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THR Merrimay's on the other side now THR

Merrimay, re: dog afraid of cane
We have a "rental" cat here comes in almost every morning to grab some food. My partner calls him/her Mooch cause cat eats and leaves.
Cat was afraid of my walker, not used to seeing me with something like that when I first came home.
So I think any foreign object they aren't used to gets them a little timid.
I volunteer at dog shelter and dogs weren't used to seeing me with cane either but one in particular sensed that she needed to be gentle when I took her out, it was very interesting how intuitive animals are.
Now no more walker or cane, cane in trunk of my car "just in case."
Let me know how your ankle/foot is later today.
 
Mojo333, thanks for reminding me about the elevation article. I read it preop but forgot all about it as I really had no swelling to speak of until yesterday. Wish I'd invested in one of those wedges bonesmart recommends. I may order one today!
 
Hey there, myglasshalffull, I suspected we might have some animal lovers among us! I, too, volunteer at an animal shelter. And I've spent hours postop watching animal rescue stories on The Dodo (YouTube). I felt certain my dog would adjust well to the walker because I had mobility issues four months prior to surgery. But for whatever reason she's hesitant and depressed now that I'm postop. I really suspect she may sense the new joint, but of course I may be imagining that. I've worried that I maybe should have boarded her during the first few weeks of recovery, but she did timevin a shelter and I couldn't bear the thought of her thinking that I'd abandoned her. My hope is that she'll gradually come to terms with things as I get stronger.
Swelling about the same this morning. But I have added height to my elevation, so fingers crossed! Thanks for your care!
 
Our first pup was a service dog whose owner passed away unexpectedly and left him without a home. Because they did so much PR for our local shelter and hubby & I are both very active there, we were the first call the director made. Of course we took him, a beautiful Golden Retriever named Banjo. He was only about 18 months old and had just completed his training so we took up the mantle and he worked for the next seven or eight years. After that, we let him be our "comfort dog" until he passed away at 14 years old. I thought I would have to bury hubby with him. So, six months later, a dear friend of mine shared with me that one of her church friends was having to rehome the Golden Retriever puppy she had given her hubby for Christmas since he had passed away only eight months later. I don't have to tell you what happened next....so now we have this beautiful gal, Jenny, who is so smart and loving. But they both had the innate ability to sense an illness or something "off". Our first pup alerted one of my good friends to "something wrong" which eventually led to her diagnosis of breast cancer. Jenny has been by my side ever since I got back home but is much more gentle with her body slams on my right leg! They really do rescue us.....

Elevate that leg as others have advised higher than a pillow, please be conscious of how much water you are drinking, and keep moving around a bit each hour. That swelling will sort itself out, I'll bet. :puppysmooze:
 
@Merrimay I did not have a dog when I had my BTHR but did have 2 very large Maine Coon cats - each about the size of a Pug or Pekinese. They were both quite nervous about the walker and got hissy when I was on the move with it. Mine had a cloth bag attached to the front to carry things. So I took each cat for a ride. They were too big to do both on the same ride so I started with the more "squirrelly" of the two - Mihku which means red squirrel in the language of the Penobscot NA tribe. I gently settled her into the bag and petted her until she was calm about being in the bag then slowly took off on a stroll across my main floor. By the time I'd done 3 "laps" she was looking out of the bag and enjoying the ride .... and her sister (M'Toulin which means magic in the same language) was meowing and stretching up my leg ... she wanted her turn for this new fun activity. I gave her her turn which she loved. After that they were not afraid of the walker and would jump into the bag for their special rides.
 

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Beachgal, so glad you've known the joy of rescuing the dogs that rescue us in return. I've been fostering and adopting shelter dogs for over 20 years and always receive more than I give. Six years ago, one of my dogs alerted my mother that something was wrong: metastatic breast cancer. I'm a true believer in their sensory abilities!

I've got my swollen foot propped atop three pillows in a gradual slope as illustrated at the "elevate" link. Icepack covered with a dish towel on top of that. Already the pain is gone, tho the swelling is about the same. I'll keep you posted. But I'm pretty confident it will calm down, thanks to your all's reassurance.

And you know, it occurred to me that I'm simply not drinking enough water in an attempt to avoid constant bathroom runs. Looks like my body wants me to drink up!
 
