Four weeks and counting!

It’s been over a month since my big day and I’ve been doing great (Thank you to everyone who asks about to me, BTW).  I’ve been cooped up like a chicken since my last post, partly because my folks took turns having vacation and I’m a lot for one parent to handle, and partly because I developed a minor complication in my left shoulder between weeks two and three.  It was nothing serious, and my folks actually expected it because Dr. Lirtzman warned them that seromas are common after shoulder surgery.  Seroma is just a silly word for a pocket of fluid that collects between different tissue layers during the healing process.  There’s not much connecting the skin to the muscle underneath in the area of my incision, so these seroma things aren’t unusual, I guess.  Plus, my activity level—even with sedation and confinement—just about assured that I’d get one.  They don’t call me “the problem child” for nothing!

So, into the kennel I went; Dad said it was to keep my walnut-sized swelling from turning into an orange-sized water balloon (ever notice how vets are always comparing lumps and bumps to fruits and nuts?  Weird, huh?).  I think it was just so he could get some work done, but my folks were also putting warm compresses on my shoulder, so I guess they truly were trying to make things better…

Anyway, at this point, the swelling is all but gone and my hair is finally growing back.  I don’t limp, but I do have some discomfort when Dad gently tests my range of motion.  I want to play so bad, but my folks have been pretty strict about the rest thing.  In a way, it’s okay, because I keep getting new toys.  Mom calls them “indestructicable” or something.  So far, they’ve been tasty; every time destroy one, I get a new kind.  Dad is saying I’ll have to write product reviews of my toys for the blog.  Seems like work to me…

Dr. Lirtzman and his staff have been calling almost weekly; they really seem to care about me.  Dad scheduled my recheck for next week; we’ll see if I get the green light for some exercise at that point.  Wish me luck!