Not a very good night. I fell asleep early, then woke a little after midnight. Laddie barely looked up until I reached over him for my crutches and opened the bedroom door, which slides past just behind his bed. (Note to self: Move dog bed) He doesn’t like large things moving around him unless he himself is mobile, so now we were both up at midnight. He escorted me to the bathroom and made sure it was clear of ninjas, then decided he didn’t like sharing the vestpocket bathroom with my crutches and retired back to the bedroom. He mostly just didn’t get why I’d woke us both up in the first place. Can’t I hold it for one night?
I was up for maybe half an hour before I got sleepy and turned out the light. Then up again at 2:30ish, this time with phantom pain that had me bellowing from time to time. He didn’t like that at all – but unlike Little Bear who always made himself as scarce as possible at times like that, Laddie decided that my therapy should consist of reassuring a dog by rubbing its head constantly. For hours, if that’s what it took. He was prepared to be patient.
Finally around four the pain faded enough that I could turn off the light and lay down with some hope of getting a little more sleep – and of course this time I slept till quarter after six, when it was well after light, and I think a certain tiny paw with sharp claws may have been involved in waking me up. Certainly by the time I rolled over there was a very short-legged dog halfway up on the bed taking my pulse.
Now it’s 7:30 and I’m only just eating breakfast and need to get out the door and do my chores. And he just sort of wants to hang out and nap. Old guys need their sleep, and I guess I wasn’t very thoughtful last night.
If Laddie is going to hang around old men, he may as well get accustomed to nighttime bathroom breaks.
FWIW, in a study of three amputees, TENS applied to the contralateral leg diminished pain.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3874615
I bet you’ve already explored this option, but, just in case…
Ben: Very true.
Robert: I never heard of that. I have a TENS machine somebody sent me; now if I can just figure out how to download that paper – and what “contralateral” means…
I don’t know how much misery ML had in her later days, but it’s possible that Laddie learned the “…therapy should consist of reassuring a dog by rubbing its head constantly…” from her. He may understand that you’re in pain, and be trying to show you that he cares.
And for the TENS:
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2836
it appears the intent is to use the TENS to stimulate your OTHER leg where the amputated leg appears to hurt.
I am not a doctor.
I do not play one on TV.
And I didn’t even sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3874615
Joel:
Obviously, “contralateral” is the opposite of “ipsilateral”. 🙂
Contra- means the opposite side of whatever, in this case a missing leg part. Ipsi- means same side.
Some nerves do kind of a crossover in the spinal column which makes for odd results when you mess with them, and it’s up to your brain to interpret the results. Besides, ya can’t attach a TENS to a body part that ain’t there.
I am not a doctor but I act like one with my roomies.
I can’t afford to stay at a Holiday Inn.
You’re more computer savvy than me- I didn’t even try to download it. Good luck.