Chairlift up...Snow stretcher down...The mountain always wins!

[Gailey]

Date: 3/10/2010 11:33:30 AM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

I hear ya on the meds and nausea--you might need to get some gravol for your post-op/recovery period. No pain = better recovery/healing. When I worked in daycare we did a lot of ACL repairs, many doc''s used the cryo after (cold pac) and it helps with swelling. I''ve had many many friends tear their ACL''s skiing, and although they all complained the first few night post op were ''quite'' painful, all but one said their recovery was unevenful and went on to physiotherapy and a full recovery. It helps if your Orthopod is a ''knee'' guy (sports med guy).

Take care! ( for what it''s worth, I think of you as a faithful, boy-bunny--rescuing type)

cheers--Sharon

Gravol never stopped the puking for me. I got a Rx for stronger stuff.

Knew there was a good reason I didn''t take up skiing when I came to Canada - never did learn how to stop.

Good luck Dee Jay!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I have no advice but wanted to wish you a speedy recovery. Lots of pain pills hurt my stomach too but I find codeine doesn''t. Even after I had T I opted for the "weaker" pain pills b/c the super strong ones make me feel sick. Good luck at your appointment!

 

[PumpkinPie]

wow - sorry to hear about your injury - but the baby bunny and small boy story is the one I would stick with too if I were you

I don''t have any experience to share with you (I''m too clumsy to even attempt skiing) but I hope you feel better soon

 

[Karl_K]

yikes!
Sorry to hear about your injury
Get well quick!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Maisie, you are a wise woman!

OMG Zoe, that seriously made me LOL! If the choices are have the pain or lose the leg, I'm keeping the pain!

Portia, wishing you a lifetime of injury free skiing! Was at Snowmass at the time.

Yssie, thanks! I'm glad you liked the story!

Gailey, yes, stopping seems to be my problem too... *Going* I'm good; *Stopping* I'm bad!

Tacori, have given up on the prescription stuff altogether, just taking Aleve.

Maevie, I'm happy to report the bunny and the boy are living happily every after!

Thanks Karl!

 

[Catmom]

Oh DJ, I''m so sorry you were injured!! Are you sure you didn''t do it just to get a ride through O''hare?!

I hope the pain diminishes as fast as possible!! I can''t help you with the skiing....my version of skiing is on my butt the entire trip down the mountain but I do know many softball players that have had several ACL tears and after the surgeries were right back at it. Hope you heal quickly sweetie!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I''m really sorry that you are injured! I really am... but am I the only one a little hopeful that this means you''ll be on the computer more in the next few weeks?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Michelle, well I did get to enjoy two spectacular wheelchair rides through the Denver airport and again at Midway!

Sara, LOL on the computer time...I can''t seem to do much else, so maybe!


OK, now this is the part where everyone can say, "Dee, stay off the internet!!!" BUT I am thinking it may not be my ACL, or if it is, maybe it''s also something else. The things I read say that once you tear your ACL and the initial pain is over, it''s over. Here I am 5 days out and I still have quite a bit of pain, mostly down the back of my knee, but also on the sides. And I am swollen up like crazy, which I understand also doesn''t go on so much with an ACL injury. So maybe it''s something else...? Oh AND I decided maybe I should try to bend it a little every day because by the time I get into the doctor 10 days after my injury I just know that''s the first thing he''s gonna do and I''m DREADING it. Ack! Last night I sat on the couch and inched my heel back a centimeter at a time until I got it to about 75 degrees. I''m hoping for 90 degrees by the time I go in. Double Ack!!!

 

[gailrmv]

hey there Dee Jay!
My good friend who lives in Chicago ALSO tore her ACL while skiing in CO. Small world! (In fact, I''m almost positive you know her brother, as he is big in your industry, but I don''t want to say his name on here.) Anyway, I asked my friend who did her surgery and she said: "My surgeon is Dr. Mark Bowen. He is part of the Northwestern Orthopedic Institute. I highly recommend him and the group. If NU isn''t in their network, I''ve heard good things about Dr. Cole at Rush."
Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[portia]

DeeJay,

Just popping in to see how you''re doing. Did they completely rule out a broken bone at the hospital in Aspen? If it is broken, I would think it''s not a good idea to move it. I haven''t had any knee/leg injuries, but I''m an expert at broken/dislocated elbows, wrists, hands, etc. lol Every time I broke a bone it was immediately immobilizied. You''re making nervous, girl! Is there any way you can get in to someone sooner?

Hope your pain has eased and you''re feeling better.

 

[monarch64]

Dee! I am so sorry to hear that you''re injured! At least you were having fun when it happened and it wasn''t some stupid random occurrence. My best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I have no experience with ACL tears myself. I do have a friend, however, who tore hers during a bachelorette party I attended 7 years ago. We were all walking into the Baton Club downtown and she tripped on the sidewalk and the rest is history. Torn ACL, surgery, ligaments damaged, etc. She''s been through several surgeries but has finally ended up ok. She got married about a year ago in Vegas and transformed her body completely by working out and eating healthy for a year before the wedding. She''s now preggo with their first. So you know...you''ll survive!

Keep us posted. I picture you looking all dolled up in bed a la Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl with your injured leg. Hee hee.

 

[Gypsy]

Feel better honey!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 3/11/2010 12:44:07 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Michelle, well I did get to enjoy two spectacular wheelchair rides through the Denver airport and again at Midway!


Sara, LOL on the computer time...I can''t seem to do much else, so maybe!



OK, now this is the part where everyone can say, ''Dee, stay off the internet!!!'' BUT I am thinking it may not be my ACL, or if it is, maybe it''s also something else. The things I read say that once you tear your ACL and the initial pain is over, it''s over. Here I am 5 days out and I still have quite a bit of pain, mostly down the back of my knee, but also on the sides. And I am swollen up like crazy, which I understand also doesn''t go on so much with an ACL injury. So maybe it''s something else...? Oh AND I decided maybe I should try to bend it a little every day because by the time I get into the doctor 10 days after my injury I just know that''s the first thing he''s gonna do and I''m DREADING it. Ack! Last night I sat on the couch and inched my heel back a centimeter at a time until I got it to about 75 degrees. I''m hoping for 90 degrees by the time I go in. Double Ack!!!

Careful Dee - what if you are damaging it more? Can you just CALL and ask what they advise? Did you land on it or wrench it? Like maybe you broke your kneecap or you have some little bones floating in there? If it ISN''T the acl - maybe moving it is a bad thing?

 

[mrssalvo]

oh deejay....eek. well at least there isn''t a ton of snow your way you have to worry about slipping on

I do think the ACL repair surgery is so much easier than it was even 10 years ago. still not a cake walk but not a never ended rehab process like it once was. hugs to you woman!

 

[miraclesrule]

Dee,

That sucks! I''m so grateful you saved so many people on your way down the mountain.

Unfortunately, I have managed a lot of ACL cases. No two patients are the same. You''re not gonna want to hear this, but sometimes a fracture heals more quickly than an ACL tear/repair.

I might have missed the post with the treatment plan so I don''t know if you had surgery yet or if that is still a future possibility.

I''m sending a lot of healing energy vibes to your extremity.

 

[Dee*Jay]

TanDogMom, Hello! Unfotunately Drs. Bowen and Cole are at the same ortheopedic conference that my doctor (Charles Bush-Joseph) is at this week. Believe me, I've tried to get into anyone who's anyone and they are all tied up.

Portia, the first thing they did was take an x-ray to make sure nothing was broken, so at this point it's down to "softer" things that can only be detected by an MRI.

Monarch, LOVE the working girl image, LOL!

Thank you Gypsy, I'm doing the best I can!

Oh Mrs. S, I think snow might push me over the edge right now... !

Miracles, so given my ongoing pain and the swelling, do you think it might be something *other* than my ACL? (I know, doncha love these questions?! It's like, "Hey, did I buy a good diamond?" with no numbers or pictures, ha ha!)

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Dee Jay, call someone to see if you should be moving it. Esp. if you aren''t sure what is torn...

My knee was swollen and very painful for several weeks.

