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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Sep 15, 2011 - 02:14pm PT
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Bullwinkle,
Maybe these things start to happen at our age. I fell on one of the easiest parts of the Royal Arches (where I'd never roped up before) climbing with my daughter six weeks ago. Fortunately, I had more gear than my chalkbag and made it down. I was a bloody mess, but the injury has been reduced now to just a couple of swollen fingers. I hope at least to try the climbing gym in the next day or two; I actually played the piano in public last Sunday, so I'm obviously better.
Hang in there, my friend. There's still plenty of time to get well (or get used to what you can do in a less-than-well condition).
On the political side, the Tea Party reaction to "let them die?" sickens me -- and I'm a conservative Republican. Fortunately, enough Americans disagree with that rot so that, I hope, we'll never be so callous in this country.
By the way, if your medical bills ever get truly overwhelming, I can help you control or eliminate the hounding. Just email me if you ever need that help.
Hope you're better soon.
John
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Sep 15, 2011 - 02:33pm PT
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Help a brother out and bag a cool poster?
I have a limited supply of Stonemaster posters, signed by the greats.
$35 includes shipping.
Yabo poster, 16 X 20, made by Dean:
Send me a check written to Dean Fidelman: I will ship you the poster(s) and forward the check(s) to Dean.
Let me know here in this thread, or via the e-mail function, that you’re going to send your check.
Send checks to:
Roy McClenahan
PO 463
Nederland, CO 80466
I'll need your return address for US Postal Service.
Anything helps, even palliative care: a few poster sales might buy something helpful, like this thing below.
Not for serious injuries, but something to consider for use somewhere along the healing trajectory:
(A very slim brace, built along the compression sock/tights type technology)
I use something like this underneath a more substantial brace on my knees.
http://www.cepcompression.com/ankle-brace.php
Be well Dean.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Sep 15, 2011 - 02:51pm PT
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Hey Dean, sorry to hear about the bad break, and ensuing mess. As others have said, get second and if necessary third opinions. If you happen to be out Salt Lake way, I know an ortho surgeon who is a top end climber. I'm sure he would cut you a deal in exchange for a calendar or photo.
More generally this is a great example of one of the problems with our health care system. Incentives in the system are often tilted towards major care rather than early care or preventative care. Maybe the ER doc wouldn't have done anything that would have helped Dean's ultimate outcome. But maybe an immediate cast and some proper rehab would have done the trick. Instead, he (and society helping bear the cost), are faced with at least one MRI, maybe more, possibly a major surgery, and possibly a long-term reduced quality of life for a contributing member of society. Or take a look at a guy who skips a colonoscopy because it costs too much. What could have been an easy polyp removal instead ends up being colon cancer, costing 10s of thousands, and perhaps resulting in death.
Even if we don't go the way of single payer, we need to get better at realizing that goal should be prevention and early treatment, not the newest, coolest, most expensive catastrophic treatments.
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rmuir
Social climber
From the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Sep 15, 2011 - 08:39pm PT
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This is such sad news, Dean... However, a good man is hard to keep down! ...wishing the best for a good outcome. Now make sure you get a second/third opinion.
Once again, we have a perfect personal story that highlights the need for universal health care providing reasonable, competent and humane treatment and preventative medicine. How the Repugnacants can justify their stance in these matters while espousing "christian" values remains beyond me.
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WBraun
climber
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Sep 15, 2011 - 08:43pm PT
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The material body is the source of all misery.
There's no escape for the material plan makers.
None ......
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Sep 15, 2011 - 08:50pm PT
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Werner, it might seem odd (to others, but not to you), but that made me smile :)
Not in a cynical way, but in a basic gesture of acceptance of truth, and a choice to be happy anyways. Thanks!
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Sep 15, 2011 - 11:11pm PT
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@Silver, I have had mostly pain free years unless i really abuse it, like a 6 week expedition. Then I am the Ibuprofen king. But it was the answer for me. Once you break an ankle severly, you are never really the same. You adapt and get on with it, there really is no other choice.
TY
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 15, 2011 - 11:54pm PT
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That's funny Riley. I have to look to the right to see that same poster, got the same way...
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James
climber
My twin brother's laundry room
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Sep 16, 2011 - 12:10am PT
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Dean-
Believe in a full recovery and it will be.
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Sep 16, 2011 - 12:23am PT
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If you are in the Santa Cruz area I would recommend Dr. Nick Abedi...best foot and ankle doc ... comes at from the standpoint of sports medicine and getting it working the best that it can again. Heal well! Susan
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Sep 16, 2011 - 01:04am PT
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Sorry to hear of your misfortunate fall. At our age, soloing is certainly much riskier. Heal well.
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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Sep 16, 2011 - 01:22am PT
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Impressed by this thread, particularly at Bullwinkle's world-view and his approach to coping with this.
Ashamed of our country.
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tarek
climber
berkeley
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Sep 16, 2011 - 09:43am PT
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Dean,
Thanks much for writing this down, which is actually a valuable service for all of us.
Didn't read the thread, but my two cents:
Get the ankle in a bucket of hot water 5x/day, and work the ROM to the limit.
You can ice at the end for pain.
Try that for a month. Most people don't really do rehab as it needs to be done--it seems to me. At your age you need to move the joint through its ROM literally hundreds of x/day.
Think of how 10% improvement will be, then 10 more, etc. Don't forget good nutrition either.
Hang in there.
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Dick Erb
climber
June Lake, CA
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Sep 16, 2011 - 12:19pm PT
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I'm sorry to hear about your injury Dean, and wish you good recovery.
I once broke my elbow and was told I had arthritis to look forward to. Decades later at age 67 I still haven't felt it. A few years ago, at a ski patrol refresher, an orthopedist showed an x-ray of an elbow that looked just like my old x-ray with a compression fracture of the radial head. His comment was that this guy would be taking ibuprofen for the rest of his life. My experience like others related here shows how pessimistic assessments by MDs are very common.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Sep 16, 2011 - 02:08pm PT
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A friend had a bad parapenting accident 17? years ago. He broke his back, pelvis, and snapped his right foot off (only soft tissue attaching it to the rest of his body). His ankle was fused but he still climbs 5.12, though he does not do alpine climbing any more.
The key is to still get out with friends and have fun even though the goals are more modest than 30 years ago.
Perhaps we need a SuperTopo get together for the walking wounded. Only people with arthritis/severe limps need apply. GIMP FEST!!!!
Another comment about health care. Canada's system, though superior to the US, is getting kind of ragged. You will get immediate care for an emergency (ie can't walk) but the waiting list for optional surgery (like a torn shoulder)can be 2 years, by which time the shoulder is toast due to scar tissue.
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!