# I hate my life.



## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

I'm so incredibly mad.
I hate my whole stupid freaking situation. 

I tore my A.C.L on September 8th, playing soccer. I was out of riding for about 5 days...Mind you my horse is three years old and still in training...Well I rode consistently after that. October 9th, I got surgery on my knee to reconstruct my A.C.L. I haven't ridden since then, I've only been lunging her , a lot, with her head tied down, to reinforce her head set, and keep her slow, but that's besides the point...I went to the doctor today to get a new brace...and I asked if I was allowed to ride, and he said "Well I wouldn't recommend it because getting on you could slip or rotate it and then we would have to do the surgery all over again." So I blew up. And then my grams is like "We'll just wait three more weeks and see where we are then," since that's when my next appointment is...Sorry for ranting by the way, I'm bawling my eyes out and need to let it loose before I make myself more mad and start yelling at people...So I tell my doctor that I can climb on a mounting block to get on and that people would be there to help me get on, because we're all really careful with my knee, and he was like well it's your knee...And my grams being the bad word that she is was like "Well no, you can't so just wait." Me being the hard-*** that I am says "You're not the doctor...it's not up to you." She replies with the "Well the doctor said no." Then I smartly replied "No, he said he wouldn't recommend it. I'm not waiting three weeks to ride."


So I've come to the conclusion that I can't wait three weeks to ride and I'm going to ride sometime.

Ugh, I really hate this.:-x


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

*hugs*

I guess im a lot like you in a sense. I had my galbladder removed last summer and I was riding a little over a week after, my horse was 4 and still pretty green. I was 21 then and living on my own so no one could dictate what I could or couldnt do. I wasnt suppose to lift over 20lbs (saddle weighs over 30). Nothing bad happened but I guess it could have, I just had some mild pain from the moving around.

Just be careful of you do decide to jump back on, I know where your grams is coming from. If you do end up hurting it again you are risking being able to be really active on that leg again...ask yourself "is it worth hurting myself, having to have another surgery, and possibly never playing sports again??" Three weeks is a long time to go without riding... but it may be the best. Whatever you decide just be careful


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## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

My daughter was out of riding for more than a month. She had a bad ankle sprain and then she got pneumonia. Being sick stinks!!

But...right now we have to leave for lessons. Be happy that you have an end in sight. Three weeks isn't that long. Our horse is also only three. Our trainer has been very helpful especially since my daughter's been so ill.


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## travlingypsy (Apr 5, 2008)

Heck I say go for it, lol but then im no doctor or granny. I knew this one trainer who broke her foot while jumping and the next very day she was back on the horse! She didnt post but still! She was actually fine she didnt hurt her foot anymore then it already was, she could have but thats the risk.


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## juju (Oct 8, 2008)

i know its tough but i would wait. One of my friends from school, who also plays soccer, tore her ACL (from soccer). The doctor told her that if she didn't sit out and stop moving, she would never be able to run before (and shes one of the most athletic people i know). 
Just be careful if you do and make sure if someone is there with you - esp. w/ a green horse!!! Be safe and i know it sucks to hurt!!!


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

I tore my ACL twice. Well..I tore both ACLs..and I wasn't allowed to ride for 6 months. Which type of reconstruction did you get? 

Trust me..it's worth it to wait and follow the doctors advice. The "new ACL" will die then re-grow therefore it is quite fragile. Thats why they want you to wait. 

Be careful! You don't want to end up back at square 1!!


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## sandy2u1 (May 7, 2008)

im with rustic. the last thing you wanna have to do is start all over and have to wind up being out of the saddle even longer. wait this out and you will have many many rides waiting for you.


