Living with O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome Just recently, after years of
research, I have finally been able to give a name to what my wife
and I have been living with for years. It's an affliction, for
sure, which when undiagnosed and misunderstood can devastate and
literally tear a family apart. Very little is known about O.C.E.A.N.
Syndrome. But it is my hope this article will generate interest from
researchers involved in the equine and psychological sciences. You
will, no doubt, begin to identify similar symptoms in your own family and
hopefully now be able to cope. Obsessive Compulsive Equine Attachment
Neurosis Syndrome (O.C.E.A.N.S) is usually found in the female and can
manifest itself anytime from birth to the golden years. Symptoms may appear
any time and may even go dormant in the late teens, but the syndrome
frequently
re-emerges in later years. Symptoms vary widely in both number and
degree of severity. Allow me to share some examples which are most
prominent in our home. The afflicted individual: 1. Can smell moldy
hay at ten paces, but can't tell whether milk has gone bad until it turns
chunky. 2. Finds the occasional "Buck and Toot" session hugely
entertaining, but severely chastises her husband for similar
antics. 3. Will spend hours cleaning and conditioning her tack, but
wants to eat on paper plates so there are no dishes. 4.
Considers equine gaseous excretions a fragrance. 5. Enjoys mucking out four
stalls twice a day, but insists on having a housekeeper mop the kitchen
floor once a week. 6. Will spend an hour combing and trimming an equine
mane, but wears a baseball cap so she doesn't waste time brushing her
own hair. 7. Will dig through manure piles daily looking for worms, but
does not fish.
8. Will not hesitate to administer a
rectal exam up to her shoulder, but finds cleaning out the Thanksgiving
turkey cavity for dressing quite repulsive. 9. By memory can mix
eight different supplements in the correct proportions, but can't make
macaroni and cheese that isn't soupy. 10. Twice a week will spend an
hour scrubbing algae from the water tanks, but has a problem cleaning
lasagna out of the casserole dish. 11. Will pick a horse's nose, and
call it cleaning, but becomes verbally violent when her husband picks
his.
12. Can sit through a four-hour session of a ground work clinic,
but unable to make it through a half-hour episode of Cops. The
spouse of an afflicted victim:
1. Must come to terms with the fact there
is no cure, and only slightly effective treatments. The syndrome may be
genetic or caused by the inhaling of manure particles which, I propose,
have an adverse effect on female hormones. 2. Must adjust the family
budget to include equine items - hay, veterinarian services, farrier
services, riding boots and clothes, supplements, tack, equine masseuse
and acupuncturist - as well as the (mandatory) equine spiritual guide,
etc. Once you have identified a monthly figure, never look at it again.
Doing so will cause tightness in your chest, nausea and occasional
diarrhea. 3. Must realize that your spouse has no control over this
affliction. More often than not, she will deny a problem even exists
as denial is common. 4. Must form a support group. You need to
know you're not alone - and there's no shame in admitting your wife has a
problem. My support group, for instance, involves men who truly enjoy
Harley Davidson's, four-day weekends and lots of scotch. Most times, she is
unaware that I am even gone, until the precise moment she needs help
getting a 50-pound bag of grain out of the truck. Now you can
better see how O.C.E.A.N.S. affects countless households in this country
and abroad. It knows no racial, ethnic or religious boundaries. It is a
syndrome that will be difficult to treat becausethose most affected are in
denial and therefore, not interested in a cure. So, I am taking it upon
myself to be constantly diligent in my researchin order to pass along
information to make it easier for caretakers to cope on a day to day
basis.
