Something Old Is New Again

I had a thought the other day about riding Otoelene in a different saddle.  I had change a few years ago to one I thought was a little wider for her. But since I don’t ride for very long or hard anymore I thought I would see if my old saddle might suit me better now. 

My sister had this one custom made for me when I was around 16. It is an equitation saddle. You can see how build up it is in the front. It makes for a very secure seat.  It also sets my legs back under me instead of in front.  

You can see how much flatter the saddle I have been riding in is. It is also about 10 pounds lighter than the custom saddle.  This is my Circle Y trophy saddle for winning the Arabian National horse judging contest in college. I didn’t use it for a long time. But then I decided, what am I saving it for?  It is pretty comfortable but it is also the one I was riding in when I got thrown. So maybe the secure seat of the equation saddle would be better. 

I rode in the equitation saddle today for the first time in years.  Emily had taken it over when she was showing Pep in 4-H.  Otoelene didn’t seem to care one way or the other.  

And guess what, I even cantered for the first time since the accident.  It took Otoelene a couple of minutes to realize I really meant it when I asked he to lope. But she finally came around and behaved for the most part. There isn’t much moving around it that saddle.  But I can really tell how stiff my back is at the lope. I did both ways several laps going from a walk and trot both to the lope. It has been 9 months.  The doctor said the bones would continue to strengthen for a year so I am still trying to g to not over do. I think I had another successful step forward. 

 

Outside Ride

I have been waiting for the perfect time to ride Otoelene outside, no wind, warm and Joe being home. Two out of three ain’t bad. Joe wasn’t home but would be back pretty soon.  

Plus, I already had Otoelene up because the farrier came to reset her shoes. 

After a few minutes walking and jogging it the barn, we headed outside. 

I just stayed in the field below the barn where the first calf heifers are. Everything went fine.  I ended up riding about 25 minutes, no issues. Now I just have to keep it up. 
 

4 Month Anniversary

I kept Sadie Friday afternoon because school was closed.  

She went with me to go feed Draper.  She wanted to ride Otoelene but I said it was to cold.  She argued the point.  My next excuse was that I couldn’t lift her up to get on.  She said she could get on by herself.  I said not this time but when the weather was better she could ride.  But how could I put her up on a horse I wasn’t riding.  

She was also able to get this close to Hugo before he took off.  I thought that was pretty good for Hugo.

Anyway, today the horseshoer came to reset Otoelene’s shoes.  I worked with her a bit and thought,”surely I can ride that little western pleasure jog just here in the barn.

So, four months after being thrown, breaking my back, and having two rods put in, I got back on.  Granted, it was only for ten minutes but I did it.  

She acted fine, only having one episode of  being startled and scooting forward fast when Hugo came cantering up to the door.   Ten minutes of walking and jogging was plenty for my first day back.  And I won’t lie, I was shaking a little after I got off.  The mental healing might take longer than the physical part. But at least I have made a start.

Four Followups

1- I tried the detangler knot away on Otoelene’s  tail yesterday.   This time I misted it slightly so I didn’t have to use as much.   It worked perfectly. 

I got it combed out in half the time with only a fraction on the broken hairs that I usually get. 

2 -  I added three more birds the my flock.  

These two are from the same fabric just different placement on the fabric pattern. 

3 - The stabbed goat will be heading to his new home tomorrow. They are thinking of naming him Spike.

4 - No picture but I had my back check up today.  Everything looked good and I was released from care. I was told to take things slow and maybe hold off on horseback riding for a little longer.  He also recommended that I not run out and start lifting 30+ pounds. So I still won’t be able to help Joe as much as I would like and sadly still  won’t be able to pick up Allie and Sadie for a bit longer. But I can stop wearing the back brace. 

I’m going with 4 follow-up wins! 
 

Trend Setter

It has been 3 months since my injury.  I am still wearing my back brace.  Hopefully, at my next doctor appointment at the end of the month, I will be told I don’t need it anymore. 

