The Dog and the Doc

>>>necessary maintenance so he is again fit to<<< ...

(fly with those sensational Singapore Girls!)

All the best 'd'; rapid recovery, indeed. Once 'healed', well, you know the programme : SQ with those Angels, and yes, late-night, in-room massage treatments with, well, even more Angels.

Here's to you, and that future 'TLC'...

macintosh (robert)


... gentle hostess, in your sarong, you care for me, as only you know how ...

Well, I can be glib or honest, Marija. I'll go for the latter. Bit nervous but resigned is how I feel. Tomorrow I find out what ails me and why my legs have given up. In this territory, anything is possible.Then I'll find out what comes next - and when. So I'm diverting till then.

I'm a bit of a sook where medical things are concerned so it's a very nice thing you've done. Kind of you to think of me. Let's wait and see.

Nothing can be as bad as what you have imagined. Good luck tomorrow, or is that today in Australia.

Nywoman's right, people's worries are almost always worse than the reality. Google is your friend. Practice defensive patienthood. Be ready with your info and your questions.

There are many people sending you good vibes.

Best wishes, doggie. I hope all goes well. Go to Bumrungrad for treatment if you need some. Those nurses will surely take great care of the dog!

Here's hoping you get good news. Don't hesitate --- absolutely don't hesitate -- to get a second opinion if you're not confident of the first. Ask lots of questions! As someone with weird medical problems who has bucked the system, I encourage you to meet this head on. I will not be an invalid and neither should you.

More good and hopeful wishes...

Good luck! Definitely spend some time on research and getting second (or third) opinions before letting anyone near you with a scalpel!

Bless you all. Still a waiting game - but I'm playing the soundtrack to 'Oklahoma' which, I confess, puts me in a very silly mood. Once I get the words to Google I'll be the most defensive patient in the Southern Hemisphere, Kathie. I too have learnt that information helps enormously... not that the research is particularly pleasant.

Your kind wishes are really heartwarming. Really. I'll just sit this waiting game out a bit longer. I'll go clean the bathroom. Divert.

'O-O-O-O-O-O-OKlahoma! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains...'

Stiff upper lip, Doggie. Here's hoping you come back to us with your tail wagging.

Good luck, Dogster.

Keep diverting -

"Everything's up-to-date in Kansas City..."

Hi Doggie -just checked in to wish you well tomorrow and found all this love for you. You deserve it of course and I'll definitely be think of you tomorrow. Make sure to avoid snapping off the vets hand unless severely provoked. I'm sure they will do well and fix you up. You'll be back running with the greyhounds in no time.

With love
Mary

Our thoughts and prayers go with you dogster. Hope all goes well and you feel better soon.

Wow. lotsa love - thanks all. I can't respond as I'd like, right now.

Reserve your powder tho' - tomorrow is just the first diagnosis - then it's referral to the specialist, then whatever the rest turns out to be. Slowly, slowly, step by step. No bits of Dogster will be probed, intruded on or chopped off tomorrow. Information, that's all; which is, in its own devilish way - scarier.

Keep the music blaring. Try to take each day as they come - "There's a bright golden haze on the meadow..." Whatever the diagnosis, knowing can be half the battle. Wishing you the best.

Good thoughts being sent to you across the continents-be well.

Chok Dee Krub!

Well, I'm back, diagnosis and scans in my hot little hand. Without getting overly technical, my left leg is completely clogged-up. My right leg is 50-70% clogged. Which could be why I can't walk more than half a block.

I have rather a lot of words to Google: 'focal stenosis' and 'illiac artery', 'systolic velocity', 'occluded' and 'distal'. I draw strength from Mr. Google, medical science and the word 'stent'.

I draw strength from all of you, actually. This post has been an unexpected bonus in my tragic, house-bound, stupid, why-didn't-I-attend-to-this-months-ago life. Don't think I take it for granted.

So, of course, there will be another appointment next week, a specialist then a 'proceedure'... this is one of those wires down the leg deals. Stent. Not overly invasive, not grisly - not fun but not as scary as it might have been.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll still be on that Pandaw cruise late September. Maybe not, too. Frankly, right now, just being able to make it down to the shops will be fine by me.

