Today, two years ago....

I suppose that it may seem odd that I remember what I was doing today, two years ago. But Nov. 15th will be a day that I will probably remember for a while yet.

And what was I doing today, two years ago at this time (6:30 as I type)?

I was laying on a hospital bed in the ER, with dirt streaked across my face, as I watched a doctor and a nurse try to pull my broken and dislocated wrist back into place.

I was on my way to milk the goats this morning as I remembered this "anniversary". For those who are new here and have no idea what I'm jabbering about.... We used to board a couple of horses, and one day, while riding bareback and double with my sister Emily, our mount (Quarter horse named 'Peaches' for those who care) suddenly spooked and threw us both off. Emily was fine except for some bruising; unfortunately, I instinctively stuck my left hand out as I fell and the next thing I knew there was a loud "POP"! and I felt a searing pain in my arm.

The impact of the fall shoved my radius and ulna bones (I had to ask a friend what those bones were called, I just call 'em the "arm bones" ;D) onto my hand, resulting in a very grotesque look. ;)

Long story short: Entirely too much pain, I had a cast for 2 1/2 months, did therapy for 2 more months, and to this day, my wrist still gives me occasional pain if I use it too much. :-/

But I did get back on the horse! ;D And to be honest, I miss riding. I guess time heals the wounds and the memory, for I still get the itch to ride....

~Caity

The final update....

A couple of friends have asked in the past week how my wrist was doing since I broke it; which led me to realize that, aaah!, I never gave the "last update" on here! Sorry!

If I remember correctly, the last post I did was sometime around January, right after I got my cast off and was about to start on physical therapy. (you can go to "brkn wrist" in labels and read all about it)

Hmmm...Hang on, let me jog my memory.... Okay, so after that post, I began going to physical therapy twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My therapist was really nice and was also really curious about my being homeschooled, so while I was there I was able to share with him our school curriculum which led to sharing the gospel with him! My physical therapy lasted roughly a month and a half, then my therapist told me that he could do no more to help and that the rest was up to me.

Slowly, my range of motion began to return and life started to get easier! After a couple of weeks of therapy I was able to pick up things like cups or bottles with just my left hand. and after a month I could effortlessly make a fist. One thing that I cannot still do is bend my hand backwards all the way like it should, and I probably never will be able to either. Sometimes if I keep my hand, palm up for too long (like when I'm holding a hymnal at church) I begin to feel pain in my wrist again, but it goes away after a while.

But you probably want to know the answer to the big question don't you?

Did I ever get back on the horse?

My answer? Yes, I did get back on the horse! Miss Jennifer told us that she was going to be permanently moving Peaches somewhere else, so with grim determination I got out my one pair of jeans (used solely for riding), and began tacking Peaches up. I admit it, I was trembling when I got on her, which was silly because she really is a gentle horse. But after one has had a broken wrist for almost four months because of the horse, you're bound to be a little nervous the first time you get back on. Peaches was full of pep on that ride so after some warming up I gently nudged her in a smooth, mile eating lope. Heaven!

But, I feel a bit of reserve when around a horse now, and I might be a bit more hesitant to accept an offer for a ride. I just don't want to go through all the trauma of a broken bone again... I still like horses, but I think there's something missing. I just don't know what.

And to my 'auntie M' ;D Yes, I am back to playing my Banjo!!

~Caitlyn

The ever pressing goal

Could it really have been a week since I last blogged? Bad me. ;)

I got my cast off on Monday as was planned. That was an interesting affair.... For the most part it went as it was supposed to, but after the cast had come off, the doctor began flexing (or rather, trying to flex) each of my fingers. I kept on trying to tell him that it hurt and that my fingers wouldn't bend but he didn't really listen to me. Then he put a lot of pressure on my index finger, still trying to bend it. All at once the room seemed to begin spinning violently and things started to fade from sight. Yep, I fainted. Or rather, I almost fainted. The doctor must have noticed that I suddenly stopped talking, because he looked at me and asked if I was all right. Hmmm....Let's see here, I've already told you that I'm in pain, I'm visibly swaying and you want to know if I'm all right. Anybody else see something wrong here?
I tried to tell him that the room was spinning but I think my speech was a little unintelligible at the moment. He and dad helped me lie down just as I started to black out. After a little while I was feeling better though.

