Judd’s nasty bug I mentioned in my last post ended up turning downright vicious. It went from flu to pneumonia with the speed of light, and poor Judd ended up in the hospital from March 5^th until late afternoon of March 17^th.  He’s been home for a little over a week now and is steadily getting better, but time’s gonna take time.

This stuff is pure evil—and not the kind you can banish with a healthy dose of smudge.  So please, everybody, take care of yourselves.

Judd ended up tethered to all kinds of IVs, fed countless pills, and caught in a love/hate relationship with oxygen masks. The fact that my beloved human timber wolf allowed all this to be done to him without protest (or jailbreak) is a testimony to how very sick he was.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, not to mention downright scared sometimes.  But one thing I’ve learned through dealing with my various fears and phobias over the years is not to let it immobilize me. Life’s gonna keep on keepin’ on, and I have to do the same.

I’m scared of hospitals, but I love Judd and wanted to be with him so I spent lots of time there.  I got to know the people, the routine, how to bend a few rules here and there, how to advocate when needed. (Did I mention I’m afraid of confrontation?) Being in the hospital was really hard for Judd, and anything I could do to make things easier for him was far more important than any pesky little fears.

Judd’s definitely doing better.  He’s on oxygen therapy for now, which means he travels around our two-story house with several miles of tubing.  There was a bit of a learning curve at first—he almost lassoed one of our Buddha statues during an early pilgrimage down the stairs—but now the man has got it down! 

I would never, ever have wished for Judd to get so sick. But being there to help him in any way I could is the most worthwhile thing I’ve done in a very long time.

I’m here to tell you–love kicks fear’s ass.