A Sense of Doubt blog post #1705 - Satchel's surgery - second of 2019

A Sense of Doubt blog post #1705 - Satchel's surgery - second of 2019

Satchel has cruciate ligament repair surgery yesterday. It was her second surgery this year, the first in April to remove fatty masses.

It was all traumatic enough as we were worried about Satchel psychologically as she became needier and clingier after the surgery earlier this year, but two things added to the trauma significantly.

First, I left my smart phone at home, which I discovered when trying to look up an alternate contact phone number at the vet. As I was on my way to teach in Portland (it's about 7:45 and I teach at 8:30 and TRAFFIC), I had not time to go get it. This meant being without my phone for 5-6 hours. When I got to school, I borrowed a student's phone to text my wife. I arranged to stop off at the vet on the way home around noon.

Then, after running two errands and getting to the vet for the report on Satchel, my car did its mysterious not starting thing. Usually, if I wait a period of time, which in the past has been as little as twenty minutes and as much as four hours, the car starts. I have a variety of theories as to what's going on with it and why it fails to start (as it forgets how) and then manages to start (as if it now remembers). There's no pattern, no discernible cause, and the incidents are often months if not a full year apart. It has exhibited this four times since moving here: once on the way here in the mountains of Montana with NO phone service (zero), next almost a full year later after a dinner at a brewery in Portland when Chris and Lisi visited (so I had help). The third time came about five months later when Ivan was visiting for Thanksgiving, and then the fourth incident occurred earlier this year at Safeway and I managed to snag a ride home from my neighbor.

I have been lucky each time, but yesterday, I feared that this may be the time the car does not start and with Satchel needing to be picked up later, I couldn't risk. So I called Liesel, I called a tow truck, and then it started. I drove it to the repair shop and asked them to replace the starter because this is likely the cause, and if it's not the cause, the actually cause will be inexpensive but just hard to find and isolate. I am hopeful that the problem is solved.

Satchel was very groggy post-surgery and hates the cone collar. She did not eat after we got her home and by 10:30 was crying in pain because she can only take the meds with food. At this point, I am asleep, so my wife wakes me up, and somehow we get her to eat, take her meds, and sleep. We all sleep in the living room: Satchel in her crate, Liesel on the floor, and me on the couch. Ellory finally realized I was not coming back to bed and joined us, sleeping in a large chair that she likes.

Unwilling to repeat this camping out scenario, I made a bed for Satchel on the floor next to my bed, a safe spot for her, which she likes, and we all slept in the master bedroom as we usually do this night, hours from the publication time of this post, but hey, I am writing this on Sunday.

Satchel is ambulatory but taking it easy. She can hobble outside on her own and pee. I have not yet seen her poop but surely she will need to do so tomorrow (Sunday, which is really today in reality).

We're smothering her with love as you may imagine.

AFTER SURGERY

BEFORE SURGERY

snuggles - 1910.04

Snuggles 1910.08 1 of 2

Snuggles 1910.08 2 of 2

neighbor Kian treats Satchel after potty break while I am at work

Ellory: "We must share the crate!"

Satchel: "Whatever. Just be ready to get out of my way when I want out!"

crate sharing 1910.12

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1910.19 - 10:10

- Days ago = 1568 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.