WW: End of the day...

The upswing...

The trek to visit Dr. Dreamy was a total success.

A 3 a.m. wake up call didn't hurt too badly. Happily, the deer stayed on their sides of the road. We were early enough to ensure a spot on the first ferry - leaving at 6 a.m. It was cold, but most importantly not windy, keeping us from spending hours sitting on a sand bar halfway across. We arrived early to the other side - affectionately called Grumpy Point - and made it to my appointment only five minutes late.

Arm update:

I was a bit apprehensive about seeing my arm after so long. It wasn't terrible. My forearm muscles have wasted away understandably, and so have my triceps - the dreaded old lady swingy bat wing look - and oddly my thumb muscle is also shrimpy.

The stitches came out easily, and the scar won't be too hideous. Dr. D pronounced my xrays good, therefore I got a snazzy brace, and with it the use of my elbow back. Cue heavenly angel sounds...

The brace is removable, so last night skinny arm got it's first bath in ages, which allowed me to scrub off that weird orange crap they paint you with before surgery. I was soooo happy to wash it, as I spent weeks looking like I had been hoovering cheetos non-stop. Embarrassing.

Sexy arm corset (!) aka arm-gerie ;D The velcro has electric blue sparkles...

The upshot is four more weeks before I can start to rehab my wrist, and ten before all restrictions are lifted. *sigh* Hoping my normal level of activity will beef skinny arm back up sooner rather than later. Only time will tell...

There was enough time left to finish up my trip with a little Xmas shopping - highlighted by visiting a real grocery store (Harris Teeter) for holiday treats, before the mad dash back to Stumpy Point.

The ride home was simply beautiful. Shot lots of pix of a slick calm sound, and I made it home with enough light to do evening chores. Perfect!

This prolonged arm incident has been so much harder for me mentally than physically. Going into surgery knowing my affairs weren't in order was a painful pill to swallow.

The new year will bring many overhauls, reorganizations of priorities, realistic assessments - including of this blog - both design and content. Not trying to sound too serious - it's all good. I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. :D

Thanks to all of you readers who have continued to visit despite the sparse posting and recent lack of pony content. I have so appreciated your visits and well wishes - they mean the world to me.

We're off to see the wizard...

 

 

 

 

...with a little help from my friends...

Well... my love affair with pain medication was brief.

Our relationship peaked Tuesday night, the hour minute millisecond the surgery meds wore off. PM was there for me, holding my hand, soothing me with warm, fuzzy feelings. But soon enough, PM's annoying habits began to get on my nerves. Dizziness, random itching, inability to sleep, and finally the last straw - nausea. PM was kicked to the curb within 24 hours, and I was basically good to go by Wednesday afternoon.

Every day since has brought improvements.

I happily took my barn chores back on Thanksgiving - (Capt S, Val thanks you, and I thank you) - feeling at least as capable as the days before the surgery.

Over the weekend Val got a much needed grooming, calmly cooperating while I sorted out the hoof picking, and was rewarded with a relaxing grazing session. Q (my Jack Russel terrorist) enjoyed several lingering beach walks. Many small jobs and chores were checked off a (long) list. And I was finally able to cook for myself.

A very old friend drove down Wednesday to hang out with me, making my recovery a lot more fun and interesting. Thanks for the hand, and for the heads up about Grooveshark J. You are welcome anytime.

And I don't know where I would be without my dad - seriously. Lifesaver. You're much appreciated pops. ♥♥♥

Just in case anyone is thinking we're back on easy street, cause we didn't have a hurricane this year, and the government shutdown only lasted two weeks - the big news today is our one and only bridge off the island is closed until further notice.

Apparently some of the very important support pilings aren't touching the ground any longer, due to erosion. State of emergency... anywhere from a week to three months of minimum six additional hours travel time by ferry to get away from our beautiful little island. Like for my 8:30 am doctor's appointment next week...

Click to embiggen...

It ain't over til it's over...

This evening is the first time in over five weeks that I haven't felt super anxious, so that is a relief.

My surgery went well, but took twice as long as expected, due to bone shards next to an artery. (!) The x rays are impressive - a large stainless plate and six titanium screws. Haven't gotten hold of them yet to share. Apparently I have to sign a form to release them to myself. (what?!)

The nurses were lovely and kind, making the experience much more tolerable. Two of them ended up being equestrians, so we had lots to talk about, sharing injury stories and such. The warm blankets are a nice touch.

I tolerated the anesthesia well, but did wake up in lots of pain, (after a sweet nap filled with happy horse dreams), much worse than breaking the arm. A bonus was some pointers on stethoscope use from the anesthesiologist.

Will have a big splint - no elbow or wrist + continued annoying inability to do simple crap for myself - for at least two more weeks. :( No firm info about when I'll be back to normal, but theoretically it will be 8 - 12 weeks. We'll see. Not counting on any predictions from here on out. I've learned a hard lesson about disappointment lately. I can't even think about how this impacts my horse yet...

I am very thankful for pain meds, and hoping I won't need them long.

Happy holidays my blogging friends.

When the troubles arise, I'm the cool coper...

Until yesterday - when I melted down royally. Epically. Thoroughly. Let's say my animal companions ran and hid.

Monday was the long awaited graduation to short cast day. I'd been trapped in a cast up to my armpit for a month, so my hopes were high about the second appointment with Dr. Dreamy, until -

I didn't feel comfortable hopping off the table to grab my trusty iphone and snap a selfie of the naked arm, which was kind of crooked and not quite stiff enough once the cast - which contained a fair amount of hay - was peeled off.

