Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Most Unkindest Cut of All


Abby’s weight loss program crashed after a surgery in 2003. She had lost over 20 pounds, weighing under 100lbs at the time. She looked good. 100 pounds sounds like a lot but she carried it well. She had a big frame and solid musculature. I could even see her waist line.


However, she had a fatty tumor in her groin area. The doctors said it was probably non-malignant, but the location could cause problems. The tumor , if it kept growing, could pinch off nerves causing pain or numbness in her legs. Abby had other fatty tumors, but none were in a delicate place. Subsequently, they were easily removed without any complications or incident.

Abby had the surgery. My heart broke every time she went back for a surgery. When a vet tech led Abby to the back, Abby would almost always try to turn around and head towards me before she crossed the threshold to the back. She was scared and didn’t want to go.

On this surgery, she had considerable pain after we brought her back home. She was whimpering in pain. She stopped crying when I sat beside her and constantly petted her. The surgery had been hard on her. The vet said the tumor was the size of a piece of fruit, a grapefruit or cantaloupe, I’m not sure.

It took her a month until she regained her strength, but even then, she did not fully regain her strength. During that month, she stayed at my mom’s. When she did come back to my place, she didn’t have the energy and stamina she once did. Our walks had to be cut short by half because she labored hard during her walks. She couldn’t make the full trip.

Abby was middle-aged at the time of this surgery, 7 years old. The diminished activity led to her gaining weight. By the end of the year, she went up to 115 pounds. She would never regain the form she had before that surgery.

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