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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Jul 22, 2010 - 11:13am PT
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Hoh Mahn!!!
We're bustin' out the gross goodies now eh?
I can tell you a thing or two about morphine fondness.
Do you remember the first time it hit those carotids?
The weird thing was, that there was a strange odor sensation that came with that hit.
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Jul 22, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
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After my first reconstruction it took a few days before the morphine did more than trim the ragged edges off agony. Then it started to feel like a cool breeze inside my tortured synapses. Ahh sweet relief. After two days I was intimately fond of sister morphine. But then, after seven dopey daze I started having horrific hallucinations. You know those little triangles that you use to hoist yourself up with in a hospital bed? Well in my repeating nightmare of being buried alive I would thrash all my clothes and blankets off and then snap those hangars like twigs. This happened almost every night. In the mornings I would be all dressed and neatly tucked in with a new trapeze handle like nothing happened. I was completely unaware of what occurred at night until the morning of the twelfth day.
I was finally semi ambulatory. Crutching with great effort down the hospital corridor I was taken slightly aback by the intense triple take given to me by a cute candy stripper. "What" I asked? Figuring that my ventilated hospital gown must be askew. A little sheepishly she replied; "I didn't recognize you with your clothes on". Well you can imagine that piqued my interest and stirred my imagination. So, adjusting my stylish flap back nightie I suavely asked "HuH?" She was the lovely Florence Nightingale who had been assigned to my morphine induced indiscretions. She filled me in on all the hilarious shenanigans I had been unknowingly apart of like a few of the nurse's betting pools. But that's another story. With this knowledge in hand so to speak I had a few nights with a very different kind of dream. But that's also another story.
By comparison to my first rebuild, my twelfth rebuild, a total knee like the one pictured above, was a piece of mince meat pie. The pain treatment protocol sure has changed for the better. Now they don't let you crash and plead like they did in the dark ages.
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S.Leeper
Sport climber
Austin, Texas
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Jul 22, 2010 - 03:40pm PT
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Crimpie,
not alot of pain. I think I can feel the screw, just not all the time, I wonder if the temp makes any difference? Yeah when I looked at my foot yesterday at the appt, it didnt seem like my foot.
I posted a video on facebook of my stiches coming out; can you post videos here. I'm on facebook under scott leeper for anyone that wants to check it out. God I miss climbing and running!
bring on more disgusting pictures!!! is that your knee? did you just ask the doc for a picture>? my god, what happened to your finger??!!
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S.Leeper
Sport climber
Austin, Texas
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Jul 22, 2010 - 03:43pm PT
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Crimpie,
no plan on getting the other foot done, I havent had much trouble with it.
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Jul 23, 2010 - 10:37am PT
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Bunion bump.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jul 23, 2010 - 11:45am PT
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Wow, I had no idea a bunion could be so serious. Looks like it turned out well for you and you'll be able to get normal rock shoes on again soon. Congrats and heal up.
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S.Leeper
Sport climber
Austin, Texas
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I got the green light to start driving again and I start my rehab next week.
Crimpie, are you climbing cracks yet?
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2010 - 05:50pm PT
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We've been on the road so I missed a lot of this. Philo! Cover that up!! Gnarly.
Leeper - the feeling of the screw has gone away for me. Maybe the same will happen for you.
The status on my feet (doesn't feel fair to call them hooves any longer) is this.
1. Can road ride like maniacs. We rode Tioga Pass, and all the around the Eastside. We rode the Ancient Bristlecone Hwy (dear god, what grades!). I road this morning up Rock Creek Canyon a ways and looped on the Crowley Lake road. I can ride all I want. I can ride as steep as I want. Getting back into my riding shoes made all the difference with their support. Feet are 100% for this happily.
2. Can hike like a maniac...(well, a whining maniac). Haha. BrassNuts loves the rapid uphill hiking. In fact, he's on Bear Creek Spire this morning. My feet can do it just fine. This does not stop me from whining though. :)
3. Climbing is still a mixed bag. I put my feet in a crack the other day and they didn't hurt at all! That was amazing. They are happy in the gym. I just still cannot smear with them unless I have decent hand holds where I can pull with my arms as I push with my feet. Moves that require primarily foot pushing on smears are grim. I think this means that granite is out of the question still. I tried climbing at Crystal Crag, Dike Wall, Clark's Canyon, ORG (one successful TR there), Cardinal Pinnacle (site of successful foot in crack moves though the overall effort was grim given all the smearing), Tuolumne (OW OW OW - peanuts!), and I don't even remember where else right now. Pretty much failure across the board. This is where the psychology of it is difficult. In my head, during a pout-fest, I retired from climbing. Then I did the route in ORG, so I've reconsidered. I just remind myself they'll keep improving and I'll be crushing and whining in no time. :)
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Thanks for the update Callie - it is a slow road it seems! We just missed you guys up there in the Meadows it seems (came back on Tuesday).