Hi djklaugh, wow, I love Maine Coon Cats! Yours are spectacular. As are their names. I love how you turned their fear of your walker into play. Unfortunately, my two cats "adopted" me as young ferals who'd taken up residence in my ravine. Skittishness has remained their status quo for years now. They wait until I've set myself up on the daybed and crawl into bed with me. So I'm less worried about them than I am my poor Mary, who side-eyes the walker even when it's "parked!" I'm hoping when I see my OS for the first postop visit on the 11th, I'll be cleared to use my poles. I was on them preop for months, so Mary is comfortable with them. Fingers crossed@
 
Right there with you on the animal-loving list. They are the best medicine and truly do know when their person is in distress. My cat has been devoted throughout this whole process, when she usually ignores me in favor of my partner! Beautiful Maine Coon cats (I convinced a friend to get one) -- mine is a former feral who was a little skittish about the walker at first but is now used to it. I know we're not supposed to chat here but I'll make up for it by saying: ICE AND ELEVATE! :)
 
These little chats interspersed with recovery shares and advise are great medicine, too. As long as they don't derail the poster's thread by going too far afield and are amenable to the poster, they can lift the spirits of everyone. It sure has mine.

I didn't know it at the time, but a lot of my discomfort was due to swelling. No one warned me that this might be so. I found BoneSmart after my surgery and learned how ice and elevation could be my best friends. They were. What relief! And our Maine Coon mix was not too far behind in the best friend category. Lol.
 
Hip4life, when my swelling began around day 12, I felt worse than I had from the surgical pain! Go figure. But, yeah, swelling hurts. Just keep repeating your mantra: ice and elevation. Today marks my second day of swelling, and while my foot and ankle still look a loaf of bread, the ice and elevation have seriously reduced the discomfort. Good luck!
 
Well, Day 15, and I woke up feeling odd. As if my surgical hip had escaped it's "pillow wall" and rolled inward. Got up to find that my rear and knee hurt. Fed the animals, got my mail, and, fortunately, the walking seemed to relax matters. No real pain now, just stiffness and soreness. My energy level is minus 5, tho, so I'm back in bed hoping to sleep. Also hope no real damage was done! Not sure what happened last night! Kind of scary..
 
Merrimay, I think the general consensus among the experts here on BS is that if you had done something "severe" such as a dislocation, etc., you would know it. I've read where the pain is undeniable. So, if you're some better with a little activity, I'd think you're just waking up the body parts. I will admit, though, that before my feet hit the ground each morning, I do a pretty thorough routine of stretches and hip exercises, very slowly and gently, to help relax any stiffness or tightness that may have occurred during my night's sleep. I am a rock-hard sleeper so it's not unusual for me to wake up in the morning with pillows on the floor and covers thrown about. I guess I just figure that if I have not "hurt myself" during my sleep enough to wake myself up, I must be ok. :ok:

Ice your booty and knee and thrown in an extra one for your hip as good measure then try to rest some. Once you've gotten your nap out, try to move around just a bit each half hour or so that stiffness doesn't settle in with inactivity today. :happydance:

Sending you some warm November sunshine today from the beautiful Gulf Coast. It's a "Chamber of Commerce" day down here, with high temp later hovering in the upper 70s. It's good to be alive!!!! :thumb:
 
Beachgal, you always lighten my emotional and physical load. I didn't mention dislocation in most recent post because I didn't want to sound like an hysteric. But dislocation us what I feared, of course. Call me reassured by you!

The Gulf Coast. So jealous. Sunny day on the VA/TN border and the fall colors of the untainted are beautiful outside the picture window where I've set up my daybed. But I sure would like to be where you are!
 
Merrimay - your story is inspiring. I am 8 days out. Was pretty pain free until a very short attemp at some "easy" exercises. 30 minutes later I was seeing stars. But I do have an old, slow spouse who is helping me. And the dogs are forgiving, even though I cannot bend down to feed them or scratch their bellies. Sounds like you are braver than I. Keep it up.
 
Yogini, not braver, believe me. I'm 2 days into week 3 and undid a lot of my progress by overdoing when I was feeling invincible. Now I'm resting, icing, elevating and generally feeling angry with myself! What I've learned is that your muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons will take revenge if you grow impatient and push things beyond your current limitations. Thank you for your encouragement, and I'll be watching your progress with sympathy and interest. Here's to the day we can rub our dogs' tummies again!
 
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