Good Stress and Bad Stress

The vet called me today. At home. During the work day. I didn't get it until too late to reach her. Now, I'm going to have to call her during work tomorrow and find out what she learned. I'm worried that she called me at home. I'm worried that she did that so she wouldn't have to tell me bad news while I'm at work - Which would be a good thing because I don't really want to burst into tears at my desk, we have no doors and no privacy at all. She sounded so cheerful though but she always sounds cheerful, even when she's giving me very bad news. If she was going to give me good news wouldn't she say I've got good news! like right up front?

This is all freaking me out. I see Dogger sleeping at my feet and I think IS this because she's sick? Did she sleep before? Does this mean something bad is happening? If she drinks a lot of water, I worry, if she doesn't drink a lot of water, I worry. I suddenly have no working memory of what she was like "before". Everything she does now makes me suspicious because now I'm looking at everything through Addison's glasses.

There is mention of AD dogs not handling stress well and the importance of keeping your dog calm, and avoiding both bad stress and "good stress", i.e greeting a friend! Some places define stress as surgery, illness or traveling. And I say "What kind of traveling? Traveling in the baggage compartment flying to Vegas or the back seat driving to the store? To counter act the stress you are supposed to up the dogs pred dosage. Fine, but Dogger can't go to Marquette and be in the car all the time if she is going to be on a heavy dose of pred and peeing all the time. Is a trip to see my parents going to stress her out too much? Will I be able to go anywhere again?

I took her to the park today. Probably a bad thing, a lot of "good stress" there. We saw a lot of her friends and shared with them our news. They were all very sorry. I kept Dogger on her leash most of the time but we did do a little off leash wandering. Everything scares me now. She found a ball and went and lay down with it and my first thought was Oh damn! She's exhausted! This was too much. But she does that, she finds a ball and hunkers down to chew it - At least I think she does. Does she? is that normal? I don't know anymore.

I've been reading one of the canine Addison's groups and they are always reporting in with their dog's most recent electrolytes and the results from this test and that test and not a single person every says how much this all costs . Not a damn word. They can't all be wealthy, but no one ever says We had his 'lites tested this week and last week and the week before that and it ran us X number of bills every time, We love Fido but, gosh this is expensive!

I understand that it is am international board and the cost in X won't be the same as the cost in Y, but it wouldn't hurt to let other people know what kind of ballpark these things are running them.

I was reading on one Addison's forum and someone said "I shudder to think how many dogs are put down because of undiagnosed Addison's, when it is so easily treated" and I think, my dog may end up being put down because of cost of the treatment.