PADI AOW here I come

I've set a personal goal to complete my Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification before the end of the month. As a voracious reader, this means that I've officially put myself on restrictions from reading anything other than my AOW instruction book.

I only have to study through around 400 pages that cover knowledge development for the two required components - the Deep and Underwater Navigation Dives. Additional material covers Underwater Photography, Night Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Wreck Diver, Boat Diver and Underwater Naturalist.

I've already accomplished the dives and boat training that goes along with this certification. So, once I finish reading, I'll take the test and be a PADI AOW certified diver. Wahoo!

Turning a corner

We turned a corner this morning in three ways: 1)his swelling is noticeably going down 2)his coloring is improving ever so slightly from deep, purple-red to a little bit of pink and 3)most importantly he asked for an ice cube.

Now I know that asking for an ice cube sounds strange to most. But prior to the surgery, Angus would ask me for an ice cube anytime he heard me open the freezer.

I spoke to the doctor yesterday. He believes we'll be through this in about a month.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to Angus and me as we've been going through this trying time. The calls, e-mails and cards for Angus have been adorable. It has been appreciated more than you know. We'll just keep taking it one day at a time.

Angus update

We went to the vet this morning. He said Angus' swelling from the surgery is rare but has been known to occur. (His scrotum is filled with blood and about the size of a medium grapefruit now.) He told me it should go away in about a week. The doctor said that if this doesn't go away in a week, we'll have to drain it.

He sent us home with a ton of meds - antibiotics and pain - and said to keep him calm. He also sent us home with an Elizabethan collar so Angus wouldn't lick the wound. But I have to tell you that the collar stressed him out so that I took it off.

I'm really concerned about this, but am trying not to show it around Angus. Just showing him lots of love.

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers.

Long journey

It would have been nice to know about the long journey Angus and I were going to embark upon when he came home from his surgery on Wednesday afternoon. Since his return home we've been experiencing swelling and moaning-mania. I feel so sorry for this big guy. It's Sunday p.m. and the swelling hasn't gone down. Needless to say, I'll be calling the doctor - AGAIN - tomorrow morning.

Good news

I just heard from the doctor and Angus came through the surgery well. I'll pick him up this afternoon.

Angus

On a non-scuba related topic, many of you know that my "son" is a 175 lb. Great Dane named Angus. As I write this my baby is having surgery. He has benign prostatic hyperplasia; which is a benign tumor in his prostate.
If left "untreated" the tumor most likely would turn cancerous.

To treat this, his "manhood" is being removed. Over time the lack of testosterone in his system will dissipate the tumor. This is good news. So, at five and half years of age, my champion bloodline Dane is being fixed.

He also has gingivitis hyperplasia. In layman's terms, his gums are growing over his teeth. If left "untreated" his teeth will rot and generate an entirely new list of problems. So, his gums are being cut away.

The doctor shares that these are relatively common procedures. But as you can imagine, I'm a bit concerned.

I appreciate any and all prayers for Angus and the surgeon. I'll post an update with any news.

Diving withdrawals

I didn't understand it early this summer when Lee told me I'd have a hard time dealing with the "off-season" of diving. Now that I'm in the midst of this suffocating time where we cannot dive the ocean blue, I know exactly what he meant.

I've been going through extreme withdrawal. Every night since my last dive in October, I dream about diving. Don't misunderstand, I dream about other things, too. But I can count on jumping off the back of a boat every night into the deep.

It's almost like my dives are playing on a continual loop reel in my mind. I keep exploring the reefs off the coast of Charleston, the ship wrecks off of North Myrtle and the sites off Jupiter, Florida. I'm even creating dreams about the places I've been reading about in my diving magazines; places I long to go visit and dive.

The dreams are so real, I almost expect to wake up in my wet suit covered in the sticky wetness of saltwater. Until the season starts, I guess I'll just continue jonesing for my next dive...