Well, here i am blogging- adding to the list of things I don't quite get.
In a nutshell, its been a crappy week, which I am sorta pissed about, as I was planning on things being good this year. But perhaps things are going to get better.

Taco's surgery looks like it was a success. He looks GREAT and the pic of his leg tells the tale. I am so pleased. more then that, he seems to be just all around better.
Reasons surgery was successful, too- I guess. It has been unreal and I really hate MRSA. I cannot believe how tenacious it has been. 90 days of drugs, and a belly band. So sad for him. I guess the belly band will allow him some turn out, and think that will make things easier. I hope so at least! This poor guy has had 3 major surgerys and he is all of 6 months old.
Cheif had a near miss today- I think he might be okay.
And the poor barn kitty died on Thursday night. I think it was good I was with him, and I hope he is in a better place.

feb 3,2008
I am honestly not sure for how long. But he is here, and his belly-bandage is still on. We drained about 60 cc's off a seroma (sp??) that worries me, but I will just take him up there again if need be. He is kinda depressed, but I think that's fair given all he has been thru. He is one lucky boy- and his road is bumpy, but he remains still such a nice foal.
I loff him!
Feb 3rd- later
So, I have already changed the wrap once, and it's already saturated. Both from urine, as well as seroma fluid. It's pretty tough- and I feel it's an up-hill battle. I need to figure something out- he needs to keep it dry, yet it continues to drain a lot. Then it slips, and then the urine gets into it- cycle begins again. Argh.

Feb 4 '08
So, we devised a way to attempt to keep the belly band clean. First, use the steri-roll, then, brown gauze, then elastikon. BUT! Over the 1st layer of elastikon, put a surgical drape that is non-absorbant, then more elastikon. So, we are hopeful this will function as a "drip" guard. He is leaking urine, but the vets say foals can do that if stressed and sick, which he is both.
Poor guy! Bandage change tomorrow AM again.

Feb 6
Reason is back at MSU, the seroma keeps filling- 100 cc;s the first time they "poked" it (Sunday), and the 2nd time was 250 cc's on Tuesday. It is as big today. I knew things were not going as well as they should. But hopefully things will improve. If the seroma does not go down, they will have to insert some sort of drain. This carries risks- the MRSA is all-too scary. So, hopefully, when we do a wrap change tomorrow, we will be able to see "it" getting smaller. From what I understand, we do not want any fibrogen- that will harbour more of the MRSA, and we are back to square one.
The plan right now is to keep the BOA wrap on, and hope he drops to pee. If we can keep the area dry, all the better. The good part is that the incision looks outstanding still, despite all the insults it has seen. His skin is pretty yuckky right now, and they have lanolin to apply on it. Still, poor boy is gotta be hurting.
His temp went up today, but it seems transient. I assume that the chloramphenicol is doing it's trick and holding things at bay. Still, how frustrating. He seems depressed, but wouldn't you be?

Feb7
I even hesitate to say that, but so far the Boa wrap has stayed on, and he looks good in it. Thank God. His chloramphenicol has arrived in packets of powder, so that will be easier to dose him, and it's apple flavored to boot. So, hopefully I can convince him that eating 3 smallish mashes a day of apple flavored stuff is a good idea.
He may have been a bit colic-y today, but seems okay now. His temp has stayed good, and his attitude sounds as if it's better. I did not get up there today- too many things needed doing here, and this way I can leave tomorrow and feel okay about it. So, that is all good.
Taco looks good, too! I am going to change his wrap tomorrow- I did the last change on Tuesday PM, so a friday change sounds okay to me. He seems fine, altho a bit miffed that T/O is not in his cards right now. I am not sure when he can have some- seems as if the only thing that is actually holding him back is the wound, rather then the leg, as the tendon was not touched. So...hot damn, I may get back to being a normal horse person some time this year! What a concept! :-)

Feb 8
Taco's leg looked okay. I have been noticing that his right eye was being somewhat---empty, but thought that i might have been imagining it. Well, I don't think I am. He is now very shy-y from that side, and will no longer look at you out of that eye. I am not sure what to think- and hesitiate to even mention it to anyone, as I know we are at the end of the rope. It is very sad to me, but I am not sure what to think about it. I loved having him be bright and happy again, looking at me from that eye. I loved seeing him be happy. What I am not seeing is a somewhat confused horse. There is what worries me.
So, on my way to MSU to see reason. I hope that yields good news. Horses.

Feb 8th later
o, today, we drained about 500 CC's off of the seroma. they put a 1 cm slice in it to let it drain, and hopefully it will not fill again. (I am not feeling to confident about that, but a 1 cm slice is pretty big- as long as it does not wall off, it should drain.) His attitude was good today, so that is good.
I did mention my concerns to Dr. schott, and he contacted a person at Cornell. I will have Taco's blood drawn and sent to them to test for auto-immune something. I don't know what, but it's time. What comes of it, I don't know. But I would like an answer. I know that we are at the end of what we can do for him- it's up to him. As silly as it sounds, I have told him so. It breaks my heart. And, as Dr. Schott said, I hope he makes a liar out of me.
I really honestly have 5 other healthy happy horses. really!