Today: 'South Pacific'. Yes, yes, I know it should be the complete works of Stephen Sondheim, but there are times when you just need to hear something easy:

'There is nothin' like a da-a-a-ame, nothin' in the wo-o-o-rld...'

Well now you know whats up - thats positive as you're able to have it dealt with. If you don't make the Pandaw this time well at least you will be getting better and can go later.

Hope you have a friend on hand who will stand by to hold your paw and stroke your head a little. We'll all be doing that across the web - not quite the same as being on hand but then I don't think such an assorted bunch as comes here would really be welcomed by the hospital staff.

Keep singing.

Dogster, as always, knowledge is power, especially in the realm of medicine. Bob & Andy, among others can tell you how sick I was 2 years back (well, according to Gpanda, I'm still quite sick, although in a different way), and knowing what I was up against and how to wage war with what ailed me was of paramount importance to my recovery. (Much to their mutual chagrin, I sought help out in Boston, which is not particularly close to my home! Batten down those hatches, you New Englanders!) In any event, do everything you can to fight this battle, because you can surely win it! Wishing you the very best, and complete recovery very soon.

BC

Congratulations, you finally know what's wrong! (If you want the big picture google "peripheral artery disease.") When you go see your repair person make sure to ask how many of these procedures he or she has done. That's one of the predictors of good outcome. Dogster wants big time experience.

I'm listening to Girl From Ipanema cause that's where we're heading tomorrow. I'll drink a caipirinha (or two) to your health. Be brave!

Glad you have a diagnosis! Sounds like lots of googling to come. Good advice from Marija. And I'm still big on second opinions on treatment, since this doesn't seem to be a "have to do it today" situation. Although I know nothing about how the Australian medical system works.

I'm glad you know what you are dealing with now. It sounds like you are deep into your research. I don't know how the Australian healthcare system works, how much choice you have in terms of providers. But Marija is quite right - one of the best predictors of positive outcome is how many and how often the doctor performs these procedures.

I'm sending you good vibes and perhaps we can suggest additional musicals for your distraction. South Pacific is a good place to loiter for a while. After that, The Music Man, perhaps?

Thanks for keeping us posted. I second everybodys opinion, make sure you get someone who is a VERY experienced vascular surgeon. Then listen to ABBA and Dancing Queen.

Really glad that you know what is ailing you. Hindsight is always 20/20 no sense in beating yourself up about this.

At least you live in a metropolis where the care is good, just think if you were out in the bush, no good vets there.

Do you want me to bake some of AskOksanas love biscuits and send them to you?

I don't really know what to say to you all.

None of us get to err... certain years without our share of death, disease and general crapola. Dog ain't Robinson Crusoe here - but, like all of us, I have my moments of weakness. So a word of support, a word of wisdom and more than a drop of cyber-grace from those who have been there too makes a whole heap of difference.

Thank you.

Australia has universal medical care. In [very] broad terms, it's free. In reality, if you want the best, when you want it - you pay for it. I don't have any trouble with that concept.

My word, I'm tired today. This has all been much more stressful than I thought. Best not to dwell on this too much. I'll do homework, practice defensive patienthood, learn all about my clogged illiac arteries [I didn't even know I had such a thing till today] and stay home some more.

Tomorrow's musical may have to be 'West Side Story'. After that, I've run out. I've discovered a man only needs three musicals in his collection - any more and it all seems a bit errr... affected. When you hear I'm playing anything sung by Judy Garland, just shoot me.

lol NY - we were posting at the same time. I was reflecting on AskOksana and her desire to be carried on a palanquin everywhere she went, thinking that was a possible solution to my problem.

But the thought of AskOksana's love biscuits has quite sent me into a flutter.

Hey Dog, sending you plenty of (((hugs))) from the UK

Old age is not for sissies, that's for sure. Hope that both shoes have dropped and that you don't have any more excruciating waits.

Dogie...my 86 yeaar old mother just had 3 stents in one of her legs. After 3 weeks she was back to her old self...including driving, as horrifying as that is. You will get thru it and back to the call of "Bali High". After all life is for "the very young at heart." Good luck and we are thinking of you.

All of our best wishes and prayers to you! Hope to read another one of your tails soon

Aloha!

Dogster, best of luck to you. Love Marge x

Hmmm...tails or tales, hawaiiantraveler?

