MARLEY HAS A NEW RIGHT HIP!!

After many years of dreading the surgery, I signed the paperwork for Marley to have a Right Total Hip Replacement at the University of Missouri on Oct. 9. It was hard for me to do, but I know that Marley needed the surgery and she has been in pain for so long. She needed the surgery. And it was finally time in my mind and heart.

While Marley was getting preop labs and Xrays done, my friend and I went to a local diner that was recommended to us by the girls at the front desk. As we were eating, the waitress stopped by and dropped off a business card and said a local artist had paid for our breakfast. Columbia has been so friendly to us. We have gotten a free meal twice at local restaurants when we have been at UM.

We stayed in the waiting room until the surgeon, Dr. Fox, came out and said Marley had come through surgery well. She was waking up nicely and once she was settled in the ICU, the student would let us see pre/post op Xrays.

Marley's hip pre/post hip replacement

 

New right hip!

 Our vet student was so knowledgeable and friendly. She even took my phone back to the ICU and got some pictures of Marley for me.

Marley in ICU

 

Marley did very well and she was discharged home the next day. I was beyond nervous but I am so grateful my best friend was with me and did all of the recovery stuff. Marley was even putting weight on her right leg the very first day.

 

We drove all night and even stopped at the cemetery to visit my mom's grave on the way home. I haven't been to my mom's grave in about 6 months. We took new flowers and an angel for her grave.

 

My friend and I got tattoos last week. I went with a verse: 'You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it'. I added a butterfly to remind me of my mom. Those close to me know how much I've struggled with life since my mom died. We found this verse and it was so fitting to me and my struggles. I just need to keep being strong at whatever life throws at me.

 

 

 

Marley is crated during the day and night when I'm not here and she has a condo in my living room so she can be with me during the evenings.

 

Marley is getting better everyday.

 

 

 

Her sutures came out today and we meet with a physical therapist tomorrow to start some light rehab with her. I'm glad I finally made the decision to do the surgery but I know that she will have to have the left hip replaced, probably within the next 6 months or so. But for now, we will focus on getting Marley stronger and healthier and when the time comes, she will get a new left hip.

 

Marley hugging her Mommy. See her little paw on my shoulder?

 

 

I'm so grateful that my best friend has been by my side through it all. I would not have been able to get through this without her. I'm grateful that my trainer/friend kept KK for almost 2 weeks for me and grateful to my dad who was able to stay with Molly and Missy while I was in Columbia. I'm grateful to my new job and friends who let me take off work to take Marley to Columbia and who checked on us while we were gone.

 

I'm blessed to have the right people in my life at the right time. I would be lost without them.





MARLEY'S SURGERY DATE

Marley's hip replacement surgery had been scheduled for Tuesday, October 14. I received word last Wednesday that they needed to move her surgery up due to the surgeon going out of town on the 14th. After some juggling with work, I was able to get off work and she is now scheduled for Thursday, October 9 at 8AM.

The next week is going to be rough. I have an agility seminar with KK this weekend that I am really looking forward to. I come back from the weekend and immediately have finals for my pediatric students. Wednesday is going to be a long day at work and then we have to leave for Columbia.
My dad is going to babysit my older girls and KK is staying with my friend/trainer for a week. Hoping she gets a little attitude adjustment while we are separated. I babied her all summer while she was so sick and she has gotten an attitude from all the pampering. I think the separation will be good for both of us.

So grateful that my best friend is able to go with me to Columbia. I know I am going to fall apart when they take Marley away from me and I need someone with me. I'm going to be a basket case the whole time she's in surgery and hospitalized.  I know she needs the surgery badly, but I'm still not ready. I don't think I will ever be ready. But I know it's in her best interest.

SEPTEMBER TEARS

September. A month I dread. Especially the last part of the month. It's been almost 3 years and the pain is still as fresh as it was in 2011. I literally sit and think about the last time I talked to my mom. I can tell you the last time I talked to her and what we talked about. It was September 22 and Grey's Anatomy was coming on TV. That was our last conversation. I would give anything to talk to her one more time.

 I still feel overwhelming guilt about taking her off the vent, even though I knew she was already gone. My good friend asked me how she could be there for me this month. I don't have an answer. I never know when the pain and tears are going to strike. They struck tonight.

