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windward1
Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1400
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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Windwiner, You sure have that title right.
I was out SUPping as there was no wind on February 9th. Been out for 3 hours riding waves at Bombora. Decided it was enough and was going to head back in to New Brighton State Beach which was less than a half mile away and where I had launched. Well one more set came through and so I thought I would use it to surf in the direction of home. Damn if my board did not pearl. Nose went down, tail went up, and I went off the back. Unfortunately, two of the three fins trailing edges caught my two calves and filleted them. The surgeon called it being de-gloved. Anyways, I am there in the water, look down at my left calf and see skin floating away from the leg like a flag. Check the right calf. Same thing. Hop on the board and start paddling from the knee position in steady strokes. I do not want to bleed out and I do not want to look at the legs as I am concerned I will go into shock. I make it back to New Brighton and carry my board up on to the beach. I ask a lady if she has a cell phone. She says her husband does. I ask her to call the ranger and have him bring down a first aid kit. I had wanted to try and drive to Urgent Care, but thought I might be a hazard on the road, so instead accepted a ride in an ambulance to the emergency room. Many, many sutures, (mostly staples) and then I got out of the hospital the next day. I have only recently been healed well enough to go back to windsurfing. It took a pressure washer to clean the blood from my SUP.
If I had only gone back in instead of catching that last set......
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UncleRandy
Joined: 18 Sep 2009 Posts: 63
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:05 am Post subject: |
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Can relate, was sailing one of Matt pritchard's board's at kanaha a few year's ago having a great day been out for about 2 hour's. Was ready to come in, one more jump and i will come in well got the jump came down hard the euro pin. Pin pop out and the board came loose never saw the board again!!! Got two new board's one for me one for Matt! Ouch.
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peter
Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 18
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Windwiner My name is Peter Jones I was the guy that help you out in the water and also loaded and moved your car into the county park. I but all your valuables under the front seat I hope that worked out OK.
I’m sure this is of little consolation but that jump was pretty sweet except for the landing.
We as a group of local Delta sailor learned allot about what emergency phone number to call. You sat in pain for a few extra minutes while we got our act together. Our apologies
The best numbers
are
Rio Vista Fire Dept 707 421 7090
Rio Vista Coast Guard 707 374 2655
Anyway I wish you a speedy recovery I can always use a cold beer after sailing or even better a shot of tequila
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MalibuGuru
Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9307
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:27 am Post subject: |
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Hey Windwiner, I am recovering from a fractured ankle. I hit the lip on a nice wave at very high speed, and the result was catastrophic. Anyway, I didn't have surgery, but have some lingering ligament pain 2 months later.
Since the average age of the windsurfing population is increasing, where can we find "break away" footstraps? I always thought cutting the Velcro to its minimum spread might make a difference. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Finally, if you do have to stay off your foot for 3 months, I recommend getting a "scooter". Your physician can explain this for you. They are incredible! Best of luck to you. Let us know how your recovery is going. I can tell you I was pretty depressed for a few weeks. It will get better though!
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xander.arch
Joined: 23 Apr 2009 Posts: 217
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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Yup, broke my hand on "one more" delta run a few years back. Also was very grateful to the crew that helped me get everything off the water and packed up.
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beaglebuddy
Joined: 10 Feb 2012 Posts: 1120
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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peter wrote: |
I’m sure this is of little consolation but that jump was pretty sweet except for the landing.
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A broken ankle is in no way funny, but that quote.... is unintentionally humerous.
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windwiner
Joined: 26 Jun 2002 Posts: 128 Location: Berkeley
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the advice, from tea to taking it easy.
Kevin, I broke both the tibia and Fibula, the whole ankle was dislocated and "offset" from the mortise. From the x-ray it looks like the Tibia was less significant and has one long screw (that can come out after 6 weeks) the Fibula now has a plate and a bunch of screws in it.
I don't really know what happened on the landing. Looser straps? Maybe. I have also taken a class with Wyatt and loosened up my straps back then. I don't think they are too tight. I think it was just bad luck, funky chop. I was trying to land with speed, and somehow just came down too hard on the front. 31 years of windsurfing with out any significant injuries before this, not too bad.
