My friend has this disease

Question

A dear friend of mine has this disease. I just learned about it a few days ago, but she has had it for a while. My question is, Should a person with this disease stop riding horses even after having the decompression surgery? She has not had the surgery yet, but she may have to soon.

SaratogaNurse · Answer

Taking care of her facility and all of her animals is certainly something she shouldn't be doing alone.   Is she able to hire someone to help?   I'd say she may have to be creative.   She can make this work maybe by selling some of her horses, hiring a trustworthy manager and taking on boarders to cover the expenses?....  that way someone else does all the labor and the property can pay for it.   :-)   If she is creative, she can do it.    

As for riding.   That's a personal thing.   I've already discussed it with my NL at length (and will probably fight with my NS about it too), but as long as I use common sense, ride a calm horse (AKA: Nag), wear a helmet, and have help with the heavy stuff, he said he'd look the other way if I were to take a relaxing ride (walking only).  Of course it's done at my own risk.   I'm not an idiot, I know my jumping days are over, but I can't let Chiari turn me into a lump on my sofa!   

There still has to be joy in life.   Riding is one of my biggest joys.   I can't and won't give it up.

Sweetvelocity · Answer

My friend is a Dressage rider and a very gifted one at that. She has just spent around 70 thousdand dollars on her new barn. I have told her I will be there for her. I have also told that when she wants to ride just to give me a call and I will come out. She lives alone and does all of her own chores for 7 horses on 15 acres every day. Thats a lot for one person to do, but with CM it seems outrageous. 

She started having spikes in blood pressure and headaches. They thought she was gonna have a stroke, but then she remembered that she was diagnosed with the CM in 04, but was never told how serious it really is. Now she cant bend over, lift a saddle or most anything pertaining to the horse world. 

It seems like the first person to diagnose her with this droped the ball with her. Had she know how serious it was she would not have poured all of this money into her facility. We will figure this out. I don't want her to lose hope. None horse people would not understand something like being told you can never ride again. If it had been me I would be ruined.

rod44 · Answer

it was suggested by my NL last September that I undergo physiotherapy to help the mussels in my limbs with it is felt are degenerating due to the Strinx in my spinal cord however when I asked the NS yesterday about this he said no way as it could damage the Syrinx further, I would say to you until such things as Syringomyelia, Tethered Cord and other such CM related conditions have been ruled out not to ride, as Saratoganurse said advise your friend to discuss this with there NS as a fall could cause your friend serious injury....

Ray

SaratogaNurse · Answer

Time out!!!!!   I won't give up riding.   I know there will have to be certain rules with it.   I know I'll have to always wear a helmet.  I won't do jumping and I'll choose calmer and more trusting horses, but I won't stop riding!    You may as well ask me to stop living!   There are things that I will need help with, yes, but as long as we can work through the rough spots, I can still ride!  

Tell your friend that Chiari doesn't mean she can never ride again!  Tell her to discuss it with her NS and do what works for her.   Riding a horse is NOTHING like a roller coaster!

She may be having trouble right now, but right now is NOT forever.   She may need help now.  HELP HER until she recovers from her surgery enough to make decisions about what she is capable of doing.

I'm sorry Selma, but the automatic ussumption that she should just give up on her horses because of Chiari just got me in a sore spot.

Sweetvelocity · Answer

Oh wow. After reading the health pages I am not sure she can keep her 7 horses at all. No bending to pick hooves, cannot saddle a horse or lift a 50lb bag of grain or bale of hay. It is such a shame I could just cry. She is such a gifted equestrian and she has put so much money and time into her facility and now this.

selmaS · Answer

I would not see how she would be able to continue with that activity....everyone is different, but the riding can be dangerous.....rollercoasters r also on a list of things to avoid....to view the entire list please go to our Heath Pages and look for activities to avoid with chiari and syringomyelia.

Please feel free to ask ne other questions : )

"selma"