post-amp checkup

Katy and I saw the Doc this morning for her post-surgical checkup.  We walked in the door and every staff member that saw us was just gushing over her, how great she looked and how well everything went, what a sweetheart she is and how they loved having her there.  *blush*  That’s my Katygirl!  If only she got along with dogs the way she gets along with people…

So Doc checked her out and said everything looks fantastic, the swelling and bruising have already gone down noticeably.  She’s getting around great (though she did trip on her T shirt and fall off the couch earlier-didn’t even faze her, she just rolled right to her feet), not in obvious pain, not even trying to mess with her incision.  Eating, drinking, peeing, and even pooping just fine (getting the fentanyl patch off made a serious difference in her bowel movements; opioids cause lessened intestinal motility, basically the stronger pain meds they’re on the less inclined they are to poop).  Doc says she has a great spirit and that will really make a difference in her recovery.  I like that.  🙂  We got a refill on her Rimadyl and then were on our way; Doc doesn’t expect to see her again until the sutures come out, 10-14 days.  I think I’ll let him have the pleasure rather than doing it myself, taking all those out would wreak havoc on my carpal tunnel.  🙂

The tech who first came into the exam room said something really cool.  After cooing over Katy and how sweet she is, she said, “Y’know, so many people are put in the position of making the decision whether or not to amputate a limb, and they’re really scared of the whole idea, they think it’s going to be awful.  I wish I could show them Katy and how amazingly resilient dogs and cats are after having a leg removed.”  I liked that, I like the idea of outreach and education, of show-and-telling people how awesome Tripawds are.  I was reading on the Tripawds.com news page about Mission 4 Hope and I think that’s just awesome; once Katy fully recovers I’m really going to look into something like that myself, getting a booth at events and whatnot.  Very cool.

It’s late and I’m very tired and sick, but I have to ask one thing before I sign off.  I have not yet mastered the art of T shirt tying and it frustrates me as well as Katy.  I pretty much bunch all the excess up around her back and wrap a hairband around it, and I have a hair barrette holding up the extra length of the sleeve in use so she doesn’t get caught up and trip.  It works, essentially, but it’s not at all aesthetically pleasing, and Katy can’t sleep on her back with the knob of shirt there.  Anybody got a tried and true method of getting a shirt on a Tripawd and making it look good?  🙂