The not nearly as charming x-ray tech couldn't look me in the eye when I asked her about my pix. Dr. D didn't have a happy look on his face either. The bones are actually further apart than the original break, with no sign of new bone. This practice isn't cool about sharing my films with me. I'll leave the disappointing images to your imagination.

So I'll be getting surgery next Tuesday - a plate and six screws, which cost thousands of dollars apiece apparently, the joy of general anesthesia + getting cut open. 

Bad news. the whole process is going to take much longer to resolve. 8 - 12 more weeks. I have to anticipate the event all week, with the knowledge of my wiggly arm riding around in the dirty old cut up ace bandaged on cast. Poor wiggly arm. :(

Good news - once the hardware is installed, I'll get a brace rather than another cast. I'll get my wrist back immediately, and everything should get better rapidly. Fingers crossed...

I sincerely hope that next year is an improvement over this past one. Losing dear ones, personal betrayals, weather related chaos, and big steps backwards with my pony have kept me battling to maintain a positive attitude. Morale has suffered, my health has suffered, and blogging has suffered. I'm ready for change. :D

Whaa? Wasn't me. Eating Hoovering the grapes you were saving in the tack room...

Winter dapples

Hey lady - why you do that?

Ground work

Looks different

Smells different

What's with the hard arm lady?!

Does it....

... TASTE different?!

Pre bad x-rays selfie

Tricks >Treats...

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough...

The trip home from Md was swift and uneventful, if supremely uncomfortable and a tad nerve wracking. I was packed and ready to leave at dawn. Val loaded beautifully, and the traffic gods blessed us. I managed to get an appointment with a semi-local ortho the following afternoon...

Doctor #3 was definitely my fave.

Not because he was handsome, funny and gentle, but because he saw no need to slice me open and insert a Plate With Six Screws - Dr. #2's solution. (Dr. #1 vet wrapped my splint so tightly that my fingers nearly burst from swelling.) While the surgical option would have given me wrist mobility the soonest, the thought of general anesthesia + invasiveness made me sick with dread.

We let gravity comfortably realign the larger bone pieces. The results are a long cast, reaching a few inches below my shoulder. Mid November brings a short cast - total of six weeks. No restrictions other than don't pick up more than five pounds, and if it hurts - don't keep doing it. Thank goodness for common sense.

So far I have managed the pain with otc anti-inflammatories. The inconvenience and worry far outweigh the discomfort. Still haven't figured out how to work an ice tray, wash my right arm and - horrors - open an oyster. Hay bale slinging is out of the question, though I can manage the rest of my jobs so far.

It wasn't all emergencies and drama up at the farm. My hosts were so wonderful. And I learned so much. The one hand typing style is getting old though, so next post - clinic write-up.

In the Arena # 152 - How I spent my summer vacation or When it rains it pours...

No - not a riding incident. I didn't even get to ride. Just bad judgement in the confined space of a stall with a very unsettled horse. By far my worst injuries with horses have been on the ground...

Yes it hurt like a son of a bitch. It bent backwards way too far. Choice words -"F#@& - I just broke my f#@&ing arm!" Sad face here...

Damage - all I can say is the sound was disgusting. Seriously, it felt like my bone exploded. Every medical person who looked at the xrays made that not favorable whistling sound as they shot a glance my way.

There are some choices to make in the next few days, but first I have to get myself back home. One armed trailer hauling + standard transmission...

It's not all rainbows and unicorns but I did learn a ton. More medical details, a full clinic write-up and hints on how to Do All The Chores One-Handed to come.

In the Arena #151 - Ready or not - here we come...

The past several weeks have been overrun with travel preparations. When it wasn't raining that is. Thirteen inches in thirty six hours. Okay - I'm really sorry I complained about how dry it was, how I was tired of having to water the plants, and especially how I couldn't use the arena, because then this happened:

 

I will not walk in the quicksand...

  

Somehow no wires or insulators popped... It's fun to do electric fence repairs in the pouring rain.
Yes - that branch is covered in poison ivy.

Not scared unless it falls on me...

We did get some decent rides in before the deluge. One in particular combined an energetic, attentive horse with a balanced, focused rider. Heavenly. Actual round circles. Really nicely forward + good bend, off of light aids. Best ride all year, and it felt like we might possibly be ready for our clinic. Of course I promptly got dumped the next day following a very lateral duck and spook, the source of which was a total mystery. (wouldn't want to get over confident or anything...) No worse for the wear, I remounted and we continued working.

Loving you despite the sandy helmet...

With no objections to getting wrapped, and after donning his protective headgear, Val self loaded and we hit the road. (love my horse!) I worried that he wasn't eating his hay, because he's such a rubbernecker when we trailer - always looking out the windows - but at our midway stop he'd finished his travel manger and promptly polished off the half bucket of soupy mash I held for him. He only got a little on me. ;D (is it weird that he pees on a moving trailer?)

 

After an uneventful seven hour trip, we arrived at L's farm. Val settled into his accommodations, although sadly for him he's residing in the round pen. Coming from the land of sand and no grass it didn't seem a good idea to go straight on to 24/7 grazing. Poor Val... Maybe to pay me back - he waited several hours before drinking anything. At bed check he pulled his face out of the water bucket to greet me, so all is well.

Saturday is our first mounted lesson + an unmounted bio-mechanics seminar. (!)