Sarah Nigbor

What’s that saying, when it rains, it pours? I believe it is true.

I had my third sinus surgery at Mayo in Rochester on Friday. It went well, according to my surgeon, and she hopes it will stick this time. I guess only time will tell. I’ve been plagued with polyps that completely restrict my breathing and they keep coming back, pressing on my tear duct. The pain wasn’t too bad until the next day and I had to laugh when I looked in the mirror. I looked like a puffy-cheeked, beady-eyed squirrel and felt like I’d been hit in the face with a baseball bat. My teeth ache and I can’t breathe, but it will get better.

I laid low over the weekend, hoping to feel halfway normal by Monday deadline day. I thought I was well on my way until I woke up Monday morning with a fever, crackling lungs and a deep cough. But those piteous feelings were set aside when my precious Bagle hound (half Beagle/half Bassett) collapsed. He sleeps at my feet every night and is always the first out of bed in the morning, tail wagging excitedly. This morning, however, Trappy laid limply in the bed and wouldn’t move. He was shaking uncontrollably and when my husband set him on the floor, he crumpled like a rag doll. His back legs wouldn’t work and he was whimpering.

The shaking only worsened, so I called an emergency animal hospital in Eau Claire. We loaded him into our vehicle and raced toward the east. Of course, I looked up the wrong address, so we ended up at the wrong animal hospital. Luckily the right one was about a mile away, so we made it there quickly. My poor daughter, who was sick with a terrible cold, was bundled up in the backseat comforting the dog, who hates car rides and gets car sick easily. By the time we got to the hospital, the dog was a slobbery mess.

As the vet performed tests to rule out Lyme disease and spinal problems common in long breeds, we waited in a tiny room with our pup for over three hours. Trappy seemed to improve the longer we were there and his nose got to work exploring the room. My face and head pounded more and more the longer we were there, and I cursed myself for forgetting my Tylenol at home.

Trappy was finally diagnosed with a sprained/strained back not uncommon in Bassett breeds and ordered to remain as restful as possible the next two weeks. Ha! That’s going to be fun, trying to keep that ball of energy quiet. The vet prescribed him some medication to help his muscle spasms and inflammation and off we went to brave the slobbery ride home. I was extremely grateful that this two-year-old Bagle, who is a loving, sweet dog, is going to be okay. He is a member of the family and is at my side always.

I allowed myself to revel in that relief for about .3 seconds before launching into internal panic about the several hours of deadline day I had missed. Not to mention my blooming fever, swollen face and total lack of ambition to work and tend a sick tween. Once home, the dog tucked in securely at my side with his favorite fuzzy blanket, I dived into deadline day fun, armed with Tylenol, coffee and Kleenex. Go easy on me this week. It’s been a rough one, but the paper always comes out. It’s a good thing I have some amazing co-workers who help carry the load on a tough week. I appreciate them so much.