Update on Blondie's surgery and MRI

I called LIVs myself around 7 pm since I dind't hear anything and got to briefly talk to Dr. Marino who just finished reviewing the MRI.
The spay went well b*n*n* so she's in recovery now.
As for the MRI:
The MRI showed a bit of progression in the syrinx. (from 80-90 percent last time to 90 -95 percent now) He called looking at her MRI a "scary" thing, and said "you look at that mri and wonder how she's even able to walk".
And I'm like "I dont know what to tell you, she spins around in cirkles and runs up the stairs two steps at a time like a racing dog." :lol:
But anyways, the concern is ofcourse that she would loose motor function at some point. The fact that she is pretty pain free didnt seem to surprise him too much because he said because of the slow progression she compensates fine.
I have to closely monitor her motor functions and if there is any decline, I feel surgery would probably be our only option, because of the severity of the MRI.
I also told Dr. marino that as well.
I did tell him that in good conciousness I cannot do surgery on a dog that is managing as well as she does. As Dr. West, her second opinion neuro says : "treat the dog , not the MRI." I will go pay him a visit soon as well so he can read the scan and assess and do a clinical exam.
Unfortunately, the PSOM came back as well, so they did a miryngotomy again on both ears. It was my gut instinct that would be the case because she recently started shaking her head , a symptom that resolved after her last PSOM surgery and then recently came back.
I think she will feel better now her ears are drained again. I may have to consider the ear tubes at some point...
I can pick her up tomorrow afternoon. Cant wait to love her and hug her!!!
Thanks all for your prayers and support!!!

I forgot to add; he said something about the brain compression possibly being slightly worse, but he couldnt tell for sure coz it could also be the "angle" or something. How does brain compression get worse? Does the brain get bigger?
Sorry if its a sily question but i just havent heard of that...

I'm so sorry lynn. I am glad the surgery went well but I'm sorry about the PSOM. I hope she gets tons of kisses when she gets home

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Oh I am so happy that the spay went well. Sorry to hear about the MRI reading not being better news. Dr. West said something about the angle of the MRI picture too when we reviewed Jack's images last June. I think it was just that, meaning the angle of the image when it was taken....I am sure you will clarify with the docs just to be sure.
This disease is so crazy, I still can't believe how BLondie has minimal symptoms on zero pain meds with such a large syrinx when Jack has a whole lot more symptoms and is on pain meds but yet he doesn't have a true syrinx
Anyway, I am just so very glad Blondie made it through. I can only imagine how much you cant wait to see her tomorrow and give her tons of love. THen you can think about the next step.

anniemac said:

I'm so sorry lynn. I am glad the surgery went well but I'm sorry about the PSOM. I hope she gets tons of kisses when she gets home

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Thanks Anne. I'm acutally relieved about the PSOM being back, because it means the head shaking was caused by the PSOM and not the SM, as I hoped.
It is ofcourse annoying that tshe is amongst those dogs for who PSOM is going to be a constant concern. Thats why I am considering going to OHIO state for the ear tubes in the future. The syrinx not being better is what bugs me, but that wouldve been an unrealistic expectation, at best I was hoping for no progression.
Oh well, who know what the future will bring. It's not like things have exactly been going by the book as is... One day at a time. we;re all doing as best as we can, dont we? I told the story of you and Ella to my boyfriend tonight , while we were having a drink at the bar. Hope we get a chance to meet up this year in Charlotte!!! (during nascar ) xx

[/QUOTE]This disease is so crazy, I still can't believe how BLondie has minimal symptoms on zero pain meds with such a large syrinx when Jack has a whole lot more symptoms and is on pain meds but yet he doesn't have a true syrinx
Anyway, I am just so very glad Blondie made it through. I can only imagine how much you cant wait to see her tomorrow and give her tons of love. THen you can think about the next step.[/QUOTE]

I have no idea how this disease works either. It sounds so crazy. Being blessed with her symptoms so far makes me of course wonder and scared sometimes about the day it will possibly hit suddenly and hard,
but then I have to quickly get rid of that doom thinking thought which also doesn't make sense and just isn't a fair thought to hold.
Day by day.. who knows what the future holds for our sweet ones. I do the best I can !!!! Give Jack a big hug for me!!!

I'm sorry about the MRI showing worse and I know it is bothersome but you have such a positive attitude.

Yes we have ro meet up. Going home from work, i pass the nascar hall of fame. Now its like a "country " time square with a huge talking buildboard to my new place. Yes I see skyscrapers from my walkway.

Yes! Come visit!

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Lynn wrote: he said something about the brain compression possibly being slightly worse, but he couldnt tell for sure coz it could also be the "angle" or something. How does brain compression get worse? Does the brain get bigger?

I would guess this means that the fluid accumulating in the brain ventricles has increased, because it is circulating more slowly (which may also be why the syrinx has increased in size). This pushes the brain outwards and downwards and causes compression.

Part of the lottery with SM symptoms is how wide the syrinx is. A narrow syrinx in the middle of the spinal cord will do less damage than a syrinx which may be shorter but is wider and hits some vital nerves. And CM with no syrinx can also cause considerable pain, in part because it causes the ventricles to dilate by slowing the flow of cerebral-spinal fluid.

So :xfngr: that Blondie's syrinx stays narrow!

Kate, Oliver and Aled

I'm glad that things went so well with the spay and that your intuition about the PSOM was confirmed. Kate is so right about SM - it is like a lottery system never knowing what you're going to get. Every dog on this forum seems to have different symptoms and treatment that works for one dog does nothing for another dog, several dogs seem to have horrible pain symptoms, some have none, some have neurological deficits such as rear leg weakness, others can leap tall buildings with a single bound.

It's comforting to know that Blondie is managing so well at the moment. You'll be aware of subtle changes in her behavior and you'll know when it's time to reassess her treatment - whether it be surgery or a different medication regimen. For now, welcome her back home and smother her with gentle hugs!!!

She's home now. When we picked her up at the hospital she seemed out of it though ..
Looked so scared when the nurse brought her in.
In the car she was shaking for about 5 minutes. She seemed so confused...
She perked up as soon as she saw her house.
Once she got home she got back to her old self quickly. She was so thirsty and hungry too!!! She chowed down her whole bowl of food.
Now she has been sleeping most of the day, we've put all the pillow of the couches on the floor so she cant jump and have been camping out with her.
Poor baby. I think im gonna give her some ice cream later.
She's on tramadol for pain and antibiotics too. ..

Yeay Blondie's homeb*n*n*.

Great news!

So glad she's home and doing good

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