I have tears in my eyes from all of your loving support. I was trying to read all of your posts to my boyfriend and I got choked up. I don't know what I'd do without this forum. I don't post a whole lot and I'm not well known but you have all just jumped in to help us out in any way you can, even if it's just prayers, and I can never express enough gratitude for how that has made me feel!
I just talked to the student who is sharing in Layla's surgery and recovery with another doctor. He said she is awake and alert, and able to sit up. She is doing about as well as she was yesterday, but NO WORSE, which is a great sign. She seems comfortable in her cage. He said he would give me another call tonight, but I asked if we could visit. He said "Oh yeah sure! Visiting hours are 5-7" so we will go over right after work. There were a few questions he couldn't answer so maybe we will be able to speak with the other doctor on her case tonight. I am just so happy that she's doing okay. With how quickly she was going downhill before, I think they targetted the right spot for her not to be any worse now.
She will start going in the pool as soon as her stitches heal. Her surgeon said that's the best thing for them. And we will be doing anything else possible that could help!
We stopped at the vet in town last night on our way home and she told us to keep our hopes up. She told us a story of when she was a student and doing rounds at the same hospital. She inherited a large dog that had basically no hope of recovery. He had been flown in from B.C. with wobbler's syndrome and after surgery he was completely paralyzed and couldn't even lift his head. She stayed at the hospital night and day, even though she had 3 kids and a husband at home. She rolled him over and massaged his muscles constantly, and took him outside on a gurney so he'd get fresh air and feel like a dog. It turns out he had a reaction to something they used to stop the bleeding during his surgery and after about 6 weeks he developed a large ball of fluid in his neck that was pressing on his spinal cord. The fluid was drained and it was amazing... he could get up and walk! The family flew out to pick him up after 7 or 8 weeks and she said it was just like a movie when he ran out to greet them and she'll never forget it! But in the end, the best of the best are working at this hospital and even if they feel there is no hope, they will continue to try and push for recovery. She said she feels confident that she will recover. Layla is young and spunky and stubborn, and she WANTS to walk.
Please keep your prayers coming. Layla's recovery is in God's hands now and I am praying every second of the day that she will be back sucking on the corner of my pillow as I sleep and giving us morning kisses on the nose! It's good the weather is miserable because she's not missing too many opportunities to bark at the neighborhood kids playing around our yard
