March 21, 2017
I woke up on Sunday, March 19 feeling better than ever. I had just finished my first ice climbing season, my finger injury was healing well, and I was more than ready for the summer. I planned on spending a lot of time outdoors trail running, biking and climbing.
I went to the climbing gym in the afternoon and was having a great session. Towards the end of the session I was doing a route I had previously done with my new Dry Ice Tools. The route was overhang but wasn’t particularly hard or high.
I went for the third to last hold with my right hand and fell. In bouldering, you fall every time (unless you down climb but that is rare). Unfortunately, on this particular fall I landed very badly, heard a crack on my left leg, then laid there and upon looking at my leg I saw that something was seriously wrong.
A few guys that were watching immediately called management, who upon seeing my leg immediately called 911. Paramedics arrived quite fast, put me on a stretcher and took me to emergency.
Upon arrival, the doctor saw that my bone was about to pop through my skin. Very quickly, him and the nurses reset my bone and sent me to X-Rays.
The orthopedic resident looked at my X-Rays and saw that the reset was done incorrectly. I was then put to sleep to do the reset correctly. After the proper reset I got a cast and was sent to X-Rays again.
The X-Rays showed that I have a trimalleolar fracture which will require surgery. I’ve been bedridden since, reducing my mobility to close to 0. Luckily Cata is here with me to assist me. Tasks like getting water from the fridge are very cumbersome and difficult. Slowly I am starting to get used to living with crutches.
I’ve been very lucky that I’ve only had minor pain stemming from the pressure of the cast onto my beg. I hope this continues. Surgery to put together my ankle should happen in the next few days.
March 24, 2017
You never know how hard it really is to live on one leg until it happens to you. Something as easy as getting out of bed to get water turns into a thinking odyssey: don’t put weight on your left leg, get both crutches, open the door carefully, don’t bang your left leg on the door frame, get your entire body past the fridge door, be careful crouching to get the water bottle, how do you carry the bottle of water safely?(I couldn’t), throw water bottle onto bed, get back into the room, make sure you leave crutches in an easy spot to retrieve safely for the next odyssey out of bed.
Forget about the physical impediments: you drain your mental energy thinking of what are some of the most mundane tasks an able-bodied person can do. Luckily I am getting better and better at this crutches game. I can shower and change solo safely and I made it to work on Wednesday with no issues.
Pain has been manageable. I took some pain killers to sleep on Tuesday and Thursday night and they’ve helped, but I am not sure how much. I feel discomfort more than anything. Having my leg and body in one position for a long period of time bothers me. I’ve been pulling through though.
Surgery is happening tomorrow. I am hoping that the pain post-surgery is manageable. I hope that everything goes smoothly and there are no issues.
March 27, 2017
I am finally back home after a very long weekend. On Saturday, March 25, I was at the hospital at 7am, hoping I would get admitted soon. Little did I know how the system worked: Since my injury was class C (non-life threatening), I was consistently giving my spot in the operating room to class A and class B injuries. I spent 14 hours lying in a bed waiting for a spot, without being able to eat or drink water. By 9pm, I was told I would not get operated that day and I could finally eat. I also got a shared room to sleep through the night.
On Sunday at 8:30am I was admitted. The process was extremely quick. The doctor assured me that my surgery was straight forward and that it would be done in no time. In an hour, he was done. I was given spinal anesthesia, so by the time I woke up I could not feel my lower body. I felt good though.
I was then moved back to the room to rest. I was given pain killers, yet they were not able to mask the pain after the anesthesia faded. It was brutal; arguably the worst state I have ever been.
Sunday afternoon was a constant fight against pain. Cata and Albian helped a lot in keeping me calm, and eventually at around 6pm, the pain killers were helping in reducing the pain. Because of how long it took for me to tolerate the pain, I was kept from going home. I spent night two at the hospital.
Today I woke with much less pain. After some tests and pain killers, I was released and sent home at 11am. I was prescribed some pain killers for the next few days. I look forward to beating the pain and going back to a semi-normal life. I get my cast taken off in six weeks.
April 3, 2017
Back home with a new cast and good news. I went in for my first check up. The X-Rays show that my healing is going incredibly well.
The doctor decided that I was ready to get my stitches removed. This meant that my cast was getting removed and I would be able to see my foot for the first time since March 19. Warning: next photo is quite gross.
I got my new cast on and I was sent off. I went straight to work. I have some pain today but it is normal due to the change in cast. Doctor told me pain should start to subdue in the next few days. Once the pain is gone, I will start working out my core and upper body. I will not let the cast stop me from staying active and healthy.
April 11, 2017
Slowly, my life gains normalcy. I’ve been off the painkillers since Friday. I am able to go to the office and work a full day with no issues. I have started to go to the gym to workout my core and upper body.
The first day back to the gym was brutal. I was tired after 20 minutes and I could barely complete my exercises. After four days, there is some improvement but I am still a long way to go to where I was prior to the accident.
As an active person, being immobile for so long is the hardest part. A big help in getting me through this was re-reading The Meditations by roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. His Stoic writings advocate for embracing fate and finding happiness and comfort in my situation. Cherish what the present brings.
Tomorrow I will wake up and I will seek to find happiness in the present. I do not own the past nor the future.
April 23, 2017
My life is currently one long routine. During the week its as follows:
Wake up, Uber to work, work 8 to 5, go to the gym, go to bed.
During the weekend, it’s a little more varied but it involves mainly lying around, eating, reading, watching TV and doing upper body exercises.
The loss of muscle on my left leg is starting to become noticeable. Inflammation is down considerably and I can move my foot inside my cast, sometimes causing some pain when my scars hit the inside of the cast. I’ve become very good at walking around in crutches, and I guess I’ve used them considerably since I had to change the rubber tips on Friday.
In two weeks, I will change my routine from healing to rehab. I look forward to change.
You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. — Marcus Aurelius
April 30, 2017
Today I woke up to very sad news. Ueli Steck passed away in a tragic accident earlier today in Nuptse, one of Everest’s sister peaks. The news have hit me particularly hard. As an armchair [aspiring] mountaineer, I considered Steck an inspiration. Many people thought he was invincible, that the mountains would not take him. But today’s news are a sad reminder of the objective risks of the sport.
I will never engage in the extreme risks he took, but some risks can’t be avoided while climbing (such as rock fall, ice fall, ground falls, and yeah, freak falls). Every time I climb, I understand these risks exist…yet I still engage in the activity. Why? Because its challenging and liberating. Up on the wall and in nature, there is no worry other than what’s in front of you. When you succeed in a challenging climbing objective, pushing your physical and mental limits, the feeling of accomplishment is euphoric.
This is why I will continue to climb.
I am one week away from getting my cast off and starting rehabilitation.
May 8, 2017
The healing time is over. Earlier today my cast was removed. It was a fairly easy and painless procedure.
I was surprised when the orthopedic surgeon told me that I will not require an Aircast walking boot. He also mentioned that I can start bearing weight as much as I can tolerate. The fracture healed perfectly.
I started physiotherapy today. There will be a lot of work to be done in the next few weeks as I gain mobility. But I am confident the hardest part is done.
I am thankful that Cata, my cousin, is here to help me recover. I am thankful that my parents flew in to assist me and give me company. I am thankful of all of my friends who helped me and visited me while I could not walk. Finally I am thankful for all of my family and friends from far away for all the encouraging messages I received during this time. They were incredibly helpful in keeping me sane and upbeat. On to the next challenge!
