Injury Report

As I tap away on my laptop, belatedly typing up this week’s blog post, a reluctantly resting dog lays at my feet.  “Reluctant” was the theme of this past week and one of the mental states that I continue to wrestle with.  Be forewarned, this post will be littered with quotation marks. 

Earlier this week, my dad experienced what we believe to be a ministroke.  In the middle of speaking to my mom at home that evening, his speech suddenly became garbled and he said it felt like he had no control over his tongue.  They did not go to the emergency room and the next day, he was back to “95% recovered” (his words, not mine).  My parents did go see their acupuncturist, however even after my and my sister’s insistence, my dad still hasn’t made an appointment with a doctor / specialist. 

My parents have a complicated relationship with “Western Medicine” (their words, not mine), acknowledging that its intervention was necessary in the case of my mom’s faulty heart valve but eschewing it otherwise and choosing to treat their respective maladies through alternative medicine.  This is a point of contention between the adults (my parents) and the children (me and my sister).  The adults quite believe that it is their health / their body and that they should be able to make their own choices and do what they want.  The children believe that the health choices that are made affect the entire family and thus are not independent.  Quite a role reversal from when the children were teenagers.

My dad plans on retiring this summer.  Appealing to his practical nature, I have convinced him that seeing a doctor for a comprehensive exam before his nice health insurance is gone is a good idea.  I’ve even found a good doctor in his area that is taking new patients (said in best Siri voice).  We are lucky that his health scare, or whatever this may be, was not so serious and I remain hopeful that he’ll get his act together before retirement.

And to top it all off, our rambunctious Bowie started limping on his front left paw on Tuesday. 

On Wednesday, as he wasn’t limping anymore, he had his usual morning romp at the park and evening run. 

And on Thursday, he was limping again. 

On Friday, Bowie was hopping around on three legs and trying to put as little weight as possible on his front paw, dramatically enough that we made a vet appointment. 

We came home with some pain meds and instructions not to do any strenuous exercise and limit activity to very short walks / potty breaks FOR A WEEK.  The vet thinks that he has a muscle strain or soft tissue injury that will likely heal itself if he rests.  If you all know Bowie, you know that he doesn’t care about food or attention or toys.  He lives for strenuous exercise, chasing after birds and squirrels.  Today, he’s back to using all four legs again and complaining vociferously at not being taken on his daily park visit.  I’m sure he blames me for keeping me from his favourite place in the world; he’d hop to the park on two legs if that’s what it came down to.

Bowie out on injured reserve

So we’re ending the week on a quiet note, with everyone reluctantly resting and healing.  I really hope that all of you had a event-less week, at least in the health department, and that you’re enjoying the snow or rain, depending on where you are.