I can''t believe there''s an orthopedist conference the weekend you need someone?!?!?!? isn''t there anyone left in their practice?

 

[miraclesrule]

Okay, I''m back home and re-read your posts. I''m indignant on your behalf that you have to wait for so long to see a doctor, but I suppose if I put it in perspective and realize it isn''t life threatening, I can calm myself down. I''m just used to badgering my way through bureaucracy on behalf of my injured workers.

If you are swelling and in a lot of pain, you just need to ice, ice, and ice some more. Advil is beneficial not because it does a hellava lot for pain, but because of it''s anti-inflammatory properties. Evidence and 30 years has shown me that it is far more effective in the short term than Aleve, which is Naproxen Sodium, and takes a lot longer course of treatment for it''s anti-inflammatory properties to kick in....for most people. I recommend Aleve for chronic pain as opposed to acute pain, which you are clearly in at this point.

I wouldn''t suggest any passive or active range of motion due to the high probability of instability. You don''t want to risk doing further damage. It''s best to get a definitive diagnosis first. You could unintentionally cause an incomplete tear to become a complete tear and that would be no bueno. Yanno! Time to cozy up to a Kindle and have the XHH be the caretaker. Do you have crutches? Are you in a boot as least? Dang, I still can''t believe you have to wait so long to see the ortho.

If you are really brave and have a rebel edge, you can rub some Arnica cream onto your knee as well.

 

[treefrog]

Holy cow... what are the odds of this??? That same boy petting the bunny was in front of me years ago as I was skiing out of an avalanche!

Ok... so I was on an intermediate slope. I''m an expert skier preferring black diamonds and double blacks and they had some gates set up on a blue for a race and I thought I''d take a few. At the time, I was on a 204cm slalom ski, razor sharp edges for east coast ice. But this was a very warm day in Virginia with soft, slushy snow. I went to turn but my skis kept going straight in that slush. I went down. It hurt like heck but being a tough guy and thinking I was OK, I got back up after a bit and started skiing again. Not realizing my knee was blown, I went to turn and it just didn''t happen. I went down and stayed down.

I''m sure the ski patrol heard me on the other side of the resort. This was on day 1 of a 3 day weekend with a bunch of friends. I got a ski patrol ride down and they looked at my knee. Said I probably blew my ACL and they gave me crutches and told me to go to a hospital or see an ortho doc as soon as I got home. I spent most of the weekend in the bar holding down a big table for my friends as they came in for breaks.

The ortho doc looked at my knee, took x-rays, and put me in a knee brace for a few weeks and had me come back for a checkup after that before I went to see a physical terrorist. He said my knee didn''t feel right and he sent me for more scans. He said I did a lot more damage than he thought. I promptly went to a new ortho doc and he set me up for surgery after seeing I blew my ACL, MCL, and LCL. He put me in a full leg cast for a while, then a knee brace while I went through PT. It was a few years before I was confident enough to ski again and I''''ve been back on expert slopes and doing a little racing. I do ski with a small neoprene ski brace (not sure if it''s needed or not but I like the ''sense'' of security it gives me.) My knee feels great now and I am so glad I found a good doc... after wasting a lot of time in a brace with the first doc. My physical terrorist was a girl that I grew up with in the neighborhood and she knew me well enough to know the activities I did and she gave me no slack at all in PT. In fact, she probably worked me harder than she would somebody else.

You''ll pull through. Just be careful with it for now. Find a good ortho doc, maybe somebody that is more geared towards sports injuries if you''re active. You don''t want to do more damage while your knee is weak so be careful. I may not have been too bad off from the initial fall but the second fall certainly didn''t do me any favors.

Treefrog

 

[Dee*Jay]

Bella, yes, it appears every doctor has fled the city right when I need them...

Miracles, thank you SO MUCH for your post! The way they put it to me is that once I got carried off the mountain and they made sure nothing was broken the *emergency * was over, so waiting to see the doc is not big deal. (For them, anyway...) OK, I have ixnayed the Aleve and am now taking ibuprofin. I''m going for 800 mgs at a time (so four pills); I hope that''s alright. I''m also back on the ice. They told me to ice it for 48 hours after, but what the hell, it can''t hurt so I''m doing it again in the hopes of helping the swelling that way too. No boot, but a brace that has metal sruts on the sides and that goes from about mid-thigh to mid-calf, held together by velcro. And my knee cap swells out of this hole in the middle. Tres sexy!!!

