A few years ago in December, we received a call from a woman who told us her mare had been in an accident in August. Her Friesian mare had come home Aug. 1st from training/showing with multiple skull fractures, internal hematoma, and facial nerve paralysis on the right side. The mare still could not move her ear, had a lavage system in her eye and her mouth was not working properly. This is Ivy and Susan's story.
December:
This is for my Friesian mare who came home Aug. 1st from training/showing (after 12 days at the U of Minn. Equine Center) with multiple skull fractures, internal hematoma, and facial nerve paralysis on the right side. We are doing acupuncture with a wonderful vet and have added light therapy. After about 3 days after beginning the light therapy, her eyelid was not just fluttering, but actually in sync with the other eyelid and is attempting to blink.
December:
It is not all the way yet - and may not be for quite awhile, but I see good signs of improvement and if it is like the ear, that is a wonderful sign. The ear was getting better, but has really advanced in the last week and is very mobile now. I do believe the light therapy has been of the most benefit. Oh --- the eye area also has more "tone" to it, if that makes sense and we have found that even if there doesn't seem to be ANY improvement in movement, the improved tone itself indicates that there are connections forming.
January:
She is very happy with the light pad on her forehead and the upper part of that side of her head -- below the ear and next to the eye, so she must know something.
I just wanted you to know that we have good blinking now on Ivy's eyelid and today I took out the one stitch that was closing the back half of her eye. With the increased usage and muscling, the rubber stopper holding the stitch in place was now angled differently and too close to the eyeball. Ivy was so relieved to get rid of that stitch! She has had it in for quite a few months and I know it was bothering her now. I will be making an appt. soon with the U of Minn. Ophthalmology department to get her in for a checkup and take the lavage system out of her lower eyelid. If she could talk I know she would say -- please soon!! She can be a real horse fairly soon! I will continue to use the light pad for her muzzle as the deviation has gotten alot better, but has quite a ways to go yet. But at least she can go outside a bit longer, and with another horse, after the hood comes off. I am just thrilled about her eyelid!!
Thanks for everything. I think the pad really helped accelerate the regeneration. There was very little movement when we started but I noticed a big jump in improvement in 3 days and it kept on getting better and better.
February:
We took Ivy to the U of Minn. last Monday for her ophthalmology checkup and new sets of skull x rays and she got a glowing report! Skull fractures look very good -- or rather have healed well -- and Dr. Gia Klaus, Ophthalmology, was SO impressed with the improvement in Ivy's eye --- FULL blink, not quite as strong as the good eye yet, but her tear production is better than the good eye! No lavage system now, no hood with the eyecup. We did graduate to a Guardian Mask just to keep dust and UV rays out until the eye is 100% - especially when she is outside for her short stints while I clean stalls. I showed your website to Dr. Klaus as she wanted to know all about it. In fact, they wrote it up in the report that I was using Light Therapy. I know Dr. Klaus was amazed at Ivy's improvement as Ivy's previous checkup with her was not very promising.
~Susan & Ivy