Re: Hello out there

I am feeling a WHOLE lot better than I did this past weekend. Had my operation on Tuesday last. Fused L-3,4,& 5. Tuesday evening, I got up and walked to the nurse's station. Can you imagine that? Of course I was hanging onto the rolling IV stand and the nurse carried the urine bag attached to the catheter.

I was ecstatic that I experienced no dizziness or nausea in the recovery room. All in all, I was so proud of myself. A little pain when turning from side to side or re-positioning, but on a scale of 1-10 it was somewhere between 3 and 5, mostly 3. Then on Thursday, they took the IV out of my arm and I began taking oral meds. BAM!!! Dizzy, woozy, oooooh, and my dweeb of a (male-sorry guys)nurse kept bringing me meds to take to help. Once, when he came in, my visiting friend (who happens to be a nurse) asked what he was giving me. Hydrocodone. "Isn't she allergic to Codeine or it's derivatives?" Duh............

Darvacet also gave me the same reactions. Problem it seems, is that I am so sensitive, that 1/2 Darvacet every four hours worked with only a little dizziness an hour after taking. I had taken as much as three Darvocet at once.(the instructions on the vial was " one to three every three or four hours". When I took three.....ayeeeeeeee. My friend called the hospital pharmacist and he said that for my age and weight, I should NEVER take more than one. (age 65, 116 lbs)Sooooo.....here I am one week later, after the weekend from hell and I haven't taken any meds for 12 hours and am feeling no pain.

I have a brace that I have to wear whenever I am up to walk or sit. Can sit for no more than 30 minutes at a stretch and then must either walk or lie down. I went down to the barn to visit the horses yesterday and (shame on me) I took my wonderful Engelita into the barn aysleway and curried her. Very short, light strokes. She all but purred and there was about a ton of fluff floating on the floor. Then I walked her into the orchard and let her nibble good green grass shoots for about a half hour. I had already decided that if she were to pull or run, I would drop the lead rope. There was nowhere she could go as the gates to the road were closed. But right on the spot, I got busted. 'Makendra, my 17 year old friend and horse whisperer, miracle child, came home from school and gently read me the riot act. (she has been living at my house during my hospitalization and taking care of all the animals and me. Her mom and dad wander up the road to visit and offer help but so far, she has everything under control.......five horses, three dogs, plus her dog and one we are baby sitting for a few days, three cats and her three goats. As well as studying well into the night to maintain her four point grade point average......what a gal. In addition she rides three of my horses in the arena every day and exercises the other two. Three of the horses she competed in first level in a Dressage Schooling Show two weeks ago......ooops....I'm bragging on her..,....sorry....(scored 58 on two tests and 60-63 on four others).

Of course, I knew I should not have placed myself in such a vulnerable position, but I am not known to have only a modicum of "good sense". Ride Camp has been a a great diversion for me and it is like my "visiting room". I spend a few minutes every few hours during the day with you guys. It is all I can do to keep from answering some queries or putting in my two cents worth. I am learning to sit on my hands.

A friend brought me the most wonderful book which I know you will love, especially TI. "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hillenbrand. What a horse!!!!!! I have shed tears of sadness, joy and excitement and I am only one third through the book. I am afraid to go through it too fast. I want to savor it. Well, folks, (those of you who have hung in there with this missive), I will be following Ride Camp wherever it takes me and will see some of you at the vet checks on some of the NW Region rides and then in six months, Engelita and I will see you on the trails.

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