Friday, November 4, 2011

Stupid Bones...

Yep.  You got it...I am (possibly) cursing my bones.  You see, even though I just wrote about my little fall yesterday, it has actually been a week and a half since it happened.  So as you can imagine, I am getting a little nervous that my leg is increasingly tender by the day. 

When I went home that night, I was surprised when my shin bone started throbbing incessantly.  I thought my knee had been the only thing affected by the fall.  I went on the counteroffensive, armed with frozen peas (the best ice packs EVER!) and a euro-sized pillow to elevate it.  When I woke up the next morning, it was dramatically improved, so I didn't think much of it. 

I rode again Monday, and it wasn't too bad.  Went for a hack Tuesday - not horrible.  However, every time I bump that bone against something (which is not all that infrequently, considering the wretched KLUTZ I can be...) I keep noticing how tender it is.  There isn't a muscle or tendon in that part of the leg that I can think of, so at the moment I am placing blame on the bone.  It keeps getting worse by the day, so I am becoming increasingly suspicious that I may have some sort of minor hairline stress fracture.

This leads me to a series of issues.  A) It means going to the doctor, probably an x-ray at a minimum, maybe even further diagnostics.  This means money, and my budget is already stretched beyond what is deemed liveable at the moment.  B) If it is indeed a fracture, even a tiny one, the doctor's recommendation will likely include a significant time off from riding and excessive weight-bearing.  Anyone who rides horses and owns their own farm knows this is next to impossible to obey.  C) Someone is going to have to keep my horse conditioned for the minimum amount of time I actually try to obey the doctor's orders, before I ultimately rebel and throw in the towel, becoming "Naughty Patient."  And D) Dr. Warren, sports medicine physician extraordinaire, is likely to scold me for being involved in my second horseback-related fracture this year.  What he is not aware of is the long-running six year track record I had with NO falls prior to this year's obvious string of FAILS.

So that's where we stand at this point.  I have a giant neoprene wrap strapped around my lower leg in order to give me some sort of extra support.  Tonight I will ice again, elevate, and try not to shoot myself while taking an actual night off from the barn.  This is one remedy I have not tried since the accident, so we shall see if it helps.  I'm guessing no.  Then again, leaping off said injured leg last night to mount my pony bareback probably wasn't the best step towards recovery either.  But who can resist lying on a pony's back while they munch hay?  Not I!!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment