A new puppy, a wedding, and a bad cold/flu season...oh my!!

     Wow, once again I can't believe how much time has slipped by without an update.  It is definitely time to post here, as a lot has been going on.  This blog is also my way of documenting my own progress (as I find it interesting to look back in the months/years and see the progress I have made).  It has been a pretty busy last couple of months at my house.  First of all, we got a new puppy in January.  We already have one dog (who is 4 years old), and getting another dog was not even on the radar.  We made a very impulsive decision to get this puppy, and although things were pretty hectic initially, I am happy to report that things have calmed down slightly and I am finding a new "normal" with 2 dogs.  I was in the worst part of my OCD when we got our last dog.  I mean, very bad.  I knew that there were going to be some contamination issues with this new pup, but knowing how much better I have been with the OCD, and knowing exactly what to be prepared for, I told myself that it probably would be challenging for a little bit but that I would figure it out, and things would be okay. And things really have been okay for the most part.  Sure there have been some issues that have popped up, and some others I never even could foresee (that don't so much have to do with the OCD), but all in all it's been good.  The house training has been great  actually.  Our  older dog was a nightmare to train and had accidents constantly in the house.  This pup is an early riser and for  awhile the lack of sleep was truly draining me.  I was getting about 5 hours/night, and was used to 8 on the weekdays, 9-10 on the weekends.  I require a lot of sleep to feel well.  I think that is partly why I started feeling so bad.  I also lost about 6 pounds in the first month we had her.  But things are going better now.  I've gained a few pounds back, and I'm getting a good 8 hours every night now, plus trying to nap on my days off and on the weekends, and I'm feeling more like myself again.  I'm just truly amazed, honestly, at how much better I'm handling things this time around with a pup.  I can not believe how truly trapped into OCD I was 4 years ago.  If you want to read about some of my worst times, visit my blog posts between July 2013 and March 2015.  When our oldest dog was a pup, I was throwing clothing away left and right, as if they were disposable.  I would buy new slippers sometimes on a daily basis because her bone would drop on them.  Sometimes I would throw out clothes for no valid reason, looking back on things, other than I thought *maybe* something had happened to them.  Those feelings of contamination would usually hit when I was cleaning up urine or vomit and I would somehow worry that the corner of my sleeve got urine/vomit on it, and I just have vivid memories of a huge hamper sitting in the stairway that I would just throw clothes in every day.  That was when my laundry issues got really overwhelming too.  So....I knew that obviously I couldn't head down that road again this time.  I've done very well.  She's had a few accidents and I've cleaned those up with no problem.  One night (her third night with us) she actually had pooped in her kennel overnight and there was dried poop everywhere--kennel bars, paws, her body.  I mean everywhere.  While my husband bathed her, I cleaned her kennel up and just went back to bed wearing the same clothes and everything.  4 years ago I don't even know how I would have handled that.  Probably a shower and throwing those clothes away.  I think most of my clothes now have been contaminated by the puppy in one way or another, and I'm proud to report I've only thrown a few things away.  She used to come up and paw and jump on me, but she doesn't do that anymore.  What usually happens now is she will come up and nose me on my jeans and leave a wet nose mark, or nip at my shirt sleeve when I pick her up, or something like that.  Because I'm still separating my indoor and outdoor clothes anyway in the wash, I've just added an extra step which helps to keep the clothes, but yet feel like I can decontaminate them first.  I just throw any clothes that she's "contaminated" in my mind in the washing machine first.  Wash them on a sanitary setting, and then throw the rest of my regular clothes in and run the cycle again.  It doesn't add much time on and at least I'm keeping clothes and learning that they can be contaminated and re-wear them.  So, that part is going good.  It's really forced me to face that issue.  In fact, there have even been some occasions where she's contaminated stuff and I don't treat it any differently with the wash.  Just throw it in with my normal stuff.  I am learning that if it's all dirty, it just goes in together and comes out clean.  It's getting easier.  It really is.  I am glad that we have her though.  She is a great addition to our family, and really a lot of fun.  I was determined to not let my OCD hold me back or govern this decision.

