Hand update

Mmm where to start.

Spoke with surgeon and he explained what he had done

Cleaned out index knuckle and removed scar tissue

Cleaned up thumb with a view to getting it to move.

Cleaned out lots of scar tissue in wrist, which was beginning to squash median nerve.

Harvested a tendon from wrist (albeit a puny one apparently) and grafted it onto index finger.

New splint holds wrist and forearm still and from the knuckles in hand bends fingers down to a 90 degree angle, apparently index finger must not be allowed to flex or move upwards for 6 weeks as it needs time to graft and strengthen. If it fails there is apparently another tendon he could try when he operates again to fix little finger with ruptured tendon.

Probably other stuff as well but have forgotten already, hand/wrist is black and blue and splint is painful but the worst of it is 6 weeks of not using it, with weekly hospital appts so they can monitor it closely.

One is feeling a tad sorry for one’s self..

A few digi layouts from this week.

Hounds are all well and have loved this week's beautiful weather.

Feeling better

Finally beginning to feel a bit better and looking forward to seeing surgeon on Friday to find out what he has actually done with my hand.

Still quite limited as to what i can do, read, watch TV or a bit of digi but a vast improvement on the weekend of which i spent most of it feeling very sorry for myself lol.

hounds are loving this beautiful warm weather we have and spent most of yesterday on the deck sunbathing.

Have been sorting through some hound photo's and came across these 2, of the 5 dogs only Alfie is still with us, Ranger, Jim, Sandy and Lucky all taken from us with the dreaded bone cancer. Makes you realise sometimes you just don't know how special things are until they've gone.

Also did this one to record Elmo's arrival.

Thank you for all the lovely messages and apologies for not blog visiting, i have 1 finger that i can use to type with currently, i will visit asap.

Sue

fed up

well nothing went quite to plan with the surgery. knuckle wasn't as bad as he thought so some minor work on that. haven't spoken to surgeon but anaesthetist chap says he has tried to repair ruptured tendon on index finger by taking a tendon fron wrist. from where i'm getting the pain i'm guessing he has gone in through the same place as 8 times before. also work done to thumb. in plaster for a week then a splint will be made for a further 8 weeks. had nerve blacker and full ga. was meant to be 45mins for op tops but actually lasted almost 3 hours. if tendon patch is successful i will be a very happy girl but right now i hurt a lot.
had a better night but the reality is just starting to hit me and i feel totally fed up and bored, other hand is really bad from having to bear the brunt couldn't even hold a sandwich in it yesterday. i can either watch tv, read or go on pc for a bit and that's it. silly to feel sorry for oneself especially if it means i may come out of it with one tendon repaired but it is so frustrating and painful, still maybe it will be a bit easier after the sling and cast goes. and i've gained 2lbs flippin eric seems to be on a mission to fatten me up and my willpower is at zero.

hounds are all well and happy and loving this beautiful weather.

perhaps when i blog again i will be feeling happier with life.

sue x

A happier pack

Alfie is finally pretty much back to normal, Gangley's eye is much improved and little Elmo is doing really well. Little Mojo is going white, suspect it's Elmo constant attention, he so loves Mojo!LOL. We went out for a Mother's Day meal Sunday and was away for 2 1/2 hours came home to minimal wreckage LOL.

Just finished gathering bits together for hospital on Thursday, going in at 7.30am and will be first on the list, so paws crossed I can come home later that day! Mum and Dad have kindly said they will come over and dog sit.

Camera still OOO so no new photo's but I have finally finished this digi layout. Has taken way to long and I'm still not sure I love it! Photo of Marc and Harvey visiting Pleasurewood Hills in Oct 2010 to see the Halloween spooktacular!

Oops!

Just been told my me Muuver that my blog hasn't been updated LOL. Sorry Mum.

No problems ..... just been busy doing domestic stuff that I want done before I'm out of action again ie cleaning and filling freezer, all boring stuff.

I'm pleased to say Alfie has started to play again, he's still not quite his normal self but loads better than last week. Gangley's eye is looking a little better thank goodness. Mojo is being very tolerant of his new best friend who is his constant shadow LOL. Talking of his best friend Elmo  has been really good! garden is trashed but no damage indoors AND Saturday we had to both go out separately and Elmo had 45 minutes at home alone, well he did have the other dogs and he was just fine.

Sadly no photo's, camera is really messing around and chewing up batteries so until MR T sorts it out no photo's.

I've also been busy making all the cards I need for April and May and prepared 4 digi layouts that will become hybrid.

