I have some videos I need to post, but wanted to put up a quick update, as I've gotten a few emails asking how Mr. Max is doing!
He's doing great! Aside from some bad gas... (we may have to do some pro-biotics or something) But I had a piece of cheese (not on his diet) in his mouth so he could taste it - just taste it and the next thing I knew his tongue had folded it in half and down the gullet it went. I was trying to pry his mouth open to make sure he didn't choke on it and he licked his lips and opened up wide to show me it was gone!!!
He can stand on his 4 legs longer than he could before and now he's leaning forward and starting to take steps with both his front and back legs. He still needs to work on balance but his strength is definitely improving and his will is as strong as ever!
And... we have an increased amount of grunting! He grunted this morning when he wanted more food, and he grunts when he's uncomfortable and wants to move but can't quite get himself in the correct position and he does some kind of a grunt growl when Rex tries to eat his food or gets too close to him and when Buttercup is cleaning up his feeding syringe.
He's also sporadically drank water out of a bowl.. not all the time but he's working on it.
And the coolest thing is that his tongue seems to have regrown?!!! I'm not sure if that's possible, I didn't think it was.. but remember he had bitten off half of his tongue and there were some splits in it? There are some nasty photos of it earlier in this blog.. well.. it seems to be a full rounded tongue again. There are a few little nicks here and there but it seems to be back to normal.. one of the videos I have that I'll be posting is of him sticking his tongue out - he almost looks like a frog trying to catch a fly!
The insides of his thighs are still a little raw and infected from his cart, but after trying a bazillion things the best I've come up with is neosporin cream and wrapping the seat of his cart up with no-stick gauze pads and then wrapping those with gauze roll and changing it after each time he sits in the cart and when he's not in the cart keeping his legs separated so he can get air in there. He also really likes swimming every day and I think the water helps clean it out (as much as it's helping strengthen his body - arms, legs, core, neck... everything.
New Years even he showed everyone he could roll around and make it a little challenging to feed him as he kept rolling away!. He also sat up on his own a few times and turned to watch what everyone was doing.
And I'm also happy to report that FINALLY - after 6 months, his fur is just now starting to grow back on his arms... and his belly and his rear end. It's almost all back on the bottoms of his feet... I'd love to know what kept it from growing back and what's helping it grow back now...
OH and before I forget.. this is THE BEST! Max had a follow up appointment with his eye doc yesterday.. and the report was "Max is doing EXCELLENT!" I love it!! Even though it's the eye doc! As you may recall Max's tear gland was zapped during his cyber knife treatment.. well.. we've been using tear stimulating eye drops to get the tears back to normal and they are now perfect!!! (which explains why he's actually crying now everytime I pick him up and it hurts!) But the tears are also helping to keep his eyes healthy. So we get to cut back on his tear medicine! and his next appt isn't for another 6 months!!! I LOVE IT!!!
So... If anyone is ever going through something that seems so daunting, please remember to take it minute by minute at first, then hour by hour and then day by day, week by week and you'll be ok. Remember 6 months ago, Max couldn't move, he couldn't blink, he couldn't eat, he was in a coma and they thought the liklihood that he'd be in a vegetative state for ever was extremely high. Don't ever be discouraged... and don't ever be afraid of a little hard work! Be grateful for the little things!
