Tuesday, February 02, 2010

For once, I'm the lame one

Three things have kept me from riding - the cold weather, work, and my neck.

I know a lot of people who ride when it's below 20 degrees. I used to be one of them. But now when I try and ride when it's that cold I just can't breathe. It seems like 30 degrees is a good temperature for me. I might get a little tight in my chest but I don't get constricted and labored in my breathing. And I know that the arena usually is warmer than it is outside, but the problem is that I have to walk outside to get into the barn, and sometimes that's all it takes for me to have a problem. I have tried using a scarf but it's hard to groom horses and ride with a scarf.

Anyhow, the safest thing for me to do is just not go outside. So I don't, which means I don't ride.

Work has also been an issue. There have been times where it's warm enough to ride but I've had to work late, or work the weekend. When I work on the weekend we start an hour earlier than usual - 6:30 am - so I have to get up earlier. Which usually means what I want to do after work is go home and take a nap, or just laze around. Usually I force myself to go and ride, but sometimes I'm just a blob. It's not possible for me to get out of working some weekends, so that's not going to change.

Then there is my neck. I hurt it in September when I was bucked off of a horse. I thought I had healed it all up but then it started to bother me again. I saw my chiropractor and massotherapist twice and it just wasn't getting any better. Then I shoveled that sawdust. Probably not the smartest thing for me to do, but in order for me to ride it had to get done.

Turns out that I wasn't going to be riding anytime soon, thanks to the cold and work. So I further injured my neck for nothing. Yes, I realize how stupid that is. But I didn't know it was going to be that cold!

Yesterday my neck was so bad that I called the doctor. My chiropractor and massotherapist didn't help, icing didn't help, and I can't take ibuprofen for a long enough period of time for that to help either. Ibuprofen, naprosen, and other NSAID's just tear my stomach apart, to the point that I have to decide which is worse - the pain or feeling like I'm going to puke all the time. Which usually means I stop taking the pills and deal with the pain.

Anyhow, I asked my doc for a prescription for steroids. Yes, I know they aren't great for you, but neither is high doses of ibuprofen or any other NSAID. He had given me a Medrol pack (it's a corticosteroid used to treat inflammation) back in October and it did wonders for my neck. Yesterday he gave me another Medrol pack.

This morning I'm 90% better. It's such a relief! Unfortunately looking through a microscope is going to put additional strain on my neck, but since it's my job there is not much I can do about it. I'll just take my Medrol and hope it knocks down the inflammation enough that I can heal.

As for the horses? I'm going to the barn tonight. 32 degrees today, neck is better, and I won't have to work late. I'm not going to ride, but I want to get them on the lunge line. They've had enough of a break that I want to go slow with them at first. Remember that Kaswyn is 19 and Albert is 18, so I'm sure they will feel stiff and a little sore going back to work after a week and a half. Fortunately they have both been getting daily turnout, so they've been able to move around. That's good for their old joints.

And I really need to do some exercise. I hate getting back into shape so the best thing to do is not get out of shape. That's so easy to say and so hard to do. and I also don't want to lose all the headway I was making with my riding as far as my seat and legs go. I hope I can remember what it feels like to do it right!

4 comments:

Achieve1dream said...

Have fun with the horses. I hope your neck heals up.

Enginerd said...

for the cold, don't use a scarf!!!

they have ski fleece bandanas - I have one for the slopes for when its REALLY cold or windy (great for keeping nose warm...

It vecros, too, so less fuss. Go look one up. You should be able to order one for less than 20$.

Jodi said...

I love your blog :-) You read my mind with your last notes. I'm off atm with a hip injury and have a 4yr old quarter horse that is doing nothing but going out in the field and coming in to his stable at night. I can't ride and wonder if I'll remember how to school properly when I eventually get back on! Getting fit to ride while trying to school is hard too. Will my legs be doing the right thins=g and are my hands bobbing up and down, am I tipping forwards??!??! Oh no! Fingers crossed the weather warms up for you - he cold affects my asthma too and it snowed here yesterday! Oh well, we carry on!

Rising Rainbow said...

I'm glad to hear your horse is sound but it's not good to hear that you are lame. Neck pain can really mess up riding, that's for sure.

 
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