Thursday 19 April 2018

In Which Phantom Gets a (Temporary) Boob Job

I currently have a very sad, feeling sorry for herself, delicate flower of a pony.

Monday was vaccination day. Which means Phantom gets a week off of work. Because she gets lumps.
The left boob is a D cup, the right one only an A.

Well, these days just one lump. The last few years I've had her done with the intranasal flu/rhino, then the rest is given as a 4-way injection (WEE, EEE, tetanus, WNV). I have the injection given into her pectoral muscle in her chest.

She has reacted every year without fail. I haven't done the give everything separately to figure out what she reacts to method, because I honestly think she will probably react to everything. At one point we gave the west nile shot separately, which was suspected to be the one that she would react more to, but the two lumps she had from the two shots that day were pretty equal.

So bute, ice packs and DMSO for a week it is.
My attempt to strap an ice pack to her chest. 

I'm a bit more worried this year than previous years though. Vaccinations were given Monday morning. I gave her bute as soon as I got out that morning, about an hour before the vet arrived. On Tuesday I didn't get out to the barn until close to 8pm and the bute from the morning before had obviously worn off. The lump was quite large, Phantom wasn't comfortable walking forward, and most worrisome - she had a bit of a temperature. She doesn't usually have an increased temperature with her vaccination. It was just a bit on the high side at 38.5 (high normal is 38.3) so hopefully the bute that I gave her Tuesday night will take care of it. She was happily eating so I was only panicking a little on the inside.

The lump is about the size of a softball.

For some reason Phantom didn't seem to have the same sympathy towards me and my pain.

After the vet was out I had a massage scheduled for me. I get very tight in my lower back (probably from riding) and carry tension in my shoulders. My massages are not of the feel great variety, but more of the omfg that hurts and you feel like you got run over by a truck for the rest of the day type.  But they work and things feel looser and I feel straighter the next day.

This time my massage therapist wanted to try cupping to get some areas to release that just weren't releasing with her manipulation. I said sure, I'd never had it done to me before.

It wasn't overly unpleasant. A couple of times the pain was a bit too sharp and I had to have her back the suction off. But it definitely worked to get those areas to release.

But it left bruises.

Not really bad, but I'm glad it's not swimsuit season. Not that I would be posting a picture of me in a swimsuit on the interweb. It only hurts when I throw myself into a chair and lean against the back.

I'd get the cupping done again, as long as I knew what my wardrobe choices for the next week would be.


11 comments:

  1. That looks painful (for both you and Phantom)! Those are some gnarly bruises.

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  2. aww poor Phantom, and poor you! hope everyone feels better asap!

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    1. She'll be a solid 7-10 days before I can ride her again. I should be good much sooner.

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  3. Poor babies. Dancer used to react as well. Was fine the first few years when I had her done, then reacted. She would not even bend over to eat.

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    1. She looked much better today. I honestly think she milks it in the hopes of more treats, drama queen that she is.

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  4. Poor Phantom. Nilla has really bad reactions to vaccine too. She also gets boobs if injected in the chest. Have you tried injections in the highquarters. She does slightly better with those.

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    1. I haven't. Does Nilla get as big a lump in her butt as she does in her chest?

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  5. My eq vet told me the reactions are worst in the pectoral area so vac's better given in the neck.

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    1. I think the bump is bigger in her pec but it works out faster. Last time she was done in her neck it was 10 days before she could do a carrot stretch - to her shoulder. Not even to her hip. This time, on the fourth day after the shot she looked sound trotting and cantering around the ring. The lump is still there, but she's happy to move around.
      This horse's is very sensitive. She's come in with fat legs that I've had to really search for the tiny cut that caused it.

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  6. Poor Phantom, hope she feels better soon

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