UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => diet, training and injuries => Topic started by: Will Hunt on December 20, 2008, 04:08:52 pm
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Went and broke my femur on Wednesday. Any estimates on recovery time? Docs say about a year for full recovery. Can you still take lobs with a pin in your leg?
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Shit dog - biggest bone in the body? What happened?
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Was that you the got MRed from Froggat? Bad luck mate. No idea about recovery time from such an injury, but wish you all the best with recovery.
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Gutted! Weren't you in Outside on Wed?
Don't know anyone who's broken a femur, but my metatarsal took about 3 months before I could consider climbing again. Considering the femur is about 20 times bigger, expect it to take much, much longer! My mate who broke his hipbone 5-6 months ago is still suffering with it.
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Went and broke my femur on Wednesday. Any estimates on recovery time? Docs say about a year for full recovery. Can you still take lobs with a pin in your leg?
Don't know really but in my experience with broken bones (myself and others), I've found it to be about 3 months until you can use it, 6 months until you can use it fairly normally. This is without pins BTW. Femur is obviously major but equally it has good blood flow (which might have been a reason if they whisked you away sharpish) which helps.
Doctors almost always underestimate how keen climbers are to get back on with it, I've heard enough reports (some first hand) of people who were told they'd never climb again and 6 months later they are doing some comfortably.
Physio will be crucial especially if there's any soft-tissue damage. You'll lose a lot from not walking for a while and need to regain that. Effort in - gains out, be determined but careful, a lot of the later healing is up to you.
As for lobs, bouldering will be a no-no for quite a while, as will gear-ripping groundfalls... Falling into space onto steep stuff e.g. sport or indoor walls should be fine IF you're careful. But obviously it's crucial to get back into things gradually.
This is all from experience / friend's experiences, but they've been consistent and a lot of it is common sense. Bones are just engineering really.
For more experience ask Paul B, also Rosie A on UKC, her new bloke pulverised his leg in a bike crash and is full of metal, oh and also Jus off UKC, his wife had a friend who broke his femur as well...
Edit: Drew, I broke a heel badly (3 months to recover) and a meta-tarsal not so badly (4-5 months to recover). The only reason the doctors could give for the latter is much worse blood flow to that area of the foot - I think that's a factor as much as size.
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holy shit,
get well soon.
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Sorry to hear that Will, wishing you a speedy recovery..
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PM with your phone number if you fancy a chat / bit of advice Will. If you are sheff based o know the best rehab sports masseurs / physios in the city ( and the best orthopaedic surgeons!!)
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Shit Will, really sorry to hear that. Despite having broken lots of bones I've no real advice, just listen to the doctors and your body I guess.
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Give us a bell if you're in Widnes over Xmas Will.
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Nick in Oz bust his femur in the alps a while back. But he hasn't posted on here in a while (can't even remember what he posts as anymore). Might pick up a pm though.
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'Control Freak'? that one?
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:thumbsdown: Ouch, thats got to hurt, hope your not in too much pain at present.
My experience of breaks
* Fractured calcanium in front : recovery was around four or five weeks on crutches, then very very careful about falling on that foot/leg when bouldering. Back to full "strength" in three months.
* Fractured scapula at Stanage : just the very bottom and no plates were needed to help it knit together so was quite lucky. Was gutted as I was supposed to be going to Lundy two months later, fortunately I'd healed and was perfectly fine by that time.
* Chipped an intermeidate phalange at the same time as Scapula : was fine four weekslater, full range of movement in the finger, no loss of function/what little strength I had (I didn't realise till three days later when the swelling hadn't gone down as I'd cut the finger at the same time).
So no direct experience (and would like to keep it that way!).
Lots of calcium, so lots of milk and cheese (unless of course your lactose intollerant, in which case get someone to go to a health shop for you). Listen to and do what the physios tell you, they don't tell you exercises for their benefit!!!
Look forward to an increase in your postings over the coming weeks :)
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Will. Really sorry to hear about your injury. Keep your chin up and get well.
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'Control Freak'? that one?
get well soon btw will. as FD says, keep your chin up.
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I think you should hit the campus board with a top-rope... Make sure you get :pissed: and eat loads over christmas to aid recovery...