Treefrog, what a crazy coincidence!!! Did you ever heard from the pregnant nuns again though? They promised to say a rosary for me as they went speeding off in thier schoolbus, but that''s the last I saw of the penguins... And WOW, that''s a lot of ''CLs...

I admire the fact that you are skiing again. I have to confess the idea seems a little daunting to me right now, but knowing myself I think I will probably do it again, although with some hesitancy at first. And I *wish* I could say it was a double black, but just a blue for ''lil ol'' clutzy Dee! As for the conditions, I really do think that played a part. Keep in mind this was only my fourth ski trip ever so I''m very new at all this, and I''d only ever skiied in powder before. Last weekend it was really warm (40s) in the day, and then would freeze at night, so although it would get a fresh coating every night I was basically skiing on ice. Good for the speed, bad for the stopping (which isn''t really my strong point anyway...) YOWCH!

 

[treefrog]

I didn''t see the busload of nuns but I''m pretty sure I saw stars and angels after I saved the boy from the 600 foot wide avalanche that took out half the town!

Wish the real story involved a double black but my fall was on a blue as well. My friends referred to it as a green but it was a blue. Really, it was!

It took a lot of nerve to get on the slopes again but hiding behind the comfort of a small brace helps a lot. I did ski once without the brace and the knee felt fine but I like the warm fuzzy of using the brace. Many world class ski racers wreck their knees at some point in their career and return to skiing without a brace but I''m not a world class racer and didn''t have Dr. Steadman (popular ortho doc in Vail that takes care of US Ski Team injuries.)

Sorry to hear all the docs are out but just be very careful with it until you get seen and get an MRI done. Obviously nobody can say without an MRI but ACL tears are common ski injuries so more than likely, it''s a full or partial ACL tear. Miraclesrule has good stuff in her post so please heed her advice on restricting all range of motion right now.

Please tell me this didn''t happen on the first day of your trip and you were able to enjoy Aspen a bit.

Treefrog

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/11/2010 10:53:58 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
Dee Jay, call someone to see if you should be moving it. Esp. if you aren't sure what is torn...

My knee was swollen and very painful for several weeks.

I can't believe there's an orthopedist conference the weekend you need someone?!?!?!? isn't there anyone left in their practice?

Mine was too, it took a while to heal and I was using crutches for a few weeks.

 

[jas]

Dee! You must stop these Superhero antics!

Seriously, let me know if you need anything...

 

[Dee*Jay]

Treefrog, I''ve been going out to Aspen every 2nd or 3rd weekend since last winter (although I didn''t first try skiing until the last weekend in March last year) so I fortunately had time to enjoy the place before this happened. As a matter of fact, I will probably make a few more trips out this winter still, because even though I can''t *ski* I can still *drink*! As for black/blue/green... I have to confess that I was on a green run two weekends before this and I found myself flying through the air head first with my poles in front of me Superman style thinking, "Hmmm, I wonder how *this* is gonna turn out..." Well, it turned out in the form of a belly flop on the mountain, but at least that one I was able to get up from on my own power, LOL.

Lor, I''m getting rather good with these crutches. I may try running the marathon with them this year just to add challenge!

Jas, thanks for the offer! How went the move BTW? And how are the munchkins? Methinks it might be time to get them on skis. Aunt Dee will be happy to give them their first lesson!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Forgot to say, Miracles and Treefrog, so you''re not at all concerned about my knee being totally immobalized for 10 days? I am just fearful of that first big bend by the doctor...

 

[treefrog]

Date: 3/12/2010 12:58:46 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Forgot to say, Miracles and Treefrog, so you''re not at all concerned about my knee being totally immobalized for 10 days? I am just fearful of that first big bend by the doctor...