I'm limited to about 3 pitches in climbing shoes a day with the Morton's neuroma so am planning on surgery after the climbing season and before skiing this Fall. May call your guy in Boulder.
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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likely facing the same ordeal with a bunion and neuroma. Any advice on surgeon preference? orthopedic or podiatrist? My med clinic wants to refer me to a podiatrist...but my insurance will also cover a self referral to an orthopedist.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2010 - 06:20pm PT
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The guy I went to is a Podiatrist. I didn't even realize that until afterward. I went with him based on recommendations. Maybe some folks out there know the bunion guys in the S.C. area.
Anyone?
And perhaps you could call my doc's office for a recommendation is as well (Shonka at 'foot and ankle care' in Boulder).
Good luck with it all! I don't speak of it, but the neuroma removal in both feet went perfectly. Zero pain there. Nice not to have that any longer.
We are still around too. We'll be in Tuolumne tomorrow actually. Dave will be climbing and I don't know what I'll be doing. Hopefully I'll see some of you there!
edit:
I will say that many folks - PTs included - said they preferred podiatrists. Take that for what it's worth.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hhey there all, say.... just wishes you all the best, as you go through these (or are still recovering) foot, leg, or knee troubles....
as you know (and some don't always realize)... once you can't around well (even for a little while) the obstacles that suddenly are in looming, even in your very home, to keep you out of life's main-flow trails...
stairs, and even steps, seem to not be friendly any more... :O
get well soon, and keep on overcoming, if you are still in the process, and may you get to out and play, walk, shop, visit, and more importantly, climb, soon...
god bless...
:)
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2010 - 06:53pm PT
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What I learned to fear from foot surgery:
8-year old boys
dogs
stairs (and my house is full of them)
No joke. :)
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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crimpie-- meadows sounds like the last place you ought to be climbing. head over to column of the giants. long as you can heel hook, you'll be ok.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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As long as Paul Bunyan and his axe weren't involved...
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crøtch
climber
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Hi Crimpergirl,
Nice running into you & BrassNuts @ the Tuolomne grill. Enjoy the rest of your Gen4 vacation!
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2014 - 04:43pm PT
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Bump. Wonder how Leeper's feet are doing. Anyone else go in for the surgery. Hope you've had as good an outcome as I did.
Survival - your photo on this thread still causes a terrible physical reaction for me! Blargh!
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Aug 27, 2014 - 06:47pm PT
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You bumped this at a good time for me, Crimpergirl.
I've lived with bunions and Morton's neuroma with both of my feet for several years now. I try to manage the pain with rest, gel toe spacers that I use each night before going to bed, and hiking a lot slower than I once did. I can handle the pain to a certain extent, but it is becoming increasingly frustrating when the head and legs want to go fast, but the feet want to go slow. After climbing the Saber in July, every single step on my right foot was a new adventure in pain tolerance on the hike out. . we're talking hot-knife-jammed-into-ball-of-foot pain on each step for a couple of hours. I've resisted surgery because I fear I may blow my brains out with the inactivity during recovery (just kidding, but I fear I would honestly drive my family crazy.)
I'm on a deductible health insurance plan these days and I'm pretty sure if I chose to pursue surgery, most of the cost would be out of pocket. Do you remember what the bill was for one foot with the bunion and neuroma surgery? If I had one less excuse to not have surgery, maybe someday I'll actually get it done.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 27, 2014 - 07:32pm PT
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Something that became obvious in hindsight is that for a few years I had gradually been changing behavior - bigger and bigger shoes, slower and slower hiking (to no hiking), etc. I THOUGHT I knew how much I'd changed, but once is was over, my behavior modifications were going on for much longer than I recognized.
When I did my surgery, I paid for my own insurance - BCBS with high deductible (5k or 6k). It was worth it though. I'm going from memory here, but I think with ALL the bills (Shonka/surgeon, anesthesiologist, deductible, hospital, etc.) it was about 12k TOTAL. I hope some others can chime in with their costs because I don't really trust my memory. I do trust that it wasn't more than that. I do recall thinking the surgeon was WAY underpaid for what he did. Not sure that is helpful.
I hope you can find some relief.
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