Dogster, be proud of your battle scars, whatever and wherever they may be! (I have many, but also not usually visible to the eye.) They are proof that you have been a warrior throughout your life! (Sorry, I'm descended from Irish warrior kings, so I get a bit carried away sometimes.)

BC

a little tic bc

Oh no, Dogster is caught in the hamster-wheel of medical jargon, feeling crook, referrals and Google-info overload

My thoughts are with you – still recovering from a similar situation, and yep, the kennel is in turmoil – but as alpha dog, you get to choose the music, the treatment, the medication, the alternatives, and whether or not to accept the BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet.

I found a great way to keep sane and on top of the situation was to write a Journal of all medical visits, technical details, lost files, lost specialists, pathology reports, and some truly bizarre experiences – always being my own health advocate - and then enjoying the day! Once all details are documented, the mind-churn is minimised and high-volume Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” can be revelled in with a rousing glass or two

Distemper shots and neutering are thus avoided.

Iliac, schmiliac. This dog will hunt again, and soon. But ABBA? Please, nooooooo...!

Great idea, FurryTiles. And from the diary we await a brilliantly written "Trip Report from Leg-oland," and all its medical surrealness. I've been to a place like this before. While it ain't a pleasure cruise, when all is said and done, you'll be singing "I Feel Pretty." I guarantee it.

Today's the day. Chop. Slice. Fillet. Stent. I confess I have to re-read this post to fill my heart up with positive thoughts before I hurtle out the door. So no more 'good luck's' are needed - just send me a silent prayer in about six hours, eh? It's a day thing - I should be back home by late afternoon.

So, when you next hear from me, I'll have been spayed.

I've got a bit scared now, so I'll stop. I hope they give me valium.

I expect they will give you one of those "miracle" benzos that not only relax you but make you forget the scary part of the experience. Your next report, fully relaxed, you won't know what all of the fuss was about.

All the waiting and worrying ahead of time is hideously stressful. It is so much better to get to this moment when you can just get on with it, no? Once the procedure gets underway, focus on the fact that every minute moves you closer to recovery. You are no longer captive of an imagination that torments you with 'what ifs,' you are solving the problem so you can get on with your life.

Good luck, even though it is not needed.

Soon you will be back on all two's and thinking of your return to SR or elsewhere and this day will be a fading memory. Wishing you well and a quick recovery.

Do well my friend - behave so they don't chop and slice the wrong bits. Lots of love and prayers coming your way. In fact by now you are probably done!

Dearest Dog, we hope you are back here to report soon that it was just like eating out of someone's hand while they patted you on the head. Please check in with us as soon as you are able.

BC

Here's hoping by the time you read this you've arrived home safely and absolutely elated that it's all over. Rest up and get well soon, Dogster.

bad news, the hospital just called....they found some extra parts in the operating room.....are you missing anything?
i hope its not the travel bug

'I'll just give me a mild sedative, then a local anaesthetic.'

'Bring on the valium, fast!'

'Oh, we've got much better stuff than that...'

'Give me a double dose.'

'Just a little prick,' my jolly anaesthetist smiled.

'Sorry' I said, 'I'm under stress.'

I don't think this is what he meant.

There was a cold sensation in my arm and I went out like a light. I went out so quickly I didn't know I went out. When I came back to consciousness in a different room with three people leaning over me I didn't even know I'd come to. It was all over Red Rover.

Well, not quite. Half the surgery worked and half didn't. Let's not go there. The biggest wound is to my wallet. A$14,000 for today's little excitement. Yikes.

But the biggest gain has been two-fold:
One: big fear reduction. Marya_ is absolutely right.
Two: massive kindness in Fodor's. I'm not sure I deserve it but, my friends, it sure did hit the spot. I'm in your debt.

Lordy, I'm tired though. Sitting, waiting for it all for four long hours was kinda stressful. I've used up all my vital juices so forgive me if I don't write now. All my bits do seem to be intact, however. So I'll take it easy tonite.

Thank you guys for helping.

Glad all your bits are intact and that you are back with us. Do you have to go back for a re-do of the other half?

Just think of the money in terms of a Dogster style ocean cruise, rather short and expensive - at least it has greater benefits (except for us in terms of stories).

Sleep well tonight my friend.

Thanks for keeping us posted. You know our thoughts travel across oceans and continents to you.

