Kirt's Toboggan Ride!

Skiing isn't enough winter sports for me. I wanted to do some sledding. So, on the last run before we stopped for lunch, I was in some light powder next to the groomed run and I turned to the left. Unfortunately, I caught my left ski edge, which spun me around 360 degrees, slamming me into the snow on my left side. I'm sure it was a spectacular wipe out to witness. I only remember spinning around and I heard something "pop" on my left leg, and then my body located the hard ground. . . with emphasis on the word "HARD." The impact knocked the air out and I couldn't breathe for quite a time. A couple skied up to see if I was o.k. and I couldn't even talk, because I couldn't breathe. The guy seemed anxious to get going, and announced, "Good to see you'll be fine," and they skied off. My skis were still on, but I couldn't stand up. My left leg just wouldn't work. As I sat there, another skier, named Jon came up to see if he could help. I was only about 50 feet from the bottom of the hill, and Lorrie had skied down to take off her skis for lunch. I asked him to tell her where I was. He did, and when Lorrie looked up the hill, she asked if the "clump" was me, and he said yes. She then knew I had not been playing with her.

Ski Patrol arrived, and strapped me in the toboggan and off we went to the medical shed. I had slammed down on my left side so hard my ribs on that sid were hurting. Other than my knee, which was swelling by the minute, and my ribs, I was fine. Ski Patrolman Keith recommended that I see a doctor, since it seemed like it was serious. They helped me get into the car, and Lorrie drove down the mountain. For those of you who have driven the road to Bogus Basin or driven with Kirt in the passenger seat, you know how nerve racking both experiences are. Now, add to that an injured and delirous-with-pain Kirt, and I'm sure you all are now more sympathetic to the plight of Lorrie than the injuries of Kirt. After a few minutes, Lorrie ignored me, and I realized she was ignoring me. So, we made it down fine.

Lorrie's most inspired moment came when she suggested that I call my GP Doctor, who got us in. I'll now hit the high lights only: Doctor says looks like a tendon strain, but to be safe, need x-rays. Likely nothing serious, but if it is, the radiologist will call doctor. Radiology tech says the radiologist won't get reading to doctor until Monday, unless it is serious. After images developed, tech announces I have a "significant” injury, so I’ll have to go upstairs to ER. My doctor is talking with the ER doctor. ER doctor shows me on x-ray that I have a Tibial Plateau Fracture. If you look closely at my x-rays, on the right side of the Tibia, you can see a piece that is cracked. He orders a CT scan to see if it is displaced, and it is by about 1/4 inch. Which means I need to meet the surgeon Monday to figure out what kinds of screws, plates, bolts, nuts or other hardware may need to be inserted to fix it. It seemed that every step of this process just brought more bad news. The only good news was the doc sent me home with Vicodin.

So, I'm now at home, immobilized with this splint do-hickey that keep my leg straight. Oh, did I tell you my left ribs still feel like a Sumo Wrestler sat on me? I don't know what I will do, since with the immobilzer, I can't sit in the front seat of the car, let alone drive. LORRIE IS SO NICE TO ME. She takes care of me, and is so willing to help me. I would be lost without her.

Hope the surgeon has better news next week.