disability.

Here is double trouble!

Jessica and Lottie.

Disability Awareness Series Part 2 | Thank you Mum, three little words that mean so much! - National Carer's Week 9-15th June, are you aware?

Last week was Carer's Week which aims to raise awareness of the brilliant work thousands of carers do a week and also reach out to those thousands of carers in the UK who are currently missing out on services and support they are entitled to. 

Now I know I'm a tad late with this post, but things have been pretty hectic due to my operation. The aim of this post is I just want to give you guys a bit more of an insight into my life and also the amazing love and support my mum has given me over the years. 

The two most important people in my life! 

My mums pregnancy was definitely not a smooth one and she had trouble right from the start. Tests were done for Downs syndrome which came back negative and the doctors left it at that. My mum had a planned caesarean section due to high blood pressure and I was in the breach position, but as far as my mum and dad were concerned I was going to be a healthy baby. So when I was actually born my mum had no idea I had Osteogenesis Imperfecta (maybe even more scary was that even the doctors didn't know). After many tests and x rays and advice from a specialist hospital in London I was finally diagnosed at about one week old. 

Imagine leaving hospital with a baby with a rare disability and having no idea how to look after me! Luckily she had a lot of support from the Brittle Bones Society and soon learnt how to cope. Since the day I came home my mum has always done the best for me.

So many people think of carers and automatically think of somebody that helps them with personal care or helping some elderly lady with her shopping and I know this is some the case for some people. This is so not the only image I would like to portray of carers. My mum is my full time carer and although she does help me with those things when needed (like at the moment due to my operation) she does so much more.

There has been a lot of dedication and hard work right from the start from my mum. When I was little there was very much a big emphasis on physio and every week mum would take me to hydrotherapy to try and get my legs moving so I would be able to stand.Then there have always been the constant hospital appointments including many tests. Then deciding what IV drugs I should take, which a lot of the time are not licensed for OI so the doctors are not fully certain of long term side effects in adulthood, I can't even imagine how hard those choices must of been!  Not to mention the several major orthopaedic operations I have had. Imagine saying goodbye to a 3 year old child in an anesthetic room not knowing what would be the final results. That's what I call being a carer, the things most 'normal' mums don't experience and that's why I class my mum as a carer! A carer isn't just somebody who helps you gets dressed or helps gets a few groceries it is a life long dedication and that's certainly the case in our house!

Without all this help I wouldn't be half the person I am today. Up until I was around 13 I was able to walk with a small walking frame, there again only due to the hard work and dedication my mum had put in. The doctors told my mum not to expect too much as I had one of the more severe types of OI they said I wouldn't be able to sit up on my own, communicate or feed myself as well as so much more. But as a partnership me and mum battled on to prove them all wrong and damn I think we did a good job!

My mum has been the most important person in my life and will be for many years to come. I could never thank her enough for all the help and support she has given me over the years. I think when you have a child with a disability or health problem it changes the relationship and you know longer class your mum as a carer but just as a normal mum that's helps me more than others.

So please give a thought to all those carers who are caring for people right now all across the UK. It isn't a 9-5 job or something you can do when you feel like it or because you want to stay at home. It's one of the most important jobs anybody could ever take on!

This is part of a series of posts I have entitled "What it's really like to be a disabled dog owner". I hope you guys have found this useful. But please on a final note don't feel sorry for me. I'm not ill I have a disability which you can't make better and I don't want to get rid of. My disability is part of me and has made me what I am today without it I just wouldn't be Jessica. Mum always says when they made me they broke the mould, too right!

Jessica

 

We're participating in the Pet Parade Blog Hop hosted by Rascal and Rocco, and co-hosted by Jan's Funny Farm, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou, and Love is being Owned by a Husky! - thanks guys!

Disability Awareness Series Part 1 | Thursdays Barks and Btyes | Such a precious game of fetch.

Lottie is such a playful little dog and loves nothing better than a game of fetch with her favourite ball.

I had the idea of a dog blog for a while before I started but never had the courage to take the plunge. I wrote an article for a dog's magazine with the angle of how much Lottie had changed my life due to my disability. I then realised I could start a dog blog with the aim off showing of Lottie and combining my disability. I will be doing a series of posts labelled. What it's really like to be a disabled dog owner.

Many of our followers will know I have just had a major orthopeadic operation to replace a tibia nail in my leg. (There will be an upcoming post with more details of this soon). Because of the seriousness of the surgery it means I have a long recovery ahead of me. After my two weeks in hospital I couldn't wait to come home to see Lottie. However this wasn't quite the experience I had envisaged. At the moment I am basically bed/sofa bound and can only spend around half an hour a day in the wheelchair with my leg rest. This means social time with Lottie is very limited.

