Miracle on Studer Street

What a week it has been!  Literally, I think I have cried more this week than maybe ever...???  Easton has got to be wondering what is going on out here.  So here goes...most of you probably know by now that Ryan and I are IN LOVE with our doggie and that she had a big scare this week.  We got Lucy on June 1, 2008.  It was just 2 1/2 months after we got married and she was 6 weeks old.  Our world almost came crashing down on us this past week on Wednesday morning. 
We noticed that Lucy had a bit of a "limp" in her walk late Tuesday night and figured we could take her to the vet the next day.  So we all went to bed and the next morning we noticed that that limp turned into Lucy not being able to walk at all.  She could not even stand up on her back legs.  We took her to our vet right away and within a minute of her examining Lucy, she referred us to a specialist at the Emergency Animal Hospital for immediate surgery.  Thank goodness Ryan and I took her to the vet together that morning because I don't think either of us could have handled this on our own. 
We were instructed to leave the vet's office right away (skip check-out and hit the road).  She said that time is of the essence and she will call and let the hospital know we are coming. 
Once we arrived at the Hospital they were waiting on us and took Lucy back for examining (we still do not know what is going on at this point).  Finally they call us back to see the doctor and he tells us that she has ruptured a disc in her spine which has paralyzed her back legs.  I am balling crying at this point and Ryan is trying to hold it together.  The doctor tells us that she has no feeling in her back legs and may not ever be able to walk again.  He proceeds to tell us of all of the other risks involved with her situation and that there is a 50/50 chance that surgery will even make a difference. 
So we go from a happy, healthy, bouncing young puppy to this news and we feel like we have been hit by a train.  We of course said to do the surgery and we will hope for the best. Then we left our baby girl, walked back to the car and said a prayer and cried the whole way home.  It was a terrible day and all we could do while we were sulking at the house was think about things she would do like run in the kitchen every time she heard us getting ice from the fridge, or how she always likes us to play fetch with her toys and her fascination with giving kisses...we were disasters.  It's amazing how much you realize the littlest things that go on in your day-to-day life when you think about them not occurring anymore. 

Anyway, on to the brighter side…That night we got a call that surgery went well, but that they would have to see how the next few days progressed for her.  They were planning on keeping her through Monday and told us not to be discouraged if she shows no signs of progress the day after surgery...that it is very rare that these cases ever do. 
That is where our little Miracle comes in.  Thursday morning the doctor called to tell us that she stood up on her own and was wagging her tail.  This is HUGE!  I mean it, even the doctor was impressed.  He also told us that she ate all of her breakfast which was no surprise to us :)  but we new that she was coming back!!!  It just got better from this day forward.  They would call us twice a day (once in the morning and once at night to tell us about their "rounds" with Lucy) and they said that Thursday night she decided to walk.  I cried again at this point, but tears of joy!  I can't believe how strong she is!  The doctor told us that we just dodged a huge bullet...
Friday morning they said she was progressing so well that we could take her home, but that she still has a long way to go.  We were so excited to be able to bring her home. 
We picked her up at 5 o'clock on Friday and have been nursing our little patient ever since.  She is on pain medication and has a big incision on her back because they ended up removing several "bad" discs.  Turns out she has what they call degenerative disc disease...there was nothing she did to cause it or we could have done to prevent it from happening.  The good news is that she is home now and we can take care of her and make the lifestyle changes necessary to make things easier on her. 
So we went to PetCo and bought her a new crate which she needs to spend most of her time in for the next month (according to the doctors orders), we made a big pallet on the floor and had a slumber party with her Friday night and have been an overall lazy bunch all weekend!  Every morning we are able to see her doing better and better.  Ryan says she reminds him of Bambi when he is learning to walk...she wobbles a lot and then falls down on her butt...She is a little off balance right now, but tomorrow will be better than today.  We hope that she only continues to heal at this remarkable pace and feel so thankful that she is going to be okay! 
Here are some pictures of our little furry patient...

 Getting acquainted with her new little space

 A get well gift from her sister, June

It breaks my heart to put her in here

OUCH

Feeling better today on daddy's lap

After the good news on Thursday night, I was able to get out and get my first pre-natal massage to try to relieve some stress…thanks to my wonderful husband!  Saturday we spent the day at home with Lucy and did some winter organizing for baby.  That night Ryan and I went out and registered for some more baby essentials and had a yummy Mexican dinner.  We came home early and went to bed earlier than I think we ever have on a weekend LOL.  Today was well spent with my preggo bff Paige getting a mani and pedi and browsing Babies R Us.  We are two peas in a pod and it makes me laugh at how much things have changed...a year ago we would have had the perfect day sipping on margaritas on a patio somewhere! 

Now it's on to a new week and I'm looking forward to waking up each morning and seeing Lucy doing better and better!  Thank you to all of our friends and family who have thought of us this week and prayed for Lucy.  WE LOVE YOU!