u/RunningWineaux

I'm almost 52 and have been having a troubling relationship with thrill rides for 25+ years. So, I grabbed the kids and we set out for Eastern TN last week. Sounds like a great idea. Me and daughters age 16 and 24.

I also don't know the proper names of the rides

Drop Tower: I started here because the kids are chickens. Majestic views from the top. The trip down was fast.

Minecar Mystery Ride: Meh. We only rode it once but I found the 90-degree aspect of it neat. The SLOW inversion was fun.

The Bear: I REALLY liked it but it didn't like me back. The last tight spiral did me in and really messed up my head. I only rode it twice. The kids rode it 5 times.

The Dragonfly Ride: I did not enjoy it. It's slow to load and it did too any spirals. I came off it woozy as heck.

Heartsong/Tour Bus/Collection of outfits: Very cool and a nice rest after lunch on the first day.

Lightning Rod (also known by any other number of car-related names such as "Carburetor Chaos"): This utterly kicked ass. I think it was the best ride in the park. I was only able to ride it twice because it jostled me a bit too much. I'd have ridden it 47 times if I could have. On my first ride, I was laughing with utter joy and it brought tears to my eyes. The most fun with clothes on in decades.

The slow car/Autopia: My 24 year old daughter drove and kept banging into the rail. I still have a bruise.

The river rapids ride: We got utterly soaked from the waist down (we wore rain jackets). It was fun but we were squishy all afternoon

Carousel: Fun

Bumper Cars: EXTREMELY fun

The Train: I "6 7'd" some kids as we rode past and I think I made their day.

The Eagle: Very good. I only rode twice because (see above) it was at the edge of my brain's tolerances. Kids rode it 5 times.

Bird Show: fun

Thunderhead: I do love an old time wooden coaster. It did not like me back. Only 2 rides. I wanted more. Kids rode it 5 times (sense a trend?)

Tornado: Down for maintenance for most of our trip.

Firechaser: Our favorite ride. Not the best ride but we LOVED it. The backwards part is fun. We all rode it 4 times.

Blazing Fury: Easily the worst ride I've ever been on and I left it cackling with glee. It's just so terrible. I utterly loved it but was only allowed to ride it once. I yearn to go on it again.

The kids rode the swings - good for them. I sat that one out.

We had a blast. It was the first trip with just me and the kids...an excellent Dad and the Gals trip.

Gussie is 6 (as far as we know) and has been having trouble moving around, especially long walks and stairs. I took her to the vet and they prescribed a lot of rest and anti-inflammatory meds.

The latter seemed to have really upset her stomach, so, on Vet's advice, we stopped the anti-inflammatory meds. She's also taking Gabapentin.

She's going in on Monday for some sedated x-rays to see what's going on. But the vet thinks it's probably hip dysplasia. I did a little reading and, while there are non-surgical approaches, my gut tells me surgery is probably the way to go. It’s a matter of how much is needed; the full hip replacement or the “cut off the head of the femur” kind.

 

My concern is what comes after. Does anyone have experience with these surgeries? Will we “get her back” and we’ll be able to hike and swim again? I kinda can’t bear to think of her living her remaining days “on bed rest”.

 

I’ve also done the calculations on what the surgery estimates are and can borrow against my house and pay for this. However, I also think I might be crazy to spend thousands on a dog to get surgery when I purposely did NOT get knee surgery when I probably needed it in 2024 because it was too expensive. But this is my dog. She’s been at my side through a lot of shit since 2021.

 

I know experiences vary but what have you seen? Can she get back to an active life after all this?

 

Thanks…I’m completely torn up over all of this.