Ear Update
Monday I went in and had the stitches removed. The doctor said it was healing wonderfully and I should keep up the good work. I need to continue being 'gentle' with it for a few more weeks. The swelling should go down in a bit and if I decide I want to get it repierced I have to wait for six weeks. I don't know if I want to get them repierced or not. I wear earring so rarely anyway, but we'll see.
The doctor said that the cyst essentially ruptured internally, which is what I figured, though he had been potomistic that it was just a simple cyst so there was a bit more work than he expected cleaning it up. I believe there were six stitches, four in front and two in back. Since my earlobe was (and still is) partially numb the stitch removal was rather painless. He said the numbness was normal. I would assume that since the ear lobe is not a high-bloodflow area it takes a bit longer for it to wear off.
The front looks great, even so soon after you can't see any real scaring. The back is a different matter. It is a bit pulled together and there will probably be some obvious marks, but it is also the back side of my ear so it doesn't really matter too much. I would hope that some of it will smooth out a bit if only for the fact that it would be easier to clean without the extra creases that have been created.
The cyst has the potential to return, but such is the nature of cysts. Next time I'm going to be smarter and not wait 6 years to do something about it and if nothing else don't pick at it!
I'm still wrapping it up to keep dirt and such from getting into it. My wrapping job makes it look a lot worse than it actually is. My driving (horse and buggy) instructor sympathized greatly. When you work around horses, and by default work in a less-than-clean environment you end up putting gauze and medical tape on something that a normal person would just put a band-aid on.
In other news, I got on Sahara for the first time Monday. She did well and I should be just riding her from this point on. She has a really rough walk. really rough walk. I was sore Tuesday from it and I was still a bit sore yesterday from it. It is very jolting and jarring. Not the normal rolling, rocking motion that you get from even a half descent walk. The only real saving grace for her is that she is gaited and has a smooth faster gait. Of course she isn't as smooth to ride as some of the really high quality gaited horses I've ridden, but it is an improvement on her walk.
Tuesday Tiffany came out and we hung out for a couple hours and rode in the arena as we talked. She has ridden some before, but not much. More of the 'climb on and hang on' school of riding.
I am getting into the habit of going out in the mornings and doing a short ride up and down Mews Rd. It's been really nice making that time to get in a nice, relaxed ride in before the rest of the day starts. Panda seems to be doing well with it as well. On days I plan on working her I should start taking the boy out too. Ola will be moving next month so he won't be getting the 3-4 days of work a week he has been getting.
Right now I'm sitting at the doctor's office with Mom. Afterwards we'll be doing some Christmas shopping and since the office is on the way I came with her. Of course the doctor is some 30 minutes behind schedule. That's okay, I have a sketchbook with me plus the phone to keep myself entertained.
The doctor said that the cyst essentially ruptured internally, which is what I figured, though he had been potomistic that it was just a simple cyst so there was a bit more work than he expected cleaning it up. I believe there were six stitches, four in front and two in back. Since my earlobe was (and still is) partially numb the stitch removal was rather painless. He said the numbness was normal. I would assume that since the ear lobe is not a high-bloodflow area it takes a bit longer for it to wear off.
The front looks great, even so soon after you can't see any real scaring. The back is a different matter. It is a bit pulled together and there will probably be some obvious marks, but it is also the back side of my ear so it doesn't really matter too much. I would hope that some of it will smooth out a bit if only for the fact that it would be easier to clean without the extra creases that have been created.
The cyst has the potential to return, but such is the nature of cysts. Next time I'm going to be smarter and not wait 6 years to do something about it and if nothing else don't pick at it!
I'm still wrapping it up to keep dirt and such from getting into it. My wrapping job makes it look a lot worse than it actually is. My driving (horse and buggy) instructor sympathized greatly. When you work around horses, and by default work in a less-than-clean environment you end up putting gauze and medical tape on something that a normal person would just put a band-aid on.
In other news, I got on Sahara for the first time Monday. She did well and I should be just riding her from this point on. She has a really rough walk. really rough walk. I was sore Tuesday from it and I was still a bit sore yesterday from it. It is very jolting and jarring. Not the normal rolling, rocking motion that you get from even a half descent walk. The only real saving grace for her is that she is gaited and has a smooth faster gait. Of course she isn't as smooth to ride as some of the really high quality gaited horses I've ridden, but it is an improvement on her walk.
Tuesday Tiffany came out and we hung out for a couple hours and rode in the arena as we talked. She has ridden some before, but not much. More of the 'climb on and hang on' school of riding.
I am getting into the habit of going out in the mornings and doing a short ride up and down Mews Rd. It's been really nice making that time to get in a nice, relaxed ride in before the rest of the day starts. Panda seems to be doing well with it as well. On days I plan on working her I should start taking the boy out too. Ola will be moving next month so he won't be getting the 3-4 days of work a week he has been getting.
Right now I'm sitting at the doctor's office with Mom. Afterwards we'll be doing some Christmas shopping and since the office is on the way I came with her. Of course the doctor is some 30 minutes behind schedule. That's okay, I have a sketchbook with me plus the phone to keep myself entertained.