Best Laid Plans... Foiled!

Hi, it's me again... Coco!

It was Thursday morning... and I could see luggage being pulled out of the closet, laundry being done, and Mom stacking clothes on the sofa. And I thought, !ADvENtuRE!... we're goin' on a trip!  

(*I congered up visions in my mind*).... Car packed; seat belts on; and off we go... wind in my hair; cars whooshing by; French music playin' on the stereo; nothing but open highway before us.  Road trip!  I LoVE it!  I settle down for a nice snooze. I couldn't be happier or more excited... 

(*But then I remember...*)
...sometimes (to my dismay), my "adventure" ends prematurely... and I wind up at Grammy's.  Now don't get me wrong, I love Grammy, but that just means my Mom is headed for an adventure without me.  Ruff!  Not a happy camper!  


So I thought, what's it going to be this time?  Do I get to go?  Oh please, oh please, oh please... woof, woof!  (*Wait... didn't I hear Mom talking about a Lundy Family Reunion in Truckee this weekend?*)  Hmmm... that may mean to Grammy's I go.  Humph!  Time will tell... 

Now it's Thursday afternoon... and off she goes to her weekly doctor's appointment.  It's a "fill" day! I hoped she wouldn't be too sore when she got home. I mean... she still needed to pack all her stuff and my stuff too! Come on... a pup can hope, can't she?

Don't worry about me, Mom!! I'll just wait here while you're gone and hope, okay?!

(*Pant, pant... here she comes!*)  She's home! Yippee, she's rushing around!  Wait... she's not packing; she's ignoring me; she's brushing her teeth again; now she's feeding me early... really early... whaaat?  Rut-ro... she's leaving AGAIN!!! Without me and no luggage. What's going on?!

Rut-ro is right! Best laid plans can turn on a dime... my Mom's off to the hospital again!

It turns out that one of my Mom's scars (which had split open a few weeks ago) wasn't healing properly, and her doctor decided to make her go to sleep again and do surgery in the OR.  She ended up leaving his office at 4:30pm, picked up a prescription at the pharmacy at 5pm, was home 10 minutes and was admitted to the hospital by 6pm.  

She got home about 11pm, but didn't feel very well.  The general anesthesia makes her feel like she's going to lose her "cookies".  Where's nurse Julie?  We need you!  

Well, I guess it's up to me!  Coco to the rescue! So I tucked her into bed about midnight, and off to sleep we went!

On Friday, she woke up sad, because she knew she wasn't feeling well enough to travel to the reunion.  I had to lick a few tears away.  Mom just sat in her chair, in her jammies, and rested all day.  I sat on her lap and kept her company.  It's my job to make her feel better.  And I think I do a pretty good job!

Today is Saturday - and thanks to lil ol' me - my Mom is in much better spirits!  She still needs rest and to be careful, especially with her left side.  Her "filling" schedule will be delayed for a few weeks while she heals again.  But she's really grateful her doctor played it safe.  We don't want anymore "hiccups" along the way!

So don't worry... I've got everything under control.  I gave her one of my favorite toys, and I'm keeping a close eye on her.

Nurse Coco here.. signing off!  Woof, woof! 

Artful Pup!

Yep... that's me!

It's a pretty good "liking" too!  So much so that when my mom hung it on our living room wall, I immediately growled at it. Then I realized it was JUST me... no need to worry! Whew!  That was a close one...

Don't get me wrong... I don't mind sharing my toys; I'll even share my food; I just don't want to share my Mom!  I mean, I'm top dog around here... don'tcha think?

I LoVE my Mom. She's my BFF.

Since her surgery, I don't like letting her out of my sight.  I'm on high alert!  She needs to be watched. See... this is me watching her...

It's all very intense... it's my job, and I take it very seriously!  I hate to admit it, but on very rare occasions, she gets out of my sight.  What can I say?  Sometimes my toys distract me...

....well, she's VERY tricky sometimes!!!

...and before I knew it, she snuck out of the house (without me!!!)! Grrrrr...

Sometimes when she comes home, especially after a doctor's appointment... she's in pain and very uncomfortable, so we just take naps together.

But the other day, she came home and was very perky.  Now, now... I know what you're thinking!  Sheesh... she's not THAT "full" yet!  No, silly... she was perky with energy!

She's feeling well enough to get back to being creative.  She took a class in precious metal clay (PMC) and had a lot of fun!  Look what she made... isn't it pretty?  

It's hand-rolled out of fine silver, textured, and then torched and antiqued.  She just needs to make a "purdy" chain for it!  I know... it's a bit blurry, but it's very hard for a dog to take pictures.  I need to get my nails cut!

Here's a necklace she made that looks like a little book! Notice the fun chain?....

If you look really closely, you can see my name hammered into the tag near the heart!  


Mom's doing great, and I'm a happy camper because I know how much my Mom loves me!  Woof, woof!! (*sigh*)

Time Flies!.... Even When You’re NOT Having (*much*) Fun! (told by Lynne)

Believe it or not, it’s been five weeks since my surgery and homecoming!  I’m happy to report I’m well on my way to healing!  My energy is up; Coco and I have been able to start walking again; I’ve weaned myself off my pain meds (for the most part!); and I’m feeling stronger each day!  Praise God; it’s good to “be back!”

Here are a few things I would continue to covet your prayers in...

1. I have a couple of issues under my arms that I’m REALLY hoping will “work themselves out” in occupational therapy & the skin stretching process.
1. Puckering of extra skin
2. Hardness under one armpit (which we’re hoping is fluid and not scar tissue)
3. I'm at risk for Lymphodema, and need to be diligent about doing my exercises.
2. I still have about 4-6 more weeks of being “filled”... HOLY MOLY!!!!  This has proven NOT to always feel real comfortable, but thankfully, my doctor started to use a topical anesthetic which helped with the pain of the needle tremendously. 
1. Ache-i-ness and tightness are just part of the my new normal, but at least I don’t have to stress out over the needle anymore!
3. Once the “filling” process is done, I will need to wait about 3 months before the final surgery and any “clean up” procedures for scar and skin issues.  Perhaps by 2013, I’ll be as good as new!

Five Weeks Out (told by Coco)

Yippee!  I’ve been home with my mom consistently for 3 weeks!  It “almost” feels like we’re back to our normal routine.  The best part is we’re finally back to taking our evening walks again!  There’s nothing better than fresh air; meeting friends along the way; the breeze in my hair; and sun on my back... I love it!  Woof!

We still have lots of fun company coming for visits which is my favorite part of mom being “sick”!  Opps, sorry Mom!  

My only issue... when can I lose the crate?!!