Teetering on the brink

kmcld2

Get well soon! x

EatingBeans

Thanks all. Sadly still in pain and still in hospital atm. 😕

Cherryfudge

This is very tough for you. 😢I hope you get a peaceful night's rest.

cbsexec

hope you soon feel better

EatingBeans

Thanks for all of your kind words, bless you. I am still in pain but I am being discharged today and will come back as an outpatient for more tests. Still don’t have a diagnosis and will be taking a whole bunch of medication home with me but hey ho, at least I will still get some time with my girl’s and puppies before starting the new job on 10th August. And yes, I do still intend on taking up the job (along with the insane commuting), because I’m actually quite excited to start. The van is still not done but if necessary I’ll stay in a B&B to start with.

Money-wise I still haven’t totalled everything up and set a budget yet but I’ve been a little preoccupied. I know I put 2months of direct debits in all the right accounts when I got the money through so for now I am not worrying about it.

Cherryfudge

Hooray for going home, though I'm sorry they've not got to the bottom of it. I absolutely see why you are keen to go ahead with your new job, and I think having that to look forward to is a really good thing. Perhaps do a little research into B&Bs in the area, or possibly a room in an air B&B if any have vacancies this time of year. It will take the pressure off it you don't have to think about extra travel or pushing yourself to get the van finished while you are tackling a new job.

ellenvan

Just checking in to see how you are?

Hopefully you are quietly recovering?

EatingBeans

Hiya, honestly I am still in an awful lot of pain. It is better than when I was hospital but not by much. I got an appointment for the next test but it is not until then end of August so I suspect I will need to go back to the GP for stronger painkillers on Monday.

One piece of good news that I don’t think I have shared is that when I came out of hospital I found that I had an appointment come through to see the neurosurgeon about my Trigeminal Neuralgia. Despite being in so much pain from my gall bladder, I attended the appointment and the conclusion was he wants to do another head MRI to try and see the nerve compression that he believes is there, as he thinks I am a good candidate for the MVD operation, i.e. the one and only possible CURE for trigeminal neuralgia! In fact he said even if he cannot see the compression on the new scan then given my symptoms there is even a case for opening my skull up and just taking a physical look to see if he can see the problem. 😱 I’m not so sure about that. 😬 The thing is the op has some really scary sounding potential side effects and could actually make the TN worse rather than better, but equally, could actually cure me and give me my life back. It’s a tough call. One thing he did say is I’ll need to have my gall bladder issue sorted first (I was very clearly in pain when I saw him so he chatted to me about that too).

After my struggles trying to even go to A&E when the girls were away, all of this talking about operations made me slightly concerned about who will take care of my dogs during any recovery period. Google tells me I can’t be around them for about 4 weeks after a gall bladder removal (which is what the consultant seems keen on), and at least 6 weeks after the microvascular decompression (MVD) for the TN. That is a LONG time to only had dd2 looking after them (dd1 will have left for uni), so I think I need to find someone who can home board them even if it is just to give her a bit of respite. I have started the ball rolling and found a behaviourist who is willing to assess her but my gosh it is not easy to board a reactive dog. Just finding someone willing is a massive challenge, let’s not even get into the potential cost!

Honestly, I am sure anyone who has owned any dog will have realised having a dog always adds just a bit of complexity to everything you do (making sure they are fed, entertained, get regular toilet breaks, cant go everywhere etc), but nothing quite prepares you for having a reactive dog. Instead of meeting new people and striking up random chats with fellow dog folk, you are now feared and people run from you! You want to pick up a dog sport or even just go to basic train classes? Nope, your banned from joining in. Need to go somewhere/anywhere without your dog? Hell no! Noone can even hold your dog for two seconds for you to pop into a shop and grab something, so leaving to go anywhere without them is no longer just a bit of extra planning, it is now a full on project with as much chance of succeeding as building HS2! Seriously, it is a good job I love my sweet Little Dog and 100% understand that it is not her fault that she is as she is, because the past year has really made me understand why people might struggle to the point of giving up on their dogs. No, she is not going anywhere, even if I have to build some weird sort of indoor living room separators where I can look after them through my recovery by keeping them on one side of an indoor fence and me on the other, just feeding/stroking them through the bars etc., then I will do it! They may not be getting the full adventure filled life I want for both of them, but my gosh I will love and care for them in the best way I possibly can and I will not quit. Now my children are grown I feel like I have the luxury of space in my life to choose that option but for those that have younger children or other hurdles at the same time, I can only imagine how difficult the choice must become. The experience has given me a whole new perspective and now when I see someone with a reactive dog, instead of judging and instantly thinking they are bad owners who must not care about their dog, my first thought is now sympathy for all the struggles they much go through and yet still they hold on to their dog. Yes, I am sure some people are not kind to their dogs etc but after my experience with Little Dog, reactivity no long instantly indicates this. In fact, the very fact that a person is still on the other end of the lead and trying to walk their reactive dog etc, to me shows they haven’t quit yet and they are still trying to make it work. I have deep respect for anyone in this situation who is choosing to share their life with a reactive dog. It is not easy. 🐾

daisy_1571

it is not easy at all, with you on that!

I also never judge someone who does give up their dog, sometimes for all concerned its the best option. Its awful easy to jump in saying oh if they loved the dog they should blah or they shouldn't dumdedum but we never know, do we, what struggles they have gone through to get to that decision.

II knew someone who had to walk their dog during the night with a rope looped round their waist so they could brace themselves if the dog went off on one. They loved that dog and although still reactive, they got to a far better stage than that as time went on.

I'm glad you are able to see so much joy little dog brings you. Its so very easy to let the struggle cloud that. Wishing you every good wish that you can find some help out there that will let you do your recovery and let them be even slightly more relaxed in their lovely life with you

Dxxx.

satchmo1

Have a look at the Cinnamon Trust, as there was a poster in our GPs waiting room saying the Trust will offer dog-care for in-patients. Link here… Temporary pet care - The Cinnamon Trust

My dog isn't reactive, but our chosen dog-minder is so popular we have to book a long time in advance for holidays. However, she always keeps one slot free for people needing a day's dog-minding for hospital tests.

Glad the consultant was actively listening and picked up on the gall bladder issue needing to be attended to before the TM op.