Not to say that I'm not accustomed to life knocking the wind out of me repeatedly, that's for certain, but every once in awhile I can't help but stop and wonder when is enough,.. well, enough?? I just do my best to keep plugging along, and while I do, I engage in a vast amount of prayer, and a near-non-stop search to find any silver lining possible, LOL... but now and again I stumble, I get lost in it all, and feel like I can no longer hold my head above the thrashing sea that is my life. That's when I feel even more thankful for my family & friends... especially for those who reach out without pause, without a second thought, and throw me a life preserver. You remind me of my strengths, and my purpose, and I thank you so much for that.
Most of you already know that my mother-in-law passed away a couple of weeks ago. What most of you don't know is that day was also the day my sister got re-married. That day had also been our grandmother's birthday so the day was special in many ways, along with heartache. I just wanted to share that because those things are very important to me, too, but with the grief we were experiencing (and still are), I just didn't have it in me to post on them. So, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my sister and new brother-in-law, Karissa & Matthew!!
Now, back to more not-so-great stuff,.... let's see, ah yes, well,.. I broke my toe a week ago, and then three nights ago managed to stab my finger with a screwdriver.......... don't ask, LOL,.......... but such is my luck. *rolls eyes*
Then, the night before last, Bailey (my 8 1/2 month old pup), got snagged in the face by the cat. We didn't realize she had an injury until late yesterday afternoon, but turns out she got nailed right in her left eye. The wound is a really bad one, it's deep. It plunged clear through her cornea, and pierced through her lens. I took her to the vet right away, and it only took him moments to conclude that the injury is over his head. So, he referred me to a specialist in NW Portland, an ophthalmologist, which we saw today.
Thankfully, the injury was a clean puncture, although unusually deep, it did not tear when the claw was retracted. Had it done so, she would have needed stitches... in her eye. Her peripheral vision is gone, whether permanent or temporary we do not know yet. For now, we are treating aggressively with medication, and taking a wait & watch approach rather than jumping right into surgery. The Dr thinks this is her best shot right now at retaining some vision in that eye............. if she ends up needing surgery, it will be either to remove the lens, or the entire orb (eyeball). Hopefully, it won't come to that. Currently, she has bruising on the left side of the cornea at the site of the wounds birth,.. it appears as blue & cloudy as you can see in the photos. There is also a small cateract that has already developed over the lens (it appears cloudy & white). There's no telling right now whether the cateract is permanent. It could heal between the body's natural defense & healing process and the line-up of medications she has to take. The alternative is that it could remain the same, leaving permanent vision impairment, or worse, it could continue to grow which would indicate a bacterial infection within the lens itself,... in which case they may have to take the eye. The lens is also leaking lens protein into the anterior chamber which is causing severe inflammation which could lead to Glaucoma. So, we have a number of things to be watching over the next several days, weeks, and months. This is going to be a long recovery process. Her medications include, two topicals in the form of drops, Tobramycin (which is an antibiotic) and Atropin (which is a steroid that dilates her pupil and helps reduce her pain level) and four oral, Cephalexin (another antibiotic), Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory), Tramadol (also for pain), and Acepromazine (which is a tranquilizer to help keep her calm and avoid further injury while she tries to heal). She also has to wear an Elizabethan Collar, aka: "The Cone", to help protect her eye from further damage as a result of bumping into things since her vision is impaired.
(You can click on any picture to view it larger, then just hit your 'back' button to return here)
My poor baby.....................
We go back in three days on Saturday morning for a recheck examination, and then probably again next Wednesday, the day after Christmas. If everything goes well, she'll then start going in weekly for 3-4 weeks, then monthly for 6 months to a year. Her medications will change and taper off over time, but they say they've been seeing good results with this method of treatment. At any rate, she's got a 50-50% chance of saving at least part of her vision in that eye,... a 70-30% right now that she'll need the eye removed altogether,.... the 70 percent being in our favor of keeping the eye.
Anyhoo,..... you'll never catch me saying my life is boring!!
To end on a brighter note,... I got all my Christmas cards out in the mail today,... finally! Had them ready to go 2 weeks ago, but then life tripped me up again. Oh well, I guess,... for most, you should have them before Christmas, and for the ones who don't get them in time,.... better late than not at all, right?? LOL
I love you all. xoxoxo
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