First of all, thank you so much for all your comments and emails last week. This has been a tough experience for the three of us, but all the support (and hearing from dog owners who have been through the same thing) is really comforting. I’ll get to a Lucy update in a minute.
A few really fun things to share with you to kick off the week (is it cold where you are? Temps have really dropped here!). I can’t say enough good things about these sweatshirts from Everlane. Joe calls them my Bill Belichick sweatshirts, because the concept of a short sleeved sweatshirt confuses him. But you can ignore my husband — trust me when I say, these sweatshirts are amazing. They’re warm, but not too hot, soft, roomy, and chic enough to wear out (they’d look great with a pair of leather leggings — faux or not — and a big statement necklace). Plus, I can’t get over the price — only $30 each!
Gift guides abound online, and like previous years, I won’t be bombarding you with too many posts here. However (like previous years), I’m going to launch a little Holiday Shop sometime this week, with lots of gift picks from both big and small companies, as well as a link roundup with gift wrap inspiration, entertaining and recipe ideas, DIY gift ideas, and more. It’s nearly done — I’ll let you know when it’s live. But in the meantime, you should check out Restoration Hardware’s stocking stuffer collection. It’s one of my favorites to peruse every year, because they stock some of the coolest, most unique little gifts. I’ve bookmarked a couple different things to give to Joe!
So yeah, Taylor Swift. Who all has downloaded 1989? I kind of love it. You too?
The “Julie” from the movie Julie & Julia is pretty much one of the O.G. bloggers, so I have to give her props for that; however, when I originally saw this movie, I couldn’t wait for her scenes to end and Meryl Streep’s to begin. Luckily, someone has rectified that little problem — by cutting together all the Julia scenes from the movie, and eliminating all of the Julie ones. Poor Amy Adams. You can watch the whole thing here. Thank you for sharing this, Cass!
Finally, I’ve said it before, I’ll probably say it again: where has this year gone? Here I am, ordering holiday cards. HOLIDAY CARDS. I can’t believe it. We’re ordering from Minted.com again, and like last year, I’m teaming up with them to host a giveaway here! Look for more details on that early next week; in the meantime, you should check out their card collection here and their art prints here (for you or for gift ideas!), to plan for what you’d get if you won the giveaway. :)
Okay, on to a little Lucy update.
Unexpectedly, we got to bring her home Friday in the late afternoon! We stopped by the hospital to visit her, and it was clear she was very, very down. We felt like her spirits would be lifted and she’d rest more comfortably if we could bring her home, and the neurosurgeon said she was doing well enough that it would be okay if we wanted to bring her home then instead of waiting another day, so we jumped at the chance.
She is definitely more comfortable at home and we’ve seen glimpses of her old personality, but I won’t lie, it was a long weekend. She is in pain, which is being managed well with medication, but if we move her the wrong way, she certainly lets us know. Unfortunately, she is refusing to do her business on command and with our assistance (plus, we can’t hold her up for too long because she’s just not strong enough yet to put that much weight on her legs), so she’s holding it until she ends up going in her pen — thank god we have a washer and dryer in our apartment, and thank god someone invented baby wipes. We’re a little scared we’re going to hurt her, so we’re trying not to move her around too much except for her short “physical therapy” sessions a few times a day (in which we massage her legs and bicycle them through with our hands, to increase blood flow to the area and make sure her muscles don’t atrophy too much). Lucy had the luxury of sleeping in bed with us before; now, she obviously can’t for her own safety as she heals. But, if we keep her in the bedroom with us, she gets confused and anxious as to why she can’t come up and snuggle, so we’re keeping her in our living room and switching off nights sleeping on the couch, in case she has an accident or is in pain and needs our help.
It’s a lot. We’re both exhausted and overwhelmed, but we’re not complaining, because we would gladly do this all over again if it meant she’d be okay.
Lots of positives: she is eating well and has a good appetite (glimpse of old Lucy personality: I made her boiled chicken and have been combining that with her regular food, and she sniffs every piece I feed her to ensure it’s mostly the chicken and not too much of the normal dog food in a single bite), and physiologically, she’s showing more movement and feeling in her legs. She has tried to push herself up on her front legs several times, which is great news! She still can’t stand on her own, but I know she will get there. She had a pretty massive trauma to her spinal cord, so as swelling goes down and her pain lessens, I think she’ll improve even faster. It’s an exercise in patience; for now, we sit with her and talk to her and let her know we love her, and she seems to like that. We’re hanging in there.
A number of you commented that you had been through the same thing (IVDD surgery) with your dog. I know every case is different, but I’d be interested in hearing more from you guys about how recovery went, and any tips and tricks you have from these early days when your baby needed lots of extra care and help. One thing we are struggling with is the sling the vet gave us to help hold her up — it seems to cause her pain and she really hates it (plus, even though it’s supposed to relieve pressure on human backs when we hold her, it’s doesn’t). If anyone has any advice in this department, it’d be much appreciated! You can comment below or email me, if you feel like it (and thank you!!!!).
