Roller Coaster

5/11/2012

There is only one way to describe the journey we have been on the past month and that is a roller coaster ride.  Just when you think you have hope, you get knocked down again and somehow find hope once more.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.

Oscar returned to Columbus for his one month post-op visit.  The surgeon removed his stitches and the incision is barely visible.  Oscar's hair has almost completely grown back and he is starting to look like himself.

When Dr. Harrison tested his deep pain reflex, the reaction he was hoping for still wasn't there.  However, Oscar did seem to show signs of discomfort although Dr. Harrison couldn't say for sure if he was actually feeling deep pain.  As a result of this, Dr. Harrison told us to give Oscar another two weeks to show signs of recovery.  He made sure to emphasize that until Oscar could feel deep pain, he had zero chance of recovery.


He went outside for a longer period of time when we got home to enjoy the warm weather. No blanket necessary today.

On a positive note, Oscar is starting to bear weight on his hind legs when we support his back end for balance.  When he is in this position on all fours, Oscar's tail immediately begins to wag which is so exciting to see.  He is so incredibly happy to be up instead of laying down or sitting. 


I wanted to see if the tail wagging was an encouraging sign, so I began to "Google" this and came across an article from 2009 documenting a clinical trial done on a paralyzed dachshund in England.(Link to article)  The clinical trial removed cells from the lining of the dog's nose and the cells were injected into his spinal cord eventually allowing him to walk again.  I was so excited to find this article that I immediately began a search to locate the professors named in the article that conducted the clinical trial to see if they were still conducting similar trials or new of anyone that might be in the USA.  I was able to track them down and sent each of them an email.  Unfortunately, one was undeliverable and returned immediately.  I went to bed without hope that the other email would go through.  Afterall, the article was three years old.

Questioning Myself

5/7/2012

Every single day since the surgery, I have questioned myself and our decision to proceed with surgery instead of putting him down.   I question myself during every load of laundry, every minute I spend with Oscar instead with my children, every four hour round trip to Columbus.  I question if all the money and time invested was worth it or just a huge mistake.

As if questioning myself isn't bad enough, I can tell everyone we tell about Oscar and his situation thinks we are crazy and made the wrong decision.  Of course, no one has the guts to say anything, but it is obvious by their body language and what they don't say.  It is even worse when someone comes to our home and sees Oscar trying desperately to get from point A to point B using only front legs. 

At the end of the day, my husband and I are on the same page.  He is happy, he is (otherwise) healthy and until we have reason to believe there is no hope of a recovery we will keep doing what we are doing.

Outside adventures

5/05/2012

The medicine Oscar took to cure his infection worked quickly and he is acting more like himself.  He is no longer satisfied sitting in a tub the majority of the time and is voicing his opinion.  While I work, he spends most of the time on the floor next to my desk on top of blankets, towels and more pee pads.

I get him outside as much as possible, but taking two children and two dogs outside by yourself isn't the easiest thing to do since Oscar can't walk and Grant just started to walk.  To make things easier, I whipped out our double stroller put Oscar in the back and Grant in the front and pushed them around our backyard. 

When the husband came home, I took Oscar outside by myself.  He was feeling extra energetic and was trying to walk around our backyard by using only his front legs while his back legs dragged behind him.  To help him out, I bent over, lifted up his back legs and he immediatel took off running.  Thankfully, we live in the country and no one could see me waddle while bent over holding up Oscar's hind legs.  I kept it up for as long as possible, but it wore me out long before it wore Oscar out.  He was SO incredibly happy to move again! 

Kisses

4/30/2012

Oscar continues to have diarrhea and the over the counter medicine didn't do the trick.  Mark agrees to take him to our local vet for a check-up.  The vet indicated Oscar has a fever and a severe infection.  He gives Oscar two shots and sends him home with two additional medicines to be taken for the next week.

On a positive note, Maya laid next to Oscar for the first time in three weeks!!!!!  She was asleep and didn't feel me move her from one side of my body to the other where he was laying.  As soon as she was up against him, Oscar immediately began to "kiss" her and couldn't stop cleaning her head.  I was so emotional seeing the two of them reunited. 

Two Weeks and Counting

4/27/2012

Two weeks post-op and Oscar continues to have diarrhea.  We made another drive to Columbus for an additional check up. The surgeon's office suggested I give him heart burn medicine since his diarrhea could be a result of the steroids he has been taking.  I am hoping the medicine will work quickly, but am doubtful it will.


Dr. Harrison (the surgeon) checked Oscar's deep pain reflex and did not get any movement in his hind legs.  Until he has a deep pain sensation, he will remain paralyzed.  Dr. Harrison did indicate the jury was still out on his long term recovery and to not give up hope. 

I left feeling completely defeated.  Our local vet indicated we should know if the surgery worked within 3-4 days, we are currently at 14 days.  The surgeon still states if he doesn't walk in one month he never will.  We are currently halfway through the given time period.  I feel as though we are running out of time.  As I drive home, I begin to wonder what we will do if he isn't walking in another 14 days.  My eyes fill with tears at the mere thought of putting him down.  I push those thoughts out of my head and begin to stroke his head and scratch his ears as we drive home.

On a happy note, I succesfully emptied Oscar's bladder by myself!!!!!!! I never thought in a million years I would be excited about being able to do this, but I am!

Explosive Diarrhea

4/20/2012

Apparently two loads of laundry per day wasn't enough.  I am now officially up to three loads of Oscar laundry per day.  He has been having diarrhea all day.  Not sure what it causing it; however, he has acquired a taste for his own feces.  At this point, I think the diarrhea is caused by the fact that he is eating his diarrhea.  Not sure how to break the cycle since most of the time he has his accidents when he is unsupervised in the bathtub.

It has offically been one week since his surgery and he has been a trooper.  He is used to spending 100% of his time by my side during the day while I work and in our bed underneath the covers in the evening.  To go from that to being in a bathtub more than 23 hrs/day has got to be tough.  Despite it all, he hasn't cried or whined to get out which is surprising.

He still gets so excited whenever he sees us.   He lost the ability to wag his tail, but his eyes say it all.  They totally light up when we walk into the room. 

Follow-Up and Fresh Air

4/16/2012

Oscar went back to the surgeon in Columbus this morning for a follow-up to his surgery 3 days prior.  The surgeon was happy with his incision as it showed no signs of infection.  He did indicate that it was still too early to tell if the surgery would be successful which went against what our local vet initially told us.  The surgeon did try to manually express his bladder since we weren't having much luck at home.  Oscar did resist the pressure and held his urine in.  The surgeon was happy with this since it did indicate he had some bladder control which meant some of his nerves could be working. 

April weather in Ohio is hit or miss.  On occasion we will be fortunate enough to have a warm day.  By this point, Oscar has been cooped up in a bathtub for 3 days straight.  In the evening when we took the children out for some fresh air, Oscar joined us.  It was still slightly chilly so we wrapped him up to help him stop shivering.  He was grateful for his time outside, but it was obvious he wanted to go in after only 10 minutes.

Maya (his sister) still wants nothing to do with him and avoids him like the plague.  I will bring her over to him and she immediately runs off.  I would give anything for them to lay side by side like they did all day, everyday prior.