Another one bites the dust

[MaineSkiLady]

Thanks, all ! Like SNWL w/her daughter getting lacerated and stitched today, I'm heaving a sigh of relief. All things considered, it could always have been worse. OTOH, it shouldn't really have happened at all - NOT on a black diamond catwalk with a minimum of 10 people poised at the edge of the drop-off run ready to hit it. 10 people there, and I get picked for the hit.... .....But hey, I'm a tough old broad and have worked out long and hard enough to whip this bod back into shape. It was just the thought of surgery that had me freaked. I've never even had an MRI! And only 2 surgeries in my whole life - one a tonsillectomy at age 5 - not real experienced in the serious medical realm, knock on wood.

You all have been a bright spot since this happened. Really.
A ton of thanks!

 

[Pequenita]

Has anyone noticed the difference between Birthday greetings and "get well and get back on the slopes" threads?

At least we have our priorities in order

MSL............Get better and get back out there!!!

Yeah, no kidding, you ladies don't care about me, so I have extended my birthday celebration into this week.

MSL - so glad to hear that the ligaments are holding together! Woohoo!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Yeah, no kidding, you ladies don't care about me, so I have extended my birthday celebration into this week.

I say nothing less than a week of celebrating for our b-days!
Hey thanks, p, sorry I "stole your thunder." Man, I sure wish otherwise, I really didn't need this injury....However, happy to report that I just walked down to the mailbox, 145 ft driveway, sloping. Took me awhile, but I did it w/o crutches and no "zing/zaps" from my nerves. Also just postponed my intensive eval at ortho to next Monday, given the forecast. Currently am scrutinizing list of provided exercises for patella tendon, but assumption made in all is that one leg is still good - instructions say "put uninjured leg..." etc. Hmmm. That won't work. The leg that hurts more is the one that doesn't have a knee injury (soleus - calf). Guess I'll just chill and bother everyone here today. Slow day....bear w/me.

And party on!

 

[SnowHot]

Well, I think its great that we celebrate getting back on the slopes more than getting older.!!!

Ski more..............don't grow old, just grow!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Ski more..............don't grow old, just grow!

Not in girth, I hope! I haven't been on a diet for 44 years for nothing.

 

[SnowHot]

Not in girth, I hope! I haven't been on a diet for 44 years for nothing.

Expand your horizons
Expand the waist of your skis
But NOT your literal waist!!!
How is that!?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Expand your horizons
Expand the waist of your skis
But NOT your literal waist!!!
How is that!?

But of COURSE ! You knew I knew what you meant!!
Oh boy, am I bored today or what........waiting for this monster storm to blow in, and I know my spirits are NOT going to be good once it's here.....we've waited awhile for a good one in New England, too. Sigh...

 

[retromaven]

Oh, MSL, thanks for the ping, I really have to be more thorough in checking some of the other areas of the boards here. Just call me a day late and a dollar short. This is TERRIBLE! Boy, like you hadn't been knocked around enough with the hip earlier this season. I don't really ski on weekends, as I dread this kind of incident with overcrowding on the slopes. I'm sorry you are going to lose at least several weeks of the season. That probably hurts as much as the injury.

I am happy to hear that it is not something that requires surgery and hope you hear good news when you get to the ortho. Sorry you are in so much pain now. Sucks, especially since you are pretty isolated up there, but we'll keep you company and chat you up so you can keep the boredom and pain at bay!

You are a tough cookie, that you skied down that run after a hit like that. WOW! Anyway, we're here for you!

Retro

 

[num]

Glad to hear you made it to the mailbox crutch and nerve-zing free!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

We are strong, we are Divas

Hey! I can walk, not even on an angle! I can drive! Stick shift too! I can do the stairs normally! This is coming along very nicely (all things considered). Bigger worry now is friend atlantiqueen (see her thread goodbye mobility) - just got off the phone w/her, and she's about to enter the ever-wonderful "acute" stage of a knee tweak, poor thing. And on the cusp of a pow day :( However, that notwithstanding, the rate at which this is lessening is very encouraging, and I intend to be back out there in ax 12 days. Maybe just cruising the greens, but oh my, it will feel nice. Big thumbs up!

 

[SuperMoe]

Enforcer

Can I volunteer to be the board enforcer? I'll find that pissant that took out MSL and give 'em a good thumping. (I always wanted to play hockey, just so I could smash people into the boards)

I'll give you a special sticker for your helmets...touch it whenever you're in trouble and I'll come skiing out of the skies and kneecap whatever jerk is causing problems.

I can see it now...a ski diva sticker with a SuperMoe warning. Boarder boys trembling at the thought of being struck down on the slopes after coming to close to one of the Divas:ROTF:

What color do you think my cape should be?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

What color do you think my cape should be?

BLACK!

BTW, was just chatting with atlantiqueen about our respective injuries - she's awesome, we were actually :ROTF: after a fashion - and I have to tell you all the bad news that it was a FEMALE who did the damage.
For real.

 

[volklgirl]

Oh MSL.

I just got caught up on this. So sorry to hear of your injuries, but glad that the initial prognosis is good!

