Friday, March 26, 2010

Recovery: week 1

I'm sure you're all wondering how I managed to break my ankle.  I suspect you all have a theory and I'm pretty sure that theory is correct.  Gwen did not take very well to mounting from the stirrup.  She jumped forward in surprise (she didn't buck).  I flew over her hindquarters and landed on my feet.  Unfortunately when my left foot hit the ground the sand must have shifted under it because my leg landed straight but my foot took a detour to the left.  My foot dislocated and broke off the tip of my fibula in the process.


Of course I had no idea what I had done, only that it looked really bad.  I opted for taking the ambulance to the hospital just in case there was a compound fracture hidden under my boot (there wasn't, phew).  I met a very nice paramedic named Fred, who's only job seemed to be keeping me from freaking out on the ride over, I made that difficult for him but he managed anyway.  

Once at the hospital they reset my foot (I don't remember that due to the drugs they gave me, thank goodness) and put a temporary cast on it.  The physician's assistant who put the cast on did a fantastic job of covering almost the entire emergency room with plaster, I missed this while it was happening but I did get to see the plaster splashed all over the wall and all over the floor where he'd tracked through it before I left.  Between that and the pile of dirt that came off my boots the janitorial staff at the hospital must have been super pleased with my visit.

That was Sunday night, Monday they got me right into an appointment with an orthopedist.  I got my options and decided to get my fibula screwed back onto my fibula with a plate.  They kept emphasizing the whole time that it was a good option since I am 31.  Over and over.  Would it have made a difference if I was 33?  35?  I'm now wondering what the cut-off age is. I decided to go with the plate because it cuts the healing time in half.  The surgeon got me into a Tuesday afternoon slot for the surgery and by Tuesday night I was a bionic woman.

I currently don't really have a clue what my healing time is going to be.  I have a follow-up appointment in a week and a half and I'm hoping to get a little more info then.  It might be 10 weeks though.  DRAT!

4 comments:

  1. Holy crap! Thank goodness you were able to have your surgery so quickly. Well, Bionic Woman...I guess you will be lounging around eating bonbons for couple of weeks. By then the mud will be gone and you will be able to do ground work, right? :-) Seriously though, I hope your healing is quick and uneventful. You will be on Gwen's back this summer - yes, you will!

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  2. Thanks for the positive thoughts Wolfie! And yeah, we'll be doing TONS of groundwork, I'm also going to add in trick training. I'm using my "couch time" to plan what we can do. (Oh yeah, and many people brought me bonbons, my favorite!)

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  3. I'm glad you got your surgery so quickly, I think that's key to healing quickly too. I'm sure all your couch planning will be put to good use once you're up and about again. By the time she's good to go from her ground work you should be ready to ride and enjoy your summertime. Feel better.

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  4. Thanks GHM, obviously she needs more desensitizing to weight going up to and over her back than I had prepared her for. I'm thinking if I try to back her again this year I'll aim for September and I'll get a helper.

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