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Cheers for the get wells :)
That certainly was me in Outside, Drew. Sorry didn't know it was you. Should have come and said hello!
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'Control Freak'? that one?
That'll be the boy.
Will you weren'y trying to climb anything in those Aces I gave you were you? :0)
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First, hope it all goes well.
I'd suggest at least a year to return to fairly normal function. Depending on what fracture configuration you have. having said that, you can get longstanding pain in that leg.
There, now if it takes that long you won't be disappointed, but if you're back quicker you'll have proved me wrong. Win-win. :beer2:
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Wow, commiserations mate. I think recovery time can be very individual. I broke the top of the radius and will always have the pins, but was surprised to make a full recovery in a couple of months so you never know exactly. BTW don't believe dead-hangs are contra-indicated for pinned fractures, nor single malt whisky,so it's not all bad news...
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Owch. Sorry to hear about your misfortune, Will.
Maybe this is the time to do some serious weight training (upper body only for now) and establish a good base for getting proper strong? Cuboard used his time with a broken ankle to good effect last year and packed on some right muscle.
I have no idea about recovery time :shrug:
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Can anyone who's just completed their second viewing of The Wire 1 to 5 led it to Will... he'll appreciate the effort I'm sure.
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Bad luck Will. Get well soon and as lagers says, get working on upper body beastliness!
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Fucking hell Will, you've had to break your femur to get into net +ve Karma :lol:
Get well soon.
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Sorry to hear Will! Try not to rush back too soon and just hit those weights and pullups hard :thumbsup:
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Fucking hell Will, you've had to break your femur to get into net +ve Karma :lol:
And climb Archangel. Lucky he did that first!
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I've just remembered what happened to me when I had a cast on my leg. I got far more :shag: action than ever before! I don't know why, and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be, but it's true! Get in!
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What?! Thats outrageous!
As shocking as this may sound I would happily turn down a shag at the moment due to the amount of pain I think it would cause me.
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Giving or receiving?
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As shocking as this may sound I would happily turn down a shag at the moment due to the amount of pain I think it would cause me.
(http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/shag_300_tcm9-142477.jpg)
Beastialiser, sick fuck
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As shocking as this may sound I would happily turn down a shag at the moment due to the amount of pain I think it would cause me.
Grab yourself a 'script for Tramadol or Endone and you'll soon forget about the pain. :shag: in no time!
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I think it might be empowering to the girl, and they seem to like that! Get it done :shag:
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I broke my femur just above the knee in a car crash 8 years ago, so I feel your pain brother... On the recovery front I got in the swimming pool & kept up the fingerboard sessions. I kept it fairly easy for a year or so. I also have a pin left in it, only problem is a bit of an ache in the cold & damp. 8 years on now and I'm fully fit, road running on it & taking biggish falls on to it. Good luck getting better & keep your chin up as it can get depressing watching your mates out crushing.
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Bad luck Will, I wish you all the best for a swift recovery.
I broke my femur in 2 places back in 2001 in a car crash, I was back at work 6 months later but it took me a few years to gain confidence in the fact it had healed properly. I had several titanium pins in my leg but had them removed after about 19 months. The doctors had told me I would have them in for life so was surprised when I was given the option of having them took out. It felt considerably better after they were out as they caused quite a bit of discomfort. It is no where near as good as it was but all things considered it works very well. I only really struggle if my leg is bent as far as it goes as I cant get much power into it. I would advise sticking with your physiotherapy though as I sacked it off and got pissed instead. It didn't help!
Chin up though mate, you'll be right again before you know it ;D
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Thought I'd share my x-rays. Gnarly dude!
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3177365938_34632fe4c5.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3176531971_ffe5bc4867.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3177365846_8ef5135ae2.jpg?v=0)
Also, I can get about on one crutch now for short periods which means I can carry stuff. Woop!
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Ouch!
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Thats nothing! I found a video of some surgeons performing the same surgery they used on me on a cadaver.
That was ouch.
http://www.or-live.com/Gamma3/1458/ (http://www.or-live.com/Gamma3/1458/)
It's not too bad. Skip the boring bit at the start to get to the meaty bit.
