Sensational Changes

A lovely couple stopped by today to visit with Flirt.  I must admit that when I first placed an ad for her, that I bawled when the first person called.  A second email came in hot on the heels of that call...and I pulled the ad down.  

Truth be told, Flirt is getting too tall for a cutting horse.  Beautiful, fluid mover.  But she's not got the hard stop and rocking over the hock action I've got in Tika.  And did I mention tall?  She'll end up 15.2 to 16 hands without a doubt.  So I knew I'd sell her come next spring, but I'd thought I'd at least have some time with her under saddle.  That's half the fun of it, right?  Unwrapping the package to find out exactly what your mustang will do, then finding the home that matches?

So the ad came down and I pondered my dilemma.  I couldn't justify keeping her if I was only going to sell her anyway, but emotionally I was struggling.  She had to have the perfect home.   

Then a friend posted something on facebook.  She'd begun to once again look at the BLM photos, and her significant other was calling her an addict.  But she knew she needed a good, solid horse for him, and hey, who can blame her for becoming a mustang addict?  Plus, her man's horse had been struggling for some time with coffin bone issues, and they'd just found out she'd never be sound.  He'd need a nice, tall horse for trail riding.

Now, to me it seemed a no brainer.  Hello?  I've got one here!  She's gentled, she's tall, and I always knew she'd make a better husband horse than Oz.  So I just happened to mention it, out loud, on facebook, yesterday.  And today they came, they saw, and they messaged me this afternoon to say YES!!!

And so my Sensational Flirt is going south a bit to live with a mustang named Chance, and another mustang named Rio, and a certain blogger we all know and love name Paint Girl.  And I couldn't be happier.  

Cough. Cough. Sniffle. Sneeze.

Tika isn't happy about Fly Season

I got a cold.  It's no fun.  I've been worried about pneumonia, because they told me if I start coughing with a broken rib, that I'd likely not be able to expel the unwanted mucus out and it may settle in my lungs.  That, I can say, would not be fun.

I woke up coughing in the wee hours on Monday morning.  Deep, wet, heavy coughs.  I grabbed a pillow and held it against my right side, but it didn't really help much.  As the morning wore on, and then the day, my throat became all torn up.  

On Tuesday the coughing continued, but now there was a little, shall we say, drizzle?  My nose was beginning to run just a bit.  My son said I needed Mucinex to help thin the mucus, thereby making it easier for me to cough it up or sneeze it out.  Okay, sure, whatever you say.  Just get me something.

Wednesday, and my nose was 90% stuffed.  I was breathing through my mouth.  Colds never stick with me more than a couple of days, and while this was only the third, it seemed like an eternity to me.  I was getting beyond cranky with my family and finally drove myself to town in an effort to find something that would help. I'm sure they were happy to see me go.

By Thursday morning my mood was better, and my nose was functioning at least a little better than it had been the past couple of days.  I had an appointment for an ultrasound to see if there was any damage to the rotator cuff.  Mobility in my arm has been increasing due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that I'm using a horse and a curry comb as part of my personal therapy program.  It hurt like the dickens the first time I reached across in front of my body, holding that curry comb and then dragging it back along the horse's side.  Wow...who knew?  But after a few strokes, my body loosened up a little.  Each movement started stiff, but ended feeling a little better.  I've been doing that every day, haltering, grooming, leading...anything small that doesn't involve weight, but keeps my shoulder moving.  So as it stood, when I went into the tiny room and was handed a robe, I was capable of tying the strings behind me, much to the surprise of the young woman who'd been waiting outside the door to help me.

Later in the afternoon I was to see my regular doctor regarding my cold.  Really, it was likely nothing more, but better safe than sorry, right?  The pharmacist I'd just spoken to had said there were bacterial things floating around right now, and I really didn't want to be fighting off infection on top of everything else.  I was the last appoint of the day, and though the ultrasound folks said it would be 24-48 hours before the results made it to the doc, I opted to ask just the same.

The nurse pulled up the information and told me that it had been referred to the orthopedic surgeon that I'd been referred to.  However, she still had a copy of it which she happily printed up for me.  Of course I don't read medical speak, but I was totally able to make out what it said at the bottom.  I'm unremarkable.  Or at least, my shoulder is.  Hooray!  Not that being unremarkable has always been my goal, but today it quite suited me.  No rotator cuff damage.

Additional news was that there was no additional moisture content settling into my lungs, so the heavy coughing must have done the trick, despite having a broken rib.  Quite good news!

I'm anxious to climb back on a horse.   To once again start Chasing Dreams...

Changes...Continued

My muscles were tight, and I was pretty sure they were simply trying to prevent my movement so that I didn't injure whatever was hurt.  That's what the body does...protects itself like that.  After being transported from bed to bed to bed, visiting the MRI and CT Scanner, the ER Doc finally arrived with the news.

"No head injuries.  Shoulder is a 2nd degree separation.  Need to see an orthopedic specialist...or your doctor...in about four days.  In the meantime, here's a sling for your arm to help support the shoulder."

I played the fall over and over in my head.  Darling had said it looked like he'd jumped over top of me.  That may explain the big bruise on my shin...perhaps his hoof clipped it?  There's a scrape under my chin...stirrup?  Speculation....thoughts you think when you're unable to move and get on with your life.  

The faces of my children had unnerved me.  To see me laying there in a heap, unable to get up...can't be good.  Before the medics even arrived I promised City Boy, no more colt starting.  I'd never not been able to stand up before.  Even when I broke 4 ribs a couple years ago.  Yeah, it hurt like nobodies business, but I got up.  This time, there was no moving on my own due to the muscles that locked up.

On Thursday I trotted off to the doctor, driven by Darling, who asked if this is what it was like for me before she got her license?  Yes, Darling...quite!  Verdict on this morning was that I'd also broken a rib (I kinda wondered) and the separation was more likely a 3 than 2.  Oh...maybe some rotator cuff damage?  Jolly.

So more appointments.  I set one up for an ultrasound next week.  Waiting to hear back from the orthopedic specialist.  And physical therapy...she wants me to do it and I know I'll say no thank you.  Just tell me how much I can lift for now, and if there's a direction not to move my shoulder.  I'm pretty good at getting myself moving through the pain on my own without those terrorists of therapy, thank you!

I'd hoped to get some interest in Oz during next weekend's trail challenge.  Created a flyer and priced him reasonably, but not giveaway.  I'm now grounded...can't ride.  And how does one sell a horse who just threw them?  I dropped the price significantly, put up a couple ads online and had him sold in 24 hours.  I greeted them with my sling, told them what happened.  Told them he was young and did a young horse thing.  They weren't as experienced as I'd hoped, but they brought along the barn owner, an eventer, who told them she'd have preferred to see them with something a bit more solid in training, but she was really impressed with this horse.  She told them to expect to need some help from a professional trainer.  I may have turned them down if they'd not brought her along, but felt good in knowing I'd done my best to inform them fully of what had happened, and knew the barn owner would help guide them.

Leslie had commented that she'd not noticed me in a helmet in any of my photos.  And I will admit I've become lax abut it!  But yes, there was a time when I always did.  Probably should get back to it.  And yes.  I know.  I'm damned lucky to be alive.