Irritable !

[kitkatz]

Only if you have the stinky farts I had last night! Phewww!

[Chris]

My idea may not work for the dogs because it cost money to have a dog sitter or to have them in a kennel. Otherwise if you trust a neighbor who has a kid, have them play with the dogs for awhile. I do this for my neighbor when they work on their home. All the benefits of having a pet, but no worries of cost. I take hime to the dog park and let him run. Still wish we had a dog, but fixing garage door this year took that away.

[devon]

I agree. Dogs can be very demanding and can interrupt the most restfull sleep and they always seem to do it when you have the least energy!   If you can't send them to "grandma's" place for the day or weekend, you have to make them a part of the process or get rid of them, which I'm sure you don't want to do.

One thing that dogs do well is rest.  They sleep most of the time yet are eager to get up and at 'em at a instance's notice. They are amazing animals.  My Native American friend encouraged me to get a dog or two or three.  She told me that resting your head on a dogs chest and listening to the heartbeat is a great way to relax.  I got a dog and later another.  While I don't employ the technique of resting my head on them, I've learned from them about rest and relaxation.  That seems to be their best talent.

My smaller dog like to sleep next to my head on the pillow.  Sometimes she tends to get a little close and I wake up to tell her, "Move Ruby" which she obediently does.  But she likes to be touching me somehow and eventually we'll reach a working compromise. 

Just like the phone and door, you have to prepare them as part of the "resting event".  Make sure they go outside to potty before you lay down to rest. Perhaps feeding them beforehand is a good idea too.  They like to rest after eating.  Then all of you lay down together and "let restinging dogs lie".   When they catch on to the process, they'll enjoy it as much as you do.  If they don't disturb you and you get the rest you need witout interruption, reward them with a treat.  It's very gradual but they'll catch on to the scheme.  You have to be the alpha dog and they must do what you are doing.  They like that structure.

Good luck.

[stauffenberg]

There is actually some scientific research showing that having a dog correlates well with having lower blood pressure, which may help many dialysis patients if the effect is really cause and effect and not just a coincidence.

My minature dachshund gets in the way of my sleeping, since when she wants to cross from one side of the bed to the other during the night, she sticks her tongue in my ear knowing that that will make me sit bolt upright even from a sound sleep.  My sitting up 'raises the drawbridge' so she can walk under me to the other side.  Somehow I always know in advance that that tongue in my ear is from the dog, not from my wife.

[twirl]

     cute story                   have any photos

[monrein]

    great.

[Neo]

I take xanax and it works like a charm

[st789]

I understand.

[paris]

Stauffenberg/dog/wife----cute story Stauff.  Some days you surprise me with you soft side.

[Meinuk]

My friend Denise (a nurse) always swore that she knew when my BUN and creatinine were high, because I was bitchy.  I don't know what she is talking about.  I am always reasonable...   

I have noticed that I really don't get as angry as I used to before I started Dialysis.  (and I just thought that I was finally maturing...)

[G-Ma]

One thing I have noticed.  If I eat before I go to bed, then my Ambien doesn't work...funny huh?  So then if still not sleeping after two hours I take 1/2 Ambien after stomach is empty and that one works.  My Dr. okayed this...my best is just not to eat before the Ambien.
Ann

[Ken Shelmerdine]

I'm sleeping much better now since I added the drug clonazopam to the sleeping tablet that I was also taking. Also the morning after I've had a good nights sleep I realise that I had just gone to bed and not really thought about whether or not I'm going to sleep properly and I've found that the more consecutive good night's sleep I get the less I think about it. Eventually I go to bed last night wondering how long my good sleep nights will last and guess what, it took about 3 hours to get to sleep. I some time wonder if there's a psychological connection.