11/2/2001
LUCY WALKED TODAY!!!!!!
I thought I saw her using her foot this morning but I was not sure - thought it was wishful thinking or I was imagining it.
We took her back to the surgeon tonight to have the rest of the staples out and another recheck.
We got her out of the car and once we got into the exam room, she was using her foot normally about 80%! It was amazing! We were ecstatic, we didn't even know what to say to the surgeon when he came in! He was soo happy.
I was nervous that when I got home she would go back to not using it, but nope, when we got home, she is using it again. Its not 100%, but it is progress - and substantial progress. We are beside ourselves with happiness.
We go back for more acupuncture tomorrow. We don't go back to the surgeon for another 3.5 weeks for x-rays unless things don't continue to go well.
All I can say is "PHEW!"
November 26, 2001
We went back to the vet last night for her 6 week checkup. We were pretty optimistic since she seemed to be having great improvement. They took an xray and as it turns out, her hip is dislocated. It is not in the socket at all. This occurs in about 3% of patients. They really have no idea why this occurred. Usually it occurs with too much activity, but Lucy has been crate-bound, so that is impossible. They suggested that because of the earlier nerve damage, her muscles atrophied to the point where she could not hold the hip in place. Anyhow, end result is she is having another surgery today, to put the ball in place and reinforce the socket so this doesn't happen again. She may have to have her legs splinted together for a period of time for a precaution but we will see after the surgery.
Obviously, we are totally devastated. We thought we were doing so well, and this news came as quite a blow. We should be able to pick her up and have her home tomorrow evening.
I can't begin to express how sad and disappointed I am. I have just been bawling ever since. We have (or so I thought) come so far, and now it is back to square one. Another entire 6 weeks of total restriction. Another 2 weeks making sure she doesn't take out the staples. Another 6 weeks of worrying about infection.
I had just totally decided she couldn't have another complication. What are the chances of having 2? The chances of having one complication is so low.
According to the vet, the most likely scenario is that they will open her up and pop it back into the socket and use a little muscle and tissue to support the bottom to keep the ball in the socket. He said they will try to manipulate it while she is under without cutting, but it is unlikely, and also it may work better to open her up so they can build up the socket. It slipped down, not up. The hip is sort of near her tail. It is so weird because it looks normal from the outside.
He said sometimes this happens if the acetabular implant (the plastic socket) is cracked or broken, So he will look at that. Sometimes it will involve replacing the implant, but he doubts he will need to based on the x-rays.
The surgery will be at 8 am, hopefully i will have some good (??) news in the afternoon.
Her muscles have grown a bunch since the surgery, but since they have to cut them again, i imagine they will atrophy again too. Hopefully not as much, since hopefully we will not be dealing with the nerve issue. The cut they will make is not near the sciatic nerve.
The x-ray was so weird. The ball is just nowhere near the socket. It is lodged sort of just below and behind the socket. No idea how she is getting around so well. Maybe she is just used to pain.
On another note, maybe this explains why she had such an unusual reaction to the acupuncture - intense pain. If my hip was dislocated, don’t think I would want anyone sticking needles in me either!
Basically, the main thing is to get in there (open her up) and put the ball back in the socket. Then build up the rim so it doesn't fall out again;. They may somehow splint her legs together so she cannot do a split.
My vet who is a very experienced surgeon said he has never had a dog dislocate their hip in this way. Usually when they do it, they dislocate it up, not down. The only way for this to have happened is for Lucy to have done a split. I have been with her, or she has been in her cage, 24/7. No way that happened! This is too strange. Anyway, I hope they don’t have to connect her legs together. I know it is probably a nice precaution but I am afraid her leg will just atrophy again.
The vet said to me - "you know, when we discussed this surgery, I told you out of 100 THR's we do, 95 of them go GREAT. But I remember each and everyone one of the other 5. I will remember Lucy." Great, just what we want to be remembered for.
I asked him if it could it have just slipped out during the x-ray. He said no - it can't. It needs to have some kind of an impact to pop out. I am thinking more and more that it dislocated while she was at the hospital - the day after the surgery. I suggested this to the vet but he said he didn't think so. But I really do.
I mean, maybe it wasn't so much nerve damage as the fact that her hip was dislocated. Plus, my mom always said she thought it didn't look right - her leg just seemed to be hanging, but I just dismissed it, thinking it must be normal. And her abnormal reactions to the acupuncture. And the fact that she doesn't look any different from when I brought her home.
I will get a copy of the dislocated x-ray to post This is just too weird. You know, I was so confused as to why Lucy didn't walk after the surgery like most other dogs do. Well maybe it was because dislocated! Plus, the vet said that the day after the surgery, she was walking around fine, using her foot. But then the day we picked her up, she started knuckling. If she had nerve damage, why would she have been using it the day after the surgery, but not using it 2 days after? Makes no sense.
I don't know. I can't stop going around and around about this in my head.
November 27, 2001
Just talked to the vet, Lucy is out of surgery.
He said everything looked fine inside, implant was fine. He said there was a alot of granulation tissue, meaning I guess tissue that has been ground up by the hip. He said based on the amount of granulation tissue, the hip has been out of the socket for a long time.
I told him my theory - that it dislocated while she was in the hospital. He doesn't really agree but basically says there is no way to tell.
He has somehow connected her legs so that she cannot do a split - for 2 weeks she has to wear that. Ugh.
I explained to him that there is no way she did a split - she is either in her cage or on a leash with me at all time. The whole damn house is covered with rugs so prevent slipping. He then said that maybe the cage is not the best place for her - maybe she could have done it in there. I got really annoyed at that point - if the cage is not the best place for her, what is? He sort of explained that he thought the cage was smaller, and maybe she had a hard time maneuvering. I don't think so, it is quite large - and she curls into a ball and goes to sleep when she is in there. I think he is frustrated and also trying to find an answer, but nobody knows.I guess it is some good news that the implant looks good.
Again I am worried about the nerve - he said they were 2 inches from the sciatic nerve this time, so it shouldn’t be affected, but it shouldn't have been affected last time either.
That’s about it, if all goes well, we will pick her up tomorrow evening. I will get more updates from the vet between now and then.
