Spiral tib/fib

[superstator]

I went 34 years without breaking a bone, and not for lack of trying. Plenty of bruises, sprains, tweaks, and tears, but never a fracture till now. Some folks in the Mt Hood thread expressed interest in seeing better films and such, so I’m going to make this my little recovery diary, and post as much info as I can. Maybe it’ll even be useful to somebody someday that’s in a similar situation. At the least it’ll keep me busy here in my hospital bed…

Anyway, the setup: Was skiing alone two days ago at Mt Hood Meadows. It had snowed a couple inches of wet & heavy the night before, and was flurrying all day. I was on ON3P 191 Billygoats (11/12 version) with Dynafit TLT Radicals, and BD Primes. I was skiing down the left side of the south canyon run, looking for stashes, and had dropped down into the little gully between waterfall and south canyon. Going fast, but not maching. About my third turn, one ski hooked and the other didn’t. One ski released, and the other didn’t. I immediately felt a loud pop in my right leg and knew I was in trouble before I hit the ground. A patroller happened to be just 20-30 yards behind me and watched it all go down – he said he saw me start to crash, and reach for the leg before I’d even stopped tumbling, and immediately knew it was going to be bad. Patrol immediately evaluated me, got my leg into a field splint, and dragged my carcass down to the clinic.





The doc on duty initially called for splinting it overnight, and suggested I should go home for the night and expect to see an ortho within the next day or two for a consult and possible surgery. While waiting for my ride home another doctor showed up, this one an orthopedic traumatologist, and gave the films a second look. He immediately said I should be transferred to a full hospital, and would probably need to be admitted for observation. Everything about the fracture apparently made him worried about compartment syndrome and/or nerve damage, and he said it was a without question something he would want to do surgical fixation for as soon as possible.

So, that night I found myself in a swank room in the ortho ward at Providence Portland with an 8am surgery scheduled. A few helpings of Percocet and morphine got me a few hours sleep. At 6am my ortho came to do his consult. The plan was to get me knocked out, get the splint from the Meadows clinic off, and evaluate for swelling and compartment syndrome. If it looked reasonable, put a rod and screws in my tibia, and probably leave the fibula alone. If not, a fasciotomy & wound VAC, and external fixation to stabilize everything until he could go in again.

A few hours later I woke up with this work of art:





For now we seem to be waiting for the swelling to run its course. I’m tentatively scheduled for another surgery today, but haven’t heard exactly when or what will be happening.

[ill-advised strategy]

that's gnarly, hang tough mang.

[DeathVan]

We used to call South Canyon "Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad" back in the day.

Best luck for a quick recovery.

[superstator]

Talked to my doc. No surgery today - just hang out and let the fasciotomy do it's thing till early next week, then close it up and put in a ti rod. When he opened it up yesterday the muscle looked healthy, but there was significant pressure and he feels like it could have gone south in a hurry. Sounds like being aggressive was a good call.

And he thinks I could be partially weight bearing in six weeks!

[Bird Blaster]

Note exactly what I would've done, but I wasn't there. So can't really comment any further.

Good luck man!

[TBS]

that's gnarly, hang tough mang.

This times 1000. The new films give a much better view of the breaks.

The measurement software that usually comes with the Xray CD can absorb hours of narco-induced downtime.

Man, other than the trick thrown just before the injury and the continent, you and Eric Pollard have a lot in common...broken tib/fib, compartment syndrome, first doctor mis-diagnosed the severity, slow evac from a third-world country...

Did they cast you at the clinic or just put you in an external splint?

Heal up quick mang. Partial weight bearing usually means you can use a stationary bike, so you should be able to regain the cardio and quad tone relatively quickly. Believe!

And don't forget the Colace - there's a very old thread called something like "The delicate art of pooping" that is just a scream if you find it (I couldn't but didn't look that hard)

[Kraemer]

Sorry to hear bra,

All I can say is FAAACK. I feel for ya buddy. I just landed in the ER last week with a dislocated hip. I don't know which is worse. Spiral Tib/Fib or my hip. Aside from the pain, which wasn't terribly bad-- I am looking at a 50% chance hip replacement because I spent the night on the mountain before rescue team (RAT team) could reach me. I spent 14 hours with my hip out of socket. I was shooting video and taking pics in Zig Zag canyon (where the snow was still good)--and while skinning up the canyon wall , I lost my contact with the ice and took a 200' ride down the face. I ride at meadows a bunch, but this day my talent had left earlier than I, because I wanted to do some night time-lapses. So when you recover, I'm always looking for hot talent to shoot on hood. I'll need some time to recover as well,, so I think we're on the same program. >>next year<<

[superstator]

Yeah, Eric Pollard came up a couple times. The second doc actually knew him, and was on the phone with him while I was in the clinic, telling hem he should come over and cheer up his fracture twinsie.

No cast at the clinic, just external splint and ace bandage. Left it like that all night till they unwrapped for surgery.

The delicate art of pooping indeed. I'll have to look that one up

Hawt external fixation films:

[superstator]

Kraemer - That sounds super shitty. I think you win - I can't even imagine where I'd be at if I'd done this alone in the bc with rescue that far away.

[spook]

Sorry to hear bra,

All I can say is FAAACK. I feel for ya buddy. I just landed in the ER last week with a dislocated hip. I don't know which is worse. Spiral Tib/Fib or my hip. Aside from the pain, which wasn't terribly bad-- I am looking at a 50% chance hip replacement because I spent the night on the mountain before rescue team (RAT team) could reach me. I spent 14 hours with my hip out of socket. I was shooting video and taking pics in Zig Zag canyon (where the snow was still good)--and while skinning up the canyon wall , I lost my contact with the ice and took a 200' ride down the face. I ride at meadows a bunch, but this day my talent had left earlier than I, because I wanted to do some night time-lapses. So when you recover, I'm always looking for hot talent to shoot on hood. I'll need some time to recover as well,, so I think we're on the same program. >>next year<<

man, 14 hours. that's brutal. hopefully they knocked you out after all that.

my wife wants to know your cell company if you have good reception.

