No More Updates

Li'l Girl recovered wonderfully from her hemilaminectomy, so I stopped updating this blog quite some time ago.  Our other blog is WordsWithWieners.com, if you'd like to drop by for a visit.

On Her Way

Yesterday was our dachshund Li'l Girl's four week follow-up after her right-sided hemilaminectomy.  She had nothing but growls for the surgeon, but he had nothing but nice words for her.  In other words, she had a great check-up.  He watched her walk outside, where she also showed off her peeing and pooping skills.  In preparation for a possible scan, she had nothing to eat or drink for 12 hours prior to the appointment.  However, because her mobility and neurological status seemed to be almost-perfect, he said there was no need for a scan.   
She has been in confinement in a small pen my husband built for these past four weeks following her surgery, only coming out for potty breaks.  The surgeon said we can now start slowly reintroducing her to her regular routine over the next two weeks.  I'm certainly nervous about this and am going to make sure it is indeed a slow process.  We still have some preparation to do, such as buying or building some ramps so that she (and her best pal LittleBear, our other dachshund) can get on and off the sofa without jumping.
The surgeon also gave us a brochure regarding laser disc ablation, a procedure that is performed on dogs with IVDD to theoretically reduce the risk for other discs rupturing in the future.  I have mentioned it in a previous post.  My husband and I will be discussing it in depth, including the cost involved, before we make any decisions.  Right now we are just focused on getting her fully healed and recovered from her hemilaminectomy.
Yesterday was incidentally also my birthday, and while I have not been physically feeling so well lately, Li'l Girl's great check-up made my birthday a good one anyway.  We are so happy with her progress and our goal is to make sure her recovery keeps going just as smoothly as it has been.  She is past the initial phase, but the spinal cord takes months to heal, as does the vertebral bone in which the window was made during her surgery.  I look at her like she's made of glass, like any twist or overly-enthusiastic turn is going to break her.  We have to be very careful for the rest of her life, but at the same time I have to learn to let her enjoy herself again.  Slowly but surely, she is on her way back to chasing squirrels. 

Making Mama Nervous

We are now 23 days out from our dachshund Li'l Girl's hemilaminectomy, and I just thought I'd post an update even though not much has changed since my last post. 
Now that she's been completely off any pain meds for a while and is returning to her pre-surgery energy levels, she is getting more and more bored with being in her recovery pen.  When we take her out for potty breaks, she is her twisty, wiggly little self and that, of course, makes me nervous.  She's so full of pent-up energy that she also wants to run, which is something else she's not supposed to be doing.  It's difficult to manage how active she is outside the pen, even on a leash.  It has been unseasonably warm lately, so when we get outside, she wants to stay out there a while to explore.  Sometimes we have to lure her back in with a small treat.  I'm starting to wonder if we should put her on a mild sedative - not anything to "knock her out", so to speak, just something to make her a little more... well... sedate.
Other than making me nervous, thus far her energetic antics haven't hampered her recovery.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, her walking is almost normal, with just a few stumbles/sways here and there.  She takes care of all of her "business" perfectly, with just slight variations in body posture from the way she used to do it.  Her sensation is very good, as evidenced by her noticing when a tiny winged insect landed on her rear end while we were outside a couple of days ago.  As soon as it landed, she quickly turned her head around to see what was touching her.  Her incision looks good, as you can see by the photos below. 
She is now whining to go outside, so I better attend to that.  Truthfully, she probably just wants to go outside, but I never take the risk of her needing to go and not going.

Six days after suture removal.

Chew sticks help keep me sane.

Ten days after suture removal.

No More Frankendog

Yesterday, 13 days after our dachshund Li'l Girl's hemilaminectomy, we took her to get her staples removed.  Last time she was in the travel carrier, she was left to go through a major surgery and a traumatic stay at the vet.  So being in it again brought on a lot of fear and stress, and she fretted the whole way there, even with my husband sitting in the seat next to her trying to offer comfort.   
It was a Saturday, so a tech removed the staples and we didn't get to visit with the surgeon.  She said the incision looked great - that it looked exactly the way it should look.  After reminding us to make our four week follow-up appointment with the surgeon on our way out, she set us free.  Li'l Girl was obviously very relieved when she realized she was coming back home with us.  She was quiet and even slept a little during the ride home, only fretting a little each time we stopped.
Back at home and in her recovery pen, we quickly gave her a chew stick to help soothe what was left of her worries.  She went right to work on it and laid down for a nap promptly after.
Her movement progress is still going well.  Potty breaks are all good, with her taking care of business all on her own.  Walking is good too... she stumbles a little sometimes and very occasionally falls over as her back legs give way to some weakness, but her gait isn't very wobbly anymore and more often than not, we are having to make her slow down on the way outside.  Sometimes she likes to take a slow stroll around the yard to investigate, just as she would before.  She needs to rest in order for her spinal cord to heal, but she also needs these short periods of controlled exercise to keep her nerves stimulated and help prevent muscle wasting. 
All in all, everything is going as well as we could hope for and we pray that her recovery continues forward without a hitch.  She is due to have her four week recheck on February 8th, at which time she will undergo another scan to monitor her healing and to see if she's a candidate for laser disc ablation.  Laser disc ablation is a prophylactic procedure to help prevent future disc herniations by potentially reducing the amount of disc material left to herniate.  It is a somewhat controversial procedure because not all clinicians agree that prophylactic surgical measures, whether traditional fenestration or laser disc ablation, are beneficial.  It will obviously be something that my husband and I discuss at length, weighing all the potential risks and benefits, before making any decisions.  For now, we are just focused on taking one day at a time in her recovery and trying to enjoy the progress she has made so far.  

Here is my back after my staples were removed.

 

Back home and cozy with my staples out.

