Ok, so here's the update. We drive to the optho and Nova stands the whole time in the car because she can't see, and she is scared so rides the whole way with her chin on my arm whining like "Mom, I'm scared." I'm a wreck, talking on the cell phone with my husband discussing different scenarios and such. This morning really threw me for a loop because she's had glaucoma for awhile, and complications here and there, so I just figured if she ultimately went blind she would handle it in typical Nova style and do ok. But she was scared and shaking and absolutely miserable.  She was so miserable, and I kept trying to see how, if this was the reality and she would have to be this way, how could that possibly be a good quality of life?

I get her to the vet and she stumbles out of the car, walks into a few walls, all while tentatively hopping and whimpering, looking dazed and confused. Lots of sympathetic looks from the waiting room, a dog starts to notice her from 2 feet away, Nova doesn't even flinch until the dog makes a sound, then she gets her quizzical, tilted head look, like "what was that?" I am a basket case, crying, etc. because it's so dang cute, and she's been scared and cowering all day. We get her in and they examine and first say that the surgery worked beautifully in the left eye (YAY!) and the pressure was so low they couldn't even get a reading. But the right eye's pressure had shot up so high, higher pressure than she had ever had in her other eye. This is something that was totally under control for 2 years, now the right eye decides to go crazy out of nowhere. The optho came in and said they wanted her inpatient for a few hours, they were going to try some different drops and monitor her, but it was highly unlikely that she would have vision in the eye when all was said and done. He was very grave about it all. Usually by the time you get them in, the vision is gone, he says. So I go off poking around stores feeling miserable for a few hours. Then they call to tell me that they got the pressures down and that she could come home.

I'm sitting in the waiting room and I hear this fast HOP-HOP-HOP-HOP-HOP coming down the hall and she comes barreling around the corner, right AROUND a chair and straight into my arms. (more bawling) Doctor comes out, shaking his head like they always seem to do for my girl, and says she defied the odds, they got the pressures down and it appeared she had most, if not all vision left in that eye. He was shocked, said that I must have got her in just in time. He put her on the same expensive eyedrops (Xalatan) that I just got her OFF of in her left eye, and said she will likely remain on them for the rest of her life. ARGH. He also cautioned me that this could be something that could cause her to go blind in a few days, to a few years. I'm just glad there is more time. I really was starting to panic about quality of life.  I have had blind dogs before who adapted well, but they went blind over time, they weren't struck blind suddenly. If you would have seen how scared and miserable she was you would have understood what was going through my head. I kept looking at her intently, trying to determine if she was telling me that she was tired and was done, and I swear that's what she was saying, but now she is sticking her big ol head on my keyboard, licking my face, wagging her tail, asking her dinner, like it all was nothing. ARGH!

Thanks to everyone for listening to me this morning, and for your support and encouragement.  I suspect this will not be my last "roller coaster" post.

Carina: It was Dr. Lorimer at MVS in Southfield.