accident recovery report

[Harley]

As you may remember, I was involved in a serious horseback riding accident on July 26th.

Recovery has been a bit of a journey. My right hip was shattered in that accident and I am now the proud owner of a hip to knee tinanium rod with screws on both ends that will be with me the rest of my life. I was very fortunate to draw an amazing orthopedic surgeon who specializes in reconstruction and has many athletes as patients including jockeys!! After 17 days in Dallas' Baylor hospital, I have been home on disability since August 11.

As of yesterday (yeah!!!) I have been released by the orthopedic surgeon and will be going back to work October 12 after 11 weeks of recovery. I'm using a cane and there are still a number of weeks of physical therapy to complete. My limp will slowly disappear over the next months. A full recovery will take approximately 8 months. I'm cleared to ride as of today, although I don't yet feel physically capable of getting under saddle. Hopefully after another 6 weeks or so of developing strength and flexibilty in my right leg. Keep your fingers crossed.

In the meantime, Chevy has been in great hands with my trainer and a lovely young junior eventer at the farm who are keeping him fit and progressing. I've been able to groom and love on him the last few weeks.

Of course, no post would be complete without a photo or two.

Handsome Beastie! We're growing out his roach.


First clip already - Chevy turned into a wooly mammoth in a week and its still wamr in Texas!


Looking handsome under saddle with my friend, Kristen


Cheers everyone!!

[Graymare]

Glad to hear you're healing nicely. Obviously you've been behaving yourself! Good girl!!!!

Maybe ask your physical therapist about working in some Pilates during your rehab to get back some of your core strength before getting back in the saddle.

[draftxrider]

Glad that you're cleared for riding... I bet that first time back in the tack will feel great, you must miss it.

[ErinW]

Join the "tinanium rod with screws on both ends that will be with me the rest of my life." club! You and me, babe! It's part of riding I have come to find.

[Debbie]

Oh my goodness.... You have been thru some stuff lately.. I want you to know that I myself have a hip replacement and it is the best part of my body. I've taken many falls from my horses with it (like last year when I broke my hand and 2 ribs). Believe me it is the only thing that works!!!! Give yourself lots of time to recover and you will be better then new. I hope and pray..

PS: I just love greys.... He is so beautiful.

[Sport Horse]

Wow have you been through the ringer!!! I'm so glad to hear that you have a good prognosis for recovery! How has your first week back at work been treating you?

[MistyMare]

Catching up on posts...so very sorry to hear of your accident. Wow, it sounds like a very bad break. Good luck with your recovery.

[Debic97]

Hey!! I have a titanium radial head in my left elbow! I did not know about the club! Can anyone else predict weather with titanium? My new radial head came from a horse riding accident also-nature of the beast, so to speak!

[Bonnie Blue]

[quote="ErinW"]Join the [i]"tinanium rod with screws on both ends that will be with me the rest of my life." [/i]club! You and me, babe! It's part of riding I have come to find.[/quote]


I also am a part of the "titanium club" LOL! Yes, it also was horse related albeit not entirely the horse's fault.

Glad to hear you are healing up well--sorry to have missed out on everything that happened this year.

[Harley]

Hello all!

Here is the latest.....I started riding again around Thanksgiving. Its going well. I'm getting there both physically and mentally. The first few rides were more than a bit nerve wracking. Of course, I'm also getting back to it in the winter, the weather that Chevy loves and all the horses are a bit "fresh". I'm back to poles and hopefully to low jumps sometime soon.

Graymare, I HAVE been doing both Pilates (mats and Reformer) as well as yoga for the first time in my life and I love it. I've never done anything that has changed my body so much and improved my core strength. Its been a big part of my recovery.

I had the screws just above my knee removed in early January. No wonder they hurt! The surgeon gave them to me and those suckers were huge!!

Bad news is there is more major surgery in my future. A cat scan before Christmas showed a 24 mm discrepancy in leg length - thus a significant limp which I refuse to live with for decades. And I'm tired of tripping over my right pants leg.

I am holding off until May to enjoy the good Texas riding weather. But they will break the femur again, near the site of the original injury, and implant an external fixater with which to grow more than an inch of bone over 6-8 weeks. Who knew you can grow a millimeter of bone a day?! Then its back to rehab and PT all over again. And getting back into the saddle after 4 months all over again. However, I'm committed to being in the best possible physical shape when I go in. So I alternate riding, Pilates, yoga and swimming - 6 days a week.

Its all fine - I'm walking, talking, riding, working, and chatting with you fine folks. It could have been so much worse.

Cheers everyone! Life is good!

[Graymare]

Well, at least you're already familiar with the rehab road ahead of you. Those external fixaters are amazing, but it's gonna be cumbersome for you and a wee bit uncomfortable.

Mother Noises: behave yourself!

[Sport Horse]

Wow. I'm so proud of you! You not just taking on this injury, you're taking on your LIFE. Good for you! Imagine how boring and same-old, same-old your life would be if this hadn't happened to you.

I am sorry to hear that you have to go through this who thing again. But I do have a sort of similar story to share. My aunt shattered her humerus (upper arm bone) and had to have major surgery with plates, pins, screws, you name it. TWO YEARS LATER, it had not healed properly and she had to schedule another surgery to rebrake. When they opened her up, they found a staff infection inside the bone. YIKES! More rehab. Lots of drugs and a few months later, she had the second surgery. It worked. Docs said she would never be 100% with that arm or with her hands but she is! YAY!!! I KNOW, although painful, you won't regret the second surgery. YOU GO!!!

[championpicks]

Keep it up and be safe next time.

[championpicks]

How's the recovery?Any feedback?

[Harley]

Yes!! I updated a more recent post with photos of my cyborg hardware that is now off. It pretty amazing what medical technology can do. I've added 26 mm of length to my shattered right femur and am on the road to a relatively full recovery.

Thanks god for insurance. We're probably $7,000 our of pocket, but the full process has been over $150,000.

Cheers and thanks for your support and kindness!!

Harley and Chevy

[Graymare]

Yay, glad to hear you're on the full mend!