Hello Everyone! I have alot on my mind. This week I will be having surgery AGAIN. I will be having my spinal cord detethered for the second time. The 1st time was only 4 years ago. I have ridden my entire life… ride, teach, train , show(hunters, jumpers, &Eq), have a farm and board…this all came to a halt after my 1st surgery, I started to feel worse. I did wait to ride, but when you have horses in for training. …you can only wait so long. So I worked my way back to w/t/c , had a hard time keeping my outside leg behind the girth for a long time . I needed s "tall " mounting/dismounting block. I could no longer just step into the stirrup and put my legs over. Long story short , 3 MRI s later and I am retethered. I haven’t ridden for the last year and a half. I’M DYING TO RIDE- PERIOD.
this is what’s in my future “surgery wise”
This week, detether cord, remove lipoma, insert GORE TEX APPLICATION (which should have been done the first time but wasnt) and possibly another laminectomy. …I am leaving my state to completely different neurosurgeon, whom are the best of the best, then directly to Kessler rehabilitation in West Orange (where Christopher Reeves went immediately after his riding accident and surgery )
I know when THIS HEALS that I will then have one more surgery to stabilize my spine. I Dont want fusion and have looked into having what’s called the “Dyness” system. HAS ANYONE HAD THIS AND BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RIDE AGAIN???.. PLEASE talk to me about back surgeries, and how you are able to reride, your limits, your goals. My brief history, 5 years ago at age 40, I was diagnosed with spina bifida and tethered cord syndrome. I’VE RIDDEN PROFESSIONALLY and constantly my entire life…never a REAL PROBLEM until after my 1st detethering. If there is Anyone here that could relate, give advice , or just tell me your story. …ease do. I may not be able to get back on and respond immediately but anything you can say Will help, Thank you, Dawn Castignoli
I am one week post op from a spinal fusion of L4-L5 with two lateral titanium rods and screws and a medial self bone graft. I burst fractured the two vertebrae and stretched my spinal cord in the process, leaving my R leg motionless and my L without sensory feeling. I am now learning to walk again, and have mobility and sensation in both lower limbs as the cord heals. There is a lot of surgical site pain, but I’m managing it well with rest, stretching and bursts of unbridled cursing. I stopped taking the OxyContin because it wasn’t doing me any favors. I am a professional dressage trainer and rider, and my immediate goal is to get back to teaching, then riding next May 2016. I have a surgeon whom I trust and am confident that my body has enough muscle memory to get back to riding with the right patience and PT. My doc operates on our city’s (St Louis) professional football and hockey players, so when I asked if I would ride again, he said “of course”. I will likely stay off the babies, greenies and behaviorally challenged, and maybe eventing will no longer be on my radar, but I will absolutely get on a horse, in my best capacity, again!
All the best to you too!
All I can say is Good luck with your surgery.Hope it all turns out well for you and you are back in the saddle asap.
I too wish you good luck. It sounds like you are in very good hands. Good job on lining up a great doctor and a good support system.
Hi deycubber, how are you feeling?
Thank you! Kab and Chall 
Like a miracle. I am walking with a limp due to some L leg weirdness, but I’m about 7 weeks and cautiously roaming about. I am trying my best to take it slowly, but it’s hard! I have seen my horses but am absolutely not doing anything sporting with them until at least May 2016. That’s going to be the toughest!
How has your back been behaving this summer, post-operatively?!
Hi devcubber. I’d love more info on both of your surgeries. I’m a vet student (going in to equine med), and a former dressage rider (still do pleasure riding). I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with a probable tethered cord, severe kyphosis with disc disease, a chiari malformation, clivo-axial instability, and a C4/C5 subluxation. We will most likely start with detethering the cord to see if that improves the kyphosis situation. How long did you have to wait to ride after surgery? How long until you could drive? How long until you think you could have comfortably sat through a lecture?
Thoroughlydaft, are you sure you want to do equine medicine? Equine medicine is like doing construction. You are doing pushed around a lot and do a lot of heavy lifting. Why don’t you do small animal? Your body and your bank account will be happier if you do small animals.
I’m very sure I want to do equine med, and I’m very familiar with the demands it places on my body.
Hi! I think your surgery is more like what the OP gray17htb had - I had burst fractures and a stretched cord that was repaired by hardware and a bone graft. I can tell you, the only comfortable position (and I’m at about 8 weeks post-op) is standing. Walking is fine, sitting is the worst, followed by laying down. The break and collapse of my spine caused scoliosis of my lower spine, and while it is stable, it is also forever crooked.
Attitude is everything - I think you’ll have to adjust your expectations for lecture halls, and you’ll need to be super mindful of your body in relation to your giant patients, but otherwise you’ll adapt.
My experience has gone by so fast, I can’t believe that the hardest parts (surgery and basic recovery) are over. I’m walking and doing lots of PT, teaching 4 afternoons/week, and getting more and more limber. I am not getting back on a horse until May 2016 to allow this bone graft to heal and fuse (normal timeline).
Good luck and keep us posted!
I salute you for grabbing the bull by the horns and trying surgery; it sounds as if you are still quite active I found grooming to be a good gauge to my healing; It ws after one injury that, I decided to learn TTEAM and equine sports massage therapy I hope you, too, are able to find something to advance your hands on time:) with your horses:yes: Is there a good trainer near you who, would allow you to audit lessons/ training rides?
praying and jingling like mad!:yes:
Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. I’m checking in. It’s almost 6 months post surgery to the day (April 24th ). I had my spinal cord detethered, my neurosurgeon literally had to remove scar tissue from 1st surgery from around my cord, including directly off the spinal nerves. I had another lamenectomy, lipoma removal, and finally a “Gore tex” application was sewn in to prevent future retethering.
This surgery was nothing I could have ever imagined . The pain was unbearable. I spent several days in post op,then more in a special care unit. Then transferred to Kessler rehab where I had acute rehab for weeks. From there I transferred to "sub acute"rehab where PT, OT, AIDES AND NURSING came to me until almost July. At that point I still needed a walker and was unable to do almost anything myself. I spent 3 months out of state. I was flown back home by JET ICU, because I was unable to sit longer than 30 minutes. I stayed at my mom’s and she has taken me to outpatient physical therapy all the way through now ( mid October).
I now am using a cane mostly (keeping the walker closeby) i am relearning how to walk. I still cannot put my sneakers on. Obviously still can’t drive a car.
I don’t have the same back pain as before I have nerve pain which I’ve never had, ( totally different ) Starting extreme waist to feet post surg. Now mostly lower legs and feet. IT’S WORKING IT’S WAY OUT ;)…so they say. My neurosurgeon said it should take 3–6 months TO START feeling normal ( he wasn’t joking,and I didn’t believe THAT for a minute )…HE WAS RIGHT. But he also told me that the goal of this surgery was that "not only should I feel better than before surgery, but better than BEFORE MY FIRST SURGERY "…THIS, would be a gift.
So that’s my updates. I’ve managed to get a lot of tack cleaned, one good thing 
as soon as I’m sitting on a horse, you will hear from me again! . Thank you for your support, and if I can answer any questions I’d be more than happy
