We had an inkling that surgery would be needed soon but it all happened so suddenly. It was bathtime and I helped him up out of the chair. Suddenly, his arm just gave way and there was a hole where his rotator cuff should have been!
I had to get Safety Dave to finish bathtime while I rushed Elmo off to surgery. The rotator cuff surgery was easier than i imagined it would be. The near complete tear actually made it easier to line up the tissues so that Elmo would continue to have full ramge of motion post surgery.
Since my little patient did so well and was long overdue for back surgery, I took a deep breath and moved forward with the more complex task of repairing his multiple stuffing herniations. This portion of surgery was much more complex since Elmo's tissues along his spine are much more fragile. I did not want the repair to leave him temporarily better only to more severely tear at the suture sites later. It took quite some time and a lot of patience but I completed the repair along the right side of his spine.
Elmo needs more surgery on the multiple stuffing herniations on the left as well but, by this time, Jack had grown far too impatient to consent to any further surgical repairs on his best friend. I finished tying off the sutures on the right side and Elmo spent his recovery time, much like Jack--lying on me.
After a very short time on the recovery leg, Elmo returned to laughing and playing with his big buddy.
