Freedom of sorts
I have freedom of sorts. No longer am I restricted to my crate. That’s the good news. However, I have to remember to avoid any high impact exercise. That’s easier said than done when you still think you’re a puppy. I actually fell over twice yesterday so I do need to take this seriously.
The consultant has confirmed that as far as they can tell there is no infection in my spine. That’s sort of good news, but might have been the easier problem to fix. Unfortunately there are three key problems they can see.
What is wrong?
As I mentioned before, the plate in my back has moved by 2mm. That may not sound far, but when precision is important, it’s too far. Then the problem is that it is still moving so could get worse.
The second problem is that I have increasing arthritis in my spine at the site of the operation. That’s my lower back at the lumbar sacral joint. There is not a great deal that can be done about that, if I’ve understood correctly.
The third problem is a lesion at the L2 vertebrae.
What next?
Unfortunately we don’t know which is causing the pain. The plan is that I stay on my increased pain medication. There is another pain medication I can have if things get worse. I can have normal exercise as long as I’m careful. I can also return to my hydrotherapy if I feel comfortable.
The surgeon could make a better judgement if I have another major episode and see him at the time. But even then, given my age, it is very major surgery and probably not a good idea.
The plan is that I see how I go on the higher doses of pain medication. If I’m in extreme pain, I’ll have some other meds for immediate relief and a short period of crate rest. Then we try again. As long as I have quality of life and am not in constant pain then we go with it for as long as I’m ok with it. If it becomes constant then it’s a different matter, but we’re not thinking about that now.
Love and licks
Wilma
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