It was a very expensive hotel room for a day, but may be this one is tax deductible? Or think of it as Mary said an aborted cruise.

Be well and get well.

Glad you are back at home. See? They have meds much better than valium! The waiting is the worst. Relax and heal. There will be time to figure out what is next.

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear everything is intact. I always figure the recovery is worse than the surgery (since you're out for that) - hope it's going well. Just compensate for the cost by making the next trip a bit more budget level than usual - it could be fun!

So the woofer's tweeter made it through the operation?

I always like it when they say, "Count backwards from 100." I never even manage to say "100." Hope you have a speedy recovery! Did they use a drug-coated stent?

Wow, $14,000? Sounds like Australia needs as much healthcare reform as the U.S. Glad you didn't have the same outcome as Michael Jackson on that sleep stuff.

**sending good healing vibes Australia direction**

I hear that writing on Fodor's can be very therapeutic. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Glad to hear things went reasonably well.

dosgter,
So glad to see you made it through ok. Get some rest and feel better soon.
love, trav

Hey dog,
Just catching up on this thread. I'm back in BKK after a few days at Krabi. I'm glad your ordeal is over. Yes, they do have some mighty good knock-out stuff!! The one they gave me back in 2002 curled my otherwise straight hair for about 7 years!! Hair is now back to its normal state.

Anyway, good to know you are on the mend. Come to Bangkok to relax, have a beer at Maeng's, stay on soi 8 rather than at that expensive place YOU like to call "home." haha

We'll keep thinkin' about ya.

Carol

Thanks guys - I'm feeling a bit sore and have to lie around a lot.

Alas, the fat lady didn't sing quite as we wanted. One leg 100% fixed, the other 0% fixed. So it's more crapola, cut, slice and dice, up to a week in hospital and an arterial graft. Gawd.

I'm cool. I've faced the worst and now I'm in the zone of, 'O.K. - let's do it.' But I'm getting a bit embarrassed - I'd like this little story to have a beginning, a middle and an end for you all, after that wonderful deluge of kindness. Alas, it appears that it will have its own dynamic. Lousy theatre. Sorry.

It's an intermission now, till August 26. Grande Finale coming up. My rather cool vascular surgeon seemed to think I could make it on the Pandaw cruise Sept 28... but I'm gonna give that a bit more thought.

Shucks, that's a drag about the 2nd surgery. But glad the one paw's good to go. Is this hereditary, the result of too much tap dancing, or something you get from hanging out with eunuchs? I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to go on a mobile safari in Mozambique, or down the Irawaddy, with my bum spine, which grows worse by the day. So I empathize.

I would imagine, LA, that this is the result of decades of self-abuse.

Let me re-phrase that: decades of bad behavior. lol. Not one jot of which I regret. I never did tap dance but I'm very grateful to those who do. My eunuchs had no effect on blood flow, I can assure you... lol

But it's an interesting conundrum: how to travel with minimum stress on the broken bits. Just as there's a market for back-packers, so there's a market for tragic crippled Dogs and those with a bum spine. Hence my recent enthusiasm for river cruises, luxury train trips and other sedentary yet mobile travel experiences. Pandaw is perfect. Maybe a mobile safari in Mozambique is a bit too bumpy.

Sorry to hear that you're not through with the scalpel-wielders yet. Good luck for phase 2, and a quick recovery. If your docs even hint you might benefit from physical therapy, go for it.

A second for physical therapy. It's returned me to normacy several times. It's boring and the therapists are ridiculously perky, but it does work wonders.

Dogster, so sorry to hear the agonizing waiting to heal is being prolonged.

Please ignore Gpanda's comment above:
<<It's returned me to normacy several times.>>
Having made the Panda's acquaintance more than a couple of times, I can tell you there's little, if anything "normal" about him!

BUT...I am loathe to admit that PT is a good course of action. I had a very slightly torn meniscus of the left knee several years ago and spent some time in PT, which was quite valuable, was well worth the time and money and probably got me into the best physical condition of my adult life.

Even slightly immobilized dogs manage to rove...wishing you the best for complete healing,
BC

Do you get to wear one of those plastic conical devices around your neck? Now that would be a sad sight.

I should think you, Monsieur Panda, would know more about "the cone of shame" better than anyone else in all of Fodorville!

