R & R

Mar 15

Written By Cindy

“There is no renewal without rest.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

Getting a bit of fresh air and sunshine .

Mojo was released from the vet hospital last Thursday. We were so happy to see him, but the size of his largest incision made my heart hurt for him.

He has another 5” incision under his right front leg, a small incision by his right eye and another small one above his right front food pad.

But, he is healing. Each day the incisions are less swollen and they are closing up well. All of the redness and bruising is gone. I had a medical appointment that I could not cancel this past Monday, so we kenneled him at our vet for a few hours. While there, they checked him over and if everything continues to go well, he will have the sutures removed next Wednesday. That will be a major step in getting back to his ‘normal’ as he normally sleeps on our bed and being confined to the floor to a dog bed he had never used in the past has been confusing and frustrating for him. But otherwise he has adapted to his new routine like a rockstar. Such a good boy. The best.

I really need this downtime. I need days with no high anxiety . Days where just breathing in and breathing out is enough and simple tasks are at the forefront of my thoughts. No troubleshooting, just 'being'. Since my adrenal system is shot from years of prednisone therapy, when I get upset my body is flooded with adrenaline and it often takes hours, and sometimes days, for it to leave my system. My body doesn’t handle extreme stress well any longer. It takes so much out of me and my resilience is just gone.

My cardiologist that will be doing the aortic valve replacement has scheduled a few tests for me soon. Bloodwork, ct’s, and pulmonary function tests. My oncologist has scheduled another PET scan to assess the nodule in my right lung as well. I’ve been given clearance for a biopsy, but as before, I’m not thinking too far ahead. I’m compartmentalizing well. Reigning in the worry and I’ll deal with all of those things when the time comes. My radiation burns have healed for the most part, and the peeling phase is nearing it’s end. It was all quite painful, but it just took time and a whole lot of self care to heal. I was vigilant when it came to staying hydrated and resting. The exhaustion has been frustrating, but I do what I can then I’m done.

I am and will forever remain grateful to the many people that stepped up to the plate to help us help Mojo. There simply are not enough words to express my deep gratitude. It was an emergency that we were unprepared for, but that burden was made so much lighter by so many caring and generous hearts. Wounds are healing that only compassion and love could heal. Such a meaningful and beautiful blessing.