What you lose when you can ' t walk your dogs

A few people, including Rawley's breeder, have been asking, "Hey, Christie, what's up with him? No photos, no video, no breathless reports of his total cuteness?"



Rawley is just as wonderful and adorable as ever; it's me who isn't.



I tore the meniscus in my left knee, and my general practitioner totally missed it when I went to her with knee pain, allowing it to get a lot worse than it should have. I'm currently on crutches and pain meds and pretty much miserable. Rawley and Kyrie are being walked by other people, both my wonderful dogwalker Courtney Guntner at San Francisco's The Whole Pet, and my brother, who has had a Deerhound of his own and loves reliving those days by taking Rawley to the dog park.



I just found out yesterday Kaiser expects me to wait two months for my surgery, because that's the first opening the surgeons have. Good thing we don't have that there socialized medicine, though, because then I'd get sub-standard care, missed diagnoses and lengthy delays for necessary procedures. /snark



Sorry, I'm just bitter.



Now, I'm bitter about a lot of things to do with this. I'm going to miss the ACVIM conference in Los Angeles. I'm probably going to miss the No Kill Conference in Washington DC, although I'm clinging to hope on that one. And you know, I'm in a lot of pain and agony and I hate it.



But you know what I miss most? Walking my dogs.



During my mother's long, painful final illness, there were many days that walking Rebel and Kyrie were the only moments of happiness I had in a day. Getting Rawley was the first purely joyful thing that happened to me since she died.



And now, other people are seeing him make the transition from tiny puppy to gawky adolescent.



Oh, he sleeps on my bed at night and is just as much of a love-and-cuddle bug as he ever was. But there's something profoundly special about the bond that forms between a dog and the person who walks him. I miss it. I miss seeing him smell things and see a new dog friend and run into people and dogs he knows and likes.



I miss his little pointy nose burrowing in the leaves and grass. I miss his alligator games with his puppy playmates.



And I miss being able to just walk down a tree-lined path towards the dog park, getting away from the computer and the stress of life as a freelance writer and editor. I miss my Kyrie dancing at the door while I try to put her collar on, and Rawley trying to avoid being danced on.



Do you think my doctors will care about that when they look at their surgery schedule?



Photo of Rawley during his "brick gathering" phase.

Comments

[Susan]

Oh Christie- I feel for you. Just recovered from surgery myself and know how hard it was to let hubby do all the dog stuff. Please try to take it easy and enjoy the moments as they happen the very best you can.

[Travis]

{{{Christie}}} I hope it gets better soon.

[Alison]

Christie - make a lot of noise and appeal that decision - this isn't elective surgery, you're in a lot of pain and can't carry out your normal life functions. They need to find a surgeon with time available now.

[Chris L.]

That desire to get to that place with your dogs is what's going to get you back even through all that pain on your walking feet and working knees.



Post op, I'm not there yet (after 5 mos) but I'm getting there.

[Gina Spadafori]

I have knees that get sore, but no injuries, thank heavens. And I agree with Chris: Having a dog to walk with makes the walking such a pleasure. I was out on the American River Parkway (protected urban wilderness) for 2.5 hours with Faith yesterday. Some of it walking, some of it training, some of it just sitting on the bank and watching the river go by. What a wonderful break from the computer, and it really reset me for a productive afternoon.

Christie, I hope you get somewhere with the patient advocate's office. This is unacceptable. You need surgery, now. Maybe if I send a relative to rough up that knee a little more (a la Tonya Harding) we can get you in more quickly? Just let me know. I know people who know people who know people who may know people ... maybe.

[David S. Greene]

This really sucks. I don't live in CA and don't have Kaiser, but I agree with Alison. This isn't an facelift. Be a pain in the ass and make noise. Appeal. You're in a debilitated condition, and I just can't believe there is NO space available on any qualified surgical calendar for two solid months.

[Rori]

Good gawd, what a shit year you've had. Perhaps Rawley collected those bricks on the hope that they could be used to smack a few healthcare/insurance folks upside the head... Just sayin'.

[Ericka Basile]

come down to Naples. My friend Dr. Guerra will fit you in super fast. And he's good. www.colliersportsmedicine.com

[rawfooddoggie]

Kristie, I understand your feelings, having gone through a similar situation 4 years ago. I had just gotten my retirement present to myself-a puppy-when my hip collapsed. One year later they came up with the right diagnosis-hip replacement. I had to wait 3 months for my surgery, but my surgeon was probably one of the top 10 in the USA. I wanted it done right so I waited..walking with a walker and in an incredible haze of pain. Somehow during that first year after I got my pup through the training basics. I remember standing on the cold concrete in mid-winter training classes, in incredible pain, hating myself for getting a dog but loving to watch the little furball learn his stuff. All I could dream of was walking my boy without pain. Cut to the chase...I am back walking, hiking, having a wonderful time with my doggie. The only difference is that everytime I put on his leash to go out for a walk I think "Thank you powers that be for giving me another day to walk this incredible doggie of mine!" You will get there. Just hang on!

