I’m BACK!!!!

I have been able to walk without using my crutches for 9 whole days now!

I don’t know what changed or how it happened but last Monday I “turned the corner.” For the first time in weeks I’m able to walk around without worry. I’m still not my “normal” self; my balance is definitely worse than usual, my legs are still a little wobbly and I’m still feeling the different aspects of weakness. But, compared to where I was even 2 weeks ago things are GREAT. I am back in Winter Park, I have been back on the mountain skiing and life is okay. I’m taking each day as it comes, and trying to keep my chin up and focus on the good things. I have a nerve test tomorrow called an EMG. I hope it will give the doctors better ideas as to what is going on, but you never know.

I am just happy for today, because I can help what tomorrow will bring, I’ll deal with that then.

Rehab, what?

One month after I was admitted to the hospital, my life is still on pause. I still have no answers, no solutions; I'm not home and can’t drive for at least 3 more weeks.

My doctors and physical therapists tell me that I need to go slow with the physical therapy, take more medication and be patient. I’d be more than happy to follow that advice if it worked. I have been going slow, doing only what they tell me and my legs still shut down again on Tuesday! They have no idea what’s going on so they don’t know how to help me. Skiing again this season is looking less likely each day, and that breaks my heart. Honestly though, the worst part is not knowing. I don’t know what to do to get better, to get back to my life, I have no plan.

I do my few exercises each day, go to my doctor and physical therapy appointments, watch the ski racing results hoping that my friends and teammates ski well, try to put a smile on my face and that’s all I can do.

Current Progress

Things this past week have been going pretty well. It has been a week since I took my first steps on my own again after this whole incident the 5th of January. Today I was able to do my first gym workout.

I think the reason I was actually able to walk again was a chiropractor. His name is Dr. Mike Madden. He was recommended to me, because the recommending party felt like he had made their life better. I had nothing to lose in going to see him, and it worked out really good for me. Not walking to being able to walk only hours later, a drastic and measurable change. Each day following I have had improvement. Therefore, it would appear to me that this whole thing was caused by a nerve/ electrical conduction problem. But it’s just my body and I’m not a Neurologist, so none the less, I’m walking again and getting stronger, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Monday I started doing rehab everyday at the Spalding Rehabilitation Center in Aurora. They put me in the day program from 0900-1500 each day. I see a group of different practitioners and they are trying to figure out the best way to get me functional again. I think they are going to release me to outpatient tomorrow but I still have a lot of work to do. I am very grateful to be doing better and trying to stay focused on that so I can move forward and keep on improving.

I’m going to continue to work with PT, psych of some sort and the chiropractor. Hopefully I’ll be officially released to drive soon so that I can return home.

If it isn't one thing, it's another

That saying that “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” must have been written by someone who has never been given lemon after lemon after lemon.

I was finally starting to feel better about my hip, my skiing and my life. I was really optimistic and excited to continue to improve and who knows, maybe get back to work and possibly make a few races this year??

But, I must have done something to deserve bad karma because on the evening of the 5th I lost the ability to stand up. No you didn’t read it wrong, I could not use my legs. Previously that day, I had skied, done my stretches, fixed dinner and then all the sudden around 7PM I could not stand up. I had someone come over and stand me up but I just collapsed. At that point I started to freak out. I ended up heading to Denver via ambulance (the same company I work for), talk about scared and embarrassed. I stayed in the hospital until Tuesday of this week. It was a disaster, I was stuck there for DAYS and I left still not knowing why I couldn’t walk. It may have been a million different things,they weren’t sure but were hopeful I’d be back to normal soon.

Right now I can only try to work on myself as well as think positive that I’ll have my body back soon.

31 December 2008

I’m not sure how many days I’ve had on snow at this point but it’s getting close to double digits. It’s crazy to think that I have had less than 10 days on snow and January is tomorrow. I guess that’s how it goes.

This week has been one of my best weeks yet। I got into gates for the first time since last year on Monday. I didn’t ski the whole course and I sure didn’t ski well, but I did it and I was pleased with that. At this point, I don’t have high expectations with training but it feels good to do it. I was extremely sore after my efforts Monday but a day off and some Advil fixes a lot.

Today we had Super G training and I was reluctant to go out। Speed skis are not exactly the easiest to ski and I wasn’t sure if I could even control them, let alone turn them। Thanks to a great tune by a local guy Bob, and some previous experience, I had no issues. I had the best day I’ve had all year! I wasn’t laying down clean arcs and ripping it up, but I was going fast, feeling the snow, and skiing Super G! I was SO happy when I came off the mountain today. Thanks goodness for small miracles and great tunes!

Ski Spec 2008

Monday and Tuesday were the first races of the season for the disabled circuit. Since I’m not skiing right now I obviously didn’t race. I wasn’t sure logistically if I could get to the hill to watch the SL so I waited for some reports from my teammates and concluded that I definitely would go over and watch the GS. I was able to take the chairlift up and down so I didn’t have to walk around on the snow too much. Unfortunately it was very cold, I think the high of the day was 18 degrees F, but the sun was out and there was racing. I could see quite a bit of the course from the bottom, so I hung out in the finish area and cheered on my teammates. I know at least a few people appreciated me being there and that felt good. It was hard to watch and not race, but I’ll be back soon… I hope.

Below is a photo of me with two of the Disabilities Without Boundaries scholarship recipients; Stephanie Jallen, and Meghan Erickson. We couldn’t grab the third recipient Danelle D'Aquanni Umstead, USADA had her occupied. The other photo is me and my friend/ teammate Mary Riddell after her first race back in like 5 years.

It was nice to be surrounded by happy smiling faces, way to go ladies!

Still Fighting

I’m STILL working on trying to figure out how to get my body to work again. I’m going to physical therapy once a week, seeing different physicians and just trying to get it figured out. It’s tough now that we actually have some decent snow to not be out on the hill. The crazy part is that I was ski racing for months (maybe years) with my hip not in the socket properly and now that it’s all fixed up I’m worse off than I was the day before my surgery. I KNOW I needed this surgery and it wasn’t an option, but now I just want my body back.

The first races of the season are next week but for the first time since 2003 I won’t be starting. That's hard emotionally but I know there are worse things in life other than not being able to ski race.

I’m trying to be smart and take care of my body rather than beat it up. I haven't skied since opening day and I'm hoping the extra time off snow will pay off, maybe just maybe things are about to turn around. It'd be so nice to be back to work on the ambulance and back out in sun and the snow skiing. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hopeful.