BC

Bot nothing about the "cone of silence". If we live in Fodorville, are we Fo's?

Back to the Dog. Let us know if you're taking a walkabout to get back on ymour paws.

Gpanda, may I suggest typing school instead of PT?

(Of the latter, I've had 4+ years of it. It helps, to a point, but then age--and one's bad behavior, including mine--kicks in.)

LAL-I'm too old for typing school. In keeping with the topic of this thread, "you can't teach an old panda new tricks." Actually, you can't teach an old panda much at all.

Well Dog at least the 26th isn't too far off and then you will be right. That surgeon might be pricey but at least he is not keeping you hanging around and he does sound enthusiastic (maybe he needs a holiday soon too)

Keep well in the meantime and rest up.

I'm reading and smiling and so grateful but, today, I just feel flat. That's normal, a coupla days after an anaesthetic. Bear with me. Got no mojo today.

As for 'walkies' - I'm trapped at home for another month. I live in a home-delivery heaven. It's quite remarkable what you can have delivered these days. Cable T.V. is crap. lol. Can't sit up at the 'puter long enough to write anything at the moment.

I think if I'd been fitted with a permanent 'cone of shame' at birth it would have been best for all concerned.

"It's quite remarkable what you can have delivered these days."
Oh dear, the mind reels.
Don't worry, you'll perk up. Revel in the relaxation for now.

There is something to be said for living in cities isn't there - you can get what you want or need to your door. Courier delivery where I am means a phone call to let me know something has arrived and I can take an 80k drive anytime I like to get it!!! Good job I can cook a decent pizza.

Think like a greyhound for the next month - nothing better than lying on your back with the feet in the air and someone delivering you meals when you want them. Oh and the running bit- well who needs to do that, much better to have a lie-down and think about it for a bit. You'll perk up soon and want that run.

A picture from China that might reassure you about food choices:
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1426807880053546425mLrBHV

Hee hee. Seriously, though, I had some wonderful food in China, vaguely similar in some cases to Chinese-American, but mostly much fresher tasting. And there are plenty of backpacker type places to get, oh, grilled cheese and pancakes and the like.

And do, indeed, get Peking Duck! Mmmmmmmmm.

Whoa, sorry, don't know how that got onto this thread! I'm replying to a question about destinations in the lounge. (Lopes off to figure out what happened.)

Ah, well, there's some pictures for you to look at, then, dogster!

Well, Dogster & Amy, at least Dogster may have some ideas for delivery from Amy's post.

As for clarification on the Cone of Shame:
http://tinyurl.com/nvncaw


BC

Dogster, take it easy and you are in my prayers. I cant wait to see you up and filling our day with magic from around the world.

Dogster,
It is a bummer, whether self inflicted or not it still sucks.
The worst part is that you have to go through it twice.

We who live in civilized countries that deliver everything, don't know how lucky we are. In a country e.g.Sweden nothing is delivered except the paper.
When I was bedridden with my fractured kneecap, I realised how fortunate I was. to be living in NYC.

Get whatever your pleasure is delivered and enjoy.
Thinkin of you.

Hey dogster - have the anesthetic blues worn off yet? You need to get that tail wagging - at least you can use this down time to start planning another trip... Or working with photos - do you even take photos?

heya thursday:

next trip is all planned - and the next and the next. Fact is, till I get the legs fixed I'm not going nowhere. So I'm focussing on the 26th. You'd be proud of me. I'm attending to my doctor, dentist, surgeon, accountant, electrician, all the bills, household maintenance: I'm even about to get my A/C working in the first time for 5 years. Been chucking stuff out big time. Do I really NEED those Laurie Anderson cassette tapes?

I'm also culling my 'friends'. You said a very smart thing a while back. I listened.

Photographs? Do you mean those three million thumbnails filling up two laptops and my home computer? Yeah, I have some filing. So I'm outta the blues and into the oranges now... I'd imagine there's a whole rainbow of other colors to endure before someone's God gives me a break and points me, once again, toward India.

But I haven't any stories in me right now. All that creative energy is being diverted to the practical; 100% focus on getting me and house prepared for the next 'lying-in-of-state'. Then I'll be off like a ROCKET.

