Two hobbies, one set of shoulders

Now if I could only teach Calabar to dive...

It occurs to me that my two hobbies--one older, one newer, both represented in the photo above--are not going to reduce the size of my shoulders. Not that I want them to, no. I have worked hard to have this set of shoulders and they serve me well in all things.

Swimming and diving in various surface and not-so-surface conditions--check. Lifting and moving jumps and jump pieces--check. Carrying 40 pounds of scuba gear on my back through a fancy resort in Hawaii--check. Lifting saddles up over my head on a regular basis and rubbing down big, brown horses who don't always like to be groomed--check.

Some people think muscles on women don't look feminine. I think I am who I am--including the set of shoulders in the picture--and I like who I am. Shoulders and all.

Bar and Jess featured on Off-Track Thoroughbreds

Somehow, I always knew we'd be famous. Steve says infamous, actually. And really only in our own little circle of the universe. Or in Bar's case, oval of the universe.

Susan Salk, from Off-Track Thoroughbreds, just posted an interview with yours truly all about the journey Bar and I have had so far. (It is far, far from over folks.)

I have to say it looks very dramatic up there in black and white, and it didn't seem that way while it was happening, or maybe we're just having such a good time now I have forgotten the hard parts. Well, except the ground. Haven't forgotten the ground--the last reminder from Lena was a doozy.

It captures our experiences really well and Susan liked that I was open and honest about it all--the good, the bad, even the ugly.

The really cool thing is that in three short years, I have learned to be a much better horse-woman and Bar has learned to be a better horse. Along the way--despite the rocky start--we have come to trust and work with each other through issues as they come. Some are easier than others, and sometimes there are pitfalls and back-sliding (like our trailer issues coming back), but I know we'll get through it all in our own little weird way.

Now if we could just get that trot to smooth out!

Feeling vaguely bionic

This will be quick, as I'm mostly back to one-handed typing for a little while.

Surgery went well, though it did take all day to get through it. Post-op, the doctor said it would never have healed on its own, so we really had to go this route.

He compromised with me on riding, sort of. The only way he'll let me ride sooner than 6 more weeks is if I concede to have another cast put on in a couple of weeks. So after this initial post-surgical wrap comes off, I will be back in a cast for a bit. The sacrifices I make for my ponies. In the meantime, I need to keep this stretchy-fabric wrapped splint clean AND dry. Bone infections can apparently be nasty and require 8-10 weeks of intravenous antibiotics. Perhaps my surgeon also has a degree in Psychology?

Here is the x-ray from the emergency room, day one:



And here are the two post-pinning x-rays from yesterday:




We're medicating with Tylenol only as Vicoden doesn't do much better for the pain and causes unfortunate side-effects like vomiting. No fun.

The day of truth approacheth

Okay, really just the day my two ulna bones go back to being one ulna bone. With the help of some titanium hardware and a surgeon.

Tomorrow is the big day--check in is at 10:45 a.m. and, no, I have no idea how long this will take. From my perspective, it will probably not seem long at all between falling asleep and waking up with a new scar and some different device on my arm.

I tried to convince the anesthesiologist to let me watch, but it was a no-go.

Am I nervous? A little. Do I see another realistic option? Not really. The bones are still moving in there and while they might heal if I kept still long enough, the concept of being less mobile than I have been and wearing a cast for even longer just doesn't work for me. At all.

I'm sure if I'd been a 15-year old boy, they would have slapped a plate in there immediately--both because I was still growing and because, well, most 15-year old boys don't hold still any better than I do.

I think they need to examine their statistics around horse people, though. Really? You fell off a horse? Oh, and it was a horse you own? Yeah, plate this one up pronto.

Honestly? I'm more worried about the side effects from the drugs than the surgery itself. They are supposed to be adding anti-nausea drugs to the cocktail, but we'll see.

More later, including gory pictures and x-rays if I can get them.

Brief moment of freedom

Today was supposed to be the day my cast came off for good and I marched into Kaiser full of relief and expectations of a quiet trail ride this weekend.

I was sorely disappointed.

Emphasis on sorely.

Now I've had some pain and discomfort over the last couple of weeks, but having never broken a bone, didn't think too much about it. Of course it's sore, dummy, you broke it.

Well, it turns out that fractures can shift and mine has. Not only has it shifted, but the bone isn't reforming as well as they would like. When I asked if I should have come in sooner, the answer was that likely it wouldn't have changed anything.

Nearly everyone who heard this had an immediate response along the lines of, "Well, that's because you did too much." To which I say, no, I did less than I normally do which should have been little enough to have me fully healed at least a week ago.

The upshot is that I will likely have to have a plate put in to help my wandering bones reattach. The good thing is that--barring complications--the post-op healing should be relatively fast. Having watched Steve's rapid recovery after his clavicle was stuck back together, I am very hopeful.

I am also annoyed, but I keep reminding myself it could have been much (much) worse.