Well 180 days infact! Doesnt time fly when you get busy doing something? My husband always say's I like a project, and I seemed to have finally followed this one through!
I started riding Panni not long after the Aircast was removed. It was weeks of just walking on the lead with my good friend there to help me. Once the physio started to kick in I felt the time was right to do some trotting. Unfortunatlly due to the surgery leaving me with a fixed ankle and the amount of time I had out of the saddle I have not been able to do a rising trot with out extreme amounts of pain! Although on a good note I have perfected the art of sitting trot and Im doing it well even if I do say so myself .
Whilst enduring 4 months of physio and hydrotherapy in between the little riding sessions I could manage I really went hell for leather on the para classification process. I finally managed to get some answers as to whether I was elegiable or not and if it was worth me going through the pain and torment of the assessments.
Thankfully I was told, although my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome alone was unclassifiable, I would probably be classified on the fact I sustained a femoral nerve palsy during the surgery to my pelvis.
Unfortunatly the process was to be a long and laborious one. My GP didnt have any relevent notes on her computor system which diagnosed the femoral nerve palsy back in 2006 so I had to go for new appointments to a neurologist to have the previous diagnosis confirmed before my GP could sign the certificate of diagnosis forms needed .
Eventually I was classified by non other than the chief UK classifier herself in Maidenhead which was a lot near than I was expected to go before. Although as nervous as I was on arival she was very nice and very positive. She told me I would need to have a ridden assessment which again un-nerved me a little as I wasnt aware this was part of the process. Any way a week later I trundled up the South Bucks RDA and rode one of their school horses. Being truthful it was the worst experiece ever. It has been a long long time since I have ridden a strange horse and a well schooled one at that!
I didnt hear anything for 3 weeks but the day came when a RDA maked envelope appeared on the door step. It took me 2 hours to pluck the courage to actually open it. I was amazed when I did because it said I was rider profile 19b which means severe paresis of one lower limb and competition grade IV.
Wahoo!!! I had finally done it!! A year ago today I recieved a letter from a classifying physio in Swindon telling me it wouldnt be in my best interest to be classified as a para rider, and right from the start I knew she was wrong to say this. I have fought long and hard but now it is reality.
I AM A PARA DRESSAGE RIDER!
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Monday 7 February 2011
Hands Free
Its been 2 weeks since I last saw my consultant. The result of the surgery is looking good and he stated there was no movement in my ankle after jiggling and twisting it a little. He has put me into an aircast walking boot for 4 weeks and Im already half way through.
It took me a couple of days to go completly hands free as my balance isnt great and the pressure on my heel made it sore for a few days too!! My scar is looking great! Still a shade of purple but it hasnt started to keloid yet. My leg, well! Ive never seen anything look so pathetic! My muscle tone has completly wasted and my leg resembles that of a twig! Im wondering if it will ever look normal again?
Its nice to be able to sink into a warm bath without having to cock my leg over the side. I can finally relax in bed and not worry about kicking my husband with a big clumpy cast. I dont think I can ever explain just quite how exhilarating it is to be able to carry a cup of tea from the kitchen to the living room. Its amazing how we take being able to move around with hands free to carry things for granted until you have to use crutches for 8 weeks!
Anyway Im booked in to be seen again in 2 weeks time to hopefully loose the aircast boot and don a pair of shoes again?! Physio is also due to start in 2 weeks too which Im dreading. Although Im able to remove the aircast I feel a little nervous about moving it and walking on it as it is sort of stuck at a 90' angle and I dont want to stretch out all the repairs and end back at square one.
Im planning on making the appointment to have my para classification in 4 weeks or so. I feel Ive come so far already and the rest of the year is looking brighter already.
It took me a couple of days to go completly hands free as my balance isnt great and the pressure on my heel made it sore for a few days too!! My scar is looking great! Still a shade of purple but it hasnt started to keloid yet. My leg, well! Ive never seen anything look so pathetic! My muscle tone has completly wasted and my leg resembles that of a twig! Im wondering if it will ever look normal again?
