Okemo 12/6/15

[reefer]

Conditions: soft spring like on the edges. Skied off in places in the middle. Small bump lines here and there.
Bluebird skies approaching 50 degrees. A little breeze.

Great day at Okemo until the shoulder dislocaton. Good crowd participating in the food drive, $39.00 to ski and another $5.00 for the RFID, so $44.00. At least the March food drive will really cost me $39.00 unless I lose the damn card.
Kudos to Okemo for pumping out enough snow to cover three summit runs and two more at Solitude. It spread the people out enough. Never a line at Solitude or really at the Sunburst. Skied from 10:00 til 2:30 when I popped a ski and did something real bad to my shoulder.

Having never had a dislocation, I didn’t know what was wrong, but my shoulder and right arm were gone and I was in throw-up type of pain. I flagged down someone to pick up my ski (big thank you), somehow managed to click in, then slithered down to the lodge. (They had offered to call patrol). My Advil was in the car, shit. Got the left boot off with some loud moans, but no way could I unbuckle the right. There were plenty of Okemo personnel around, so humiliated, I asked a nice ambassador to un-buckle it for me. They watched me wrap up insisting the whole time I go to first aid. I saw nothing good coming of that but succumbed to their pleas. Don’t know if I really could have made it home anyway. One grabbed my bag, the other my skis, and me dragging my arm behind me. Gets to first aid and the team of woman (all very nice) get me checked in. The wily veteran blurts out, “Karl’s on the hill, get a hold of him.”
Karl? I was assured he was good with orthopedics, especially shoulder separations. So now Karl arrives, and with a pretty good audience, asks me if I want him to work on me, or get ambulanced out. Well I chose “Hawkeye”. He tells me to relax, starts feeling and pushing and, CLICK, whoa, heard my shoulder click and move half an inch. Holy shit, this is like MASH. I immediately hugged Karl, he is a genius, and he got me home. Thank God he was there. The real intense pain immediately went away.

My shoulder feels much better, we’ll see if the doc wants x-rays tomorrow. I’m encouraged and feel very fortunate right now. Doesn’t appear to be long term based on the movement I have right now.
Big shout out to everyone that helped me out at Okemo today, especially in first aid.
Had a blast and still glad I went despite the mishap.

 

[Quietman]

Brave of you to trust "Karl", but depending on your health insurance, he probably saved you a lot of $ vs. an ER visit!(probably $500+ for me). I'd say a thank you card with a gift certificate to a local restaurant might be in order. Also nice to see someone saying nice things about Okemo, I've generally only been there on closing days in April, but have always had fun there.

Take it easy on the shoulder, mine was tender far a long time after I dislocated it diving for a softball.

 

[deadheadskier]

Glad you're okay. Sounds more like a dislocation than separation. Separation involves the collar bone.

I know from experience as I dislocated my shoulder at Okemo as well! Wonder if it was Karl who pushed my shoulder back into its socket then. 23 years ago and I was concussed, so I can't remember.

I've got some arthritis issues in that shoulder now, but not too bad.

 

[prsboogie]

Definitely get some follow up to make sure there is nothing else going on in there. Second the thank you card!!

 

[dlague]

Was telling my wife about this - she broke her shoulder (head of the Humerus got pressed in fracturing the Humerus in seven locations) when a beginner crossed across the front of her skis. They thought it might have been dislocated at first but xrays showed otherwise. Best to get things confirmed!

We also had a son that fractured his clavicle on a shoulder impact while skiing.

 

[bigbog]

Best of luck to speedy rehab reefer....you've got time till we get any natural stuff.

 

[reefer]

Thanks boys. Definitely a dislocation, not a separation. I was still delirious when I wrote that. Post edited. I also trusted Karl based on the wily ski patrol maiden in the MASH unit. She had total confidence in him and had obviously seen this trick before. He will be getting at a real nice lunch (or cheap dinner), on me. I have good insurance but the logistics of getting me to a hospital etc.. was not what I wanted to do on a Sunday night in Vermont. I’m already rehabbing Bigbog, as my boy Mr. Petty would say, keep moving, “never slow down, never grow old.”
Actually heading out to see the doc now. Very tender but I got plenty of strength in my arm and fingers.

 

[bigbog]

Yes!...if everything is in place, need to have exercise(s) to relaxingly put some movement to the tendons to prevent them from stiffening up...as they heal.

 

[Abubob]

Another reason not to ski Okemo - Shoulder dislocation issues - Maybe that's why they have Karl.

 

[mikec142]

Definitely get checked out by a doctor. Often a dislocation involves a tear to the labrum or torn ligaments. I tore up my shoulder years ago skiing at Mt. Snow. Caught an edge and went shoulder first into a mogul. Speedy recovery.

 

[Riverskier]

Take it easy and do some PT. I dislocated me shoulder the first time in a car accident back in 1999. Followed that advice and my shoulder felt completely normal for the next 10 years until I dislocated it again skiing with a major impact. Have dislocated it 3 more times since that second dislocation, once just reaching into the back seat of my car. Now I have it popped back in and go on with life, skiing 2 days after the last time. Basically my shoulder is screwed at this point and have to be constantly conscious not to move my arm a certain way. The pain isn't any better with future dislocations. I could have surgery to fix, but time and money. Take care and strengthen the muscles and ligaments and avoid that second dislocation...