Peter, thanks again. I am sure I have seen you out on the water a couple times in the past. I think everyone did a great job. It all worked out. My wife and her mom had a little adventure of there own going to retrieve my car that night, got there just as "Indian Bob" was locking up. She thinks we're all crazy for going all the way out there to windsurf. HA. Funny enough your comment on the jump is a bit of a consolation, and also very funny.
I found a used "scooter" which will make things easier to get around especially at work. My first follow up Dr appointment is later this week. Enjoy the rest of the season everyone. I should be all fixed up by the time the surfing gets good in October.
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spennie
Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:38 am Post subject: |
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On a less painful & dramatic note, the wind at my local spot, Leo Carrillo Beach State Park (north end of L.A. county) has a tendency to drop off to nothing in a 15-minute span at the end of the day. I always try to warn newcomers that if the wind gets sketchy, get out, now. Many a sailor has gone out for "Just one more" and had to swim their gear to shore, myself included.
This graph shows it pretty well, although it happened later than usual, at 7:45.
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_________________ Spennie the Wind Junkie
www.WindJunkie.net |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20946
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:53 am Post subject: |
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All this talk about scooters and spending one's healing time on his butt worry me. Even young people's muscles atrophy measurably within several days of disuse, so whether it's surgery, injury, or both, I've always begun exercising every muscle I safely can, beginning as soon as the anesthesia wears off. From isometrics the first day to curls or presses a couple of days later, anything we can do to maintain muscle strength will help us recover sooner as long as we don't damage the injury or surgical site.
Working non-involved muscles not only helps our mobility, but actually strengthens the contralateral muscles involved in the trauma. i.e., leg presses with our healthy right leg strengthens the hams and quads of our disabled left leg.
Most doctors tell us two things about exercise after disabling trauma (injury or surgery). The first was (sometimes still is?) that s/he, not rehab, is enough. Any doctor who tells me that is fired on the spot from my case because s/he is arrogant and stupid and thinks I'm also stupid. There must be some exceptions to that generalization, but I can't think of one.
The second goes something like, "You can't strengthen (name a muscle) without engaging and thus endangering the abs (or hams or whatever) I just cut. Don't do it". To that I think "Bull crap" and say out loud at least, "Why not?".
I had hernias repaired one at a time with open surgery when I was in my early 40s. First one, the doc told me both of those tales, and I swallowed them. Recovery took weeks. Second open surgery, same surgeon, a year later, I returned to work the following day, learned experimentally how to work almost every other muscle while keeping my severed abs relaxed that evening, and began PT the day I got out of the hospital. My recovery of daily living activities that time took days, not weeks.
Like you guys with ankle repairs, my recent knee surgeon said no partial weight bearing for many days, no full load for weeks, I think it was. I couldn't use crutches due to my lousy balance, so I got a walker and became fully ambulatory, including stairs, within hours. The doc and my PT said my early recovery was significantly ahead of even most high school athletes 50 years my junior.
Use it or lose it.
Thus the windSUP. I'd rather be on a 65L wave board when it's averaging 35 mph and gusting into the 40s, but the choice between sitting on my ass all season and sailing a strapless wave board twice that size was a no-brainer.
My suggestion is to leave scooters to truly crippled people who are absolutely, medically unable to stand. Most others will benefit from careful, controlled, early graduation from something so inactive. Hell, sitting at one's desk for half an hour after we run a marathon shortens our lives.
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20946
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:59 am Post subject: |
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spennie wrote: | Many a sailor has gone out for "Just one more" and had to swim their gear to shore, myself included. |
Three of us who have done that deliberately for years were appropriately dubbed the Roosevelt Swim Club. It was usually worth it on hot summer nights with hard, steady winds and good swell followed by NADA within one or two reaches. Hell, I've often swum 100 to 500 yards OUT TO a windline if conditions on the outside warranted it. We remember the fun more than we do the price of admission.
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