Scottie Mom Down

BlogPaws Day 2: Epic fail. Heather and Mr. K never made it to the second day of the BlogPaws Conference. In fact, they didn’t even get out of the hotel much that day due to yet another unexpected turn of events. Saturday was like any other day. Mr. K signaled when it was time to wake up and go for a walk and, after taking care of business outside, he and Heather came back to the room for breakfast. For whatever reason, Mr. K wasn’t interested in eating. Instead, he asked to come up on the hooman bed and cuddle with Scottie Mom. And who could refuse such a request (especially since Scottie Dad was sleeping and wouldn’t even notice!)?

About a half hour later, it was time to get ready for the conference. Mr. K was playing shadow, following me everywhere from the bed to the sink to the kitchen and back to the bathroom vanity. I encouraged him out of the bathroom so I could shower in peace but moments later, I noticed the little guy coming back. Something was going on for sure and I wasn’t about to tell him to go away. I continued getting ready and started the shower. Mr. K was stationed at the entrance of the bathroom, lying solemnly on the floor. I placed one foot in the tub and before the second could touch ground, I realized the only thing that would be touching the ground was my back.

I felt the impact first on the right side of my back, which hit (and broke) the toilet seat before hitting the tile where Mr. K – who had fled the room by now – was stationed. Once I hit the floor, it was like my body went into shock and this intense pain spasmed throughout. I screamed. Scottie Dad shot out of bed to see what happened. The puppies went into hiding under the bed. They only resurfaced after much encouragement from Scottie Dad and were rewarded with an extra walk and some treats. I got ready as fast as I could (which wasn’t very fast at all, considering the pain I was in) and about an hour later, I was sitting in the ER of Inova Fairfax Hospital.

It hurt to walk. It hurt to sit. It hurt to turn left or right, sniffle and even breathe deep. I was completely miserable and I expected a trip to the ER to only add to the agony but it really wasn’t the case.  A dozen X-rays and an IV of pain medication later, I was officially diagnosed with a rib contusion just a few hours into my visit. We were out of there by mid-afternoon and while I didn’t get to do any of the touristic things I had lined up for the Scottie kids, I was more than happy to hang out with Heather and Mr. K in bed for an afternoon of movie watching. Just being in the company of a Scottie (or two!) has a healing effect when we’re feeling down, doesn’t it?

Alas, such was the ending to our weekend in Washington, D.C. Heather and Mr. K didn’t get their chance to pose with Fala, visit any of the doggie boutiques or local Scottie friends nor did I get an opportunity to show off just how cute pajama-clad Scotties look when they take over the hotel. All these things will have to be achieved if we ever get the chance to revisit. In the meantime, the three of us are going to take it easy after a very long weekend of travel and (mis)adventures. Scottie Dad is officially on dog-walking duty until my back heals so I’m sure there will be more than one incident to report by the time I am able to resume normal Scottie Mom duties. Wish him luck!