Oh, by the way, yesterday was my 60th birthday.

so now you want us all to wish you a happy birthday....well of course we will be we'd rather see you 70 and on the go again....happy happy

60? Your legs sound like they're 80, but your mind is still 25. (And that's the age I am when I look in the mirror.)Congratulations on a milestone.

Happy (belated) birthday to you,
Happy (belated) birthday to you,
Happy (belated) birthday, dear
Happy (belated) birthday to yoooooooouuuuuu!

I am certain you are still in the of your youth. marches on, but soon you'll be fine, and walking without a problem.

This past weekend was an anniversary of sorts for me; 2 years since I was told I was in remission. Having scans next week on the 25th, so hope to obtain confirmation I remain in remission.

My best wishes always to you, Dogster.

BC

lol, nah rhk - that's why I didn't say till it was over. This post has quite enough love from you guys, without adding birthdays. Turning sixty is a particularly juicy horror to endure right in the middle of everything, tho'. When you get old you'll understand. heh. I'm far more focussed on slice, dice and chop day.

Happy belated 5th cycle!

I won't sing HB to you, because I'm tone deaf and it would sound awful, but welcome to the 60s. I keep threatening to count my age in hexadecimal (base 16), under that system you're only 3C years old.

"You said a very smart thing a while back. I listened." - I did? I must have been drinking.

Sounds like it's time for some TLC and relaxation. Massage, maybe? Reiki?

"Do you mean those three million thumbnails filling up two laptops and my home computer?" - my sympathy. I still haven't finished sorting the pix from trips several years back.

SIXTY!!! You've made it to 60?!! Congrats! That ain't bad. You've obviously had a full life so far -- and much more to go. Best wishes for the next few decades . . . I am toasting you as I type. Happy, happy Birthday my friend! Janam Din ki badhai!

A Leo feisty and fighting. Hope you had some people in to celebrate with you. Just pretend you got those cookies from me re: AO's recipe.

I celebrate my birthday as long as people will tolerate it, I suggest you do the same. You can never catch up to me anyway.
Cheers

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dog!!!!! (even if it is a little belated!). Sorry to see you have been dogging through the land of being a patient. Sounds as though you are starting to get the urge to do those tasks non of us ever get around to which will no doubt help you feel like you are moving forward. Keep planning the trips & get well & back on the road soon!!! I always tell my Melb fam & friends when I am a day late with their birthday phone call because I fogot to remember the time line that I am just helping extend the celebration for them! Take care J

>>>Oh, by the way, yesterday was my 60th birthday.<<<

... (and do hope you celebrated most proper with two fun-loving Asian masseuses, quite possibly, less than one-third your age.)

(and 'btw', rather fine 'SQ J fares, ex-MEL', these days. Check 'em out, on singaporeair, and, well, you know where.)

All the best 'd', do hope all your birthday dreams came true, and for all 17 of you fodorites out there (thanks forever, 'Don'), savour those Girls, Forever.

robert


... "You promised me an Hermes purse!" ...

(Room ___, Bangkok 'Regent', pre-2003)

Celebrate! A birthday is a great excuse, especially when other things are such that you don't much feel like celebrating. Champagne is the great healer.

HAPPY 60TH!!!

I'd bake you a cake but my notebook keyboard lacks a key with one of those hat thingies...

How about some beers for your big day:

60?? Just a pup . . .

bookchick: I wish you good news on your scans. I'll light a little magic candle on your behalf.

Well, think about it in Dog years. You're not even 9 yet
In the meantime until you get back on your feet (excuse the pun) get busy preparing another adventure.

Hi Doggie - congratulations of your 60 years, hope it was a nice day for you. Perhaps a clear out on your 60th is very appropriate. Hope next Wednesday and the following week goes well - will be thinking of you of course. Which hospital? Presumably one of the better privates if you are using the same surgeon. Do you need bones sent in or is their food okay? I imagine we won't hear from you for a few days at that stage - are you allowed to take a laptop to the area you will be in. Friend of mine has just had 2 weeks getting a new pair of knees and after the first few days in one area of no computer use could use her you-beaut iphone to get everything easily. If you have access please let us know how you are doing. Get the nurses to report for you.

Please don't cull this lot of friends.