[spook]

Yeah, Eric Pollard came up a couple times. The second doc actually knew him, and was on the phone with him while I was in the clinic, telling hem he should come over and cheer up his fracture twinsie.

No cast at the clinic, just external splint and ace bandage. Left it like that all night till they unwrapped for surgery.

The delicate art of pooping indeed. I'll have to look that one up

Hawt external fixation films:

was there any brain leakage? how do they put it back in the skull tube? did the small backup skull come through?

[Kraemer]

Kraemer - That sounds super shitty. I think you win - I can't even imagine where I'd be at if I'd done this alone in the bc with rescue that far away.

Certainly not sure if any of us 'win', but But ya, I can kinda walk and it's been 11 days. I may even be able to ride to do shoots in a couple weeks, but no hard pack or wet snow--that shit sucks. Already missed a Montana gig and now missing another at Jackson.

For you, you may not be so quick to recover now, but I may need some serious surgery in later life due to not getting attention quick enough--that is scary. So, I'd definitely trade places with you.

When you can ride again--lets connect. Eric certainly does great work-- I'm mostly a commercial producer/director based in P-town. Also make music videos, sports action, and b/c photography, but my main gig is making TV spots. I've made spots for both meadows and skibowl over the years. check it me out at eclipsefilms.com, and send me an email buddy-- HEAL UP!!

[spook]

Certainly not sure if any of us 'win', but But ya, I can kinda walk and it's been 11 days. I may even be able to ride to do shoots in a couple weeks, but no hard pack or wet snow--that shit sucks. Already missed a Montana gig and now missing another at Jackson.

For you, you may not be so quick to recover now, but I may need some serious surgery in later life due to not getting attention quick enough--that is scary. So, I'd definitely trade places with you.

When you can ride again--lets connect. Eric certainly does great work-- I'm mostly a commercial producer/director based in P-town. Also make music videos, sports action, and b/c photography, but my main gig is making TV spots. I've made spots for both meadows and skibowl over the years. check it me out at eclipsefilms.com, and send me an email buddy-- HEAL UP!!

i'm embarking on a new life as a rad midlife snowboard bum. let me know if you need some turns skidded.

[LightRanger]

As somebody who ended up with a Checkrein Deformity (undiagnosed for a long time because it's pretty rare) from severe swelling following a tib-fib spiral/medial mal fracture, I'm stoked they're getting the swelling down. Best of luck dude. Try to work your toe flexors post-op--even if you're not weight-bearing yet.

[superstator]

Surgery #2 went well. Removed external hardware, closed fasciotomy, added tibial nail. Maybe get films tomorrow.

Feels much more stable, though the spinal block is still wearing off.

[TBS]

Nice to hear it went well A. Gotta post pics of the new iron.

Fun to come out of the spinal blocks, huh? Harlem Shake anyone?

[superstator]

Tons of fun. Will post films as soon as I get them - my request for a cd must have gotten lost.

Finally home today. 9 days in the hospital for one bad turn. Never in a million years would I have guessed that was a possible outcome for a totally boring inbounds yard sale.

Sidenote - getting IV anti nausea drugs while throwing up is the weirdest feeling ever. One second your body is turning itself inside out, then mid retch goes "Ah, fuck it, never mind. what's for lunch?".

[splat]

Heal up, mang. Be glad you got all that shit out of the way pronto. Crutching around for a month before surgery sucks.

[superstator]

Finally got good after films





Sutures came out today, surgery #3 tomorrow to correct some mild malrotation. Should be a pretty easy outpatient deal though.

[spook]

is that much remaining displacement typical? i know it will grow together and the rod's in there. i guess the spiral nature keeps them from putting any hardware in any closer to the break?

[TBS]

Nice hardware dude.

No iron required for the fibula fracture?

[superstator]

I was surprised how displaced it still is too, but he said that's typical when it's a big spiral & segmental break like that. It'll eventually remodel, but it'll take several years. His take on the fibula was that since the break was so proximal fixing it wouldn't help alignment of the tibia. The tibial nail should stabilize everything enough to let it heal, so he didn't see the need for an extra incision to put a plate on the fibula too.

edit: I found the whole wound VAC thing fascinating, and I have nothing better to do than sit around playing with Photoshop. And so, an animated gif:



Watching that little hose was the pinnacle of entertainment for days while I marinated in morphine and oxy.

[LightRanger]

My spiral had a pretty good displaced butterfly fragment like that too. You'll have a nice bump on your shin as a souvenir. I couldn't ski because of the pain at the fracture site until I got the nail out. Since then (e.g. two days a couple of weeks ago), skiing feels fine with a slight soreness at the site that doesn't really bug me. And that was in stock Factor liners, without a ton of work to get muscle on the calf yet. Trying out Powerwraps this weekend.

[jonesy]

Hoping for a quick/healthy heal and back to skiing next season. I still owe you beers.

[::: :::]

Heal up strong, superstator!
I'm glad it's fixable!

I've got a buddy who was recently at skibowl and slipped in outback on some ice and fractured two vertebrae, his scapula, collarbone, and six ribs - none of which are splintable, and the recommended fix is to let the bones all knit themselves back together. He gets a plastic turtle shell to clamp his abdomen stiffly upright while everything heals. MEDS are still his best friend several weeks later... [/threadjack]