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Woah, that's some serious fucking metal you got in there, I was thinking it might just be the pins and plate thing around the outside. Airport metal detectors are going to be fun for ever more.
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I'm going to take my own lube and gloves for them to use when they do the cavity searches.
As I said to the doc in Sheff who threatened to stick his finger up my arse during examination
"Enjoy yourself."
He wasn't impressed.
If anyone was considering a stay in the hospital and needs putting off then I did a self indulgent write up on the blog. Link in the sig.
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I'm going to take my own lube and gloves for them to use when they do the cavity searches.
No point taking the lube, it'll be confiscated :P
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Just in case anyone's interested I had my first appointment with a consultant today since the accident and the op. Took some fresh x-rays and the doc says it's healing fast. Should be off the crutches in a month and he hazarded an estimate at being able to run on it by April/May.
Much better news than I'd been hoping for.
:beer2: :dance1:
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hey will! I completely missed this thread, sorry to hear about your injury it looks/sounds incredibly painful. I smashed up my leg about 2 years ago now (tib, fib....the thread is still there somewhere as well as some gorey pics). Sorry to say this but on the running front you may get a shock, yes you'll be able to run but trust me you won't want to for a while, it hurts like f*ck and might do for a while, especially with platage, this applies even more so when cold. Maybe you'll have more luck.
I took full advantage of my injuries and spent the whole period I had my frame on in the gym. You get funny looks rolling dumbbells across the mats to a bench and then chasing them, but what the hell! Like fiend says being proactive with any exercises you have from a physio and pushing yourself all the time seems to help cut down the amount of off time. Good luck to you!
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So it was my first physio session today with the NHS. I was very impressed, I thought they would give me a cursory glance and little more but I received sage advice and weekly appointments of one on one physio :)
So here's the news.
I don't need crutches anymore! I still walk with a limp so the idea is to ween myself off them but the lovely physio lady says that when walking about the house I should ditch them. I am ecstatic and seeing as I have finished all my work for the term a day early I am going out to enjoy some beautiful weather at Caley with some light bouldering.
Come on down.
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Glad you're on the road to recovery, lovely. :hug: Be careful though!
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Nice one Will. And nice to hear positives about the NHS when all you get from the media is how shit it is. The treatment my family and I have received has never been anything but first class.
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Hear hear! I think people forget that unlike a great many other countries in the UK you can walk in off the street, get patched up in A & E and sent on your way within a few hours and not have to pay a penny. The nurses are nothing short of saints too.
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So, just over a month ago I took a 25m groundfall :o while lowering off a route in Spain due to an incomprehensible not-retying-the-safety-knot error (entirely my fault).
Somehow I lived but the litany of injuries is;
-Left femur in three pieces (long since bolted back together in a similar manner to Will’s above)
-Unstable pelvis fracture; sacrum principally but I had a pubic bone dislocation as a result (had a operation to pin this back together as well- I would not wish this injury on anyone)
-Various rib, sternum & vertebrae breakages, all of which stayed in place but I have to wear a hellishly uncomfortable back brace to keep it all stable for another two weeks
- Sprained left thumb which has been, somewhat understandably, overlooked but I’m now realising might be quite bad
I’m doing pretty well considering- at home now, in discomfort rather than pain (only on paracetamol!) getting a bit better/ fitter/ stronger every day and crutching about like a good ‘un despite still being pretty much disabled. Still another month to go before I can bear weight on my bad leg and I can’t properly start physio (hydrotherapy is lined up apparently- I think that means medicinal pot ;)) until this horrible brace is out of the way either so I’m currently in a bit of a waiting game.
Any advice/ insight/ sympathy on these injuries or the experience of getting over such an experience (“polytrauma”!) would be much appreciated. I’m looking more at walking & driving at the moment than climbing but that’s obviously the big aim. It’s very easy to go up and down mentally in this situation and I’m finding online support is very helpful in this.
Cheers! :thumbsup:
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Mike, ouch! I heard about this from both bonehillbilly and alkis who I saw on the slate on Saturday.
No specific words of wisdom apart from when I had my motorbike accident 15 years ago. My consultant speculated on several occasions that I could need my leg amputated and that clombing is something I should consider giving up due to the said lag injuries and the trauma to both shoulders.