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## Painted Ride (Jun 30, 2008)

i shattered my left ankle in 2000 i was told that i couldn't ride for 6 weeks(yikes)...i was like he!! no im gonna ride.so after one month of obeying the dr's orders i said i gonna do what makes me happy. i am a die hard rider. hell or high water wont keep me from riding....i know how your feeling all too well. if you do get on be extremely careful with that knee. a double surgery on a knee can have a bad long term affect.....be safe! i am sorry your going through this!!!!!(((((hugs)))))


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Harlee........dang girl.......The whole situation sucks!!!! :evil:

Let an old(er) lady give you a bit of advice... I thrashed my ankle when I was about 14... I was to take good care of it, rest, crutches, blah blah blah.......I started back to sports and riding as soon as *I* felt better...It was a HUGE mistake! I'm now 33 with an ankle that will just simply "give out" {read...me falling on my face}. It has happened when I try to mount...I just all of a sudden have no control or strength in that ankle...Then wham...flat on my back I lay there...Or better yet the time I was moving out of my house and carrying a box of dishes down the steps of my deck and fell DOWN the stairs with a box of dishes....Yeah... that totally tanked!!!!

Take the time off to let your knee heal...Please....Blowing off the Doctor's recomendations now could cause you a helluva lot of heartache down the road.......Take care of yourself. That way you can be a superstar when you're 30 and not all broken down. :wink:


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Also I forgot to add the first time I had my ACL reconstructed I didn't have my younger horse so it wasn't a big deal but the second time was when I had just gotten Hunter. He was 3 as well. So, I didn't get to do much with him at all. I barley got to lunge him for the first few weeks as it was still winter...So, that really sucked but I just worked with him a lot after and he remembered everything pretty much immediately. Things will work out. You will be okay and I bet your horse will be fine too. Just please don't rush it. Take Dumas word for it!!


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## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

RusticWildFire said:


> I tore my ACL twice. Well..I tore both ACLs..and I wasn't allowed to ride for 6 months. Which type of reconstruction did you get?


They did a bone-tendon-bone on me...
for those who may not know, they take some of your patella tendon and some of your patella or knee cap and some of your tibia and put it where your ACL goes and then they put a screw in my knee and then two pins.:-|


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Harlee rides horses said:


> They did a bone-tendon-bone on me...
> for those who may not know, they take some of your patella tendon and some of your patella or knee cap and some of your tibia and put it where your ACL goes and then they put a screw in my knee and then two pins.:-|



Well, I was really asking where they took the graft from. For me I Was too young for patella so they took part of my hamstring tendon. And for a friend of mine they used a cadavers achillies tendon. But I'm assuming you had the patella one done.


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## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

Oh, yeah, they did the patella.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

I do understand your impatience. You need to read Dumas post over and over. You may think you're OK to ride but if you mess it up tear something loose your screwed. I have lots of aches and pains from stuff I didn't take care of at your age. I know that doesn't help you now but you gotta take it easy!
Bite your lip and take the docs advice. 
Is there someone you trust to keep your horse ridden? If not since she is only 3 your going to have to do some retraining whenever you start back in. Might just as well make it later than sooner and let your knee heal. Does that make sense?


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## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

Yeah, I understand. And there isn't really anyone that I trust able to ride Lizzy so it's kind of a sticky situation. What I do is I just lunge her and have her do everything that I would do on her, but I'm off of her.. I just think the doctors reasoning for me to not ride is stupid.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

That's terrible Harlee. Hopefully you heal up well and can ride again soon. Would your friend Delete be able to ride her for ya?


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Harlee rides horses said:


> I'm so incredibly mad.
> I hate my whole stupid freaking situation.
> 
> I tore my A.C.L on September 8th, playing soccer. I was out of riding for about 5 days...Mind you my horse is three years old and still in training...Well I rode consistently after that. October 9th, I got surgery on my knee to reconstruct my A.C.L. I haven't ridden since then, I've only been lunging her , a lot, with her head tied down, to reinforce her head set, and keep her slow, but that's besides the point...I went to the doctor today to get a new brace...and I asked if I was allowed to ride, and he said "Well I wouldn't recommend it because getting on you could slip or rotate it and then we would have to do the surgery all over again." So I blew up. And then my grams is like "We'll just wait three more weeks and see where we are then," since that's when my next appointment is...Sorry for ranting by the way, I'm bawling my eyes out and need to let it loose before I make myself more mad and start yelling at people...So I tell my doctor that I can climb on a mounting block to get on and that people would be there to help me get on, because we're all really careful with my knee, and he was like well it's your knee...And my grams being the bad word that she is was like "Well no, you can't so just wait." Me being the hard-*** that I am says "You're not the doctor...it's not up to you." She replies with the "Well the doctor said no." Then I smartly replied "No, he said he wouldn't recommend it. I'm not waiting three weeks to ride."
> ...


