{"id":25891,"date":"2017-04-07T12:22:41","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T18:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=25891"},"modified":"2018-11-11T13:17:07","modified_gmt":"2018-11-11T20:17:07","slug":"broken-leg-update-two-months-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/07\/broken-leg-update-two-months-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken Leg Update: Two Months Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

I broke my leg in\u00a0four places\u00a0and smashed my nasal cavity eight weeks ago today when\u00a0a wind gust shoved me violently off my feet and into a rock field\u00a0on Twin Sisters Peak<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jim Davidson<\/a>, SAR teams plus Rangers from RMNP demonstrating\u00a0the highest levels of knowledge, professionalism and compassion\u00a0got me to hospitals where after two surgeries, I am now recovering. My last update<\/a> was four weeks ago so time for another update.<\/p>\n

I am physically healing, yet I struggle with dark thoughts. \u00a0As I fall asleep many nights, I hear the phrase \u201cI don\u2019t want to be in the rocks<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I do my professional speaking events, I often use several mantras\u00a0that I have found helped me on mountains like Everest and\u00a0K2 to stay focused, to keep going and to maintain perspective.<\/p>\n

Today, I use those same phrases to push hard during physical therapy,\u00a0to maintain a positive attitude and to keep the incident’s impact on my life in perspective.<\/p>\n

Hurt or Hurting?<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>As I lay in the rocks, my face bleeding into a pool of blood and my twisted lower right leg sending wave after wave of searing pain throughout my body, I knew I was hurt. I was hurt badly.<\/p>\n

Often on a big climb, there comes a moment when you think you don’t have anything left, you are empty. You can’t go on.<\/p>\n

Your legs\u00a0hurt, your lungs cry out in pain. The very thought of taking one more step higher becomes a major life decision. Not melodramatic, but reality at 8000 meters with temperatures at -20F and the winds gusting to 40 mph.<\/p>\n

It is that moment when you turn to your purpose, the reason for being there. And you do an inventory of your situation.<\/p>\n

I shifted my weight slightly in a failed attempt to ease the pressure from the multiple rocks that made up my bed that afternoon on Twin Sisters. As I moved, I traded one sharp poke for another and let out a whimper.<\/p>\n

I sighed and let my head drop back into the cradle I had\u00a0created with my arms and my down jacket hood.<\/p>\n

Why was I here? What had happened? How would I get out? Many\u00a0questions, few answers.<\/p>\n

As Jim put the water bottle to my lips, I sipped the water. His presence made me feel better. Answers began to develop.<\/p>\n

And yes I was hurt, not hurting. I needed help. If I was hurting, I would push thru. But I was deeply hurt and needed help to get me out of the situation.<\/p>\n

Hard or Impossible?<\/h3>\n

Coming down from K2, I was fighting pulmonary oedema, a condition where fluid builds up in your lungs. My teammates were climbing in the area, but out of eyesight and voice contact. \u00a0I was climbing alone. I was responsible for rigging my belay\u00a0at each anchor. At 24,000 feet on the steep rocks of the Black Pyramid, I couldn’t afford to make a mistake, but then I did.<\/p>\n

I took the loop of rope and put it into my belay device but failed to clip into my carabiner that was attached to my harness. I leaned back to test the rig. Immediately I fell backwards, off my feet and against the black rocks of the wall.<\/p>\n

My heart raced as I frantically reached for the ropes. I gasped for air in the already thin atmosphere. And then I stopped.<\/p>\n

Operating on what I call “muscle memory”, when I had approached the anchor I had instinctively clipped a different carabiner into the anchor as a safety. This mindless action had now saved my life. The safety caught my fall, albeit after a drop and a jolt.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/a>
Alan Broken leg picture with splint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Could I really get myself down K2 in my condition? I knew it would be hard, but not impossible. I had the skills, the experience and the motivation to keep going.<\/p>\n

Now laying in those rocks in Colorado, Amber, the Ranger who had the lead on communicating with me throughout the incident, gave me a blunt warning as they were preparing to put my leg in an inflatable splint. “Alan this is going to hurt like nothing you have\u00a0ever felt\u00a0in your life.”<\/p>\n

I knew she was right. I had been preparing for this moment for four hours. And she was correct. This was hard but not impossible. After a terrifying few minutes, it was time to begin my evacuation.<\/p>\n