Subsequently I embraced physio for all I was worth and whilst maintaining a handle on what my body was telling me I was focussed on the end game of getting back to climbing. It took a while but have climbed better than I did before.
I undertaker that your injuries are more complex than mine but whatever you do keep positive and notice the small improvements as these are tick off points on your way to fitness.
I am sure others on this forum have similar stories of positivity (mike Tyson?)
Wishing you well
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No handy tips, but lots of good wishes. It does sound grim, but there are lots of reasons to be positive. Like, being alive and shit.
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Blimey Cheque - that sounds grim... heal fast fella...
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Nothing helpful to add I'm afraid. Just wishing you well on your recovery.
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That's a real bad one. Did Ben Davidson not do something similar?
When I was out the game I was surprised at how much time you have to do things, but the inability to actually do them. It did mean that a lot of life was put on hold for a while, but it made it easier to focus purely on recovery. Treat physio like a project route. Tick things off, work through the stages.
Tip - get to hyperbaric centre if you can. Any major trauma where your capillary network has been damaged from all the cutting and shutting should respond well. Rossi was back on the bike in stupid time (which could say more about his mindset than the treatment :lol: ).
Have you got a drone? Once you're semi mobile you could get out and make some nice films?
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Wow!
I had a car accident aged 19.... right femur ended up in 3 pieces, pelvis broken too. I had my leg all bolted back together with a good wedge of titanium (which I’ve since had removed, and still have!)
I didn’t climb then, so can’t offer specific help. I did go into a terrible depression and drink a huge amount of beer. I learned to walk again during a pool contest in my local pub. I’d progressed from Zimmer frame, to crutches, to walking stick, to pool cue, to legs again.
I was back at work after 3 months off. All I’ll say is unfortunately it’s never been the same since, but I have managed to run two half marathons, and a few lesser distance races, so it is possible to still be active. I have a lot more detail I’d be happy to share with you mate. I took up bouldering after my accident so can’t give a before an after comparison.
Stay strong Mike! I
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Sorry to hear about that cheque, get well soon...
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Hi Mike, I'd like to talk to you in person really, I think I can give you some useful advice. I used to teach hydrotherapy classes as it happens, and have used it myself to rehab a #metatarsal.
In brief, one day at a time. Expect to get dome set backs and be prepared. Stay positive and motivated, and above all, talk to your friends and family. Sounds cheesy, sorry for the hippy bullsh*t but I think that's what I'd have told myself a month after my injury. One piece of advice, if you are considering writing about it, as I may have seen somewhere, I would strongly advise leaving it quite a while longer before you do. I started writing early on and then binned it and started again as the rehersal of the memory wasn't doing me any good until I'd had a bit more time to 'deal' with it.
I can loan / give you a stack of books climbing or not if you want reading material! all the best T
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Sorry to hear about your injuries Cheque!
I broke my tib and fib nastily a fair while ago now falling in the works and essentially stamping on my own leg. I had a 'lizzy' on for 6-8 months and realistically, it took me about a year to get back to where I was (and then I was involved in a massive car accident breaking more things).
I'm happy to chat on here (do PMs currently work?) or Facebook/Twitter if useful. I was feeling pretty down about it all (looking back I wasn't very balanced as a person and removing climbing from my immediate life was a big chunk). One of the things that helped was my first outpatient appointment; I remember sitting in a waiting room (Sheffield fracture clinic I assume) full of other people wearing far more complex and intrusive versions of what was around my leg (mostly motorbike/motorcross accidents).
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No words of wisdom to add other than to wish you a speedy recovery.
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Nothing to add. But get well soon and good luck.
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Cheers everyone! :hug: Glad to hear that the advice fits with what I’ve been doing- one day at a a time, as much human interaction as possible and pursuing physio/ general activity as diligently as possible.
All I’ll say is unfortunately it’s never been the same since, but I have managed to run two half marathons, and a few lesser distance races, so it is possible to still be active. I have a lot more detail I’d be happy to share with you mate.
Sounds like we had very similar injuries and I’d be very keen to hear everything you have to say Mike. PMs are down but I’ll be in touch when they work again.
Hi Mike, I'd like to talk to you in person really, I think I can give you some useful advice.