Chill! Goodness, I had my hip reconstructed last year from an old injury and was told I would not be able to get on a horse for full year, 12 months! then I had the other side done in june and it's the same thing! Not only that but I just had my wrist done and was told no riding or even using that arm for 6 months! AND I still have to get that wrist finished up again in 5 months and the hip again so that means another year from then of no riding!

3 weeks? pfff it's nothing babe! use that time to chill and take time off horses


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

You could also take the time to learn different things about training. Do a lot of reading, find some good videos if you can. Continue the ground work and such that you are doing but use it as time to learn. 

Why was the doctors reasoning stupid? Did you ask him the real medical reason?? Because as I said, my doctor said no riding for 6 months because the new tendon has to die and "re-grow" so to say.


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## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

His reasoning was stupid because he said he's not worried about me riding or even falling off for that matter...its just getting on.

And Delete can't ride her because she lives too far away...:-|


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Yeah, thats because getting on you twist your knee and that is dangerous. Also, the horse could take off as you are trying to get on and there goes your ACL again..


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## Royal Freckles (Oct 7, 2008)

Look at it like this. You are PO'd now...what if by some freak thing you get on and tear it again.....and have to go through the surgery again.....and have to go through the waiting ALL OVER AGAIN. How far off schedule are you going to be then? And how PO'd will you be then? :-x Maybe waiting three weeks is not so bad compared to the alternative. 

Anyway, anything you do from the saddle, you should be able to do from the ground. Maybe you could fill your time thinking of ways of communicating some of those things to her...then when you can get back on, she will already have some ground covered.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

RusticWildFire said:


> Yeah, thats because getting on you twist your knee and that is dangerous. Also, the horse could take off as you are trying to get on and there goes your ACL again..


I just had wrist reconstruction and was told I have to take 6 months off everything! No allowed to fit anything at all or use that hand and wrist for anything, or I will destroy the work done. So the 6 months off to me sounds correct.


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## Loosewolf (Oct 31, 2008)

*I have a bad knee, I know how it is...*
HOWEVER, IF you are hell-bent on going for it, here's what I advise (although obviously I'd first advise listening to the Doc, I'd hate you to ride now and ruin it for later...) Sooo, with the disclaimer done now, here's what I have done to "survive"

Wear your brace...I have mine on most of the time, and I have safety stirrups as a back-up.
Stay within confined areas...Indoor/outdoor ring, try to hedge your bet so as to minimize any extra show, trail, etc problems..this too will be temporary..
Avoid posting your trot...I don't feel real comfortable that will be good on the joints until you are cleared medically. Just to keep things simple, walking is better that nothing..
Don't ride alone..I mean to say, don't be by yourself in the ring..If Lord forbid you do have any issues, you do not want to be without any assistance. This is also the time to have help mounting and easing your dismount as well...
Limit the time and maneuvers you are doing your groundwork...Jumping is also out of the question now, temporarily too...
Have a trusted friend help out with some of the other training/ exercise Issues for your Horse..This way, you get some saddle time, and the "heavier" stuff can be done for you..for a while...

Bottom line, if you are starting to feel overly tired, even any pain, get-off!!
Use your best common-sense, keep a close watch on how you feel moment to moment, stretch as medically cleared to do, no more, and be as careful as you possiblty can
Just don't push any further that you can, or you will be out of commission for a much longer time..Plan it out carefully before you go..consider everything possible ahead of your ride time..
God Bless, and best of luck and heath to you.
(I am not recommending foremost going against medical advice, I never want anyone injured anytime..)


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