r/Tragedeighs

 I’m well aware that I waste FAR too much time skimming social media - but I swear, on Reddit you can find every permutation & combination imaginable of bizarre stories and family tragedies - even a little honest-to-God news with spirited debate here & there! It's very entertaining...

Tragedeigh = a given name that has been deliberately misspelled or completely made up to appear more unique than it actually is.

It’s also a good place to read about situations even more screwed-up than your own, misery loving company & so forth… here we are going into day 5 and I seem to be stable: not feeling great but certainly not feeling like I’m coming down with (a new case of) Covid either. Zach sounded a little bit better last night but he still didn’t want me to risk delivering his birthday presents (not much, really, - just a couple of polo shirts and a small set of Legos as a gag gift). 

I’m staring down the barrel of one month before my beloved New Mexico trip and I am questioning my stamina A.) to make that drive and B.) to complete any rides. I am sick & tired of being sick & tired, but if I give up all my recreational activities, what then? I am already down on myself for neglecting my home but I’ve got to save most of my energy for the clinic these days. Yesterday I took out a nasty splenic tumor from a couple’s beloved 10-year-old German shepherd. He did well, but as always we had to have that extensive discussion that there aren’t any guarantees! Maximus couldn’t carry on with intermittent internal bleeding of what I suspect is a malignant tumor - I consoled them that of course it would be reasonable to contemplate euthanasia (he had collapsed at home one night, necessitating a trip to the veterinary ER), but they wanted to try. Hopefully I’ve bought him some time. These are the kind of cases that cement my resolve - I’m the only one in this part of the county that can do these things. The emergency clinic is too expensive (as is the referral surgical center across town), and most of my younger colleagues seem to be terrified of surgery?

I’ve got to keep on keeping on - for myself (what kind of "endurovet" would I be if I stopped distance riding?!?), for my son (I can't dump this Godawful mess in his lap!), for my employees & clients. Still suffering an extreme case of aggravation-with-spouse, but my farm hand did complete some of the mowing & smoothed out some of the ruts in the driveway, then acted very strangely as he literally backed away from me when I went in for the goodnight hug last weekend. He then tried to deny it, but I'm too tired to argue.

                                   "East Texas rain gauge" - all too true, unfortunately!

& here Misti forwarded an “action shot” from yesterday’s splenectomy… (a video would’ve been even more dramatic - the only thing saving Maximus from bleeding to death was the fat pad overlying his spleen: when I pulled it back, this little artery was spurting merrily. Very much a “now you see it/now you don’t” situation. The primary tumor was actually fairly small, but you can see in the green circle where it had ruptured through the capsule of his spleen. Fingers crossed as we await his biopsy report but as I’ve already said, we’re basically buying Maximus some more (good quality) time with his family.

No, don’t routinely wear a cap and mask, nor am I in the habit of coughing or sneezing onto my patients