Cheers Toby, hit me up man- loads of time on my hands at the moment, particularly weekday daytimes. This goes for anyone in a Sheffield too- if you wanna hang out just get in touch- I’d love the company!
One piece of advice, if you are considering writing about it, as I may have seen somewhere, I would strongly advise leaving it quite a while longer before you do.
I don’t think I’m going to write about it to tell you the truth.
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Hi Mike, wow, sounds like you are lucky to be alive, 25m is wild. Good wishes for a good recovery mate- at least you’ll have time to watch a lot of films now.
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I can give you advice about the sprained thumb......
Said a lot on FB already. Glad you are back on here! Gives you time to do some editing I guess!
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- Sprained left thumb which has been, somewhat understandably, overlooked but I’m now realising might be quite bad
Got a diagnosis for this today and it’s a bit of a NNFN- turns out I smashed a little bone called the trapezius into many pieces and it’s beyond repair. “It would have been tough to fix at the time you did it, 7 weeks on it’s impossible” :ohmy:
Sheffield’s one of the best hand places in the world though apparently and the doctor’s very interested in my case (an average of one person a year breaks their trapezium in the hospital’s catchment area apparently) so hopefully it can be sorted out as well as possible. The fact that I’ve ignored it as a slow-to-heal sprain for so long bodes well I guess!
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get a specially shaped trapezium replacement that will make the thumb longer and give you a 5 digit crimp?
good luck with it all :2thumbsup:
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Sorry to hear about this Mike - a bit late to the show, sorry.
Physio, physio, physio. Tell yourself that what they tell you about recovery times and success is for an average person and you are not average. Push as much as you can, when you can. When you feel down about it all, allow yourself to be, it's part of the recovery but keep working hard to make the physical recovery move forward. Then the mind follows. I read Barry Sheene's autobiography (I don't like them usually) and I was so inspired by his attitude.
In 2007 I was in a bad accident, they took me into surgery to amputate the right arm but the aenestetist (google's being a cunt and my dyslexia is firing) forgot to get me to sign 'the' form, hence I still have an arm. One month or so and five ops, 22/23 hours of surgery and I was left with said dyslexia, a new thing and a side affect from all the knock out drugs but an arm that didn't need sawing off.
So, multiple breaks, resulting in a few screws in the right wrist and forearm. A break in my right pinky (which is proveing to be the most painful) and all the knuckles bar one in the right hand dislocated. having them sorted whilst the arm was completely broken was painful. Right leg driven over, resulting in a snapped calf muscle and the skin delaminating from the muscle, plus a knee that was already wrecked trashed by soft tissue and ligament damage. Right pelvis was really bad for at least a year. Left knee had a torn medial ligament and skin removed for a skin graft to the right arm. I had PTSD, which was a bit of a fucker and a whole list of other stuff too that I'm forgetting because it's becoming a bit stressful now reciting this stuff. I was a bit battered if I'm honest.
Suffice to say, with a great surgeon and a determined attitude, I took up climbing maybe three years later. There have been operations since, lots of physio and some ups and downs about why I put myself through it all (I sit here now with a freshly broken big toe as of Monday) but those days when I'm out in the sun with friends, trying hard and taking the falls are beautiful beyond belief. Every session of physio were the pain was almost too much and the tears rolled down my eyes was worth it and have meaning becuase of who I am now. I'm one of the lucky ones.
Stick with it Mike, seriously - no matter how bad or annoying it all gets, when that day arrives and you notice something doesn't hurt anymore and you laugh and smile, the physio and pain you go through now become to mean so much more. I've stuck some pics on for inspiration :weakbench:
(https://scontent.fbhx2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10400300_12126635580_7377_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&_nc_eui2=AeHKS5w4m-bzHczdnzZSQJNPfRDL4aQg5hxDY-ii6ewFg4s3o1lD0g_8ySKRck_jf92vMV5Aj3W4CZjGK0z3sNf5EKwXV6YFRRnO3W2pCney1A&oh=c9d6999a6837dd9970171177c439bb99&oe=5B89CB82)
(https://scontent.fbhx2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1923455_12795065580_4631_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&_nc_eui2=AeHldkmKQWnq2IL4yEL-hQ6JQOviXQzTXBoYOXRaY-tm6Y1z-9jrSvnfsQCK1S-TFOCgqQhLsFL4iJxlALhKo9Gy97G9SZih0-CLy8FYyB8VZQ&oh=9c7cddf4a789ae2876e51d1a8f0920df&oe=5B7FFB1E)
It might only me a 6B in Fontainebleau but that's my right hand that very nearly wasn't there anymore...
