We took Oliver to the surgery center last Thursday to get some pre-op x-rays. They had to sedate him, so we were there for about two and a half hours, which was a bit longer than they expected. When he was awake enough to walk a little, we got to take him home. He was very groggy and seemed confused and scared. We had to use the special Help’EmUp harness which we got for his ACL surgery to support him for a few hours because he was having a hard time walking, he was a little sore from being stretched for the x-rays. By the end of the night, though, he was moving around much better, and was just a little tired from the sedation.
He has been in generally good spirits lately. Some days are better than others, and he is definitely still taking it extremely easy. He does have days when he seems full of energy and wants to chase Lou around the yard like his old self. We are trying to let him enjoy himself as much as possible this last week before surgery, but are being vigilant and not letting him play once he begins to show signs of fatigue or pain. We’ve been walking him as often as he seems to want to go, which is about every other day. The walks are very short, since he starts to get tired easily, but they seem to do him good and he seems to be in less pain after a walk.
We have our consultation with the surgeon in a few days. There are lots of questions on our minds, mostly about how immobile Oliver will have to be and how we can best keep him from putting any stress on his new hip before he is healed enough to do so. Fortunately, Lou has been extremely gentle with him anytime he starts to show any signs of pain and we feel confident that she won’t try to push him beyond his limits.
Our friends and family have been amazingly supportive, as has the internet community. Your positive energy has been overwhelming. We are confident that Oliver will come out of this experience stronger than ever!