    

     OK, moving on to this flu season.  This flu season has been horrible, really awful.  As you may recall, influenza is a huge trigger of mine.  Since this flu season has been so much more severe than the last several years, I have really been extra on edge.  I hate being out in public this time of year.  Family gatherings would be very difficult for me to attend.  Anyone that is coughing really sets me off, and I almost find myself getting very angry and irritable when out in public and people do not have good cough hygiene.  I don't eat out much during flu season.  I anxiously await each weeks "flu report" by the county health department to track the severity of the flu.  Finally...finally...finally....the flu season is ending.  Numbers are down.  This has taken a load off too.

 

     Moving onto an entirely different subject.  My sister-in-law (my husbands sister) got married last weekend.  Seeing as though we are still technically in flu season with influenza still very obviously around to some degree, I worried this wedding weekend would be difficult.  The wedding was in the next big city over from us, about an hour away.  Because it was within a reasonable driving distance, we drove up there on Friday night for the rehearsal dinner and came home.   Then drove up again on Saturday for the wedding.  My daughter and I drove back after the wedding, while my husband stayed the night there.  A few weeks ago while influenza was still dreadfully out there in high numbers, I was terrified at how I was going to deal with this wedding.  But...as it turns out everything went extremely well.  I actually would have the opportunity had I wanted to not go in to the ceremony, or to stand in the back (as family was seated randomly, and no one would have known where I was), but I chose to sit up front behind my in-laws.  Normally sitting up front in a church or any type of stadium/arena would be an absolute no for me.  I always, always sit in the back.  So this was a good thing.  To my surprise no one there even really seemed sick.  My OCD always imagines the absolute worst case scenarios (which I will write a future post about soon!!)  So of course for the wedding my OCD imagined half the people there showing up with terrible colds  (or the flu!!) and us all ending up getting sick.  But I need to relax.  And as I am out more and more in public and facing these things, I truly do find out that it's not that bad.  It was absolute fine!!  And here is a jaw-dropper to add to this--me, the person that never eats buffet style or out in public--I ate at the wedding!  And it was buffet style.  I had zero plans to eat at this wedding, however I did bring my fork in a plastic bag "just in case" I ate.  Because I still don't use any silverware that has not come out of my own kitchen drawers and dishwasher.  Somehow we were able to snag a table at the reception right next to the buffet.  In my mind (because those of us with OCD are good at planning things out), I figured that table would be the first to be dismissed after the bridal party went through the line.  Thankfully it was!  Since we were about 15th in line for the food, and I could see everyone go through, I decided just to eat.  And again, it was fine.  One week later, and nothing has happened to me from eating that food.  None of us got influenza, or any type of illness from anything associated with the wedding.

     

      Some other things have been going on with my husband too, but that is too much to tackle right now, so will update on those things too.  As usual, that is always a huge stressor for me.  While I'm pleased to report that things went better for us last fall, we appear to have taken another downslide again.  I don't know if part of that is the stress of a second dog and those first initial couple months of sleep deprivation.  Our relationship got pushed completely to the side.  I don't know what will happen there, but again I will post more on that later.

     Tomorrow is Easter!  I'm not sure what our plans will entail at this point.  I was hoping to get to our family gathering, but we are actually forecast to have a pretty significant snow storm move through tonight.  I am so tired of this dreary, cold weather.  Overall, I just don't do well in the winter time.  We have had a few teasers of the sun the last few weeks, and I am anxiously awaiting when the weather warms up for good for spring/summer. With flu season coming to an end soon (hopefully!), and things settling down with the dogs, and the approach of the warmer weather, I am hopeful that things will be better this spring.  Since I went back to work part time last summer, I have accrued a ton of vacation time and have been saving it all up for this summer.  This summer I will only have to work 2 days per week, plus I will have an entire 2 week break spanning end of July into the middle of August.  I am so ready for some downtime!

    

     I hope this spring finds you doing well.  Never forget:  just fight against your OCD in small ways every day, and you will be amazed at the progress you make over time!  If I can do it, I know that you can!