There is also the huge problem with regards to physical contact with Lottie. Pre-op she is used to cuddles on my knee every night whilst we watch television (after all that's what those human knees are made for!) This is no longer possible at the moment due to the plaster on my leg as it is separated at the knee which leaves my knee scar uncovered! Something Lottie can definitely go no where near! We did however find a way for our important cuddles which you guys will be able to find on our Facebook page.

Yesterday I started to feel a little better and for the first time manged to spend half an hour in my chair. On the plus side for us its summer at the moment and we are having great weather which is ideal for a great game of fetch we even had time for Lottie to practice one of her new tricks of tidying away her toys. She did really well although one ball was more fun to play with than put away!

As you can see Lottie was over the moon that our usual routine had nearly resumed to normal.

Please mum throw it again! 

I really don't want to put this one away, its so fun. 

Look mum I put them all away! 

Head over to our Facebook page to see a video of our first game of fetch in over two weeks! You wont be dissapointed!

Please don't take for granted a game of fetch with your dog (even if he/she doesn't bring it back) as some of us would give anything for that special time!

Jessica and Lottie

This post is part of the Thursday Barks & Bytes Blog Hop, hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog. Go pay a visit to the hosts and check out other hop participants.

Mum's Little Helper

As many of you will already be aware. Lottie is officially not an assistant dog, however this does not mean she cannot help me around the house (And believe me she does).

All the 'tricks' she knows I have taught her using the Clicker training method, which I will do another post on soon.

So far she can tidy her toys away,  pick items up off the floor and bring them to my hand, find and fetch my slippers from anywhere in the house, walk slowly on a lead when I tell her to (This comes in really handy down steep hills).

Training for us is very much on going and I don't take the approach of "We have finished the 6 week course, I have a perfectly trained dog".

As you can see in the video, Lottie is very eager to show of her new found skill!.

What ''Tricks' do you find the most useful to teach?

Jessica

Don't forget to check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/waggytales1

Collagen - if only it grew on trees!

Most of the time you probably don't give your collagen a second thought, in fact half of you may have not even heard of it.

For a select few of us, me included, it completely dictates our life.

Every time I had a limb in plaster as a child many people would ask, "what happened, did you fall off your bike?" Every time I would give them the generic answer. "Nothing, I suffer from brittle bones disease". What happened next was usually the most frustrating, "Oh I see, you have osteoporosis." By this time I had normally just smiled and given up. 

Unbelievably, it isn't just the general public who think this, I have had nurses, and scarily even doctors, confuse brittle bones with osteoporosis!

I'm unique and everybody who knows me will agree. After all I am a 1 in 20,000 baby. You see that's the chance of being born with brittle bones! Many people are aware of 'common' disabilities but mention brittle bones and many people reply with "never heard of it"

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones) is a genetic condition that you are born with. It causes defective collagen, or the inability to make it. This results in bones that break easily, for little or no apparent reason. It can come in many different types, which means it affect people in so many different ways. This is why it is commonly referred as the condition where every sufferer is different.

The main differences between brittle bones and osteoporosis, is how a person develops the condition. All people with brittle bones disease are born with it; some however may be completely unaware they have it until much later in life. Osteoporosis on the other hand is a condition that develops over time, normally as a person becomes older.

Although there is no cure for brittle bones, there are several treatments that can help with pain and the amount of fractures. There is also plenty of support from the Brittle Bone Society. It is a UK based charity that aims to provide support to people affected by brittle bones and like many of their members my life would be very different without them.

The 6^th May is Wishbone Day which is an international awareness day for brittle bones. Check out the Brittle Bone Society website: http://www.brittlebone.org/

And so I started blogging

I’m new to this whole blogging concept, but I have had a dog blog in mind for a while now and thought it might be fun, so here I am, finally starting one. First I guess I had better introduce you to my dog Lottie, as she will likely end up being the main contents of this blog. 

Lottie is a three year old, West Highland White Terrier. She has changed my life from the day she first arrived home, at around 8 weeks old.

I suppose I should introduce myself, as well. Well... My name is Jessica. I'm twenty two years old. I'm studying for a degree in Business Management at my local University in Staffordshire. Up until now things have been pretty standard about me, but there really is something quite unique. I suffer from a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta or in plain english it means my bones break easily.Although I try to be as independent as I can, it does mean I have to use a wheelchair full time. This in its self can put some pretty big obstacles in my way, but I don't let that stop me.

Strangely the main disabling obstacle I face from having a disability, is having to use a wheelchair full time. You might think this sounds bizarre, but people just view me 'different' from anybody else, which can really hinder my social interactions. This is where Lottie comes in. Since being a dog owner, this is now what people see me as, and not as a disabled person in a wheelchair.

My intention is to share mine and Lottie adventures, write about the joy of living with pets, and the many trials and tribulations us dogs owners face on a daily basic, but mainly the most important aspect I want to share is my day to day experiences with my furry four legged best friend, and how one small dog has changed my life more than I ever thought possible.