(https://scontent.fbhx2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/24059104_10159699231485581_7735360287423274869_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&_nc_eui2=AeGjM3VQZdPfJ-j4g572eXmVTZWGa3jNEgEU0VXcBTgT6Aqq8ZJzbIfbCVgrxVSgdGl56lHqxcMnfcQscWcoUwd_ulR0k29iOlXXqOKs8fyJBw&oh=c6636475278d9b403bbc9e8a8c35c2be&oe=5B964024)
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Err, wow. Kudos Kelvin.
good luck Mike.
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fuck me Kelvin - thats some tale - never knew!
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Amazing tale! Kudos
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I am a cynical hard-hearted bastard, but I was fist-pumping for a happy ending whilst reading that. Kelvin and Cheque, I really hope that your recoveries progress quickly and your injuries eventually heal into insignificance. My elbow tweak has now faded into utter irrelevancy... perspective eh!?
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Thanks so much for your response Kelvin. You’ve got to be proud to come through all that. :bow:
My elbow tweak has now faded into utter irrelevancy... perspective eh!?
I feel a bit like that reading Kelvin’s post too!
I’ve really got through my thing so far by focusing on how bizarrely lucky I am to have lived, let alone survived without needing anything amputating or having any paralysis. As fucked up as I feel sometimes it could be so much worse and the majority of my problems are temporary and gradually receding.
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Both these stories make my OP look like an itch.
Waddage to you both.
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I’ve really got through my thing so far by focusing on how bizarrely lucky I am to have lived, let alone survived without needing anything amputating or having any paralysis. As fucked up as I feel sometimes it could be so much worse and the majority of my problems are temporary and gradually receding.
Yeah, I know the feeling. I was really happy, almost on a high for weeks because at the end of the day, I should have been dead. All the pain and uncertainty was pretty irrelevant to start with.
I never get up Sheffield much these days otherwise I'd have taken you up on a cup of coffee :coffee:
Heal well Mike.
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Mike, I can put you in touch with a guy I know up here who got dropped at the climbing wall, and had multiple and complex injuries. He might be able to offer some perspective / assistance / guidance. He's back to full climbing strength, but is not that keen on bouldering anymore!
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Hi all, finally posting this. I did consider replying when Cheque first posted about his accident but thought better of it, as although my experience ultimately has a positive outcome it does involve a very protracted lay-off from climbing, which I thought may not be the most helpful message at that stage - I hope a year on things are looking brighter. I’ll post this in case anyone looking at returning from surgery, injury or illness can take anything from it…
In 2001, I had a sudden spell of diarrhoea, passing blood. I had a colonoscopy which proved to be pretty uncomfortable, and was told that my bowel was ‘haemorrhaging all over the place’. Cue admission to hospital with severe Ulcerative Colitis and a chaotic few days - IV steroids and repeated attempts to knock out my system with immunosuppressants, none of which had any effect. Throughout this I was bleeding heavily and rapidly losing weight, and when it became clear there was a risk my bowel would perforate I had surgery; a colectomy to remove my bowel. This left me with a stoma (the end of the small intestine protruding from my abdomen, with an ileostomy bag). Needless to say, this was devastating. I went from being apparently in good health, climbing every week to having the ileostomy within the space of a fortnight. It was a massive shock, the logistics of living with a stoma seemed all-consuming, and I resented it.
After a year or so I made efforts to get back to climbing. Unfortunately I found that although I could just about get a harness on, the stoma sat squeezed between the waist belt and leg loops, and the consequences of any lateral pull didn’t bear thinking about. So that was that – no leading. I tried bouldering with a bit more success, but to be honest even indoors above matting I was petrified of an uncontrolled fall onto my front. Outdoor bouldering seemed a long way off.