 But until then, I am becoming a trend setter.  

I got an email from an equine store that was advertising this stylish shirt.   I immediately thought she was wearing a back brace. 

Maybe there are a lot of people out there that need to camouflage their braces.  This could be the shirt for them.  Could equine fashion actually be practical?

5 Week Post Op

I had a good checkup today.  First, I met with the orthopedic doctor about my sacral fracture.  Nothing had shifted, it was healing and I only had to come back in 2 months if I wanted to.

Then I met with the neurosurgeon.  I finally got to see the original imaging. 

This was the CT scan.  Can you tell which vertebral body doesn’t look like the others? The crushed one is also bulging into the spinal canal.

This is the radiograph taken today.  The broken vertebrae is the one between all of the screws.  It is a little shorter than before the accident, but much better than before surgery.  I have to wear the back brace for 2 more months, then go back for another radiograph.  I have been told that I can lift a little more weight but still no bending or twisting.  

So far so good.

 

Kit Kat And The Grabber

I am strictly sticking to the rules, no bending, lifting or twisting. This means I cannot pick up anything off of the floor because I cannot bend over. Therefore, I keep a grabber handy everywhere I go. Poor Kit Kat is at floor level. So he has been getting very little attention lately. 

That is until I discovered he seems to like being petted with the grabber.

So the grabber it is 

Until I am allowed to bend again.
 

Slow And Steady

First up, the weather. It went from Sunny and in the 70’s to snowing, windy and 30’s in next to no time. Not that it has affected me much other than keeping me from being able to walk back and forth across the deck. 

I am getting a little better every day. Taking a little less pain medicine and able to walk and sit up a little bit longer. Today my fitness app said I walked 0.88 miles. I am questioning its accuracy. I really don’t think I made that many trip around through the living room, hall and kitchen. 

I did get a sweet surprise.  Jordan shipped me a party bag of M & Ms. Joe found the amazon box outside and brought it in saying it must be something I ordered.  I said I didn’t order anything.  He opened it, then saw who it was from.  I told Jordan I would hire her as my personal assistant it I could afford her.

Next came, creamy Tuscan Italian sausage pasta, garlic rolls and French silk pie,

 With a beautiful vase of flowers curtesy of our church family.  A lady at Virginia’s church sent over some wonderful beef vegetable soup. And I have had more calls in a week than all year. I have had long talks with two of my sisters when they came to sit with me.  I appreciate it all. I am blessed beyond measure.

Back At Home

Joe brought me home Saturday evening. I think they kept me an extra day because I fainted Friday morning trying to brush my teeth. The doctor came in shortly afterwards and said I would probably be going home. I said that was a daunting thought considering I had just been drug back to bed by some big burly male nurse.  It was decided by the powers that be,sometime that afternoon,that I would not be discharged until Saturday. That was more doable. 

Now this is my view at breakfast. So sorry Kit Kat but you will have to wait for Joe. I cannot even push open the door. 

And just in case you are interested, the last load of hay followed the ambulance to the house.

I will spare you the pictures but I was able to get Joe to take off the dressing over my incisions. He said that was not in his wheel house. But he managed and took a picture so I could see the 6  incisions and 66 staples. 

Now sister C is here to babysit me while Joe can get some farm chores done. I am very thankful for all of the help and prayers. 

I Did NOT Fall

I initially thought was that this would be a short update. But there has been so much going on it may take some time. Plus, I can’t remember what I told to who since becoming so popular. 

This was my view from Monday evening until late Tuesday night. 

Then they moved me out of the trauma ward to a room and this became my view.

Ah, something different to look at.  I can’t decide between a cockroach or a cricket. Let’s hope for the cricket. I was scheduled to have surgery sometime between 1-4 on Wednesday unless a life or limb threatening case arrived.  I prayed for everyone in the area to stay safe.  It worked!  But they came in at 11:00 am instead and rushed me to the OR. I said it was the most excitement I had had since being here.  The nurses were talking to each and said “he is  already mad”,  I said I hoped it wasn’t the surgeon. Apparently it was because they said uh oh and stopped talking. But we were already there in record time.  

