June 20, 2017

Food Poisoning and a Horse Show

As Karen alluded to in her post, I came down with what I'm pretty sure was salmonella at 11pm Thursday night, when I had to be up at 4:00am for my flight home.  I was up every 20 minutes throwing up, and I couldn't even keep water down - which became a problem when I came very close to fainting getting on my connecting flight around 10am (dehydration?).

I had to go down to my hands and knees in the aisle to keep from passing out, then a flight attendant walked me all the way down the plane with my hands in her hands to put me next to the bathroom.  People thought I was afraid to fly - how embarrassing.  It was one of the worst trips home ever, for sure.
I used my helmet as a purse on the way home rather than check it. #onepersonalitem

I had my husband take a taxi the 52 miles to the airport because I wasn't sure I could drive myself home, and then I asked Karen - best blogger friend ever - if she would be willing to drive me and Connor to the horse park (thank goodness he only lives 20 minutes from the HHP now).  Yeah, I had a horse show, and yes, I seriously thought I would recover from food poisoning in 36 hours and be able to show on Saturday.

Nope.  Let's scratch Saturday.

Thanks Karen for this photo I didn't even know you took!  This is how we spent Saturday: sit in a chair for a while.  Do one thing.  Sit in a chair for a while.  Do another thing.

If I hadn't been sick, I would have had a schooling ride Friday and a test Saturday before my test on Sunday.  As it was, Sunday was my first ride in over a week.  In retrospect, I really should have scratched, but I was feeling better and it's really hard to kiss $300 goodbye and not have a single thing to show for it.

I was really hoping we could repeat our amazing 1-3 from the schooling show in May, but we did not. I was super not present in the ride, and was basically hanging on for dear life riding whatever horse I had...which was not my best horse.  Turns out just because we're progressing doesn't mean he'll go well if I don't ride at all.  Push button, this horse is not.


It wasn't all bad though.  This wasn't a judge I had ridden for before, and she gave us a lot of constructive comments.  We ended up scoring a 58% on a day when the highest tests were only in the mid 60's, and we deserved every bit of it.  Our comments were "lacking lateral suppleness and push".  Noted.

At the end of the day, I shrugged my shoulders and chalked it up as an expensive life lesson.  And immediately texted NK to start taking lessons again.

21 comments:

  1. Oh Jen..so sorry you had that happen before a show! I was thinking of you and Karen and hoping you both were kicking butt. Pony Cup next up?

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  2. Oh my gosh that's horrific! I had a violent stomach virus over the winter and I can't even IMAGINE having to fly on a plane, travel in a car, and be anywhere but in my bed on or the couch. You are a trooper and I'm so glad you recovered!

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  3. What a weekend, yikes. Hope you're on the mend.

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    1. It took a while to get over the dehydration especially, but I am definitely almost 100% normal now.

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  4. Dude you're a tough cookie. Hope you're feeling better and glad you've learned not to show after being that sick :)

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  5. Oooh what sucky timing to be sick! I can't imagine having to fly like that, ugh 😔

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    1. Yeah, I reeeeeeeally should have changed my flight. Oh well!

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  6. You poor thing. That sounds awful. I'm impressed that you got yourself on a plane, let alone a horse show.

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  7. SO sorry Jen. You are diehard though, to go on and show after all that.

    I passed out once while being violently ill from food poisoning in a Greyhound bus bathroom back in my poor college student days. 1. Good thing the bathrooms are tiny or I probably would have aspirated and looked like a junkie. 2. Did you know there isn't running water in bus bathrooms? Me neither. It was a dreadful experience...

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    1. Wow!! That would have been awful, not like you can stop the bus for water either.

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  8. I've had Salmonella Food Poisoning too -it's the fucking worst. I can't believe you made it on a flight!!

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  9. I don't think I could have made it through the flight. Glad you're doing better now.

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  10. Yup. You are a tough cookie. you guys will be back at it next show!

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  11. Wow major props to you for making it through all that! I can't do food poisoning it just floors me, to get on an airplane and then show after not riding for a week? No way!

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  12. I'm so sorry that happened to you...it happened to me the night before a morning flight to Mexico I was NOT going to miss - priorities, but here were a few eyebrows raised when I deked out of the customs line up and ran away to the washroom lol :) I'm glad you got to show a little bit, it sounds like you both did very well given the circumstances!

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  13. WOW. Glad you are feeling better now - that sounds terrible!

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  14. Stomach stuff like that is the worst :( glad you're feeling better!

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