Dogster, many good wishes for your second go-round tomorrow. Here's hoping this one takes.
Leslie

Dogster, I made it through my scans yesterday with only the mildest side effect. I'm hoping even smoother sailing for you today and that you'll be all-paws active in no time.

BC

Hey Dog, just catching up with this thread. Hope all went ok today (well i guess its nearly yesterday for you now?)
Best wishes and hope you will be back to your travels soon
Sx

Well, well, well... I was bored this afternoon and came to Fodor's to find a good Dogster story to cheer me up and discovered this thread. And lo and behold, today is the 26th. Dogster, I sure hope you are in good hands and back on your feet again soon. Best wishes, belated happy birthday and a big hug - because it sounds like you sure could use one.

I've just found time to go back and read a few postings here, and I see that you've just celebrated a BIG birthday! I do hope it went well for you. (somehow I did not think that I was ...ahem... OLDER than you???... but I am)

I'm sending you big puppydog hugs thru cyberspace in hopes that it helps you get well quickly!

We'll meet up in BKK soon, I hope.

Carol

I'm worried about you dog. Hope you are doing okay. Check in when you feel up to it, okay? Best, trav

I, too, am looking forward to your check-in when you feel able. Take care of yourself.

Hope the dog is in hospital being cosseted by careful nurses and will bounce back quickly.

I'm here. I'm home. Up to this moment in time everything is 100% fine. Barring the usual weirdness, the op was a success. It was kinda major. No pain. Do I feel any less bruised? Nope. Any less battered? Nope. Any less emotional? Nope. It's 6.00 a.m. I'm in those post-anaesthetic blues. So much so, I had to get up and turn on the 'puter to help re-focus.

And I found this post had re-emerged. I'm too spun out right now to possibly convey how much that meant. Forgive me if I don't respond properly just now, eh? It's done. My head is all over the place. Better stop. Gimme a day or three. I am Dogster. Dogs do not give in.

So good to "hear your voice" again, dog! Rest up.

It's good to hear from you. Any response in your "post-anaesthetic blues" is a good one.

There has been some interesting activity on this board while you've been away. I'll be looking forward to your response.

So glad to hear the op was a success and we can expect to hear from dogster on the road again in the not-too-distant future. Beat those blues into submission!

So glad you checked in -- thanking God you are okay. Be good to yourself, rest up, get your head together, start the healing process and come back when you are ready. We miss you is all . . .

Welcome back, Dog...

I'm very happy to hear your procedure was a success! Relax and take care of yourself!

Happy belated birthday! Remember that birthdays are good for you. People who have the most birthdays live the longest. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Dog lives!

There has been so little traffic on this board while you've been gone . . .

Hey Dogster, I have a new outfit to be photographed with you again at the 2009 Boston GTG. I certainly hope you will be back in the saddle by then. Otherwise, I will have to move on and that will be sad.

I'm sorry you've been in the dog infirmary. Happy Birthday, happy leg veins, and happy travels again soon.

Oh, and Thursdaysd, I loved your thread on Morocco. I'm heading there in Oct on a photography expedition and throughly enjoyed your funny and insightful comments.

But back to Dog. We miss you. Drink that juice, rest, exercise those legs

Y'know Dogster, my late dad was kind of a little guy, but he was always fond of saying "it's not the dog in the fight that's important, it's the fight in the dog". I know you're fighting your way back here right now. Don't be blue, we'll always be here for you. (Alright, it's not as exciting as some beautiful exotic girls who'd massage you, but we're just going to have to do for now, won't we?)

BC

[Why thanks, BostonHarbor (blush). Hope you have a great trip! I'm sure the photos will be stellar. I'm about to leave myself for a two month trip, but I'll look for your TR when I get back (hint!)]

Hi Doggie - glad to hear from you. They sent you home very quickly - thought you were going to be in for a week. Hope you didn't disgrace yourself! Well actually it would be good if you did.

Hope you feel mended soon.

Miss those barks and tail wagging.
Get well soon

Fantastic news dogster. Hope you chase the blues away and are up on all twos in no time.

bookchick: I know you've had tests, are anxiously awaiting results. I hope it all turns out the best!

Even though I still look and feel like I've been in a street fight I've got to admit it's getting better... a little better all the time... '

George Harrison's words sung slowly by Dogster. Pathetic. Tomorrow it will be 'I feel pretty' from West Side Story.