2004, and the consultants were pleased with my recovery, but then announced that the colitis was still present in the ‘rectal stump’ (the few centimetres of bowel remaining at the bum) and I’d need to have that removed too. I had a second round of surgery, abdomen sliced through again (first time belly button to groin, second time re-opening that scar and extending it under my crotch to my bum). My rectum had now gone, arse duly sewn up.
At that stage I felt completely battered into submission. Core and flexibility had been completely shot as a consequence of the surgery. Time passed without much sign of improvement, and after a couple of years I basically gave up on ever climbing again.
So – a decade later. By now, we’d moved to Inverness and my wife was taking our two boys swimming. I wasn’t up for the low-level irritation involved in swimming with an ileostomy, so on a whim decided to ‘have a look’ at the bouldering wall (full-on punter mode, climbing in trainers). Anyway, this piqued my interest and I dug out my old Anasazis and went back. Could I pull on anything? Nope. But the feeling of climbing movement was back, I stuck with it and 14 years after last climbing on rock I started bouldering outdoors again.
Oddly, although the early stages with a stoma were unrelentingly dark and quite overwhelming, I think the more insidious period was the decade when I’d completely, 100%, decided that climbing was over. Whilst I thought at the time that I was ok with that, it’s only with hindsight I realise I absolutely wasn’t.
As far as recovery goes, I’m bouldering harder now than pre-ileostomy, but actually for me that’s not the important point - it’s more about just getting out again, and the pleasure and mental health benefits that come with that. I still get terrified on anything remotely highball, but I’m not sure I can attribute that entirely to having a stoma…
In terms of advice if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation, personally I really didn’t appreciate just how long the healing process can continue and (wrongly) thought that if I wasn’t back climbing after a few years then I never would be. I’d say just don’t throw out your shoes because whether it’s weeks, months or years later I hope you’ll be needing them again when body and mind are ready.
Happy to answer any questions regarding bouldering/living with a stoma, should anyone be having to consider that prospect.
Ian
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Glad you're back in the saddle, Ian. Grimer spoke to Mick Fowler about his bowel troubles on his Jam Crack Podcast if you haven't heard it. Mick got the Big C in the A (as Grimer put it) and had a similarly impactful op.
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Uplifting Ian, thanks for posting, glad you are back in the game. I was reading the post and thought exactly the same thing, worth a listen;
http://www.niallgrimes.com/jam-crack-climbing-podcast/jcpc-050-mick-fowler
I'm sure if you got in touch with him he'd be able to provide further advice.
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That sounds full on, thanks for posting it up. I had (at one point in the past) been wondering about climbing with a stoma (diagnosed with some bowl stuff but the drugs seem to be working), but fortunately don't need one (so far!). Good effort on getting back on it, good to know it is possible, if it ever comes to that.
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Sucks, doesn’t it.
Very impressed you made it back to climbing Ian.
The late Mrs OMM (how crass is that designation, wasn’t quite sure how to put it though, so went with “trying to be funny”), with the help of her Mum; stitched up a neoprene cummerbund/waist band thingy, that had a rigid packing foam “surround” or “case” for her bag. So she could climb, swim and deal with our (then) toddlers without too many “accidents”.
Bulky, but effective.
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Cheers guys,
Will/Chris: Thanks for the Jam Crack recommendation, I enjoyed that. What a legend Mick Fowler is – if he does manage to get back to Alpine bivvies with a stoma that will be monumentally impressive!
OMMatt: The neoprene stoma band sounds brilliant! I tried a NHS-issue one, which was basically a cup-shaped piece of hard plastic with some flimsy elastic, and it was useless. You should patent the OMM family version, which would be miles better.
dunnyg: Really pleased that the medication is keeping a lid on things for you – fingers crossed it stays that way. Also, I think bowel surgery techniques are constantly improving, and if you do end up needing it hopefully the procedure might be a bit less brutal than it was back then?
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My rectum had now gone, arse duly sewn up.
You'd be no good in jail!
My older bothered had an appendectomy and they (fortunately) picked up cancerous cells in the appendix as part of routine screening, so he had part of his lower intestine removed (as well as chemo). He now has no belly button, a look that Adam rocked.
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Incredible coming through all that Ian. :o