1,000 Reasons to Stop, Only 1 to Go On<\/h3>\n

Lying on the therapist’s table, Jessica said “OK, now lift your left leg and push your hips up while supporting your weight on your right (injured) leg.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/a>I looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. Not that I didn’t understand, I didn’t know\u00a0if I could do it.<\/p>\n

I took a breath, got into position and lifted my hips. A searing pain radiated from my repaired tibia. My hips fell to the table. “That hurt didn’t it?” she said with a slight evil grin.” I grinned back and mumbled something. “OK, let’s not do this.” she volunteered.<\/p>\n

Without thought, I pushed my hips back up, tolerating the discomfort for a slight moment. This was not the time to stop.<\/p>\n

Short Simple Steps<\/h3>\n

My first trip down the stairs was one of those moments. I put my crutch aside and focused on the step. Both feet were firmly planted then I placed\u00a0one foot higher, followed by the other. Steeled with confidence, I began to climb normally, one foot per step until I reached my goal, a whopping eight steps. I let out a “whoop”!<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/stairs.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I left the Balcony on Everest, Kami Sherpa seemed to set a blazing pace. Soon I found out why. We caught up with a herd of climbers\u00a0seemingly stuck in place. Kami glanced\u00a0at me over his shoulder and nodded. In the relatively flatish area, we passed the stalled climbers\u00a0but at a cost. My lungs were searing, I gasped for breath at the accelerated pace.<\/p>\n

Soon we clipped back into the fixed line and returned to a sustainable pace. I found myself fumbling, a bit out of control, wasting energy. A phrase came into my mind “short, simple steps.” I focused my headlamp onto the path directly ahead. I carefully, and deliberately began to take steps higher up the snow covered flanks of Mt. Everest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Feeling like I had made progress at physical therapy, I was motivated to test my new found confidence. Today’s goal\u00a0was the mailbox and a bit further.<\/p>\n

I put my shoes on, the right one tight with my still swollen foot. I set my crutch aside. Short, simple steps.<\/p>\n

I keep finding that the first step is the hardest. It is the moment when I feel out of control, I become keenly aware of my injury, it takes all the focus I can muster.<\/p>\n

In my mind, I focus on the second step, not the first and begin the move. I did it! The third step is easier as is the fourth.<\/p>\n

Walking with a bit of a limp, I make steady progress to the mailbox, sans crutch. I am walking! I’m walking!<\/p>\n

Careful to not get carried away, literally and figuratively, I keep my movements in control. I’m oblivious to the birds announcing this beautiful spring day with a chorus of chirps. Or perhaps they were cheering me on?<\/p>\n

I reach the mailbox, only to find hospital bills. Oh well, no good deed goes unpunished! But I will not let\u00a0this ruin my celebration. I went a bit further.<\/p>\n

As I walked back inside, I had completed one quarter of a mile, 400 meters, 1,320 feet. I took off my shoes, much to the relief of my foot. As I sat in my chair, I took another deep breath.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Alan-Walking.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Preparation for the Unexpected<\/h3>\n

Yes, this was a major life event for me. No, I would rather it hadn’t happened and I have no regrets.<\/p>\n

\"Fallen<\/a>My friends have been amazingly supportive, even though their choice of get well gifts is questionable at times! I continue to\u00a0be well cared for by my doctors, who fully understand my long term goals.<\/p>\n

I won’t paint too bright a picture however, there\u00a0are days, and even weeks that are hard. I feel like I’m not making progress and the “discomfort” comes\u00a0in the middle of the night in my leg and in my dreams. I know it will be months before I can take even the simplest of hikes.<\/p>\n

No, this is not easy.<\/p>\n

In some strange ways, I feel that all my mountain experiences had prepared me for this moment. Three “non-summits” on Everest, similarly, three efforts on Denali with no tippy top. \u00a0And a summit of Ama Dablam, Alpamayo, Manaslu, Everest, K2 and more.<\/p>\n

Yes, as I lay in the rocks, I knew I could handle this. As I now lie on the PT table, I know I can do this. As I look forward, I am excited about tomorrow and what might come.<\/p>\n

I can do this.<\/p>\n

Climb On!
\nAlan
\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n

Previous Updates:<\/h3>\n