Keep on icing that baby and just because you CAN walk and drive, etc...doesn't mean you SHOULD. Take care of yourself!!!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

^^^ Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't, but hey---Sunday I was doing the heavy-hitter runs, today I'm thrilled to get up and down the stairs in less than 90 seconds??? Seriously, it IS neat--how quickly we take all that little stuff for granted. I'm behaving, but oh that ice---chills me to the bone. I'm using a regulation, post-surgical Cryo Cuff, remnants of DS's ACL surgery. BRRRRRRRRRRR. Never mind that a powder day is pending....I can WALK!

Gimme 12 more days, I'll be good to go - at least on the easy stuff??

 

[IcyBum]

A couple of things I've learned with various knee and hip injuries... and boy do I know about being "Icy"!
When I had kneecap pain I was instructed (but realize there are many other views on this) to keep ice on for at most 20 min., and then massage to get the circulation going again, then re-ice and elevate, and so forth. In my own experience prolonged icing stiffened things up too much, and that hurts, too.
I'd guess that alternating icing and elevation with brief walks to keep circulation going, since that's not too uncomfortable, would be a really good thing. In healing from my broken hip I often experienced the oddest thing...my joint would be feeling like crud, quads would be spasming and stiffening, everything so sore, but then I'd get on my bike trainer and do 2-3 minutes of gentle spinning and it would all feel so much better! And this was only 5-6 weeks post-op. To this day, exercising to warm up and loosen (lubricate?) my stiffened or sore joints just feels so good (afterwards!).
Lastly, I'd recommend this stuff called Biofreeze for your pulled soleus. Google it and see what you think. It's not like BenGay - just makes it feel like it's been iced without the frozen solid feeling you get from icing.
Don't mean to be preachy. Hope there's something in here that helps!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Biofreeze, huh? Just googled it and read the official website. Will ask the ortho PA-C next Monday, as I have "freaky" skin that reacts to lots of stuff (I've been literally "burned" by heat stuff like Ben Gay). But indeed, I am doing the 20 minute icings, massages, light warm-ups (as much as I can manage), elevating when possible----and watching all my hard-earned muscle tone elsewhere starting to vaporize---:(

Boy, the older one gets, the faster that goes away....

Interestingly, the injured whatever in my calf is fairly prominent when my legs are fully extended, as is the patella tendon, other knee (what fun to have both legs affected... ).

Bottom line: this too shall pass. I'm a big girl, gotta put on those big girl panties and deal with it. So far, so good. Will NOT be looking out the window at the new snow tomorrow....Last year, our snowiest month here was April (95"), so there IS hope!

 

[IcyBum]

I first saw Biofreeze at my ostepath's office. I was curious and inquired... Liked it so much I brought it with me when we hiked the Presidentials over the summer (I had just fallen through a hole in the floor, adding injury to injury!). That stuff felt great at the end of a long day.

I know how fast muscles recede - amazingly, depressingly fast! - I don't think my atrophy will ever be fully resolved. Thank goodness for the bike, which has helped the left bum cheek regain some of its prior, uhmmm...lift? Such as it was! And lots of edema is still there around the hip and upper thigh (just what I wanted - cellulite on ONE leg!) but a PT gal told me about the benefits of the high density "foam roller" and that has really helped my misbehaving muscles. So check that one out, too! A quick google revealed that performbetter.com has some. I use mine for front/back/sides of all parts of legs, and also for my back. I wonder if it wouldn't help release the tension in your pulled calf muscle. But under a PT's direction, of course...

You've got such a great attitude - it's too bad about the timing of this big dump! Maybe you can get DH to dress you up like Lara in Dr. Zhivago and take you on a sled dog ride! Shall we all PM him?

 

[snowgem]

Ow, ow, ow. What a story. How could that other skier been so oblivious! It has to be frustrating - how it happened and then to be in pain and so out of commission. :Cry: Sending lots of speedy healing thoughts.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

One day at a time. Really and truly, what I've got going on doesn't hold a candle to something like IcyBum's HIP FRACTURE ( ) or Telluride Ski Babe's multiple fractured humerus and torn rotator cuff ( again), not to mention 2 broken wrists (sibhusky) and a number of other diva injuries that really merit major consolation.

What's terribly ironic is that I have this huge fear of skier collisions - and have for several years (now justifiably, huh??). I've reached a point in my own skiing, especially this season, where I can handle all the geography and conditions. Can't control other people, though, so I wind up skiing with a sense of near-paranoia. I just can't even count at this point how many near-clips I've had - some of them so jaw-dropping that DH - an otherwise mild-mannered, quiet guy - experienced blood boiling.

Why do people do this? It's so discouraging. The irony is that, on a VERY uncrowded black (the only route down after the hit) run, I almost got clipped AGAIN. Minimum 75 foot wide run, one of the widest at the place, and this guy comes within 3 feet of me. (for those who know it, Haulback). Without calling his pass. The other place I've experienced a bare bones minimum of 3 near-clips this season alone is Lazy River at Sunday River, an almost unavoidable connector run to other resort areas.

Oh well, no point in getting myself worked up over it - it is what it is, and I'm feeling a little better every day. Will be back out there with a vengeance (possibly the wrong choice of words?? ) - as soon as I get a fixed date from ortho next Monday!

 

[NannyMin]

Maybe you can get DH to dress you up like Lara in Dr. Zhivago and take you on a sled dog ride! Shall we all PM him?

I love this! MSL, I really think you need to show this thread to Mr. MSL!

Oh, and don't forget the white hot chocolate to sip and savor while you ride!