A Unexpected Hospital Visitor Wants to Talk Horses

 Part 1


It was over two weeks before the surgeon heard any gut sounds from my abdomen. Then I think I was finally allowed a few ice chips. Gradually they added clear liquids and I worked my way up until I was finally able to try real food. It was a slow process.

 I can't even say when I finally got off of TPN but I was sure glad to get that gone. Having that tether was really difficult. I didn't realize how much I took my freedom to move around at will for granted until it was gone. Not that I really felt well enough to go anywhere but being stuck in that bed with my choice taken away added to the overwhelming feelings my life was totally out of control.

 I knew I needed to focus on the positives if I wanted to survive but it was difficult to find positives with so many negatives. One good thing was the reattachment of my colon went well. There had been evidence that things were working OK before my gut shut down. Even when that happened the surgeon didn't think it was related to a failure of the reconnection.

That was a huge relief because that ostomy was particularly uncomfortable. I found it difficult to ignore the intense pain associated around it and through it. It was hard to imagine people live their lives dependent on something that caused such misery. If there had to be only one thing going right this time around, I was glad it was that one. I remember the surgeon telling me if it did fail, we could always try again in a year or so. That prospect sounded insurmountable.

It had been at the beginning of my hospitalization that a family had come to the farm to see horses. They did not get to ride because I was no there but they wanted to return another time to get that done. Because of my complications that didn't work out and they ended up buying a quarter horse instead long before I ever got sprung from the hospital.

They were very nice people and probably would have been a great home for a horse, however, I wasn't sure their skill level was going to be a good fit for the horse of mine they thought they wanted.  I was relieved when they decided they found another horse. It sounded like that one was perfect for them and that was what I wanted for them......and the horse, no matter whose it was.

The second party contacted me while I was in the hospital. I spoke with her several times and she was determined to see horses while I was still in there.

Like others who came to see horses she was told what Kelly Panowicz had said. I don't know if that is why she decided she wanted to stop by the hospital after her visit or not but coming to see me seemed as important to her as seeing the horses.

Dave and Lindsay showed both parties all of the horses. That seems to be what happens here although it was suggested by Crystal Baker that doing so is a mistake. She thinks it overwhelms people so they don't know what they like anymore so they go someplace else where they don't have to choose.

It seems to me no one really knows, until they see that special horse, exactly what it might turn out to be. Afterall I found Scandalous in a herd of fifty-five and I wasn't even looking for a horse. Then the people I bought Heiress from only showed very specific horses but none of them were right. I pushed them to show me others and only then found Heiress. What do you think the best strategy is?

We try to do whatever our visitors prefer....which tends to be looking at all of the horses, as both of these parties opted to do.

After seeing the horses this woman called me to double check directions and let me know she was on her way.  I must admit I didn't know what to expect. Having a stranger wanting to come by the hospital isn't normal fare by any stretch of the imagination. I was interested to hear her impression of my horses and concerned about her agenda for the visit at the hospital.

Any concerns I had were dispelled almost immediately. Even though I had not met this woman before, we hit it off like we were old friends. I got comfortable with her before we even got to the important part of the conversation.

For this woman seeing all the horses was a treat. Her mother had been a breeder back in the hey day. Her mother is gone now but being around horses of such quality brought back good memories for her.

She stayed for a couple of hours. We talked about the horses, their condition and what Kelly Panowicz and Crystal Baker had said and done. She made it clear how appalled she was at their subterfuge and that she had no doubt my horses had been fine when these women claimed otherwise. Like everyone else who had seen my horses right before or within a short time afterwards Panowicz's visit, she saw well cared for, happy healthy horses and she believed that Doc had been obtained under fraudulent circumstances. In addition she encouraged me to pursue legal recourse .

What made this woman different from the others was her extensive work with equine rescue. She had enough experience to say without a doubt my herd had been healthy all along. There was no way an entire herd could have been in seizable condition in September and totally recovered in just weeks. We had quite the lengthy conversation about how I had been duped by Kelly's claims of her experience with animal rescue when it was nothing more than a ruse to obtain the most marketable horses from my herd. It was definitely an enlightening conversation and it would prove to be useful in ways I couldn't yet imagine....


To be continued.......

Getting Sprung.........