So for this appointment, Izzie was getting her third prolotherapy
treatment and Lillie was getting a wellness check. Izzie did so well this time!
She went under quickly and came out of it quickly, too. Lillie got her exam and
they found some arthritis in her spine.
It seemed like it was from an old injury
since it was only in one specific area near her hips. They said she’d be a good
candidate for acupuncture and laser therapy, and we could also go ahead and
administer herbals. If we did nothing, the pain and weakness would get worse. I
told them I’d get back to them. I had to do some research first.
So, as far as Izzie goes, she did so well with this
treatment. She did need some pain meds for the night, but she seemed to handle
everything much better than before. By Saturday, she was eating and by Sunday,
she didn’t need any more pain meds. She did
so well! She is still experiencing some limp upon rising from resting in the
evenings, but I think that is arthritis. Otherwise, she’s doing really well.
For Lillie, I racked my brain all weekend trying to remember
when she might have been injured or hurt and I didn’t know it. The dogs have
always been very rough when playing and running each other over. Maybe it was a
small injury that got arthritis and that has progressed over the years with
age? I mean, she will be 13 years old in a couple months. There’s just no way
to know. Regardless of how or why this happened,
I had to make a decision on what path to take. I did some research and decided that
we should pursue acupuncture and laser therapy,
so I called and made an appointment. We started the following Saturday.
I didn't really know
what to expect, but it wasn’t bad at all. Lillie was pretty anxious and nervous
and it took some time for her to settle down. All in all, it didn’t take too
long, maybe 45 mins, and then we were out
the door. She seemed to feel pretty good and active and we headed home. Now
after we got home, she crashed. I’m sure all the activity wore her out, and she
slept for a while. She seemed pretty tired that evening but by Sunday, she was her
perky self again.
Now along with all this, I had stopped giving her the CBD
oil and had switched the glucosamine and chondroitin that she had been on to
one that Izzie was on to make it easier when feeding them. We had noticed that
in the few weeks she had been off these, she seemed much slower and panting
more often, so much so that I had commented several times on how I wondered if
she must be in some pain. Now I know that was probably the case. So since our
visit, we have put her back on the CBD oil and a really good glucosamine,
chondroitin and MSM supplement along with the herbals they gave us.
They also showed us how and where to massage the muscles
that were all wrapped up along the spine where the arthritis is. After
massaging the area myself, I could feel the muscles loosen up. Heat application
was another thing we need to do to help
those muscles. I’m using a pit pack for heat and it works like magic. After applying for about 20 mins, those muscles
just release and relax. It’s really good for her. The only times now that we
see her having any stiffness or a slower time getting up is when there is some
bad weather in the area. Otherwise, she is happy and playful and getting around
nicely. She’s not loving the herbals in her food, but we have to give them time
to see if they are helpful.
Her second treatment went even better. She relaxed much more
and seemed to really get comfy. She seemed
a little more tired after the second time, but she’s been fine otherwise.
I went on a hike this past weekend, a longer, harder hike,
and I couldn’t take them with me, and it was really hard going without them.
Now, I probably wouldn’t have taken them anyway because of all the other dogs,
but now it’s more of a fact than a
choice. I don’t know if they will be able to do that kind of hiking again or
not, and it kills me that they may not. It’s a reinforcing fact in my life that
I’m trying to accept and it gets harder and harder each time I have to go anywhere
without them. I’m not good with change and this type of change is not one that
I have found a way to deal with yet, and
may never be able to deal with. This is not a change any of us pet parents want
in our life. Unfortunately, it is inevitable, but that’s not something I’ll ever
be able to accept. I’m sad about every single day. However, yesterday was a
really good day and gave me some hope.
I’ve been walking them on shorter, more frequent walks, which was advised for us to do and it seems
okay, but neither of them loves walking
in the neighborhood, which is much easier for the shorter walks rather than
loading them in the car and driving to the trail. I more recently started them on the trails again, and
each time, walked a little more distance and just kept an eye on Lillie during
and afterward. She’s done really well so
far, and so yesterday, we took our longest hike to date since before their
treatments. We did 2 miles and maybe it’s the cooler weather, but they both did
really well. Lillie seemed to really enjoy it and of course, Izzie did. Izzie did have some limping afterward so she may not be quite ready yet,
but we will ask at our next appointment since we are 6 months into the healing
process. Lillie didn’t have any issues keeping up and no pain after. We did the
heating pad just in case.
Lillie will go for her
third appointment tomorrow, and then I
think they will start spreading them out to maybe 14 days and then probably
once a month since she is doing so well. Izzie is due for her fourth
appointment in a couple weeks so the appointments will coincide again. Izzie is
getting teeth cleaning as well so we will
see how that goes. I’ve been brushing their teeth every night, which they
really hate, but it is helping.
I was hoping Izzie would only need three treatments but we
know she will need at least four now, probably five. I think she healed so much
from the first one to the second one that we all were super optimistic and
hopeful. Seems like she has fallen off some since
then though. Not getting worse but just
kind of plateaued.
All of the things I’m dealing with has taken a bit of a toll
on me and I no longer sleep as well as I used to. I have a hard time being away
from home now because I want to spend as much time as possible doing things
with them while we still have time and mobility. It’s kind of become an
obsession for me. I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel like I’m existing,
but not living. I’d like to get past this but just not sure how. Anyone have any advice?
No comments:
Post a Comment