Comments on: A little too real safety reminder http://cxceliteblog.com/2010/01/31/a-little-too-real-safety-reminder/ Central Cross Country Ski Association Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:48:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Heidi Henkel http://cxceliteblog.com/2010/01/31/a-little-too-real-safety-reminder/#comment-371 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:10:03 +0000 http://cxceliteblog.com/?p=1704#comment-371 I had a situation last winter in which I was the injured one. I was about 20 minutes of easy skiing away from my car on a very easy, mostly flat community ski trail in a park, one I had skied the day before with a six-year-old at her father’s request. I lost my balance because one of my skis was slower than the other going down a small hill. I decided to “fall” on my butt rather than flail into the woods trying to “save it,” thinking that a sit-down-on-the-trail fall was safer. Well, just under the snow where I sat down, there was a very large, very sharp branch, and it went into the back of my right leg and made a big puncture hole. My leg instantly went numb. I dealt with shock, skiing out with a not very functional leg, getting a ride to the ER (thanks to someone stopping to see if I was OK), massive bleeding, surgery, drugs, systemic infection, more drugs, blood clot which was probably caused primarily by the infection…3 months of one life threatening thing after another. PT involving things like getting the hamstring to contract normally, getting the leg to move normally, getting the muscle fibers to line up normally. 8.5 months of PT. Well I am skiing again, but now I know any stupid thing can happen, even skiing easy on a very easy trail.

I also have had an experience in which I saw 2 skiers collide and I went and asked the one who did not get up right away, if she was OK. Her hip hurt. She wanted to get up and keep skiing, but I convinced her to accept some medical intervention, including a ride in a first-aid sled and an X ray. It turned out she had a femur fracture- it was good that she did not get up and keep skiing.

Yeah, always stop to ask if people are OK. And I definitely give safety more thought than I used to. I guess I learned that stuff does happen, safety is a real thing to take into consideration. And I have a much greater appreciation for simple things like being alive and being in good health.

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