This is not the end, dreams are forever

This week I received some news that scared me and yet filled me with excitement for the future.

The photo that says it all :-)

Ooh, which colour for 2015?

For many months I have been preparing myself for the imminent minor surgery on my ankle that would “take me out of action” for 6 weeks or so.  Unfortunately based on my recent MRI scan the surgical intervention to reduce my pain is going to be a little bit more complicated than I hoped and my recovery will involve a minimum of three months on crutches.  If you are squeamish, please do not read the next paragraph as I am about to describe the procedure….

The operation involves drilling through the talus bone to make it bleed and “erupt” over the surface of the bone, creating scar tissue which will take the place of the missing cartilage within the ankle joint.  Hopefully surgery will be performed via keyhole (arthroscopy) but if access to the area cannot be reached that way then a section of my fibula (the thin bone next to the tibia) will be removed to allow full operational access and then bolted back together.

Some of the Dream Team...

However, the prognosis based on this procedure is very good from both a life and running perspective.  I will never lead a completely pain free life, but I will be able to do anything that I want to, well almost anything!  And the good news is that this week’s x-rays have confirmed that both metatarsal fractures (in the opposing foot to the injured ankle) remain fully healed and have coped well with my return to running.

This will be the fourth operation on my ankle and all surgeries have been performed by a wonderful consultant that believes in me and all that I do.  Each time he has performed surgery on my ankle I have gone on to do amazing things: run around 90 marathons and ultras; run thousands of miles with Siberian Huskies; won National Championships; earned two Great Britain vests and run in Commonwealth, European and World Championships.  I have created dreams and lived those dreams thanks to him.

The time to beat....

It is with this knowledge that I will undergo this surgery and believe deep in my heart that all my running related dreams will wait for me to recover.  Dreams never die; they just sometimes sleep for a while.

The operation will probably take place before the spring months.  At the moment I am able to run thanks to a very high pain threshold and the knowledge that I am not damaging the ankle further.  I am going to go on a very special dream quest, running faster that I have ever done in my life, but only for one mile.  I have 4:13 to beat and I am going to ask for help from some very special Siberian Huskies.

(images with grateful thanks to Ian J Berry and Runners World)

Spike: The Dream lives once again....

It is now 15 weeks since Spike had TPLO surgery to repair his leg following the rupture of his cruciate ligament. 

His recovery has been a very stressful and heart wrenching experience to witness.  We have watched his health and well-being decline during this time.  The happy character that we have all come to love and admire for his tenacious and determined attitude to life moved out and a very depressed and grumpy little Spike moved in.

He was not allowed to play with his friends, interactions with the other pack members had to be carefully managed and he was only allowed a few minutes’ gentle walk from the house.  Running and playing were banned and life for Spike became very mundane and boring.  He lost interest in playing with his toys and got very grumpy if anyone tried to move a toy from where he had carefully arranged it within his special den.  He spent 23 hours of each day sleeping in his den and did not want to eat.   

During this time our worst fears were also realised and Spike’s elbows have deteriorated.  We knew this would happen, we have seen the x-rays, analysed the CT Scans and spoken to several orthopaedic consultants.  But what happened in early December still came as a huge shock.

Spike had been limping heavily on his nearside foreleg for several weeks and suddenly one evening he started limping on his offside fore as well.  Only his offside hind leg was still working, all others were causing him such intense pain that he could not even rise from his bed without our help.

A depressed dog that cannot stand without assistance would not lead the life that we promised Spike would only ever know.  A very restless night ensued as we tried to prepare ourselves to say goodbye to Spike.

However, if you wish upon a falling star, sometimes your wish really can come true…..

The following day Spike struggled to get up, but he did manage it without our assistance and as the day progressed he started looking stronger and happier.  We reinforced our determination that whatever the future held we were going to give Spike as many happy experiences as we could for as long as we could.

We took Spike out in his special buggy to meet people and Ian ran a parkrun with Spike in the buggy the whole way – he loved it!

He was given veterinary approval to return to Hydrotherapy the following week and allowed to once again play in the water and see his special friends at Top Dog Hydrotherapy in Andover.

He has been receiving laser therapy and acupuncture treatment from Shelley Doxley.  And he continues to wear his Trion:z collar.

We took him to Scotland over Christmas to meet my family.  He made some new friends, visited the beach and shared Christmas dinner with the family.  Brussel sprouts were politely refused but roast potatoes were devoured instantly.  Spike loves all form of potatoes, baked, chipped or mashed.  I think potatoes and porridge are his favourite foods as he will choose them over anything else, including all forms of meat.

We stopped off in the Lake District on the way back from Scotland and had some fun on the mountains in the freezing cold.  Spike saw sheep and snow, lakes and standing stones.  He even had a little taste of beer, but only on the tip of his tongue as I was not prepared to share any more!

Since we have returned from Scotland the Spike we all know and love has returned.  He is happy, bouncy, shouts a lot and is a general pain in the backside. 

A few days ago we let Spike have a very short and controlled run.  The smiles on his face during and after were confirmation that we chose well.  As his guardians we have to make very important decisions on his behalf and a “Spike smiles” tells us all that we need to know.

There is a long way to go yet but I now dare to dream that Spike will one day run again in our little Husky team.  A three dog Dream Mile may yet still be possible.

(All images with grateful thanks to Ian J Berry and Paul Hammond)