Decisions

My parents are slacking. It has been a few days since they have made a post on my behalf, so I have been staring at them to get to it. If you had not seen me last Friday, you would swear my parents were making this whole story up. Other than my scar and my haircut, I look really good (see my picture from this afternoon as proof). Today I got dressed for the first time since my surgery - well okay it is just an Indiana collar, but I got dressed none-the-less and I decided to go down our flight of stairs to the lower level. My parents have blocked the stairs since last Monday with a box, but today I moved the box and went down stairs to visit the kitty litter box (We all have our chores and mine is to empty the cats' litter boxes).

Dr. Sullivan is a great surgeon because my scar is healing beautifully and the staples that my girlfriend, the soon-to-be Dr. Lisa put in, are still in place and I have not had to wear that silly e-collar. Iam feeling so good that the tall one had to yell at me this morning to stop howling at 6 am when the newspaper was delivered. That got their attention! I have been enjoying my time sleeping on the deck and when I beg for food I just keep telling them "remember I'm the miracle dog,"? I think they're on to me.

Today's lesson is: Sometimes we have hard decisions to make (surgery) and some easy decisions (litter box or no litter box). Some times you just have to trust your guts, even if they end up on the operating table.

Gifts

I had a great night's sleep last evening! My parents were ecstatic, as the curly one only had to get up one time. The tall one slept all night, so she was less grumpy! Tall momma's been mushier than usual. We have always had our morning routines. She makes her coffee, feeds the old cats, and I try to eat the cat food. Mom then takes her shower and I sit outside the door and guard her. Maggie told me that tall mom has not been herself since I got sick. This morning, I thought I would give her a surprise. Once she got into the shower, I decided to go and lie on the floor right next to the shower. A few minutes later, she gets out of the shower and her eyes were leaking (You humans call it crying). She kept saying "thank you for such a wonderful surprise." She's such a freak. I wish she would just stop trying to put peas on my plow.

Here's the lesson I learned today: Never underestimate the gift of another day.

I'm Finally Home

I finally got to go home last night. I think my family was shocked when they saw how good I looked compared to Sunday. Lisa and Dr. Sullivan (my surgeon) gave me my walking papers and said I was a miracle dog. They couldn’t believe the guy who came in on Friday night was the same one walking out the door Monday.

My first night home was a bit rough. I had to get up to pee every 2 hours. I then would pace for 15-20 minutes, and finally try to get comfortable. I had to have frozen peas put on my stitches every 4 hours. That was pretty pleasant. Give it a try sometime. Cold veggies on a warm belly that is exceptionally sore is rarely a good idea. I balked at that process every time!

Thank you to everyone who has sent good wishes. Many people have checked in to make sure I am doing well. That leads me to my first lesson – tell those you care about how you feel before it is too late. I think my parents realize this. They have been babying me a lot. I get lots of pets and extra cookies. They need to continue to share the love. I have asked for a steak, but they haven’t produced yet. I will keep working on that one.

My Last Bark

As some of you may know I had a pretty tough weekend. I was feeling pretty badly on Friday & had to be rushed to the vet. I didn’t help the rushing part as I could barely walk. I spent the afternoon at Krueger Animal Hospital where Dr. Bleem took excellent care of me as usual. I started to go home and was to return in the morning for more fluids when Tall Momma noticed my gums were white. Dr. Bleem scooped me up & carried me back inside and said I wasn’t going home. Dr. Bleem thought I had a vascular tumor that was causing blood to push on my heart…keep in mind some of the details are fuzzy. The word “tumor” does that to people.

I had to make a trip to the U of I where they confirmed what Dr. Bleem thought – he is so smart. It was now decision time as to whether I would have surgery or let the tumor do its thing. It was a gut wrenching decision, but it came down to the fact that I would never be able to go home without it. Being a Hoosier, my parents did not want me to pass in Illini Country. So they did the surgery. I came out at 3:30 a.m. and the surgeons found a plum sized tumor on my liver. This liver has always given me trouble!

Dr. Bleem and my parents came to see me Sunday. I looked pretty rough, but the morphine like drugs made me feel pretty good. Most of my belly is shaved and swollen, as is my plow…I kind of like that part J I get to come home tonight. I think Maggie misses me.

The staff at U of I is among the best in the country and has taken wonderful care of me. Lisa is a 4th year vet student who has been great. She is my favorite person here and is the only one I let feed me. Those who know me well, understand how particular I can be.

We all know that this surgery isn’t going to save my life, but at least I will get home for several more months. This blog is going to serve as a way to keep my friends and family updated on my progress. I will also be giving words of wisdom. I have learned a lot along the way. Can you all guess that my parents just read Randy Pausch’s book, the Last Lecture?