Things have been a bit crazy around here. Not that it isn't always, but more so than usual in the past week or so. As I mentioned in my last post, Bandit tore her ACL and needed to be on bed rest. A month has now passed, and she went in this past Monday to see how it was going. We were told she just needed rest, and that it might heal, but I guess it's more critical than we thought. The vets that have seen her (2 now) both agree it's not IF she will need surgery, but WHEN. Lovely. I spent a good 30 minutes talking about our options, and what can be done to prolong the surgery as long as possible. We decided on complete bed rest, again, and see what happens.
In case you are not familiar with dogs/dog surgery, this surgery will be very expensive and intense. Not every vet does it, and most are done at places like UofI or Purdue. If you don't know me, I take the health of the ones I love very seriously. I really wanted to get another opinion from a vet I know and trust. Also, I thought it might be cheaper down there. Up here they said upwards of 3,500. I decided to call my parent's vet in Indiana. She helped my parents' cat through an eye ulcer that was pretty serious, and Binky came out ok.
I left her a message and she got back to me that night. She totally understood and answered all my questions. Without seeing Bandit, she tried to give her best advice: keep her down as much as possible, keep up the benadryl, the joint supplements, and get stairs for everything. She also agrees that Bandit will need surgery at some point. Purdue is cheaper, but we would need to be referred, so we plan to make a trip down there to see what she thinks.
This brings me to the fact that we were planning to go to Georgia during the summer to see my Grandma who moved down there this past November to live with my Aunt and cousin. We were very excited because we really didn't know if I was going to get some time off, but it seemed to be working out...until we found out Bandit needed surgery. This was definitely a game changer, since the surgery could cost up to $2,500. YIKES! Unfortunately we have already bought tickets to see the Braves vs. Yankees (so if anyone wants 4 family pack tickets, let me know!). I was really upset a few days ago, but now I am thinking we will hopefully just have to postpone our trip until this fall.
We are not even a week into 'complete rest' and it's not going very restfully. Bandit is a terrier, she loves to run and play no matter what I do. She has a leash on at all times, and I try to help her onto/off the furniture as much as I can. The only thing that is really worrying me, beside the surgery is that once the hurt one is fixed, she will be using the other leg more, and it is at a higher risk to tear also. Surgery is not a cure all, so really it's a crap shoot. Just because she gets it done, it could make the other one tear, or even tear the fixed leg again!
On to a different topic:
I have been thinking hard about if I want to apply to teaching jobs for this fall. I'm about 98% sure that I won't be. There are a few reasons of why I came to this conclusion: I have been out of the classroom for awhile. I don't even know if I want to work for a public school, and even if I did find a job, I would most likely get pink slipped my first year anyway, with no guarantee that I would get hired back. Also, I really like where I am at now. It's a stable job, and I love going everyday. I don't want to call it work, because they say you shouldn't 'work' but have a 'passion' for what you do. I think I have a passion for working with 2/3 year olds, yet I'm not sure I want to do it forever. It's the wandering soul I have in me. In the long run, I really see myself getting a masters. In what, I'm not sure yet, but psychology is looking good. I love understanding how the brain works, and why people do the things they do. Or maybe even sociology or anthropology. I have a huge interest in any medical field, and love reading about new medical techniques, advances, or setbacks in all of the categories. My teaching assistant is a nursing major, and she is always telling me I should have been a nurse or doctor. Ha! But what's funny is, that if I get interested in something, I will want to find all the information I can about it. I have a hunger for knowledge, and I think that's why I wanted to be a teacher. Who knows what I will be when I grow up.....I might just end up being a mommy ;)
-Brina
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