HelperElfMissy 42 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 My insanity/impressive recuperative powers aside.... I still want to know why poor little Stemik Junior has had to endure hospital for so long... Must be an absolute pain in the toosh. I think we were 3 or 4 days with Bear Cub #3s Tib/Fib break, he was thankful to be home after even that short time - week upon week would send him insane. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 Stemik Jr had a tricky operation. Children have growth plates that have a risk of not growing if they are damaged. The ACL had snapped off the top of the bone on the tibia. We had difficulty finding a specialist that would operate, to bring back stemik jr to his level of racing. Luckily we found a specialist only 90mins away. The surgeon had to drill a small hole (1mm) through the growth plate a tie up the acl and bone framemt to the tibia. For the first week he had x-rays every other day. Now about once or twice a week. To be honest I think he should have come home after a week or two at the most. Hopefully he can get out next week. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 One possible upside I can think of is being surrounded by lots of Japanese nurses. Link to post Share on other sites
surfarthur 22 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 A 9 year old might not appreciate that as much as you or I GG Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Wow, my piddly little knee injury this ski season (Feb) seems like a fart in a bubble bath compared with the horror stories above though it hurt like bejesus when it happened. How often does it happen that you can put your self at risk fanging down a steep icy run or through the trees without a thought of self preservation and then get hurt in the stupidest way. I had just finished coming down the steep runs on the front face below the bakery at Yakoteyama (Shiga Kogen) and out on to the loooooonnng boring flat run to the bottom lift. Still had a bit of speed up so decided to duck in among the stunted pines off to the side. I came round the blind side of one, hit a bump and got maybe 2 foot of air (seems like 6 foot when you are 61 y.o.). Trouble was I was 2 ft up and the top edge of the tree well was 2 foot higher. I managed to somehow lift my left ski just high enough to clear it but my right ski just ploughed straight in to the snow wall. Off course all the momentum was still with my left side as the right came to a stop so I twisted like a licorice stick out of the right binding and felt something give in my knee as I went down like a bag of shi.. lead balloons. My mates were really concerned - after they finshed pssing themselves laughing - and said let's go to lunch. Over lunch my knee just got bigger and bigger but didn't hurt too bad so I skiid back to our hotel at Kumanoyu. By the time I'd put my skis away and took my boots and ski pants off I was in pain bigtime. Once again my mates helped out trying to lighten the mood by re-naming me "Johny Threeknees" It was really starting to burn so the hotel manager arranged for her son, Hocto to run me up to the 'Crinic". He drove me back up the hill to the cafe at the bottom of the lifts and he and my mate Hans helped me into the cafe and into a chair in the middle of the room surrounded by noodle slurping locals at adjoining tables. I guess they were staring as we were the only Gaijin there and also I was probably the only gaijin in boardshorts they had seen in a mountain cafe. When I asked where the doctor was the answer was- 'He skiing, back soon" Sure enough he came through the door 15 minutes later covered in snow, shook down and came over. Hocto filled him on what had happened and he felt around my knee, poked and prodded and then crouched down and put his head in his hands and said "ooooooh". I thought OMG... it must be really bad, like no more skiing, walking, jumping, horseriding, bobsledding, dogging, stormchasing etc. Turns out he was just trying to come up with some English words to explain his diagnosis. Well between his and Hocto's limited english and my limited Japanese ("teiburu wo hitotsu yoyaku shitaindesuga"...."can I reserve a table" would not really help here), we were not getting far so he ducked out the door and came back with a lovely japanese lady that had spent a couple of years in Oz and was the perfect translator. When the Doc realised I was not going home for another 5 days he went out the back and came back with a long sealed plastic bag which he cut open and pulled out what looked like a 1 metre length of rolled up cotton wool which he bandaged to the underside of my leg from ankle to top of thigh. Through the interprator he explained that there was no XRAY or MRI nearby and as he suspected that I could have ligament damage he would have to immobolise my leg to reduce the pain and limit further damage. Then he got a pair of scissors and cut through the bandages he had put on the front of my leg!. I thought WTF he must have stuffed up but it turned out that the cotton wool on the back of my leg had turned into a shaped solid splint as hard as concrete. I was amazed. He made sure it was positioned right, placed some medical anti-pain patches on my knee and bandaged the whole lot up again and gave me some "painkillers" - After I got home I found out they were anti-inflamitory's but it all helped to ease the pain. Hocto, the hotel managers son told me that the big man sitting behind the food counter said that he would not charge me for the treatment, I said "what the cook that waved to me"?. Hocto said no he is not the cook he owns the Cafe, the hotel next door and the Yakoteyama Lifr Company - In other words he owns the mountain! - I waved to him again - and said to Hocto what do you mean no charge? Apparently he employs the doctors, gives them board lift tickets etc and charges the patients. The usual charge for my treatment was around Y22,000 - I waved again and shook his hand- he must have been impressed with my boardshorts. It's getting late here and a lady is calling from upstairs so I will continue this later Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Welcome back snowjunky - was wondering where you had got to!! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Stemik Jr had a tricky operation. Children have growth plates that have a risk of not growing if they are damaged. The ACL had snapped off the top of the bone on the tibia. We had difficulty finding a specialist that would operate, to bring back stemik jr to his level of racing. Luckily we found a specialist only 90mins away. The surgeon had to drill a small hole (1mm) through the growth plate a tie up the acl and bone framemt to the tibia. For the first week he had x-rays every other day. Now about once or twice a week. To be honest I think he should have come home after a week or two at the most. Hopefully he can get out next week. Ah. Thanks.I understand now. Yeah growth plates and making sure you don't stuff them up is important stuff. Cub #3 had his ankle plate fuse in his post healed X-ray, Docs were very concerned until they xrayed the other one and there were signs of that one fusing also. Half of the break was right through the growth plate. They predict that any leg length difference will be within normal deviations and not cause too much trouble, but he does have to have an assessment every year or so to ensure it is not causing a problem. The kid is just lucky he inherited the grow early gene from me, not the grow late gene from his Dad! Here's hoping Stemik Junior can escape the hospital soon!! Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 So did you ski again after that, snowjunky? That would be a frustrating thing to happen during a long, overseas holiday. And stemik, gambare to your kid! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Sorry to hear about that, snowjunky. Looking forward to hearing more.... playing catch-up after a long hols? Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks Ski, good to be back Thanks Muika - yes, apart from an operation and a few mobility problems I have been playing catch up on work. It always seems that when you go away for 3 weeks there is 5 weeks work to catch up on when you get back?? Hi Metabo - fortunately I had 16 days excellent skiing with frequent pow dumps at Myoko Kogen, Madarao Kogen and Kumanoyu before my accident at Yakote I then spent 5 of the longest most frustrating days of my life sitting in a window at Ichinose looking out all the happy sliders. And it dumped again for the first two days. At the end of each day, my mates to their credit tried to temper their descriptions about how good the snow was - for about 2 minutes - then it was "epic, best ever, maaate, you should have been there, oops sorry you can't ha ha ha" It's good to have mates. Any way after 5 days (was it only 5, seemed so much longer) we caught the Nagaden bus back to Nagano - I had to get our hotel guy to shuttle me to the end of the bus line at Shiga so I could get on early and get the middle back seat as I was in a splint and could not bend my leg. Then hobbled on to the Shink back to Tokyo and Narita. I had to fly home JAL Business class to fit my leg in (paid for with my Amex insurance) so every opportunity I got during the flight I hobbled back to cattle to see my mates and reasure them that I was comfortable while accidently dropping the 8 course dinner menu and extensive champers and wine list in their lap whil'st saying.. ( they say whil'st whil'st in business class..) "I found the 1952 Baron De Rothschild Chateau Lafite to be a tad dry, didn't you? - oh sorry your not in Business class" It's good to have mates. Back on topic - Knees - arrived home on the Sunny Coast on a Wednesday Arvo - Saw my GP (a skier) on Thursday at 9 a.m who rang an othopedic surgeon mate who owed him a favour (good to have mates) I had an Xray at 9.30 am. an MRI at 12.30 and had a knee operation the next day at 2 pm - Now that's the way the health system in Australia SHOULD work. Well it did in this case. Ever since I had my accident 7 days before and was put in the splint I was imagining all the worst kind of result, e.g. ACL, Cruciate or anterior ligaments etc. Turns out I am one of the lucky ones - it was just a tear in the Medial Meniscus which was fixed laproscopally (spelling?) - I think it's like a video game for doctors where they watch TV while poking and cutting. Anyway after it was over I became Johnny 3 knees again and was in a bit of man pain for a couple of days till the swelling subsided. On the mend now with regular physio and dreaming of colder places. In reflection it is only my third injury in 35 years on snow (knee, ribs, torn calf) so I am one of the lucky ones Link to post Share on other sites
surfarthur 22 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Good to hear you are recovering well SJ At least it didn't happen on the first day of your trip Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Great news Snowjunky!! Injuries are gonna happen, but that is one good outcome. And yeah...dontcha love your 'mates' Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Glad to hear it wasn't worse, snowjunky. Link to post Share on other sites
snowbender 3 Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Yes. And I know what you mean about needing so much time after a holiday. Cliche, but true. Welcome back. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Thank you for the kind thoughts guys (and gal) Really good to have 'on-line mates' Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 You caught up with stuff yet, snowjunky? Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Not knee injury but I have spent a lot of the season away actually this time. Sick family member. So I have missed a fair bit, immense as it has been in Nozawa this year. Can't be helped though. Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLocklearRocks 1 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Sorry to hear that iiyamadude Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 You caught up with stuff yet, snowjunky? Starting to catch up Kev - I have posted a few pics tonight and will have more to follow plus videos when I work out an effective way to reduce them in size (average 70 meg each) iiyamadude sorry to hear of your problems. _ Family always come first - make up for it next season hopefully Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Thanks snowjunky. Hope your leg and catching up goes good too. Link to post Share on other sites
Nisoko 6 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Look forward to hearing more snowjunky (unless I've missed it! ) Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 A pictorial mini summary of my trip - not many action shots as they are on my helmet cam that I am still editing. Will have more pics when my mates get them up to me. S J - Exiting Airwave 2 near Lift 15 Madarao Koken Link to post Share on other sites
surfarthur 22 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Nice pics SJ Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hows the knee now? Link to post Share on other sites
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