Full Contact Cheerleading, or Why I Just Got Back From the Emergency Room

[LeftyMom]

My sister woke me up at midnight. "Sis, can you take a look at this?" Now, this can mean one of two things, either the cat has horked up something unusual or she's got some new battle scar from cheerleading she needs me to take a look at. Now sis is pretty tough (she played football when she was younger, not as a punter or something, but as a lineman) but she's got a new flyer at cheer who seems determined to beat her ass, so she's routinely coming home with shoeprints on her face and stuff. I figured this was more of that, made a sympathetic noise and rolled over.

"No, I really need you to take a look at this." She sounded hurt, so I went to actually go take a look.

Knees are not supposed to look like that.

They should really be smaller around than one's calf.

"I think we should get you to the doctor," I told her.

"In the morning?"

"No, now. You need to get that scanned." So they can schedule you for surgery, I added mentally.

So I dressed LK, carried him into the car and then helped my sister hobble down the walk, and drove her over. She's got good insurance, so I took her to a nice private hospital with nurses that speak English and almost no wait. It must be nice. Then came home and carried LK back inside. I'll go get her when she calls me. The ER was almost empty, thank goodness.

So here's a reminder: Don't be like my family. If you must get injured, try to avoid doing things that will make you sound like a dumbass to the triage nurse.

Okay:
I was working on the car when the jack failed.
I twisted my ankle on a patch of ice.
I was hit by a car.

Not okay:
I was fucking around on the balance beam at tumbling. (Sis, tonight.)
I got hit in the head with a can of baked beans. (Me, a few years ago.)
I slipped on a greasy pizza box. (Mom.)
I cut my head on the frame of the sliding glass door. (LeftyKid.)

The sad part is the silly girl thinks she might be okay to practice Sunday. I'm thinking the real issue is if she'll be scheduled for surgery yet, I'm pretty darn sure she's tore something. :(

I'll let you guys know when I find out just what the diagnosis is.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. That sounds awful!

Funny, I was just thinking about you, and wondering how things are going. I got up cause I couldn't sleep, and here you are!

Do let us know how she is, OK? Sounds freaking awful.......

[LeftyMom]

2. They drained and x ray'd her knee, but want her doctor to schedule an MRI or something

We know nada.

[xchrom]

3. i HATE mris'. sometimes you have to have them.

but i hate them -- that noise.

anyway good luck -- and from your description -- i don't think this will be a quick heal.

joints and knees especially are tricky.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

6. I'm with you- I hate 'em, but am glad that they're available!

Gone through 2 in the past year. Ugggh.

One was of the head, other for neck/upper back.

I brought my own earplugs the second time-- and heard almost NOTHING. Highly worth the investment in better than $2 earplugs!

[xchrom]

9. you and me the same thing.

i have degenerating vertebare at c-5,6,&7.

what anightmare that was.

but i was so happy to get a diagnosis.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

23. I understand being happy.

My neck one was completely normal- yet, I continue to have pain. I kinda wished that I could have a diagnosis to put with said pain. Preferably something easy to fix!

Are you doing better? Has the diagnosis affected your treatment plan?

[xchrom]

29. there isn't anything they can do.

unless or until i need surgery.

the pain wa excriciating when i had it -- it went on for weeks.

but eventually the disk retreated and the inflamation went away.

in the meantime i spent a lot of time with my back surgeon asking about the future -- because i love to lift weights -- which i still do.

their recommendations of course are do nothing -- or very little.

but ya know -- ya gotta live.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

30. Uggh. I can empathize.

That's where we currently are with my knee. It's messed up, the MRI confirmed that... but...yeah. No surgery unless something changes. PT was almost useless for the knee injury- partially because I kept reinjuring the same knee over and over for a couple of years. Of course, with my luck, each injury was unique enough that I wasn't doing more damage to the ACL, but messing with cartilage and patellar tracking.

On the flip side, I CAN tell you when it's going to rain. :shrug: You're right- ya gotta live.

[crim son]

4. They drained the knee?

That's always fun :( I hope she doesn't need surgery but just ice and elevation. Sorry to hear about that, LeftyMom.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

5. Oh gosh!

I'm glad that at least the ER wasn't crazy busy (always is when I'm there!)

I hope that she didn't do much damage. Injuries like that can be awfully painful- and knees are precious. As one person who DIDN'T take the injury seriously, I could kick myself for the cavalier way that I went about rehabbing and getting back on my feet. Sure, I was able to walk sooner than they had expected. But now, I live in a world where if I gain more than 5lbs, I'm limping around, in pain, and my knee can't take the extra weight. If surgery was indicated, I'd jump in a minute to have it done, but... unfortunately, the way I healed, there's enough functionality that they're not sure that I'm a candidate for reconstructive surgery... Low chance of scoping it to clear cartilage, and with a semi-functional ACL, my insurance company wouldn't pay for reconstructing it.

Make her take this seriously. Lingering pain from knee injuries is BAD!!

[mainegreen]

7. "I got hit in the head with a can of baked beans?" You've *got* to be kidding me!