Its nice to be able to sink into a warm bath without having to cock my leg over the side. I can finally relax in bed and not worry about kicking my husband with a big clumpy cast. I dont think I can ever explain just quite how exhilarating it is to be able to carry a cup of tea from the kitchen to the living room. Its amazing how we take being able to move around with hands free to carry things for granted until you have to use crutches for 8 weeks!
Anyway Im booked in to be seen again in 2 weeks time to hopefully loose the aircast boot and don a pair of shoes again?! Physio is also due to start in 2 weeks too which Im dreading. Although Im able to remove the aircast I feel a little nervous about moving it and walking on it as it is sort of stuck at a 90' angle and I dont want to stretch out all the repairs and end back at square one.
Im planning on making the appointment to have my para classification in 4 weeks or so. I feel Ive come so far already and the rest of the year is looking brighter already.
Monday 17 January 2011
Oh So Nearly There!
The past couple of weeks have been quite eventful and I'm certainly starting to feel a little more positive about what the year has in store for us. Along with a few of my yard mates we were not sad to see the back of 2010. It definitely wasn't up to all it had promised!
A week ago I had to have my second cast off as I was getting a burning sensation around the ankle bone near to where the wound is. Thankfully there was no sign of infection and everything looked nicely healed. The plaster room technician explained it could be from the old cast rubbing although there was no visible sign of blistering. Anyway a new cast has been put on in a lovely shade of hot pink! Well I am a girl ! Plus since having the pink on no one has accidentally kicked it, rammed trolley's or pushchairs into it so it has been a bonus.
From this ...... To this!
That week I also got some better news regarding getting myself graded for para dressage. I had been in contact with every governing body to do with para equestrian dressage including RDA (riding for the disabled) the IPEC (the international para equestrian committee and I had also put in a search and contacted a few national and international para riders who all gave out lots of useful advice. After reading all the emails I had received, I was filled with a little renewed hope and had been given the contact details of the chief classifier whom I have also since received an email from.
It seems although I may be unclassifiable as an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome sufferer I would however, possibly get a rider profile and grade from the fact I have a femoral nerve palsy as a result of the pelvis stabilisation surgery I had in 2006. I'm hoping to go for a classification with the chief classifier in March.
My next appointment is to have the cast removed which is less than 2 weeks away, so I feel I'm so very nearly there. I think I will have to wear an aircast walking boot for a few weeks but we will have to wait until then to find out what the next step (pardon the pun) will be?!
A week ago I had to have my second cast off as I was getting a burning sensation around the ankle bone near to where the wound is. Thankfully there was no sign of infection and everything looked nicely healed. The plaster room technician explained it could be from the old cast rubbing although there was no visible sign of blistering. Anyway a new cast has been put on in a lovely shade of hot pink! Well I am a girl ! Plus since having the pink on no one has accidentally kicked it, rammed trolley's or pushchairs into it so it has been a bonus.
From this ...... To this!
That week I also got some better news regarding getting myself graded for para dressage. I had been in contact with every governing body to do with para equestrian dressage including RDA (riding for the disabled) the IPEC (the international para equestrian committee and I had also put in a search and contacted a few national and international para riders who all gave out lots of useful advice. After reading all the emails I had received, I was filled with a little renewed hope and had been given the contact details of the chief classifier whom I have also since received an email from.
It seems although I may be unclassifiable as an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome sufferer I would however, possibly get a rider profile and grade from the fact I have a femoral nerve palsy as a result of the pelvis stabilisation surgery I had in 2006. I'm hoping to go for a classification with the chief classifier in March.
My next appointment is to have the cast removed which is less than 2 weeks away, so I feel I'm so very nearly there. I think I will have to wear an aircast walking boot for a few weeks but we will have to wait until then to find out what the next step (pardon the pun) will be?!
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