Xena -- Oops, we posted about the same time, so I didn't see your message! My pugs are both fawn colored, both boys. One is 5 years old, and the other about 6 months. They are a blast, but walking both together tricky, as the puppy has not really learned to walk on the leash so much as walk as fast as he can -- sometimes he tries to trip up the older dog...

Ammi -- Luckily my herniated disc is not causing much back pain. Instead I have lots of tingling sensations in my left thigh. Frustrating and scary at first, but no loss of function yet. Part of the next week will be spent lining up a neurologist and PT. From the little reading I've done, if you have sciatica, you may also have a herniated disc!

I know exactly what you mean by size being debilitating... I had a nasty fall earlier this summer which was literally a pain in my butt (coccyx, to be exact). It was painful to sit and lie down flat, and VERY painful to move from sitting to standing. Because I was lying around (on my side) as a result of the fall, I got to thinking about how it just sucked to not be able to move much, and I started to realize that at about 300 pounds, I was probably going to face this issue again as I aged. I kept thinking "I'm only 39 and I feel like I'm at least 50". So oddly, I think the fall helped precipitate the decision to lose weight "once and for all". (well, other things too, but that was a big part of it.")