My feeding tube clogged up so much this morning that we made a rush visit to see Dr. Johnson. Thank goodness he flushed the tube right away, plus he gave my Tortoise Mom some new syringes to make sure it doesn't happen like that again.
I had a good exam and all good news. Dr. Johnson examined the torn and "mobile" scales on my left front foot and said they are ok, probably just happened since I started walking around outside a little again. He also moved the tape on my feeding tube so it doesn't pull so hard on my stitches when I stick my neck way out. After all, I have flowers to sniff and places to go now on my daily walks!
I'm still not gaining weight or getting stronger but Dr. Johnson said that will happen when I can spend the summer outdoors. I plan to bulk up, for sure. But I don't think I'll ever catch Tortellini. She's one hefty gal!
The best news is I MIGHT get my feeding tube removed at my next appointment in May. If so, I'll be free to be a 100 percent, full-time OUTDOOR tortoise again! Woo Hoo! I really, really want to crawl in my burrow and just come and go as I please. Don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful for a second chance at life. And I really appreciate all the tube feeding and poop cleaning and special care to help me recover since surgery last September. But it's been a long haul, and let's just say, you can't take the urge to hibernate and the love of the backyard out of a tortoise "of a certain age". How I love to sniff the ground and listen to the birds, graze (like a very short cow) and be a regular, outdoor desert tortoise. So it's good news: If I keep doing well, we only have another month of all this indoor care and tube feeding business.
Now where's a calendar so I can scratch off the days?
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