There will absolutely be some atrophy as a result of the underuse. But underuse is needed right now. Your muscle mass will decrease and range of motion will decrease. Physical therapy will bring that back.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Ah Treefrog, you''re so wise! Makes me feel like "grasshopper"... although the image of the frog and the grasshopper disturbs me almost as much as that impending first big bend... !

 

[cara]

Dee, I too had a chairlift up, stretcher tobaggan down run a few years ago. Mine involved an ill-advised cornice jump into Sierra cement (ie. wet and heavy 'powder') and a fabulous faceplant with skis not releasing. At the mountain clinic, they did an X-ray, nada, knee was still stable on physical exam and they put me in a soft immobilizing brace with crutches and said to see the docs ASAP upon my return. I too turned down the narcotics (think I was still floating on adrenaline) and was only saved by my doc-hubby who said 'No we will be taking the vicoden home with us, thank you.' It was definitely needed later. Anyway, it was probably about a week later when I finally got to see the knee surgeon after a primary care referral. I'd had an MRI but it wasn't read by the radiologist yet. Surgeon looks at the MRI, listens to my story and tells me I have torn my ACL, but the knee is stable so take off the brace and start minor bending/weightbearing as I can tolerate. Ice regularly and advil round the clock, and they will schedule me for surgery in a few weeks when the swelling is down....I go home, take off the brace, and start what you are doing: researching ACL surgery.

A few hours later (end of the workday on a Friday), I get a frantic series of calls from the nurses, instructing me to NOT WALK ON MY LEG, as it is broken! Yes, this was missed in both the initial x-ray and the one at the surgeon's office, and the surgeon flatly misread the MRI. ACL fine, but there was minor tibial plateau fracture. No weightbearing for 2 months! Anyway, there was a fair bit of swelling and tenderness for the first month, nothing soft was torn but lots of things were strained. My injury was also on the 'good' leg, and 'bad' knee was quite unhappy to by the responsible leg for walking with crutches. But I got through okay.

Anyway, why did the clinic think it was your ACL? Did you have symptons/instability on the physical exam or is it just a guess based on the circumstances?

My advice would be ice and ibuprofin as the others advice, plus try to get scheduled for an MRI ASAP even if your doctor's visit is a bit off. Maybe your primary care doc could order it, or you could be seen by a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant at the ortho clinic? The docs will need the soft tissue image to make a responsible diagnosis anyway. Also sounds like you need to stay immobilized until you get the all-clear from the docs, but once/if you get the all-clear, immobilization can cause problems related to scar tissue forming that you want to avoid if it can be done so safely.

If you end up needing surgery, make sure to be super diligent with the ice and anti-inflammatories post-op. You want to do everything possible to avoid scar tissue and inflammation in the knee, and then be really diligent with the physical therapy. Also research physical therapy places and make sure they are up on their stuff. There is just a wide variety of skill levels and knowledge out there and good PT is critical.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/12/2010 12:57:38 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Treefrog, I''ve been going out to Aspen every 2nd or 3rd weekend since last winter (although I didn''t first try skiing until the last weekend in March last year) so I fortunately had time to enjoy the place before this happened. As a matter of fact, I will probably make a few more trips out this winter still, because even though I can''t *ski* I can still *drink*! As for black/blue/green... I have to confess that I was on a green run two weekends before this and I found myself flying through the air head first with my poles in front of me Superman style thinking, ''Hmmm, I wonder how *this* is gonna turn out...'' Well, it turned out in the form of a belly flop on the mountain, but at least that one I was able to get up from on my own power, LOL.

Lor, I''m getting rather good with these crutches. I may try running the marathon with them this year just to add challenge!

Jas, thanks for the offer! How went the move BTW? And how are the munchkins? Methinks it might be time to get them on skis. Aunt Dee will be happy to give them their first lesson!

You should be resting and eating chocolate right now Miss!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Cara, wow that is quite a story...! I''m so sorry you had to go through all that. And you touched on something else that''s happening: my other (formerly *bad*) knee is doing all the work so it''s getting quite unhappy too. Geez, is there no winning in this?!?"

Lor, NO WAY sister! I am terrified of packing on the pounds under normal circumstances, the idea of sitting around eating bonbons makes me want to super glue my lips shut, LOL!