Lesson #10: Always expect the unexpected!

Hello there!

I feel like I am in a movie... It's cold and snowy outside but I am the warm coffee shop sipping on hot chocolate and every once in a while glancing outside to watch life go by.  It is actually quite peaceful... The lighting even has a warm tint to it.   I swear Drew Barrymore is going to walk in any moment... Anyway...

Lesson #10: Always expect the unexpected!

Today, Matthew kissed me good bye and left for work before the sun came up.  An hour or so later, I woke up to my kitty purring and cuddling, like usual.  I got ready for class and walked to campus in the biting cold.  The first day of classes was usual and expected.  We went over the syllabus, the anxiety took over my body, and the stress set in.  All completely expected.  I came home and kept busy until Matthew got off work.  Then, as planned, we drove to the vet's office for Buster's yearly shots and check up.  (Buster is our dog who we love love love.  I would've attached an adorable picture but the computer isn't letting me.  Just picture a golden retriever cut off at the knees and add chow hair.  He is THE cutest!  promise.)  Completely normal right?  Well, this is where the unexpected kicks in!  His ears have been bothering him and each of them had a scab that looked infected.  One looked significantly worse than the other and the entire ear was growing quite thick.  Something similar has happened before, we've treated it at home, and then it goes away.  We thought maybe that the vet would give us some sort of antibiotic cream or something simple.  NO!  UNEXPECTED!  Buster was taken immediately into surgery!!!  I know he is a dog and I know nothing about mothering, but I am still his "mom!"  This was not easy for me!!

Let me back up... The surgery was SUPER minor and they said fairly common.  He was in and out in a few hours and now he is home with his grandma resting.  I will now explain what happened, if you do not care about dog anatomy or what the surgery was, I give you permission to skip the next paragraph.

Okay, put your hands together, like prayer hands.  Look at your thumbs.  This is what the inside of a dogs ear sort of looks like.  If the dog some how manages to bust the blood vessels inside his ear then a space between the hands starts to appear and this is not good.  The space starts to fill with fluids and infection that cause pain.  The pain causes the dog to shake and scratch even more.  So, in order to drain the fluid and for the ear to heal, the vet has to put in a tube.  The tube will stay in for 6 weeks and then they will remove it.  The draining should be done in about 4 days, but scar tissue has to form and the ear needs to fully recover before the tube can be removed.  How did he burst his blood vessel?  We are not 100% sure.  The vet says that it looks like from some sort of trauma.  We think it happened during a panic attack last week.  He had a rough day or so where he wouldn't calm down or sleep.  :(  He has a lot of trouble with anxiety.  We think he was abused before we adopted him so that is completely understandable.

So, Buster is okay and well.  He is probably asleep as I type, but I will worry about him because he is my baby!!  Luckily, we have one healthy pet!  May Mobley, our kitty, is strong and healthy and ruling our apartment with an iron paw!

Okay, I am almost done... I have a sub lesson in all of this.  Sub lesson of #10: Mommy senses are real.

I told you about my day and how normal it was.  But, you can ask Matthew.  I texted him all day worried about this vet apt.  I just felt it in my gut that something bad was going to happen at the vet.  Like I said, I know I am not a real mother, but I felt like it was some sort of sense that I had.  I was right!

If that isn't good enough proof, I'll tell you a story about me.  One night, when I was in middle school maybe?  I woke up and didn't feel so good.  I won't give any details but I will tell you that I was not loud and I wasn't noisy.  My sister in the next room did not wake up.  But my mommy, who was downstairs through two closed doors woke up.  She came upstairs and asked if I was okay.  HOW DID SHE KNOW??? Because moms know.  They just do!

I hope that you enjoyed todays lesson and tomorrow, you expect the unexpected.  It doesn't always have to be bad. (: