Max woke up this morning and trotted (trotted!!) outside, with scarcely a trace of stiffness, then spent about ten minutes barking at something I couldn't see with a vigor I haven't heard in three years, at least. Then I let him in, because five ack emma barking is not a thing in this neighborhood. Although it might become a thing, because Max is groovin' back to his badass self.
No weird memory issues the last few days, either.
Now, of course, I feel like shit because all of this must've been related to the pain his back was causing him. And I didn't notice. But he's stoic, so how would I have noticed? Anyway, I think he might keep going for a few more years, now that he's able to boink around the yard going BAROOOF at things.
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Turns out that Bossman had a meeting with The Big Evil Bossman and one of the BEB's Minions, a woman I used to like and respect until she got too close to the BEB and started acting more like him than like herself. What is it about Evil Bosses? How do they corrupt the minds of the innocent? And, more than that, what was Minion doing at a meeting about the NCCU with our Bossman? WTF? She has zero CCU experience and doesn't even run a floor that has to do with our specialty.
All these questions will have to wait until Monday to be answered. The upshot of the last meeting was that BEB can't understand why (because he too has exactly zero critical-care experience) we would want heart monitors on our patients in the NCCU.
.... ..... .... .... ....Yeah.
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I have finally figured out liquid/gel eyeliner. This is a huge deal for me. Back in the day, I wore the shit out of that stuff, but as I've gotten more mature (read: as I've gotten lines around my eyes) the mid-Eighties Rococo Raccoon Look is less and less appropriate for work.
Last night I took some time and figured out a better way to do liquid eyeliner, which involves lining the inside of my upper eyelid, and will try this bad boy out with the green-and-black rhinestone-encrusted glasses which Abilene Rob said made me look hot. I'm thinking it'll be a sort of Nutso Cat Lady Librarian Meets Studious Nurse Thang, and I'm all over that.
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Why I love The Hairpin, part three gazillion: because they introduce me to websites like this.
Makes me think I should have my own "Big Boy" screened for arthritis.
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Fun new glasses always make my day, rock the "I am smart, awesome, and can destroy you" look. I am glad Max is back to his old doggy self as well.
ReplyDeleteNutso cat lady librarian meets studious nurse sounds fabulous! Can you post pics of the eyeliner, I too was an liquid eyeliner addict in my teens and twenties but now...hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteDAJ: The only screening for arthuritis is a series of X-rays, depending on whether or not and where your critter has symptoms. I would say don't screen, unless and until the Big Boy has actual creakiness. That's a lot of radiation for a diagnosis.
ReplyDeleteAnon & Jenn: If I remember to take pictures the next time I play with makeup, I will certainly post shots of the Hot Rhinestone Glasses. I love them even if the pupillary distance is a little off.
WV: dianpoo. Which makes me worried.
I'm so glad to hear that Max is doing better!
ReplyDeleteJust, please, be careful and *don't* let him overdo it!!!
I've got (wimpy little / I know you wouldn't waste your time with...) Weenie dogs - who are very-much prone to back problems.
I kinda-of have a "standing order" for Rimadyl - if any of my dogs' backs' start acting up.
Rimadyl can give an "Instant Gratification" kinda cure - but, at the same time, it can 'mask' pain (I don't have to 'splain that to you - seein' as how you're a nurse and all!), and they can end up inadvertently injuring themselves further...
And the "Scary Part" is: If they have taken Rimadyl, they can't be "upgraded" to Steroids (aka Prednisone) until something like 48-hours have passed...
So Please-Please-Please keep Max as "still" as you possibly can!!!
I've actually reached the point where I *won't* start my dogs on Rimadyl (unless the apparent-discomfort is *super* minor!). I prefer to go straight to Prednisone with the understanding that back-surgery is the next logical (and ridiculously-expensive!) step...
FWIW - I've got one dog that has cost me AS MUCH AS a brand-new Harley!!! (Yes, we're up to >$18K in Vet Bills!)
For a dog as old as Max, I know I'd think long-and-hard before I subjected him to surgery.
OTOH - our last surgery ("Emergency Spay" for Pyometra) was <$2K - for an 11 yr old dog! Yes - I "went for it!" (Odds were "very good" for her - and she was *totally* Full Of Life and I just couldn't see cutting it short for a measly $1800.00!!!)
Anyway... I'm just saying that - Yes, it's GREAT to see him "feeling better" - but just, please, *make* him take-it-easy so he doesn't "overdo it!"
Sending Good Thoughts Your Way...
YAY for Max!!!
ReplyDeleteLurker here - so so so happy about Max. So happy.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Max is feeling better! I had my own "oh god, I'm an asshole pet owner" moment this week when my ten year old dog was diagnosed with diabetes. The last week or so she went downhill big time but I thought it was due to a wound on her knee.
ReplyDeletePlus she already has Cushing's so she was already drinking like a fish. Even more drinking wasn't noticeable.
I still felt like a jerk for not thinking it was a big deal until she refused to eat. Thankfully, 3 rounds of insulin later she's perking back up.
Also: wow, your management sounds like a bunch of winners. I'm not even an RN and I can see why you'd what a heart monitor. Jeezy creezy. I think I'm more qualified to be a hospital administrator than half these people and I just like medicine as a hobby. "Where did you learn about hospital administration?" "From reading medical blogs, sir."