They said surgery went great. But he was only able to get two of the screws in on the right side instead of 4 so he is supplementing the stability with a back brace.  This was my view post op.  I was actually able to have the bed raised up and look around normally. Surgery was about 3 hours and I was back in my room around 4. I will just say it was a rough night.

The next morning I broke my 32 hour fast with some chicken broth. At 10 occupational and physical therapy teamed up to get me out of bed. 

This is the pain chart in my room.  See those involuntary tears on #10. That is what I rated the pain on getting to a sitting position on the edge of the bed.  They said that would be the worst and it was.  Things eased up some and I was able to stand with help and use a walker to go brush my teeth. Then they let me walk a short way down the hall and back.  I sat up for the recommended 2 hours then in back to bed.  They wanted me up to do that 3 times but I only managed two. 

Part of the rough night after surgery was that so hot from the leg circulation devices and the plastic tarp they had me on to help roll me from side to side.  They said I could have a fan.  I said I did not need one since they took off the leg things and got me off the plastic.  A box arrived today and the nurse opened it and said “your fan is here.”  I said I didn’t need it but she said it was now mine and I could take it home. (Wonder how much that will cost) This nurse also suggested that I could take it to my next horse show to cool off the stall.

Can you tell she is a horse person?  Most everyone would say “so you fell off a horse?”  I would strongly correct them and say “NO, I did not fall, I was thrown off.”  Anyone that rides will tell you that.  This nurse was there when I said that to someone and she took off talking about all of her horse experiences.  She has broken 43 colts, re homed off the track race horses by retaining them to be hunter/jumpers. Trained an Icelandic pony the list goes on and on.  Apparently, at 9 years old when she wanted a horse, her parents got he an untouched 10 year old horse and said deal with it if you want a horse hoping she would quit.  She didn’t and she sounds tough as nails. She even started pulling up pictures of some of the successful race horses she has worked with.  Horse people love to talk about their own horses.

One big surprise was when I got to the OR, a good horse friend of mine that had done an endurance ride with us years ago was the nurse checking me in. You can check out that exciting ride HERE.  She greeted me with “Kay! Which horse threw you!?”  Horse people know. 

 

It All Started Good….

The day had gotten off to a good start. Well, now that I say that it really hadn’t. We had met with our tax accountant and found out unless we charge something between now and the first of the year we will be owning a whole lot more in income tax.  

After that we were having more hay delivered. Between the drought and flood and drought we were going to need additional feed for the winter. 

I decided to ride Otoelene to relax and check on the progress of the two new billies we had turned out that morning. 

Everything was good except for the breezy weather.  

That’s when things came to an abrupt halt.  

The wind was rattling the tin roof on an old barn that has been trying to fall down. Otoelene is always a little iffy around it when the wind is up.  I thought that  I was making a big enough detour away from the barn but apparently I wasn’t far enough When she got up the last of the hill to the driveway she just started bucking and running   I pointed her up hill hoping that would slow her down. It did not and I eventually came off

Luckily, I had my phone but no signal . I decided once I had caught my breath, to try the SOS function. Joe was at the house and probably would not miss me for at least another hour. I was laying on my right side trying to type with my left hand.  It was very difficult. The voice function did not work but the message was that I could track the satellite across the sky and send a text.  I was finally able to send it and help did arrive. 

Two ambulance rides later, 

I am in the hospital in Roanoke awaiting back surgery tomorrow for a burst fracture of L1.  In order to try to avoid becoming paralyzed I have to lay flat on my back and try not to move. With the help of a lot of pain medicine I am managing so far. I have been told that if there are no complications I should get back to the condition that I was in, just with a less bendable back. 

Life can change in an instant.  Not necessarily the change I was hoping for in order to pay less income tax.