Feb 11
hat sounds like a dire blog post title, but it's true! It's cold as hell here. I have had the horses in more then they have been out, and 4 of them live out all the time! So, add stall cleaning to the list of things I should do.... Mind you, I don't get most of them done. Stall cleaning is one thing that will get done, however!
Art and I went to see Reason Sunday and he was in a great mood. Indeed, he was delighted to see me. Well behaved, but anyone could tell that it made his day by the squeal that he let out when I was in his stall. He has a new addiction to Starbursts, esp orange ones. He is also getting good at eating carrots, which is good, as it takes him time. I tried to post from my camera, but that did not work for some reason, but I do have pics of him looking like a camel with his head out of the little square in the corner of his stall that I will try and get on here. The swelling is large below the bandage, and looks scary to me. Dr. Schott did see it yesterday and he thinks it's okay. I am not as happy, but it's a mom thing, I think. In any event, I need to find out if they think the MRSA is going away. The culture should be back soon from the lab of the fluid they got on Friday.
Taco also has looked good. I think I can see the pattern clearly now. The leg looks good, the eye looks good. So, the question is why. We are going to send off bloods this week. I want to be made a liar in many ways- it would be nice. But, I admit that not knowing the why's makes me nuts. Maybe there are no answers.
And, it's cold as hell here. Did I already say that?? -4.8 right now according to our weather station. That makes one want to head outside and do chores!
Feb 11th later
But Ali Stack is back in town, and I am very happy about that!
I saw Reason today, who was a bit uncomfortable, as they put a large hole in him and are hoping that the seroma will quit filling and we can get him home! He has been there a week at this point, and it's truly time, I feel, for him to sleep in his own stall, with his own hay and his own donkeys! However, no coming home until we can get this thing under control. It has to stop filling, and it has to stop being such a hard thing to deal with. Good thing is, however, I am not as tired as I was!
Taco looked good today, too. Tomorrow is 2 weeks, and his leg looks good so far to me. I know there is a small amt of discharge, but ever-so-small. His eye is looking status quo, so I am not too concerned about it at this point in time. So, while things are still shakey, I feel somewhat better. Enough to want to ride! What a concept!
I went on hound exercise today, and it was just lovely. On foot, as the Wind Chill was about -20. But we were warm, and the hounds were great, and one day maybe I will kow who is who. We will begin to do mounted exercise soon. Skee will go out 3 days a week! And that means that I will, too. Now, THAT sounds good!

Feb 13
So, yesterday, I called my husband and said that Reason earned another 2 weeks of care. Little do they know that those moments of incredible tenderness mean so much.
Yesterday, he was down, and somewhat painful. I went into his stall at MSU and got on the floor with him. He was sternal and then when I sat down he laid back and put his head on my lap, I think we were there for about 15 min- him just looking up at me, and me with tears in my eyes, thinking how lucky I was to have this colt trust me that much. I sort of wished for a camera, but then again, it was such a private moment, such a special moment that perhaps the pictue would have been crass in the light of the emotion. The day before, it was his squeal when he wanted to play with me and when I said "Oh No, Mister- you gotta behave!" he stood in front of me, head down, just saying..."I am so glad to SEE you mom!!" It's those moments that keep us on this path.

Taco dropping his head into my arms and just staying there- a horse that normally does not let anyone touch his face. The moment on XC when you are heading into something complex and their ears flick back to let you know that "I've got it, Mom...Whoo! Let's go!" The nicker that says "Good Morning!" The run up the driveway along side the car when I come home- and it's only my truck they do this for- other cars do not evoke such a response. The run on a hunt when they see a hound and do everything they can to avoid stepping on it. And then, when you feed and they desire your pats more then the grain you just poured into their bucket. That is why I do this, and why they have earned everything I have done. It may be silly in the eyes of some, but for me, those moments are ones that many will never get to experience, and I am lucky enough to be blessed to have had the pleasure.

Feb 15
I am the keeper of stitches l,not really! But in any case, I have had stitches that refuse to come out on both the horses! Taco has one in his leg that I found when I changed his wrap yesterday and Reason had to have the surgeon come in and remove them as they had become embedded in his scar tissue around the seroma. Oh dear me...It has to be me!

So, the good news is that things are getting okay here, dare I say that? Reason should be coming home Sunday, and Taco is holding his own. I was going to ride him today, but thought that discretion being the better part of valor I should wait until the aforementioned Stitch is gone. So, I shall. I am patient. Really. I. Am.

Tomorrow is the hunt meeting- ah the fireworks shall be amazing I think!! YUCK!! And to think, it's in great part because I don't have my colors! Oh poor me! How silly is that!!! I really could care less, with the exception that it feels as if they are questioning my horsemanship or something. All I want to do is hunt and have a good safe time. I am in no way a political animal.

Speaking of safe, Darn Skee did his little dance number on me. That is...He rears, pops his rt shoulder, bucks and leaps. Yup. It's loads of fun. The good part is that I stayed on. Don't know how, honestly. the bad part is that I was a lovely combo of Mad and Scared. He stopped, and made this big sigh like "Oh, that was fun, guess I gotta work now" and then of course, I get off, and lunge him. Now, I was nice when I lunged him, but in retrospect, wish I would have stayed on his back rather then get off, as I am fairly sure that he was done being his silly old self. I swear, that boy can really cavort. And I am a bit too old for that. yet, maybe I am not??? I did stay on after all! (Oh oh...Pride cometh before a fall- better bring my checkbook tomorrow to hunt!) In any event, he has GOT To stop doing that BS. I think he thinks it's fun. Really Fun. Playful. I am sure he does not want me off, as I was on his neck, in front of the saddle, sliding off the side and clawed my way back on and he stood there, It is the closest he has ever come to getting me. Ha ha! I won!! :-) But, boy, it would really hurt if I went off! OUCH!