But then, soon, I will be tap dancing with my zimmer frame. My legs do appear to work - in their own recalcitrant fashion. A certified slow-motion miracle. How long does it take to be proclaimed a saint?

I do not wish to hear the word 'catheter' again in my life. I'm sorry I've even mentioned it. My nurses were women. So was my surgeon. I wouldn't have it any other way. But I think it was all an act of revenge, just the same.

Tap dancing with a zimmer frame should draw in the crowds. So glad you are feeling a little better. You're lucky they were all women - at least a bit of sympathy as they deal out the revenge or maybe just a snigger or two.

For a look into the future, take a look at:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/z/zimmer_frame.asp

As a former rugby player, I definitely will need one of these.

Dogster, thanks for posting in!

In 2007, after weeks immobilised in a hospital bed, I had to learn to walk all over again because my muscles had atrophied. I did walk for a short bit of time with a walker, and also had to learn how to master the stairs all over again. I did it, though, and even the Panda would have to admit I am able to move now at a fairly good clip.

And uh, no, while it's not "revenge", it does give you some insight into the female psyche.

Indianapearl, thanks for asking. I've not heard anything back after the scans, so I'm operating on the "no-news-is-good-news" premise. However, over the long weekend next weekend I will probably go pick up the disc and report, so we'll all know more then. I've timed my next visit to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for my check-up to coincide with the weekend of the Fodors Boston GTG. We shall see what we shall see then...

BC

I'm so glad to hear you are up and about a bit. Take it slow and easy.

When you have the time and inclination, I'd love to hear your comments on the ongoing discussion on Tangata's thread about cruising the Rajang.

I'm sure a male cather is horrid, but you haven't lived until you have had your breasts smashed into crepe suzettes during a mammogram. I'm sure THAT device was invented by a man.
Zimmer frame= walker. I learn something new every day. Tap dancing in one has already been invented by Mel Brooks.

If they tell you to do ten repetitions for each exercise, do them, even if it hurts like hell. You'll recuperate much faster, even though you want to cry for your mother, pull the covers over your head, and whimper. Do it. It works.

Hi Dogster. Long time! I'm glad you're OK. Please make sure you incorporate exercise into your daily routine from now on, even if its just swimming (really the best!). I've gotten back into it myself and the wife assures me that if I drop 20 lbs. she will let me go to Thailand in December

Take care..

Hello everyone else, btw!

Hi Mango - where and how've you been? Your absence has been noted by all.

Hi Mary! Thanks for your kind thoughts. I'm doing OK, thanks. We've been doing nothing but day trips out of DC since the Thai trip. This last trip wore us out and we swore it would be two years before returning to Thailand, but the travel bug has bitten as of last night!! What have you been up to, btw?
Regards,
Kurt

What's the tune these days?

ttt in hopes that dogster still growls...

Hoping to hear from our canine crony soon..and with every hope he's feeling better, too.

BC

I'm here. I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Every day I feel better. The legs work. I can walk. Maybe not a marathon yet. Exercise.

Psychologically, though, it's been a torrid time. No fun. Far more intense than I realized. I've dealt with it with a purge of unnecessary things. Some of them are a little surprised.

Yesterday was the yearly 'hard rubbish' removal. My items had no longer hit the pavement then they were 'liberated'. Vroomph! Gone. I liked that.

So I sat out with the hard rubbish hoping that someone would 'liberate' me.

I sat there. I sat there. After a while it got dark and cold so I went back home.

lol lol lol.

Things are not so tragic. Actually, I'm fine. Battered. Angry. In a very good mood. Sooky. A bit dangerous. All the above. But I have a mind like a steel clam when it has to focus - so I'm clamming. Diverting. Cleaning. Looking forward to really getting out of the house and leaving this topic behind.

The only thing I won't forget is your kindness.

Well, hello there, dogster! Good to "hear" your voice once again. I think what you need is a relaxing/resting break in Bangkok! come on over in October, the last week of the month, and you could meet a few of us fodorites. Or wait until late November and join the big GTG party at Kinnaree.

Just think about it: good food, massages, friendly people, lots of folks to wait on you...

Glad to hear you are on the mend, we are all in need of a dogster tale......

even if it's "Dogster clams on the very big, very scary, dust bunny." Glad you're feeling better.