THR Z's Postop thread

[Poppet]

Ouch Jo! Make sure you pop some Tea Tree antiseptic on this scratches

Z, yes it is all about the 'flight or fight' with our adrenaline and you were prepared for both by the sound it it so glad Zion and you are both ok... Take it easy, to recover a little.... Hot choc... yum yum!! - but then you have to build up your energy for the snow clearing - do take care buddy xx

 

[Z15]

Josephine...I do so appreciate you trying to help a stray.

Sorry it went badly.

The world needs more folks willing to help animals in need... :grouphug2:

Z

 

[Jamie]

Owie, ouch, Jo!!! I winced just looking at your poor hand and arm. Hope it's feeling better soon.

 

[Josephine]

It looked a bit angry last night so I fished out some antibiotics in my cupboard until I can get to the doc tomorrow. This morning it was a teensy bit pussy (as in pus not kitty!) so I am now going to soak it in some hot salt water. Wouldn't normally bother but with the knee and all ............. bbsts!

Sorry for derailing your thread, Z

 

[Z15]

Josephine,

You are welcome to do anything with my thread that you want...at any time...you've certainly earned that!

Whatever we can do to encourage folks to take the time to reach out to help needy critters is ok by me.

Maybe next time you can include a success story as well where your efforts resulted in some purring... :cat-kittyandsmiley: :wink1:

Good luck with the wound care!

Z

 

[Josephine]

Oh you opened the flood gates now, Z! I have this little chap ('little'! he weighs 14½lbs!). He was abandoned/stray in our neighbourhood and used to curl up on top of my compost heap a lot. He was about for almost two years and I couldn't stand seeing him out there another winter so I decided to befriend him. Turned out he wasn't a fiercesome beast as we had all supposed but just morbidly afraid of humans.

Now I already had two cats, a lovely old lady who welcomed everybody and a feisty young male neuter who was full of himself. But canny too. He would watch from the table as this cat came in and emptied the dishes and when his head and shoulders were out of the cat flap as he exited, Oscar would attack his rear end!

Nevertheless, I set to befriending this poor chap. It took me about 8 weeks. Then I repaid his trust by having him snipped and chipped and debugged all over, inside and out! Since I had both his XX snipped off, I called him TomTom (one 'Tom' for each! :th_heehee

I had to have an animal behavourist help me with the two boys as they were always sparing and I was fearful that this great monster would hurt little Oscar. Not a bit of it! This lady told me that Oscar was the dominant one and he was controlling the newcomer's movements! She gave me some advice which worked and now, nine years later, they are the best of friends!

I have surmised that he had been mistreated in the past and that he was probably dumped in our area from a moving car as he was also terribly anxious the first few times I took him to the vet. One occasion (some 4 years after I homed him), having taken him to the vet, I let him out of the car at my gate thinking he would just go straight indoors and then drove off to shop. When I got home my sweet neighbour was out there with him and reported that he hadn't moved from the spot since I left but stood there rooted to the spot staring after me and howling so loudly it was almost a scream! I just felt awful!

Here they both are in a 'pack heap' together! btw,

 

[Z15]

They're lovely Josephine...and I see from the photo that they just brought down a zebra...an adolesent male I'd say judging from the markings...:wink1:

Z

 

[djklaugh]

Z - it's great to see you're making such wonderful progress! Your exercise routine sounds .... daunting to this LOL - but I'm trying to increase my activities and exercises slowly day by day.

I can definitely understand why the sound of shrieking feline would propel you off your chair like a rocket! I'd do the same thing if I heard such a caterwauling When my two disagree though they do it quietly .... and with soft paws ..... M'Toulin is alpha cat .... but her sister Mihku says "you're not the boss of me!" and will occasionally pounce on sis to prove it.

Jo - owie on the bites! I sure hope your first aid measures fix up the problems quickly --- and I loved your rescue story! Those big bruiser Toms do look fierce - but often times they are the sweetest of cats. I was adopted by one such Tom years ago - he looked like he'd been through many cat wars - and had the scars and torn ears to prove it. I named him Merlin - as he had a rather mystical way of appearing and disappearing - and he was really a love of a cat - though my other black cat at the time - Mariah - cordially despised him and would torment him - but with her he always would turn the other cheek as he knew she was the boss and had "seniority of residence".

 

[Josephine]

Brief update on the cat bite - hugely infected, Sunday afternoon the forearm became all swelled up, hot, red and painful! I had a few antibiotics in my cupboard so started taking them. Saw GP yesterday who gave me prescription for more. Now 24hrs or less later, the inflammation is nearly all gone, the wound, though still a little manky, is very small and very nearly healed.

 

[Poppet]

Ouch Jo! Pleased you got onto the antibiotics quickly hon!

Z, you sound like you are progressing very well

 

[haldox]

Z -I hope you and Zion are doing much better now after all that excitement!

Ouch JO!! Im glad its coming along better. My son is very susceptible to blood infections from any kind of wound. We always clean cuts,scraps,etc with Hydrogen Peroxide and it works wonders. BTW-your cats are beautiful!

 

[Z15]

Zion has a scratch on his otherwise very white nose...but no apparent swelling where I pulled the claw out of his head...

I however am more sore (for the last 4 days now) than I've been since week 2 (i'm coming up on week 6)

I may've strained some stuff and my workouts were not letting the strains heal...so I am backing off a bit and taking a few days easy...

I will also admit that I am unpleasantly surprised at how my compensating muscles have not yet (begun may be too strong a word here) figured out how to make up for my lack of a Piriformis muscle. Josephine was right, he does not reconnect the Piriformis. PT says this will be a NON-ISSUE and I have plenty of muscles that can and will do what the Piriformis did, but right now...i sure do miss it...

Z

 

[dectjc]

Hi Z
Glad to see things are still moving right along for you. The backing off a bit sounds like a great idea to me, lets make the next 2 days a THR holiday lol

 

[Z15]

Tom,

Great idea...and the key tradition that truly makes a THR holiday memorable is the tradition of gorging oneself on deserts....

You are a genius...

Happy THR Holiday, everyone!!!!

Z

 

[Jaycey]

Z - you deserve a well earned THR holiday! Your progress has been truly amazing. Let those muscles rest and then start again.

I believe a lovely chocolate something may be prescribed!

 

[Poppet]

6:30am Wed morn in OZ

Maybe some Coconut Oil Chili Chocolate making is on the cards Z?

Take it easy

 

[Z15]

TOPIC: Stupid Heavy "string" at either end of incision!!


Ok...it's 6 weeks post-op tomorrow. My incision had steri strips and a stiff "thread" emerging from the skin at either end of the incision. THEY ARE STILL THERE. I wash it vigourously with a face cloth...they do not come out.

Nurse had told me weeks ago that they eventually drop off.

One end is getting pink around the thread.

Suggestions? I'd hate to pull it and have it unravel my entire body and have my leg drop off... that would stink.

Z

 

[Jaycey]

:th_heehee: I doubt very seriously that you will be minus a leg Z. If the area is getting a bit pink can you go to your GP and have one of the nurses just snip the sutures?

 

[Z15]

So...I pulled ou those darned threads...cuz it was looking pink around one of them...they both came out with little to ZERO effort and I wish I had not been told to just let them come out on their own...cuz I think they could've come out awhile ago.

Oh well...they are out.:yes 4:

Z

 

[dianemarie]

Hi Z,
I had a couple of little "threads" after my gall bladder surgery and did the same as you, what a relief. I remember worrying about them forever, even asking the surgeon and he said to leave them alone, then one day out they came.
Been following your thread and you are doing great and have a wonderful attitude which is so important to our recoveries. Keep up the good work!