I’ll keep everyone updated as she progresses; for now, thank you again for all your love and support.
So glad that she is feeling better, it is heart breaking to see an animal go through this because they are helpless angels . I hope that she will have a speedy recovery!
I’m so glad she’s getting better (slowly but surely) and she’s lucky that you two are so sensitive to her needs. Sending lots of good thoughts your way.
I am so glad to hear Lucy is home with you and is thankfully on the mend. I can only imagine how hard it is to see your little love in pain, but it sounds like you’re taking such good care of her. Hope she’s back to herself soon. xx
So glad to hear Lucy is home where she belongs! I know how hard that can be — but you guys are obviously the very best pet parents (sleeping on the couch for her?! too sweet!). Send good vibes.
x Lily
http://whilemyboyfriendsaway.blogspot.com/
Sending you guys a big hug and keeping Lucy in my thoughts. XO
Sending you lots of love, V! xo Glad Miss Lucy is on her way to recovering well – and finally back home too.
I’m sending you and yours good thoughts, and I wish Lucy a smooth recovery.
Sending you and Lucy good vibes and many hugs. I know how hard it is when pups are in pain, and you can’t figure out why. It sounds like she got great medical care and you are taking wonderful care of her at home. She’s very lucky to have you guys!
I’m so glad to hear Lucy is home and doing better. As a fellow dog-mom I know how stressful it is (and share you gratitude for baby wipes!). Hope her recovery continues to do well. I like reading posts about her and would love to hear more snippets of her!
I missed your original Lucy post :( Oh Victoria, I’m so sorry! I hate that you (and Lucy!) have to go through this. I’m so, so glad to hear that she is making progress, even if it is baby steps for now! Kind of the best case scenario of a really crappy situation, right? Thinking of you guys!
xox
Poor Lucy! Hang in there, sending lots of positive vibes your way!
So glad to hear that you’ve got Lucy at home! It sounds really tough but you guys are clearly doing a great job. So sorry you have to go through all this! And also, so on board with the Everlane sweatshirts. I just bought two and I never want to take them off!
xo
I’m going to have a (super exciting!) update for you soon! :)
Lucy is so lucky to have people who care so much about her. I know Lucy can feel that despite her pain. I am still praying for her – and you and Joe, too!
So so glad to hear everything went well with her surgery. The oldest of our dachshunds has had some back trouble in the past and your heart just goes out to them when they are in pain. Lucy will be better than new before you know it and hope she continues to stay healthy and happy!!!
So glad to hear Lucy is doing better—reading that previous post broke my heart! Hope all goes well for a continued smooth recovery and her personality gets to come back out to play.
So glad Lucy is on the mend! Maybe a little UES coffee break for her caring Mama soon? Sending Dog prayers your way! xx, LP
Oh my goodness, I just caught up on Lucy’s situation. I am so glad she is slowly improving and it sounds like you are doing an incredible job caring for her!
In Dramatic Fashion
OMG
So glad to hear Lucy is doing better.
Kisses
Maggie Dallospedale Fashion diary – Fashion blog
Ah, so sorry to hear about Lucy but glad she’s doing better! Keeping you guys in my thoughts and prayers!
Glad to hear Lucy’s doing better. Our mini schnauzer, George, had similar experience last summer but it seemed he just pulled a muscle, luckily.
Also, thanks for the recommendation on the sweat shirt tops. So cute and hadn’t seen them before. Just ordered a couple!
I love stocking stuffers! All of the holiday posts have me in a festive mood. Happy Wednesday :)
Lucy is so lucky to have such loving, attentive parents. I’m sorry she is still in such pain, but clearly she is receiving the very best care. Hang in there! Big hugs and kisses to your sweet little girl. Stay strong for her.
http://www.thesnapconcierge.com
Hope Lucy gets well soon. My brother in laws frenchie had the same issue. They actually did not do the surgery and ended up doing dog acupuncture in combination with limited activity. Its worked really well. As you said, its likely different with every dog but worth a try. They take him to acupuncture when there are flare ups but it does not happen to often. They were happy to find a more natural remedy as the pain meds would take a toll oh him. Best wishes to you and praying for Lucy’s speedy recovery!!
Yes, unfortunately, her paralysis was extremely severe, and not doing surgery within a day or so would’ve caused permanent paralysis. It was bad enough that it affected all of her legs — I’ve previously only heard of hind legs usually being affected!
In the future, we’ll monitor her activity and pain levels a lot more, and want to try using holistics to prevent a slipped disc from occurring again!