No Early Parole

We are now nine days out from our dachshund Li'l Girl's hemilaminectomy.  Everything is still going wonderfully.  Potty breaks are still good, and her back legs seems to be getting less and less wobbly when walking.  She is definitely not 100% her old self, but her strength is coming back nicely.
While she seems to be getting more and more used to being in jail (in her recovery pen), I think she is also hoping for an early parole, which isn't going to happen.  I know she gets bored in there, and is ready for the freedom she used to have.  I think the hardest part for her is seeing our other dachshund LittleBear out and around the house, doing as he pleases.  Of course there's no way for her to understand why she has to be in there and he doesn't.  She listens intently as I explain it to her, but I know it's all coming through as jibberish.
As we are making steady progress, I probably won't post again unless/until there are any significant changes.  She is due to get her sutures out in 4-6 days, so I will likely update again after that.

Yes, I'm really this cute.

Toys are serious business.

If I give you the sad eyes, will you let me out?

   

Stir Crazy

Our dachshund Li'l Girl is now six days out from her hemilaminectomy to repair her ruptured disc and all is still going well.  Potty breaks are still perfect - on schedule with all business being done outside.  Walking is still a little wobbly and stumbly, but still strong.
She has to be in her little enclosure 24 hours a day, only out to use the restroom, and the cabin fever is really setting in.  She gets very(!) excited when my husband gets home from work every day, and we have to make sure she doesn't get too rambunctious in there.  Well, yesterday, since she was so excited, my husband thought he might let her out (leash-free) for a few minutes to sit and cuddle with him.  I was against this idea, knowing she was just too excited to be still, but the process was already in motion by the time I could open my mouth.  With no leash on to prevent her from going anywhere, she bolted down the hallway to the living room as soon as he opened her enclosure.  We ran after her and caught the little bundle of wiggly, squirmy excitement.  I nearly had a stroke.  Why, you might question.  Surely tearing down the hallway couldn't be that big of a deal.  It may not seem like a big deal, but the simple act of running puts too much stress on her healing spinal cord and discs, possibly causing re-injury; and we could be back to square one or worse.  I can't lie, I was very angry.  Her recovery has been going amazingly well, and now it could all be blown on this one careless event.  I spend all day, every day making sure to be meticulously careful with her movement and activity level, and I felt like he just came home and set her free.  I know that he didn't mean for her to bolt the way she did, but it was everything I could do not to scream at him, "What did you THINK was going to happen?!?!"
I have just been so stressed with all of this happening in the first place, and then so stressed about any little thing causing a setback (or even reversal) in her recovery that being calm, collected, and rational can go right out the window.  I was exploding inside, but I held it in.  I wasn't truly angry at him... I knew in my heart that he was only trying to spend some close time with his Li'l Girl.  The fear of wrecking her recovery was where the rage was coming from... I had to bring the fear down to bring the rage down.  It was time to make dinner and I used my time in the kitchen to collect myself and regain my composure.  I needed to refocus and accept that we can't control everything.  We can only do our absolute best and deal with circumstances, positive and negative, as they arise... stop fearing that the bridge is going to crumble beneath us when we're not even standing on it yet.  IVDD is a lifelong condition, and there is no way to know how smooth or bumpy the road ahead of us will be, but we'll adapt as we go.  
I managed to calm down and the rest of the night was uneventful.  This morning has been good, with her even waking us up before 7 to go outside.  She seems the same as usual, not in any more discomfort or having any harder of a time moving around, so hopefully last night's short blast of freedom won't prove to have any ill effects and her progress will continue forward on track.

Is that Daddy I hear??

Let me outta here -  I know Daddy's home!

Yay for Two!

We are now five days out from our dachshund Li'l Girl's hemilaminectomy.  Everything is still the same or progressing.  She is still urinating and having bowel movements on her own, all outside - not a single accident inside.  Yesterday was her first day to have two bowel movements in one day, which is what is normal for her; and she's already had another earlier this morning.  I never thought that seeing one of my dogs (or any dog, for that matter) pooping would make me so happy, but you don't realize how much that task gets taken for granted until they might not be able to do it on their own anymore.
When we take her outside for her potty trips, her walking is wobbly and fumbly, but there seems to be very little weakness.  We actually have to make her slow down because she wants to go, go, go.  I know she finds it depressing to get right back in her pen after going outside.  I hate that I can't explain to her why she needs to be in there, but I know it would break her heart to hear that she still has quite a few weeks of restricted activity ahead of her.  But she, and most importantly her spine, need the rest.  
While I was tending to her earlier, our other dachshund LittleBear got sick in the other room.  Poor baby.  If he doesn't have a snack in the mornings, his stomach gets too acid-y and he throws up.  We know this is the problem, because he never gets sick as long as he has his morning snack.  I've thought about putting him on an acid reducer, but dogs have their amazingly strong stomach acid for a reason.  It's what keeps them from getting sick when they decide to eat random nasty things outside, rotting earthworms being one example in his case.  Those have a very particular stench and are a favorite for him to roll in or chomp down... or both.  Of course, us humans would prefer our dogs not roll in or eat dead things, but they are dogs and you can't stop all their doggy behavior.  Anyway, the vomit he gets from having an empty stomach too long is always nothing but yellow and would make for great carpet stains if it weren't for products like Nature's Miracle and Kids 'n' Pets.  Seriously, they are lifesavers.  Urine, feces, vomit... you name it, they take care of it.  I know I sound like an advertisement, but honestly, I am truly thankful for these products.  We always keep at least one of the two on hand.
Anyway, they've had their snacks and medicine, and the vomit has been cleaned up.  They are napping and all is well for the moment.

LittleBear is keeping me company as I try to get in the sunny spot.

All this resting is exhausting.