[Leslie K]

Christie- remember the squeaky wheel gets greased ! Call them daily & call your GP & bug them to get on the phone too! 2 months before surgery is ridiculous & you will still have the healing & rehab to go through.You might want to mention that you are a writer & putting this delay out there for the world to see.Maybe bad publicity will free up some calendar days.

[Deb Moulton]

Dear lord, you tore your meniscus, the DR. didn't catch it right away so it's gotten worse, and now your %$#@ing insurance company expects you to wait 2 months before 'they' will allow you to have the needed surgery? We all know what a fighter you are, FIGHT them! In doing so, you are fighting for all of us deemed by our insurance providers (if we can afford one) to be unimportant in their grand scheme of making money for themselves at the expense of our health! I've said this before and I'll likely say it many more times before I die, Insurance of any kind is the biggest legalized scam foisted on the American people evah!

[Christie Keith]

Thanks so much, everyone! I filed a complaint with the patient advocacy office today, and I hope that will grease the system and get me into surgery sooner. Sorry to be on the pity pot, but seriously, this last year HAS TOTALLY SUCKED.

[Susan]

Christie, I had this happen to me years ago - and it also went misdiagnosed. I gather you have no alternative to going through Kaiser? Because if you wait two months, your recovery will take that much longer. Your muscles are getting progressively weaker, and you will need physical therapy to get them back to where they were.

In my case, my knee not only hurt, it kept giving out under me at unexpected times (and dangerous times). Get yourself a REALLY GOOD knee brace and ask whether you can get some low-impact physical therapy in the meantime. The brace may even let you start walking again. It may be covered by insurance, but I don't mean a $10-20 one from the drugstore - they have serious ones that give serious support.

[Susan]

Oops, started writing this comment in the afternoon, got interrupted, and just finished it. I agree, try to get the surgery moved up if you possibly can, through appeals and making noise. But I still suggest a knee brace and PT. I nearly broke my knee in 2008 falling down some stairs and tore my ACL - and my very good surgeon recommended no surgery, but PT to strengthen the muscles that hold the parts of the knee in place. This blizzardy winter kept me on my ass, and now my knee is crap, so I'm wearing a brace myself. I have to dig up those exercises and start them again.

[H. Houlahan]

Can we get Christie a motorized tricycle or sumpin'?



I'm not actually being flip here.

[H. Houlahan]

Oh, and voice of bitter experience here:



Do not indulge in stress eating!



The vicious feedback cycle between foot/knee problems, stress-and-boredom eating, weight gain, more foot/knee problems ... I fell in there once, never want to go there again.



God, it's hard. I swear if I'm ever off my feet again, I'll take up smoking if it will keep me from eating when I can't exercise. I'll take up crack. It's easier to fix in the end.

[Christie Keith]

Yeah, I just stuffed myself sick on dinner, and I KNEW while I was doing it, "This is a very big mistake." Food can be so seductive when stress and anxiety are crashing over you.

I'm going to snap this chain RIGHT NOW.

[Cait]

Christie, any chance you can rent a scooter or motorized wheelchair? I agree with Heather- I'm not kidding! :P NOTHING sucks more than not being able to walk your dog. I lost SO much fitness when I was in the bad car wreck in 2000 and the biggest part of it was losing the habit of getting out and WALKING every day.

[Original Lori]

What everyone else has said! Fight as hard for your own surges as you would if it were one of your animals that needed it.

[Original Lori]

surgery...sigh...sorry, surges are something completely different. :O)

[Christie Keith]

Verde, I finally had to stop using the pool at my gym (the last thing I gave up!) because moving my leg against the resistance of the water, even in the smallest step or kick, is agonizing.

[Verde]

Get to your local water exercise class. Seriously, It will help. I'm a hard core, 3 day a week swimmer for serious back and mild knee problems so I can grow up to be a crazy old lady hunting pheasant with her dogs until I drop and they sprinkle my ashes with those of my hunting companions who have gone before. Not crippled up by back and Knee problems watching the outdoor channel in my nursing home room. It is totally NOT FUN!

Kinda of twisted that we can't get the care we need but our dogs have the best in everything for health care.

[mountain kimmie]

Christie, looks like other people have suggested a motorized conveyance . . .how about one of those Rascal motorized chairs? If it would mean the difference between being able to go out with the dogs and maybe get to your conferences, it might be worth it to rent one until you get back on your feet. I'd still recommend that you work hard at physical therapy so you can get back to walking normally. Knee injuries suck. You have my sympathy.

[Verde]

I'm sorry you can't even be in the water. No one should have to deal with that much pain. Hope your appeal goes through and you can get in and get on. I'm sure Rawley will love to help with your P-T after surgery. :) He is just so darn cute.

[mary frances]

I work in a law office - we file complaints with the attorney general's office a lot - the consumer protection division - also you can report this to the Insurance Commissioner's office (Insurance complaints) in your state...California right? Keep notes - I'm betting it's a better set up than my state of Washington - hope you are better really soon.

[becky]

I feel your pain, literally, as well as emotionally. I just had a knee scope yesterday to repair a torn miniscus. I have three dogs that I hike with everyday. I miss walking with them already. They have been starring at me all day, probably wondering why we haven't left yet for our hike. Not sure what to do. I do not have any dog walkers.. any suggestions?