ArOOOOF! Max on rimadyl sounds like me on diclofenac. Ahhhh feel those creakies fade away...
ReplyDeleteIf there was a sign, you would have seen it. You love that dog, and you're a keen observer. Not to blame the pup, but maybe he hid it a bit because he knew the hell you were dealing with the last couple years. A few people are that loyal. Max absolutely is.
Yer boss is a nitwit who shouldn't be managing the care of dead bugs.
Right on, Max! We've also got a geriatric dog & the other morning he couldn't lift his head. And limped. We freaked out: stroke, brain tumor, etc. Rush to vet, maybe a slipped disk. Anti-inflammtory Rx for 5 days, but after only 24 hours, he was moving like a puppy. Go figure. Glad Max is doing so well!
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You said, "What is it about Evil Bosses?"
ReplyDeleteI work for an evil VP. He always grabs a nice guy to be his spokesman so that he can put a good face on things. The nice guy gets ordered to do the VP's dirty work.
Eventually, the nice guy starts anticipating what Evil VP will want, and starts being proactive. He knows that his job is on the line, and the best way to keep it is to make his boss happy.
Before you know it, the formerly nice guy has joined the dark side.
It's horrible to lose friends to that game, but we can't afford to let the nice guy hang with us anymore because he reports all conversations to Evil VP. It sux.
This is officially the third case of Old Dogs Finally Crashing From Pain that I've experienced in the last week!
ReplyDeleteBrandeenieWeenieDogSupremeie got to see The Very Hot Emergency Vet last week because of this...she just suddenly would not eat breakfast on Sunday morning. This is approximately as unusual as the sun not rising in the east every morning. (The last time I had a dog suddenly refuse food it was because of the mass we did not know was growing on her liver...she was gone less than 10 hours later.) The thought of attributing this to pain never entered my mind. The Very Hot Emergency Vet almost got himself nipped, and Brandy NEVER nips. He was squeezing along her backbone; the creaky old bones were NOT happy about that. He then did a rectal and pressed on her hip joints from the inside. She attempted way more than an nip that time.
She's already on Rimadyl. VHEV sent us home with tramadol on top of that. Within 36 hours she was right back to normal. Freaking miraculous, really. I'm still slobbering with gratitude.
The other case of this happening was Friend JJ's huge black lab, Rex. They thought he had a case of heat stroke. The vet determined that heat was a factor (as it undoubtedly was for Max and Brandy, too)...it's too damn hot to move, I hurt like hell and I really need a drink of water, but fuck it. It just spirals from there. They treated Rex with pred and some other drug (JJ couldn't remember the name) and within 36 hours HE was fine.
Definite pattern here, folks. Keep a close eye on big old dogs in the heat!!!!!
As for the eyeliner, I have GOT to know what brand you're using. I spent way more money than I EVER do on the Laura Mercier versions of eyeliner and activator that are specifically made to be worn on the inside of the upper lash line. "Totally waterproof," they said. My ASS. It was a catastrophe, which made me so sad, because I was smoking HAWT with just that little addition of pigment there. It instantly makes ones eyelashes look darker and thicker. If you have a brand that is truly waterproof, I will squeal like a little girl. For a really long time.
Dogs hide discomfort. It is an evolutionary thing-if they didn't when they were pack animals they would be turned on by the other pack members because they would be perceived as a weak link. They had to keep up as long as they could. You didn't know because they don't let you know until it gets so bad they can't hide it anymore.
ReplyDeleteMax is in the best possible hands, yours. May you have several more beautiful years together.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could give Rimadyl to my geriatric old Maggie, but she's half Lab and they can't take Rimadyl.
ReplyDeleteWe have finally settled on Bufferin for her, although it's helping less as she ages.
Glad your Max is doing so well.
Makes me smile.
Get eyeliner tattooed on. It really will solve your problem with raccoon eyes.
ReplyDeleteI had it done a couple years ago and have never been so relieved that makeup isn't a big part of my morning or pre-work routine anymore!
I'm very glad to hear about Max. Don't beat yourself up, he's just one of those stoic German's who don't talk about their pain (can you tell that I have family members who are like that?). He knows who loves him.
ReplyDeleteWait! Wait! I know! It's this stuff, right?
ReplyDeleteI had some that I purchased a while back and absolutely could NOT get the hang of, so it had been relegated to the reject bin under the sink. I dug it out and applied it along my upper lash line and kind of between the lashes on the bottom lid. I have done nothing all day to safeguard it; I've not been careful of it at all. My eyes are overly moist...typically I have to dab at my eyes several times a day to keep the tears where they belong. I've not been doing that...at times today I've had excess tears rolling down my cheeks.
Report: This stuff did. not. BUDGE. This $8 stuff kicks the SHIT out of the liner, activator and "special brush" from Laura Mercier, which cost almost $75 all told. I'm not kidding. Huzzah, huzzah, freaking HUZZAH.
Uh, sounds like BEB also has zero critical thinking experience as well. I've only ever worked med-surg and rehab, for christ's sake, and heart monitors in *any* CCU just, seems, like, uh... common sense? Oh, wait, maybe that's what BEB is lacking.
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