Before I left, the doctor gave me a velcro-on splint to wear at night so I don't accidentally hurt myself. I must admit that it looks pretty funny; resembling Buzz Lightyear's laser thing-a-ma-bob. :D

So my challenge right now is trying to make a fist with my left hand. If I try hard I can juuust curl my fingers enough to touch the top of my hand. I can hold a few things with it but it really depends on what it is. I can hold a pencil because I only need my thumb and index finger for that, but a lot of other things are still beyond me yet. To help me stretch my hand muscles, my parents bought me a little green ball that feels almost like putty, to squeeze. After a couple of stretching rounds I decided to dub it G.L.O.P Green, Lump, Of, Putty. :)

The fracture in my wrist is almost completely gone now. Every evening since I got the cast off I have been putting a comfrey poultice over where the fracture is and then leaving it on for an hour. Comfrey is a very useful herb and is also known as knit-bone for it's miraculous power in mending broken bones. I can personally vouch for it as a wonderful herb,

Am I talking too much? I have a tendency to write overly long blogs. I guess it's my gift...Or curse? Well, that's off the subject so we won't debate on that right now. ;)

So, I continue on, towards the ever pressing goal of restoring my hand to it's normal function. The road ahead is long, and bumpy, and who knows what the outcome will look like. Like a marathon runner, I just have to keep running...keep fighting....keep looking for those milestones at the side of the road....

~Caitlyn

Busy days

Since Sunday the 30th, the days have been very busy and painful. Everything was going "swimmingly" until Sunday when I tripped and fell during church, landing right on my broken wrist. Yikes, did that ever hurt!! The pain was pretty intense until early Tuesday. I knew the pain would come back shortly because I had an appointment at the hospital later and those always hurt. :Scowls:
On Tuesday, the doctor put my permanent cast on which has been pretty nice because it stops at my elbow, rather than covering it like my first cast, so it's easier for me to maneuver now. It was really creepy when the doctor took my first cast off. After just three weeks of being in a cast, my arm has lost almost all its muscle so it looked itty-bitty and just--well--creepy! I thought I was going to throw up when I saw it. :( The doctor said my wrist isn't quite healing up like it should be and that it will probably be permanently crooked. He also said that there is a possibility that I won't be able to properly rotate my wrist and do things with the same dexterity that I used to.

After that, the doctor showed dad and me the latest x-rays (I'm beginning to really hate those x-rays :grrr:) While explaining the x-rays, the doctor noticed something he hadn't before; it looked to him like I had a ruptured ligament right above the broken bone causing some of the other bones to slip. So guess what... He scheduled me for am MRI at 8:30 the next morning.

Before I could have the MRI done, they had to put a dye in my wrist so they could see in the new x-rays whether or not I did have a ruptured ligament and needed surgery. Now, I can give shots to animals just fine, I can do the sub-Q's and IM's, but I cannot stand getting a shot myself. I shudder just thinking about it.

I also had no idea as to what an MRI was, so that was an interesting learning experience. :-/
An MRI is basically a different way to do x-rays only they use a magnetic field rather than radiation. So, I had to lay down on a little bed and then they rolled it underneath this huge dome thingy that took the x-rays. My nose was literally six inches away from the ceiling. The machine is sooo loud that you have to wear headphones while its going. Lucky for me I got to listen to music during the 20 minutes worth of x-raying. My choice? A CD by Loreena Mckennit, She's my favorite singer.

