Screw Loose...

Friday, January 30, 2009

Just a quick update on the post op situation. The surgery went well. I have the screw and washer in a bag!! It has been a bit painful, so I am taking the meds. Thanks to all for prayers and thoughts and support. It is felt. I will write more soon - my brain is a bit 'cloudy' with the meds. Hugs and thanks to all

Another Chance at Surgery

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tomorrow is another big day. For those of you who have not heard, I am getting the hardware taken out of my leg from my ACL surgery this summer. My surgery is at 2:45pm tomorrow - late for my taste. But...it should be relatively simple and things should be just fine. I will keep you posted on the outcomes. Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts. Love you all.

My week at Doggie DayCare

Thursday, January 15, 2009

What a week this has been!!! Saturday morning I woke to a mess, as Cheyenne's 'butt' problem resurfaced. I took her to the vet and they cleaned and added antibiotics. Yes, that sounds great huh??!!! So, she was unhappy and uncomfortable.

Sunday night, my baby boy began to itch his left eye. Carrie said that it looked swollen some - that was 7:30pm. By 9pm I was calling the vet's emergency number to get advice...his muzzle was swollen and he was looking like Rocky Balboa after a fight with Apollo Creed!!! You can see his eye in the pictures. We gave him 50mg benadryl and waited. By 11:30pm we were rushing him to the vet hospital where they decided it was an allergic reaction to a bite. He weighed in at a whooping 70 pounds, so they gave him more benadryl and steroids. He was TERRIBLY uncomfortable and needy. Mommy slept on the floor on the doggie bed with him for most of the night.

That cleared just in time for Findlay to begin throwing up. Yes, that was Monday about midnight through Tuesday about 4pm. After another call to the vet, we decided the best course was to take away food and water for 12 hours. He was still interested in food, but would throw it up. He seemed to get worse...so I called again about 9pm...worry wart Mommy. You see, the memories of a throwing up yellow lab are still pretty fresh in my mind. They said to 'hang in there' and watch him. If he gets too lethargic, then bring him in. SOOO.... Mommy slept on the doggie bed with Findlay again. He was terribly restless, so we really did little sleeping.

Yesterday, he ate rice & boiled chicken plus dry food. Keeping things down and beginning to be himself, we progressed to all doggie food. He has his old self back today, but we are feeding smaller amounts more frequently. I think that his throw-up of a bit of plastic something might have been the trouble. Doggie DayCare has been rugged this week, but the good part is all pups are recovering. Now...Mommy needs a serious NAP!!!

Knee Update...Here we go again!! ;-)

Friday, January 9, 2009

The ACL knee sage continues. I have been feeling MUCH better after my ACL reconstruction surgery and partial menisciotomy. But, it is not 100% or probably even 90% honestly. There have been some issues like bone pain, severe cold sensitivity, and continued inflammation/swelling. I had what I had hoped to be my final appointment with the surgeon this past week, thinking that I was going to get the green light. Things did not work exactly like that!!

I will be having surgery again on the 29th of January. Now, this time it is "not bad at all" according to the doctor. Clearly, he is sitting at a difference angle than I am considering that he is holding the scalpel and the drill!!! BUT, it is again an outpatient surgery and he will remove the metal screw and washer in my lower leg. The screw is 'backing out' of the leg which can be painful and can cause some issues down the road. He said about 15% of people who have ACL reconstruction need to have the screw removed.

As you can imagine, I am a bit frustrated by this news. It will all be OK, I am sure. But, it is disappointing as I have been pretty faithful to my workout routine and this will set me back at least two weeks, potentially more. I guess the little Wii Fit guy will bug me why I am not doing it daily!!! :-)

It should all be better after this happens and I spend another 3 months healing this new bone insult. The overall surgery is much less invasive than before and it is much shorter - only 3/4 of an hour or so. I will take the Thurs and Friday off from work and get back at it on Monday to teach my 3 hour grad class. Although I am happy about the quick recovery projected, a part of me would like a few more days OFF!!! (I am terrible, I know!!)

So, for those of you who always thought I had a screw loose - you are correct for sure NOW! I ask for your prayers and good wishes as I again prepare to work through this next surgery. I love each of you and know that this is God's plan. It is truly a mystery as to what His purpose is in this one, but I am confident that will reveal itself as we move along. Hugs to all!!

Learning to Retrieve

Sunday, January 4, 2009

We have been working with Findlay on many activities. He passed his 'Initial Doggie Obedience' class right before Christmas. He was awarded the class's 'Most Improved at Controlling Himself' Award. I am not sure that is a great one to get...but you can decide that part!!

I went to Cabella's for clearance things and found a wonderful set of bright orange (GO HOPE) retrieval toys. He had one that was cammie, but in the snow it got a touch lost...don't ask!! Anyhow, these bright orange ones work great. So, we play daily after our walk and a few more times after the temps warm up (our little paws get tender otherwise). We are working to find, retrieve and return the 'ducks' to Mommy. He does most of that well and LOVES the games. I will admit, he often does not want to 'give' after coming back to Mommy. We are working on that part. When the snow was higher and fresh, Carrie was working on voice and arm commands to get him to find the 'duck' when it was hidden in the snow. HE LOVED THAT TRICK!! Findlay was terribly proud of himself that day for sure. We are all enjoying a bit of time to play in the snow, learn new things and bond a bit more. He will be 7 months in a week and he continues to grow in size, smarts and love. I am beginning to let him win my heart over - a task that is not that easy after Carli. He is doing pretty well so far - at least when he is a good boy!!

We thought a picture with Mommy would prove that I was outside in the cold too. It was fun for us both. I will keep you posted as we will schedule Findlay's 'surgery' soon. I am confident that he will just love Mommy for doing that deed!!