Pick UP day!

Yay, the time to pick him up from the hospital and bring him home had finally come.  Two doctors had been treating Rumble, one from Internal Medicine and his Surgeon.  They brought me into a room and the Internal Medicine doctor spoke to me about pain meds and what things to watch and look out for during post op care. 

Then the Surgeon came in carrying Rumble and nothing else in the world existed.  All I wanted to do was reach through the crate and hold him and he was reaching those tiny black paws through the crate towards me.  Meanwhile, the surgeon was talking to me and I wasn't hearing a word she was saying and after a few seconds, I told her so.  At that point, the mean Internal Medicine doctor took Rumble away so I could focus on the surgeon.  I cried.

It wasn't fair to bring him into the room and then take him back out.  They probably knew the reaction I would have so they should have waited to bring him in until everything was said and done.  Thus a good reason to go to these appointments with two people if you can so two sets of ears can be listening.   I listened to the surgeon with my eyes but that was all I could manage.  She said everything I needed to know was on the papers I would be taking home so why she was wasting my time, I don't know.  She drew a nice picture of his intestinal tract, showed me the parts she cut out, and told me things to watch out for when at home.  Blah Blah Blah, bring my Rumble back please. 

Then the time came.  They brought him back and I got to hold him for the first time in a week.  He was so handsome, so happy to see me, although he smelled different.  Rumble has always smelled like cinnamon to me, but I didn't care, he was in my arms and was coming home. 

Rumble had been shaved in many areas for the surgery: two inch lengths on all four legs, around the front of his neck, his entire belly of course, and about 2 inches at the base of his tail.  They assured me they didn't shave him in any area unless it was necessary but it still seemed like alot.  The neck and tail were shaved so they could measure the amount of oxygen in his blood.  His belly was covered with a taped bandage they said to leave on until next week and they would remove it during his post op visit.  He looked and smelled different, but I didn't care because he was coming home. 

I brought him home and let the two dogs and other cat smell and say "Hi" to Rumble through his crate and then I took him to his new suite.  We had simplified the guest bedroom into his new palace.  It has a trundle bed that we pulled out to make a nice step up to the top bed where we thought he'd sleep the most.  We kept the room dark, cool, with lots of places to sleep, plenty of food, and water.  I slept in there with him the first few nights.  I think it was more for my comfort than his but he seemed to appreciate my company. 

After a few days, we started letting him roam around the house for a few minutes with the dogs outside and Zeva in another bedroom.  I watched him like a hawk and didn't let him jump up on anything.  He ate, slept, and pooped/peed just fine.  I watched for bleeding at the sight of surgery and in his poop but saw nothing.  He was a champ, my champ, and he was home.