The people said they would call us when they decided if I needed surgery or not. So every phone call is picked up hurriedly. I have my fingers crossed that I won't need surgery. :sigh:

x-rays, x-rays

Today was the day that I had to go back to the hospital for x-rays. It was an interesting experience. First off, we got there at 9:00 am because my x-rays were to be taken at 9:30 and my appointment with the doctor was at ten. For some reason it took us thirty minutes just to check-in, so we figured we would be right on time for my x-rays. Nope. Another thirty minute wait until my name was called. :sigh: The x-rays were very interesting though. I had a different guy this time and when I first saw him I thought for sure it was Tim Conway, the actor. I kid you not, he had the exact same voice and looked similar to Tim Conway; but his name was Gary, not Tim. Apparently Mr. Gary had literally just come from doing an operation and was a little feather-brained right at the moment. He was about to start the x-rays when he realized that there wasn't any film, so he ran off to go find some. He came back shortly after and for the second time was just about to start things up when he remembered another thing that he had forgotten. This happened two more times, until finally he had everything he needed. Story doesn't stop there though. He needed to put my arm in a very uncomfortable position and I didn't quite understand how to put it, so he used himself to show me. I think I said only two words during all of this because I was afraid I was going to burst out laughing; and I knew if I started then I wouldn't stop. So with the corners of my mouth twitching considerably, I did what he said.

He was also really careful that he didn't lower the x-ray table too low, to where it was squishing my legs (that happened the first time) he even got down on all fours while he lowered it!! Needless to say, It was a very trying time for me to keep full control of myself and I was glad that he apparently didn't notice my twitching mouth. :D :D

I'm going in again next Tuesday for more x-rays and the doctor will decide if I need surgery and some pins or just a cast (I don't have my permanent cast yet).

So stay tuned for The adventures of Caitlyn! :)

I'm back....Sort of

Hello all! Already this typing is proving to be harder than I thought it would be. :) My wrist still really hurts but I am up and around now. I even got dressed this morning! :D For those of you who might not have seen the last post, I broke my left wrist while riding our horse.

So how did it all really happen? Well, I'll give you an inside story....

It was so nice out that my sisters and I decided to go riding. Emily got to ride with me this time as her turn. Megan rode double on Peaches with me last time and dear Peaches was as good as gold so we figured we were up for another nice ride. So, bareback and double, Emily and I headed out. At first it was a really nice ride but then, when we were roughly half way to our destination, Peaches suddenly spooked at something, wheeled around and leaped into a frantic gallop. At her leap Emily and I were thrown off, I stuck my left hand out to take the impact (smart move) and heard a loud "pop!" when my hand connected with the ground. I couldn't stop my screams that filled the damp air after I felt that terrible pop. Emily was alright and quickly jumped up to see if I was okay. I told I thought my wrist was popped out of joint and to not worry about me but go and catch Peaches. I watched her run off and then took a closer look at my wrist. It was grossly disfigured and I couldn't move it. I stumbled back home, praying the whole time, asking God to please give me strength to get home. When I finally got home mom had Chris, who is training to be a paramedic, take a look at my wrist. He advised mom to call 911 but mom thought we could probably make it to the hospital without an ambulance. Out on highway 18 the pain reached its peak and I began to cramp up. You how it feels when your feet fall asleep? now imagine that all over your body. My feet and hands curled tightly, my tongue cramped to the bottom of my mouth, my eyes were cramped closed and with each passing minute it was becoming harder to breath. Mom called 911 and stayed on the phone with them so they would know our location. With a last burst of strength I made myself open my eyes and could see in the distance flashing lights and could hear the sound of sirens. The medics had arrived. Since I was having difficulty breathing they sent two medics (ambulances) and a brush rig. They put my arm in a quick cast and sling, then helped me into the stretcher waiting outside the van. On our way to the ER they gave me some instant pain medication and an IV.

At the hospital I had x-rays taken, by a really nice guy who was a horse owner himself, and was then taken to have the bone set. :gulp: The doctor who was going to set the bone was also really nice and did a very good job. It actually didn't hurt when they set the bone because they numbed it. It was the numbing part that hurt! He used a needle that looked like it should have been used for cattle...or a rhino. It was huge!

But it's over now. :) I do have to go back in a few days for more x-rays though. The doctor said that it will take 4 to 8 weeks before my wrist is healed. There goes all the Christmas presents I was planning on knitting. :( Well, I guess I will end here and let my hand have a break.

Bye for now. :D

Out of Service

Hello friends and family, Mom here for Caitlyn to let you know that she will be out of service for a bit due to a broken wrist which she got falling off the horse while riding double with her sister. She is doing as well as can be expected but still in a lot of pain. Your prayers for her would be greatly appreciated.

Mom