Week 7 feels like a VERY long week. I feel ok, my hip feels good and I just want
to get on do things! I carried on full weight baring on two crutches for a few days.
It is nice to get out walking on the sea wall as fully weight baring means
I can walk normally without straining my shoulders. So I go for 5 minute walks
every day. By the Wednesday I am really bored of 2 crutches so start switching
down to 1 in the house – only for carrying things when I need to. It feels good
to be able to make my breakfast and carry it, even if it does take 3 trips (1st
to take cup of tea in, 2nd to take toast, 3rd to fetch
crutch number 2!) But using one crutch makes things ache a bit, all the muscles
on my non op side between my ribs are really sore and my lower back aches as I feel I am a
bit twisted, so I carry on with two wherever possible.
On
the Friday I had couple of things on. I had
to feed some clients cats, collect my friends little dog that stays with us when she is on night shifts and go the beauty spa to have my legs &
feet done in prep for hydro - I have no hope of doing such things! So I take 1 crutch, it goes ok but it is really
tiring and by the time I get back home I am really tired and achy and a bit
bummed out thinking I am not going to be able witch to one crutch when he said
I could.
I
spend Saturday feeling very sorry for myself and using 2 crutches around the house. Pretty much
the same on the Sunday but Paul talks me into going to see my horse, maybe to have a ride. Paul
saddles him up and off they go to the indoor school and I follow on one crutch. Paul lunges him a little first and CB
seems in a very relaxed state of mind. I really didn’t want to get on as I was
just feeling sorry for myself but with the determined voice in my head and Paul's
encouragement I do it: I get up onto the mounting block like I do stairs and pass
the crutch to Paul. Then I put my non op leg in the stirrup and realise I can't push up off my right leg like I would normally. SO I have to haul myself with
my hands on the front and back of the saddle. IT REALLY hurts, Not sharp pain
but that tight feeling from the muscles all being to tight. Three attempts of me
saying “I can’t do it” and Paul saying “you can” (he told me later that if I
said it a 4th time he would have let me stop) And on the 4th
attempt I manage to get my leg up onto CB’s bum. My leg just feels like a big lump of
lead that doesn’t want to do anything! “My leg's stuck1" the two options available of carrying
on or getting off now look both as impossible as each other so I opt for
carrying on. Paul comes round to my side and helps move my leg a bit further on
then he goes back round the other side “Right, you are going to have to lie
forwards and let your leg drop down this side, I’ll control it” OK. There was
no going back “This just seems like such a stupid thing to be doing, why am doing
this”? and then, my leg is down on the right side of CB and and I am sitting up.
It feels VERY weird. Like I can't get on my seat bones in the saddle as I would normally. I am
perched there, on top of my horse, my head is spinning and I have no hope of
getting either of my legs to a position where I can get my feet in the stirrups. My non
op leg feels just as tight as my op leg. “ok?” says Paul “yeah”, says I.
And
so we go for a walk, only 5mins, around the school. And my head the spins
the whole time. “what a stupid position to be in, sat on a horse, 7 weeks post
open hip surgery, I cant even get my feet in the stirrups never mind actually
ride him! If he does something silly now, I will fall straight off” But then I
think “No don’t be stupid. Trust your husband, trust your horse, trust the training he has on him,
trust what you did with him last year, Trust the fact he is your horse and he
knows you need him to be good” So I did I relaxed a bit but my head still span.
And then it was time to get off. Paul tied CB up to the tie ring and told him
to be still. And he was. He stood like a gentle lamb whilst Paul first helped
lift my leg up onto his bum then ran round to the other side and helped lower
my leg down as I slid off and he caught me. DONE I had ridden my horse and
wonderful clever horse he is, I gave him a big hug and a kiss. I was more proud
of him being so gentle and kind and understanding than I was of what I had
managed to do.
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| Me and My Horse, after our first ride, 7 weeks post op |
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