People say time heals. They lie. At least for me, time hasn't healed me.

PROGRESS REPORT

Miss KK continues to improve. She has now been cleared to begin some light activity. I've started putting her on the treadmill everyday. She's up to about 5 minutes a day at a slightly brisk pace. She's gained about 4.5lbs while being sick. So we have a lot of conditioning to do. I've started working with her on lefts/rights on the ground. No jumping. She hasn't been on a piece of agility equipment since July 6. My plan is to have her start on some agility equipment around mid month.

This picture was taken one week before KK fell so ill.

We are going to a working seminar the first weekend in October. I hope she will have the stamina to get through the weekend. Hopefully she will be able to jump by then. She's entered in 2 days of the Memphis AKC trial the next weekend. We leave immediately after that trial and go straight to Columbia for Marley's hip replacement.

It's been a very exhausting 10 weeks. It seems like I'll be getting KK all better and then Marley will be down for weeks. I just can't seem to catch a break.

On a positive note, just 7 weeks into my new collegiate job, I was given the course leader job for pediatrics! I'm a little overwhelmed, but am excited at the same time. So glad the timing was right and the perfect job opened up for me at the perfect time.

MY ADVENTURES IN COLUMBIA

I know this is Marley and Mommy's blog, but I stole the laptop because I wanted to let everyone know what has been going on with me. This is KK!!

 

 

 

I know Mommy has let people know I have been sick. But no one really knew how sick I was. So this is my story.

 

I started feeling bad a few days before I hurt my toe. They gave me some medicine for my hurt toe and the medicine just overwhelmed me. I felt so bad. I tried really hard at the Monroe AKC agility trial but I was so tired. I knew Mommy was worried about me but I just couldn't tell her how bad I felt. Every night after the agility trial, Mommy's friend would clean my sore toe. See everyone thought it was my toe that was bothering me. But it wasn't.

 

 

After we got home from the Monroe trial, Mommy took me to the vet and said I had a GI infection. They gave me some more medicine and it made my tummy better but I still felt so tired. Mommy was so worried about me and I wanted to tell her how bad I felt, but I couldn't. All I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't play with Marley or my toys anymore. I just slept on the sofa all day and night.

 

 

 

Mommy started a new job and couldn't take me to the vet but my favorite Aunt could. So I spent a lot of time with my Aunt going to the vet and she would take me to Sonic after every appointment. I love their corn dogs!! They took a lot of blood from me and poked my belly with a needle and then they shaved my belly and I don't know what they did because I got so sleepy in the comfy bed they had me in, that I went to sleep.

 

 

 

The picture they took of my belly showed that my adrenal glands were small and they thought I had Addison's Disease. So I got put on some medicine for that. It didn't make me feel any better. I wish I could have told Mommy how bad I felt. They did find out that I had ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and I got put on some medicine for it. I didn't really respond to the medicine like my vets thought I would. So they suggested since Marley was going to Missouri for her hip surgery, that Mommy get me an appointment and see if they could figure out why I wasn't getting better.

 

Since I had ehrlichia, Mommy had Marley got tested for ehrlichia and she was positive too. So Mommy had to talk to the doctor in Missouri about it. Her orthopedic surgeon wouldn't do her hip replacement surgery because Marley was sick too...not sick like me. But Mommy decided to take me to the University of Missouri Veterinary College anyway so I could be seen by their Internal Medical Specialists.

 

It was a long drive but I slept most of the way. I was a little scared in the waiting room. Marley got to go too because she's my favorite sister.

 

I love my Mommy but she's not good in a crisis. Lucky for me, my favorite Aunt went with us and did all the talking and asking questions. My Mommy was a 'hot mess'. She needed a friend to take care of her!

I had a real nice student named Kyle and he asked lots of questions about me. Then a real nice vet named Tracie took over my care along with Kyle. I had to stay with them all day on Monday.

While I was at the hospital, Mommy and my Aunt went to eat at Harpo's. The restaurant was closed but the manager, Anthony, let them come in and eat for free!! They had the restaurant all to themselves. Marley told me she got to eat the leftover burgers. She was so lucky!!

