Back In The Snow

A big winter storm blew in last night, dumping 10” and counting. Needless to say, we headed out into the wonderland for our first real outdoor adventure since I broke my leg. We used to hike or bike in the mountains almost every weekend, but since my injury we have been limited to driving to overlooks or looking out the window at the scenery. But now that my strength and endurance are improving I could not resist getting outside in the snow. The last time I was out in the snow I was lying in the fetal position waiting for the ski patrol to evacuate me to the emergency room. It was refreshing to be back in the snow on my own terms! Enjoy these videos of the experience!

Returning to the scene

I recently drove back to the location of my surgeries for first time since my injury. I scheduled an appointment with my lead surgeon to discuss hardware removal and other issues. It was fun to finally speak to him in my own voice and see him face-to-face, rather than looking up at him from a hospital bed and trying to talk through the fog of the drugs. After our visit I went next door to the hospital where I spent 14 days way back in January. It was strange to see the place in its entirety. When I was there I was always on drugs and usually viewed the facilities as I was being wheeled down hallways towards the surgery rooms. The only time I saw the world outside my room from a vertical position was near the end of my stay when I was required to struggle down the hall – with three people helping hold me up – to the rehab room where I mustered my last remaining ounce of energy to walk up three steps. This procedure was the exit exam for the hospital, and it was a miserable exercise in pain and struggle. But when I returned I was upright and the place seemed cleaner, brighter, and smaller than I had imagined. I met a few of my nurses and thanked them for their help, and I stopped by that rehab room to speak with one of my therapists, the one who got me up those stairs and out of the hospital. It was strange to be back. As I peeked into my old room I recalled the world of misery that revolved in that room. I wondered how many people had suffered in that space before and after me. Strange that so much pain and struggle can be compressed into 14 days in one room. As I exited through the front door of the hospital, the same door through which I was wheeled in a stupor 9 months ago, I was thankful to have come so far but mindful of the long road ahead.

My old room, awaiting its next patient.....

Forrest Gump Dreams

Lately I have been having what I call Forrest Gump Dreams. Remember that scene in the movie “Forrest Gump” where Forrest is a boy and he is running from bullies but struggling to get away because he is wearing leg braces? Jenny yells “Run Forrest, run!” As he struggles to run the screws begin to come out of the braces and they break free and he sprints away as his pursuers toss their bikes in disgust. Except for the pursuers those are the kind of dreams I am having. For example, I may be walking (limping) down a street and suddenly I start to go faster and then I am running and in the dream I think to myself “wow, so I can run even though I can’t walk! This is great.” In another dream I am on my mountain bike flying down a canyon without any concern for my injured leg and I think “even though I cannot walk I can still go all out on the bike!” Alas, although I am riding my road bike like a man possessed, I cannot hit the trails yet because I cannot stand up on the pedals, and that is an essential pose in mountain biking. At least for a few moments in my dreams I can do those things that in real life are still quite far away.