:rofl:

Sorry, I'm sure that hurt, but you gotta admit, that's classic.

[LeftyMom]

8. I dozed off on the couch and LeftyKid (then about a year old) was still awake.

Also in the living room was a a box of food for the canned food drive.

I don't know just why he wanted to play with a can of baked beans, since I was sleeping, but I woke up to the sensation of the can and my temple getting to know each other better. :scared: I had the mother of all bruises and my eye swelled shut, but it didn't break anything.

[Patiod]

10. "I was powerlifting and overdid it" - is that okay

if you're a chick? i had the ER staff laughing when I couldn't turn my head (muscle spasms) because I had done my workout too fast and used too much weight on the bench press. They thought it was cute, and gave my weightlifter SO grief about it. h

[izzybeans]

11. That sounds awful. I once had to say "My son slammed his penis in the toilet seat"

to the ER nurse. it was not pretty.

[RubyDuby in GA]

16. My poor brother took a running jump to get on his hot wheels

when he was about 6. Ouch. Felt pretty bad for him then. For a while there, my parents were wondering if they'd get any grandkids from him (they did so the machinery must work).

The toilet seat doesn't sound any better.

This is one of the few times it's better to be a girl in that area!

[izzybeans]

20. We did get a really good laugh and some potential

"my parents are going to embarass me, I just know it" material from this. He had just turned three a few weeks before. The day after the accident his grandmother came over. As grandparents and parents often do, they kiss the booboo and make it better. Well he walked into the room, sans pants, holding himself and said, "Hey, grandma, kiss it and make it feel better." It made me snort my water through my nose with laughter. After she gathered herself she said, "Son I can't wait to meet your first girlfriend. Because have I got a story to tell."

We had to have a talk a little earlier than I imagined on that subject.

[RubyDuby in GA]

22. Oh my! I nearly snorted water out of my nose now!

Bless his little heart. I hope I don't have to have a scene like this with my little boy.

[fudge stripe cookays]

24. Yikes!

My dad flicked a cigarette ash into my eye when I was 4. Not intentionally, really!

He was in the Air Force, and had been in the Philippines for 18 months. I MISSED HIM! He couldn't even go to the bathroom without me hovering around waiting for him.

He would try to walk around the house, and I would cling to his leg and he'd walk around with me like that. Unfortunately, one of those times, he was talking to a neighbor at the front door with a cigarette in his hand, and I bumped his hand.

OWWWW! OW OW OW OW!!!!!

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. If you used the jack excuse

I'd say, "And you weren't using jackstands why?" :shrug:





Note: This is not an adequate substitute.











(Notice how I ain't sayin' nothin' about cheerleading?)

[Taverner]

13. "I got my nipple caught in the garage door" - would this be OK?

Because, honest, it did happen to Taverner once.

[RubyDuby in GA]

15. I am trying my damnedest to picture this and simply cannot

My hat is off to you sir!

[Taverner]

18. It wasn't pretty, lemme tell you

Almost as fun as getting my eyelid caught in a can opener.

[hedgehog]

14. One time I put my young son's shoes on and somehow or other,

managed to bend one of his toes back. He didn't say a word and I can't remember how I figured out what happened. I took him to the doctor to get it checked, but no harm done.

[Broken_Hero]

17. I hope she starts feeling better soon...

A little side story...a good friend of mine from HS, who I played football, track/field with...never got hurt in either sport...but, when he joined the cheerleading team his senior year, he got knocked out cold by a cheerleaders bum...he had more injuries from cheerleading than football...:D

[Drum]

19. "...knocked out cold by a cheerleaders bum..."

Wow, what a way to go! :P

[mtnester]

21. My son at 13 months, while we are visting Grandma...

comes downstairs, working something in his mouth. Now, I KNOW there is nothing to eat up in the bedrooms at Grandma and Gtandpa's house cause it used to be where I lived growing up.

Me: "What do you have in your mouth?

Him: "Peanut"

ME: "Let me see"

HIM: opens mouth wide open like all little kids will do and sticks his tongue out with a small white, mint-like morsel balanced on the end of his tongue....with it comes a STRONG odor of camphor....

Me:"SPIT IT OUT RIGHT NOW, THAT'S A MOTHBALL...YUCK!"

Him: Spits it onto his shoe

Me: "Hello...Poison Control? My son just ate a mothball..."

Sigh..my son is now 26...I am getting old.

[ThomCat]

25. Damn. Hugs for your and your sister.

:hug: :hug:

I hope your sister is okay and doesn't have any permanent damage. And I hope you get enough sleep.

[LeftyMom]

26. This was last night. She's hobbling about on crutches and it's almost dinnertime.

:hug:

[NC_Nurse]

27. My daughter fell off of the "pyramid" in middle school

and broke both wrists. Casts on both arms for three weeks. Fortunately, she decided to bag cheerleading
and concentrate on dance after that year....Phew! :-)

[Radical Activist]

28. I like the phrase "Full contact cheerleading"

It sounds fun.
I hope your sis isn't hurt so bad.