One step at a time

The dog and I are both going through physical therapy right now.

Stella had a slight limp in late February. We thought the "small tear" in her CCL could heal with some rest and microcurrent therapy. After three months and a lot of money and time spent, she was worse versus better.

All Stella has wanted to do lately is lie around and occasionally chew up cardboard boxes.

I then started researching surgical solutions. It was a challenge to find a veterinary surgeon available before August. After many calls, I found our local ER vet in Suffolk and their board-certified surgeon. We had a plan.

On Thursday, Stella had TPLO surgery on her left rear leg. I've learned a lot about dog anatomy in the last few weeks. It turns out that instead of repairing the ligament, the better option is to cut the dog's tibia off and reattach it at a new angle so she no longer needs a ligament. I want to know the first person who came up with that idea and said, "Guys, GUYS, hear me out ..."

Radiograph of Stella’s leg after surgery. Note the curved cut and then her leg being reattached at a new angle.

I can't say enough wonderful things about the medical team at the Cove in Suffolk. Stella got a nerve block before anesthesia. She has a proactive pain management plan in place for the coming weeks, including Tylenol 3, anti-inflammatories, gabapentin, trazodone, and antibiotics. There is an app that allows us to send photos and videos and chat with the medical staff if we have any issues. And the cost was extremely reasonable, given the complexity of the surgery.

She is already putting more weight on her leg than she was pre-surgery. The issue now is to keep her calm so the bone can knit together without the plate breaking. I look forward to her running around like a lunatic again.

Stella walking around on her potty break this morning.

Meanwhile, I started kickboxing a few months ago. The movements of that are utterly foreign to me and my muscles. I had an incident a couple of weeks ago where I ran into the door frame at pace and jacked up my neck. That, combined with clipping other doorways in the house, made me realize that my proprioception was not up to snuff.

I'm going to physical therapy with a guy who is a balance expert named Travis Walke (no, really, his name is Walke). He believes my hamstring muscles are not firing correctly or communicating well with my brain. I'm doing a lot of exercises that are way harder than they look, and I think it's helping. I haven't stood on one foot so much in ages. I need to bring a sweat towel with me to therapy sessions.

I always say I won't own a dog I can't lift. Stella has lost some muscle mass in the last few months but is still 90 pounds of determined dog. I'm pleased to say that I can carry her down the three steps to the yard without further damaging my body. And I have yet to trip over a dog gate, even at the bottom of the stairs, where I have to turn and stick the landing.

Stella taking a break from the cone after her potty break this morning.

The house is littered with extra rugs, baby gates, balance boards, and resistance bands shut into doors to pull against. There's also a whole pharmacy in the kitchen and alarms on my phone for 6 am, 2 pm, and 10 pm. Stella and I are making great strides in our health and I'm optimistic for us both.