My son is finally getting is operation on Friday an ACL and cartilage repair, going to take 9 months before full fitness is restored but at least his knee should be good enough to do the nest coast to coast walk for Greyhound gap's kennel fund in September, this time it's the Scottish one. His wife Rachael became a newly qualified social worker this week and we're very proud of her for sticking at it through some tough times and even better she starts her new job next  month.

So here's my newly prepped LO's ready for scrapping Friday and crop on Saturday.

Love this photo of Ben that his other Grandma took

and Harvey taking part in his first Tag Rugby Festival

A photo of Ben from last years sports day

and finally my son Marc and Harvey at the Emirates to watch the footie.

Sue x

Elmo has a play date

Today my friend came over with Berti Bear, Berti is a greyhound x and last time I saw him he was about the size of Elmo. Boy was I surprised to see how much he had grown, he is such a lovely boy.

We thought it best just to have the two of them play today as I was worried if Mojo and Alfie joined in it would be unfair on Berti having a pack chase him. Also I wanted Elmo to socialise with another dog other than his own pack.

Well boy did they have FUN! with lots of this

and a bit of this

I thought Elmo would crash out after Berti and Lynda left but no he was still full of beans LOL.

Gangley's eye is still weeping and the drops don't seem to have made any difference, so thinking back to the vets.

Alfie is sad, pure and simple that dog is so darn sad. Ever since he came here he has always had Jim and Lucky as part of his life and to say he is missing them is an understatement. It is incredibly upsetting to see him like this and we really don't know what more we can do to help him through this other than loads of cuddles and special one to one time.

Scrapping with Dawn tomorrow, or hoping to but probably will spend the day chasing round after Elmo to see what he's up to LOL.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE

Today the little man has become a fully paid up member of the Taylor pack and will now be known as ELMO. Did you notice I haven't referred to him as Cane for a long while LOL. Last week's scare over the tumour that was actually this

a piece of plastic, calcified as it has been there for so long made us realise just how much we love him and so there you have it! Not quite a greyhound even if you squint but we love him.It's been many many years since we haven't had at least 3 greys and here we are with 4 hounds and not one a proper greyhound LOl. Maybe fate will sort it out for us.

We must be totally mad to adopt a poopie who chews, jumps, steals etc etc but the flip side is he makes us laugh and he doesn't have a bad bone in him! ......... and this house needs to hear laughter again!

Elmo is fully recovered and his wound that wasn't stitched is healing amazingly fast.

A few finish projects, finally the cover to My journal your Christmas

Layout of Ben's 's birthday

Layout of Harvey's birthday

Both shown here as digital but they have become hybrid in real life as I prefer them to have extra depth in real life.

I'm back guys!

Poopie came home and cried all evening, probably the GA making him feel odd, slept all night and is firing on all cylinders this morning.

 Have to bathe his wound which wasn't stitched in the end,  with hibiscrub 3 times a day and he has antibiotics and painkillers, back on Monday.

Vet gave us the offending piece of plastic, hard to tell what it is and is about an inch long. Shall have to take a photo of it if he ever goes to sleep this morning LOL.

He's not HP with me as I've been doing the bathing bit and it stings.

Alfie and Mojo were really out of sorts yesterday so guess they missed him LOL.

Hoping for a nice quiet scrapping day with my friend, well one can but hope and as it has been a really strange week I think I deserve a play day LOL....

and little man says thank you all for all your good thoughts xxx

GOOD NEWS!

The vet has just rung and it's not a growth or tumour !!!!

It's a piece of plastic that had become wedged in between the molars, must have been there a very long time as it has caused extensive damage and the operation was much longer than expected. Poor boy also has a nasty ulcer and inflamed tonsils. Vet was surprised that he was still able to eat.He will need a course of antibiotics which will also cover his wound which she decided not to stitch in the end as sometimes it causes more problems in sight hounds because of their thin skin.

Vet said what a fabulous dog he is and what a testament to his character that he had made no fuss at all. I feel quite guilty as normally our hounds have full ear and teeth inspection by us each week but because looking after Jim then Lucky had become so time consuming the weekly checks fell by the wayside and so we didn't have any idea what was going on other than wondering why one side of his face looked different when he first arrived.

I cannot even begin to explain the relief.

How I've longed for a few quiet hours since he arrived, well now I discover it's way to quiet without him and I can't wait till we can collect him at about 6pm. Suspect he's going to be very sore for a while so lots of TLC.

Sometimes good can come out of bad !!!