Close Encounters of the Coniferous Kind

That’s what I had last Saturday. Now being a nature lover, I usually savour the chance to get close with various trees…however this was never what I had in mind.

Last weekend at Nozawaonsen was very lovely. There had been a little bit of fresh snow on top of a base that had been soaked with rain for a little over a week. The fresh snow was wonderful and light, unfortunately it was on top of a hard icy base. That gives the fresh snow a tendency to slip off of the ice and leave bare spots. I managed to find one of those spots. I lost my edge and started to bounce off the snow. The smooth icy surface offered no friction to slow me down as I bounced along the ground. My board edge wouldn’t dig in no matter how hard I tired…and trying ended up causing me to bounce, and bounce, and finally do a bit of a 180 in the air. As I came around in the air, I realized I would stop soon. I knew that because I was about 3 feet from two 30cm circumference trees. My left leg went straight into one of them (or maybe both…my memory of that exact moment is fuzzy to say the least) and spun me around to a stop. The stars in my vision and the pain in my leg led me to believe that I had either broken my leg or I was one luck bastard.

Lady luck was not on my side, as an x-ray at the hospital proved that yes indeed I broke my leg: my Fibula to be exact, about 3 cm below the knee. I was in good spirits the whole way to the hospital (mostly on a snowmobile, the worst way to get off a mountain) and while I was there. I was in some serious pain, but I have been hurt before and I was dealing with it. They cast my leg, but they did it below the knee, which made no sense to me. They also made an appointment at the large regional hospital, which just happens to be a few blocks from my house. I couldn’t get crutches at the hospital I was at, but they assured me I could get some when I went for my appointment at Hokushin Hospital.

Well Monday rolled around, and after hobbling around my house with a walking stick and a rolling chair I was glad to sit down in a real wheel chair and make my way around the hospital. Now I would have thought that the Nozawaonsen Hospital would have forwarded the 4 x-rays they took, but apparently not. So wheel over to the x-ray room, take 2 more. Go back to the desk and hurry up and wait. But apparently the low cast confused the x-ray technician and he took the shots too low down my leg. Back to the x-ray room and 2 more of the right place. Hurry up and wait again.

Finally they call my number and I get to see and orthopaedic doctor. She says yup its broken, and that the cast needs to be redone since it didn’t even cover the break (what gives eh?). She also feels around my knee a little while it is accessible. She had some concerns about my ligaments. She figures I tore my MCL, but says that that shouldn’t require surgery. She is also concerned about my PCL and my ankle, so she has scheduled an MRI to take place next week. Also, it seems that I had a lot of blood pooling in my knee, so she drained off 3 vials. It was kinda gross, but I watched the whole thing. After that it was off to the casting room. The nurse cutting off the old cast was funny, but she nicked my ankle bone with the bloody saw…it didn’t break skin, but left me with a little burn. Then it was casting time. I was glad because the bigger hospital also had more selection. Nozawa had a whole selection of white and white casts. Hokushin had white, pink, and blue. So needless to say, I now have a big blue stiff leg. My cast goes from the ball of my foot to mid thigh.

This being my first broken bone, it is also my first cast. They are cumbersome, but it isn’t bad. Its way better for my knee than the first low cast they put on. The itch is there, and I am sure I will sing a different tune at the end of the month, but for now I can deal with the itch. And heck, I have a buncha metal clothes hangers that are just waiting to be straightened out into leg scratchers.

Well I now have crutches so I can get around. I traded cars with a friend so I have an automatic and I can drive. I have been at work since Tuesday. I am trying hard to say in good spirits, and to figure out how to do the daily things that have become so difficult. From putting on underwear, to going to the bathroom in my closet of a toilet, to staying clean with out taking a shower or a bath, it’s all new. But I love to create new and easy ways of doing things, so at least my mind is stimulated while my body is gimped.

Well I will update this after I get the results from my MRI. I go for the test on Tuesday and the results on Wednesday. If you have any to spare, please send me some positive energy. I am staying positive, but a little help will never hurt.

With that I am off to hobble and roll to the kitchen to make some dinner. I hope everyone is having a good time, and staying safe…watch out for those rascally trees.

Adam the Tripod…or is that triped???