Meanwhile back at the hospital, they gave me some medicine and I slept. Mommy said they did lots of tests on me while I slept. They drew blood, stuck a needle in my bladder and in my joints!! They also took all kinds of pictures of me.They really couldn't find anything other than confirming that I had ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. But they did say that I didn't have Addison's Disease. I got to go back to the motel that night with Mommy. I looked a little funny because they shaved me.

 

The next day I had to go back to the hospital. Kyle took care of me. They gave me that medicine again and I slept. This time Neurology looked at me. They did a spinal tap on me and thankfully it was normal. They shaved the back of my head and now I look really funny.

 

 







Dr. Tracie and her team decided that I was in pain from the tick diseases. So they put me on some pain meds for a few weeks.  They let me go home with Mommy!! I was so happy. Everyone was so nice and friendly to me at the hospital. The vet techs liked me and would get me out of my crate and love on me. I gave them lots of kisses. I even played with Marley the next morning before we left the motel. I actually felt a little better.

 

 

On the way home, Mommy took me back to the Animal Shelter where MOKAN rescued me from. Mommy made we wear a sign. I was so happy I didn't have to stay there very long as a puppy and I am so grateful I was rescued and ended up with Mommy.

 

       

 

We also passed this sign on the way home!

 

 

 

I am taking lots of medicine and I am starting to feel a little better. I don't sleep as much and I have played a little. It's going to be a long road to recovery for me, but I am so thankful I have Mommy to take care of me. So that's my story for now.











SUMMER BLUES

My older girls, Molly and Missy are doing well. They enjoy going out everyday and exploring. Molly wants to stay out for hours but her age is catching up with her and she has to come in the house frequently to cool off. Missy will go out for just a few minutes and then she wants back in. Missy has never been an outside dog, however she has decided that at age 14, she loves to get on the agility equipment.

Marley is having a left hip replacement on August 5 so I have been letting her play outside everyday. Just letting her run and play and be Marley because she will be on crate rest for at least 8 weeks and I want her to have freedom now.

Kalea-Kate has been sick for over a month now. She was diagnosed with Campylobacter infection shortly after the Monroe AKC agility trial. She was still puny and had additional labs drawn and then got a tentative diagnosis of Addison's Disease and then she tested positive for ehrlichiosis. After a week on steroids and 4 days of doxycycline, she still isn't better. She is going back in for more lab work. I'm so worried about her and just want her to get better. I am so thankful that my good friend has been able to take her to her vet appointments since I just started my new job and can't get time off.

 

 

I'm very happy in my new job but drama from the old job seems to follow me. Trying my best to keep my head up and let the drama roll off my back, but it's hard. I just want to be left alone to live my life, the way I want to live it.

 

 

On a happy note, a friend and I went and got tattoos a few weeks ago. It's my first tattoo and I love it!!

 



 



LIFE CHANGES

The last month has been full of changes for me. On the professional level, an opportunity to teach at a college presented itself. It was the perfect timing for me. I was ready for a professional change and I took the job. Only my closest friends knew how unhappy I was where I was working. And only they knew what were the precipitating factors in my decision to leave. When going to work causes you to cry, it's time for a change. I'm so thankful the right job came along when it did and I absolutely love being in the collegiate world. I have already learned so much in my first 2 weeks and am very excited to be where I am. Who knows, maybe I'll pursue my PhD??

 

I also learned the hard way these last few weeks who you can trust and who your real friends are. I have been hurt so bad by people who were 'friends'. Once I left my job, people came out of the woodworks claiming to be 'concerned' for me. These same people never had the time of day for me before. One girl (who claims to be a devoted Christian) had the audacity to start a nasty, vicious rumor about me that I quickly addressed with that person. It was completely made up and why a grown woman would sink to that level is beyond me. I have had to resort to blocking former colleagues from my Facebook to just end the drama. Even with blocking people on Facebook, the rumors still seem to get back to me. I don't know why people can't leave me alone. I have been gone over a month from my previous job, so why I still seem to be the topic of conversation I just don't understand. It's time to move on folks!!

The only person who can change your life, is you! And I chose to change mine!