(no subject)
Doped up on pain meds, recovering on the couch.
We got to pick him up the day after his surgery after an overnight for observation. When they brought him into the exam room to hand him off to us, he could hear our voices and as soon as they opened the door he barreled to us, causing the tech to lose grip on his lead. He about knocked me over, which was probably a good thing because he lost his footing at about the same time and we both kinda collapsed on the floor.
But. Surgery went well. He's got an incision along his abdomen which he is leaving alone - oddly enough. He's protective of it, and it hurts, so i suppose it's understandable that even -he- doesn't want to mess with it. He's loopy on pain medication, he's got antibiotics up the yingyang, and some additional gunk to help with the acid levels in his tummy while that is healing up. He's a very interesting mix of 'snuggly' and 'snarly' right now - when i sit with him on the floor or the couch, he tries very hard to be in my lap but if he moves just so or twinges just right and his abdomen hurts him he will get a little growly at me and tell me to leave him alone. Poor guy.
However, the worst part of all of this is the position he had to be in on the table for the surgery. Basically, they had him on his back stretched out almost like a person for a while. He's already frail in his hips and back legs going in, and with that extra strain on them - he is pretty much not only hurting, but HURTING, and for the most part, immobile. The pain medication is just as much for his hips as it is for the surgery at this point. We literally have to help him stand, and I'll tell you what -- he does NOT like having to lay down to drink his water out of a bowl. *chuckle*
But he's good. He's going to pull through - he's as stubborn as i am, and he's still very interactive and chipper [when he's not high on pain meds.] He'll probably never be as mobile as he was before the surgery, but at least he's alive and he will be in good health again soon. I cannot express to you how RELIEVED i am, and how much of a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. He's ancient - he may still have a year or two left in him, or it may only be a couple of months, but i feel good about where he's at and where he's going. It was as expensive as hell, but you know what? He's part of my family, and i made a commitment to him when i got him that I'd take care of him to the best of my ability. So i won't get to go on vacation this summer; he's worth it, and he deserved the chance to get better.
We got to pick him up the day after his surgery after an overnight for observation. When they brought him into the exam room to hand him off to us, he could hear our voices and as soon as they opened the door he barreled to us, causing the tech to lose grip on his lead. He about knocked me over, which was probably a good thing because he lost his footing at about the same time and we both kinda collapsed on the floor.
But. Surgery went well. He's got an incision along his abdomen which he is leaving alone - oddly enough. He's protective of it, and it hurts, so i suppose it's understandable that even -he- doesn't want to mess with it. He's loopy on pain medication, he's got antibiotics up the yingyang, and some additional gunk to help with the acid levels in his tummy while that is healing up. He's a very interesting mix of 'snuggly' and 'snarly' right now - when i sit with him on the floor or the couch, he tries very hard to be in my lap but if he moves just so or twinges just right and his abdomen hurts him he will get a little growly at me and tell me to leave him alone. Poor guy.
However, the worst part of all of this is the position he had to be in on the table for the surgery. Basically, they had him on his back stretched out almost like a person for a while. He's already frail in his hips and back legs going in, and with that extra strain on them - he is pretty much not only hurting, but HURTING, and for the most part, immobile. The pain medication is just as much for his hips as it is for the surgery at this point. We literally have to help him stand, and I'll tell you what -- he does NOT like having to lay down to drink his water out of a bowl. *chuckle*
But he's good. He's going to pull through - he's as stubborn as i am, and he's still very interactive and chipper [when he's not high on pain meds.] He'll probably never be as mobile as he was before the surgery, but at least he's alive and he will be in good health again soon. I cannot express to you how RELIEVED i am, and how much of a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. He's ancient - he may still have a year or two left in him, or it may only be a couple of months, but i feel good about where he's at and where he's going. It was as expensive as hell, but you know what? He's part of my family, and i made a commitment to him when i got him that I'd take care of him to the best of my ability. So i won't get to go on vacation this summer; he's worth it, and he deserved the chance to get better.