As some of you know, I will be scheduling Tatum's LP surgery tomorrow. The actual SURGERY won't be tomorrow...but tomorrow is the day that I am going to call and schedule it. I HATE THIS and I am more nervous than I can even put into words, but I CANNOT put this off any longer. The surgery has to be done....and it has to be done ASAP.
In the beginning I was going to have only one leg done at a time. However, her legs seems to be getting worse now (I know they are) and every once in a while now she is in pain - I'd say about once a month. I will say, though, that ever since I started her on the Cosequin she has improved DRAMATICALLY!!! Cosequin has literally been a LIFESAVER for us!
Anyhow, Tatum is so "baby" like - I just can't explain her personality but I was just too scared in the beginning to have both legs done at the same time. I just thought that knowing her personality, and the way she is, that it would be too much for her. HOWEVER, now that her little knees are worse, I feel that both really DO need to be done at the same time.
Tatum's breeder recommended that I do only one at a time, however, this was a while back - when her knees weren't this bad and before she was ever in any pain. I have heard different people say different things. Some people only recommend doing one at a time, while others recommend doing both at the same time as it is only ONE surgery that they have to be put through, ONE recovery that they have to go through, one car ride there and one car ride back (this is of huge importance to me as Tatum HATES the car), etc. and actually, I am starting to think this way as well. I would just rather get it over and done with and out of the way and not have to put her through it TWICE. Plus, the longer I wait the worse her other knee is going to get. And I HOPE that arthritis has not already set in, but that could very well be...and I am just thinking that by going ahead and doing both knees at the same time maybe I can LESSEN her chances of the arthritis being worse in the other knee if I go ahead and just get it done now too. I mean I am thinking of the here and now, but I also feel that it is really important to think about long term as well. Does this make any sense?
Anyway, I am almost positive (99% sure) that I am going to go ahead and do both knees at the same time....BUT, I would like to get some of your opinions and thoughts on it first, before I go and schedule the actual surgery tomorrow. And I would especially LOVE to hear from those of you who's babies have actually gone through this surgery before. What your experience was like, how your baby handled it and got along after surgery, etc. And to those of you who's babies had both knees done at the same time, would you do it again? Or was having both knees done at the same time too hard on them? Should they ever need this surgery again (God forbid) would you opt for doing only one knee at a time, the next time around?
Thanks so much in advance!
