[Dailydrool] Our Elsinore meets Mack the Knife tomorrow

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

I spoke with the surgeon this morning to reassure myself that he does thousands of de-bulking surgeries every month, thus making our Elsinore's a mere twaddle for him. He said he does and that most of the tumor de-bulkings he faces are significantly more involved than Elsinore's appears to be because regular vets tend not to make referrals to him until the cancer is more progressed than hers. I asked our regular vet for the referral instead of waiting for him to suggest it, so I'm hoping that means I got Elsinore ahead of the eight ball on this.

Elsinore is now scheduled for surgery tomorrow. She's supposed to be there at 7:45 am.

I'm going to stipulate on all the forms I'll be signing that I want Elsinore to return home with all four legs still firmly attached to her body, though it's all right if those legs have shorter toenails at their ends. 

I'm trying not to think too hard about this surgery or about the fact that sometimes dogs don't weather anesthesia as well as they always have in the past. I'm hanging onto the surgeon's reassurance that he sees a very good prognosis for her recovery from the surgery. I'm hoping the time we're trying to buy her will be long and enjoyable for her. 

I bought an inflatable e-collar this morning, which has just made all this feel even more real, despite my trying not to think about any of it. When she wears it, she looks as if she's preparing for a lifeboat evacuation. I hope her lifeboat handles the waves capably and gets her to safety quickly.

Elizabeth