Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Bad day on the mountain

Yesterday was a scary day and just need to vent it out.

I was on my way to a doctor appointment. My son Noah calls me.. he is nineteen, has AS and RA.. is also a snowboarding instructor and I know he does some tricks on that thing that as a mother I am not sure I really ever want to see him do.
Well he calls and all he says.. in a calm voice... Hey Mom, do you think you could pick me up? I told him I was on the way to the doctor, could he wait til after then? He says.. again very calmly.. Sure no problem, just pick me up at ski patrol. I asked him what happened and he says.. I think I messed up my ankle really bad. It might be broken. Now I know he handles a lot of pain. He never complains about his AS or RA pain, I know the calmer his talking gets the worse his pain is, so I told him I was on my way. Called my doctor to cancel and my boss to let him know what was going on and probably wouldnt be back that day. I get to the mountain and cursing the decision to wear heels that day, hobble to the ski patrol building to find my sons leg in a huge splint and him very pale. They carried him in a wheel chair to my car and we headed down the mountain. There was a girl in there next to him on the next bed when I got there. She is a co worker of his and had been the one to call ski patrol for him. Then she got hurt coming back to check on him.
It took over an hour to get him back into town and to the hospital. Then took forever to get him back in to be seen, then another hour before any xrays were done. They finally tell us they dont see any breaks, but think there are severely torn ligaments. So they give him some pain meds, an air splint and crutches and send him home.
Then he was almost to the bedroom and one of the crutches slips, he lands on the hurt foot. We got him into bed and he fell asleep finally. Then at two in the morning I woke up to hear him screaming in pain. After one pain pill, no relief so called the hospital, they told me double it up and then even if I had to wake him up. make sure he got one more every four hours. So of course I was afraid I wouldnt wake, I stayed up to make sure he got them. He is doing better pain wise today. But I can see him moving so stiffly when he does get up at all. I am hoping this doesnt kick him into a flare.

I suppose we should be glad it wasnt more serious for him. And that in the three years he has been instructing and the five years he has been snowboarding he has never been seriously injured. But now I worry about his mental health. He is stressing that he wont be able to teach as much as he used to. And is stressing over the college classes he teaches twice a week. He teaches the advance students from three different colleges and universities, as well as his other lessons. So many people dont understand how important his job is to him. He says when he is up there on the mountain he feels free. That it is easy to ignore the aches and pains when he teaches someone how to land a trick and see the faces of the little kids who are able to make that first run without falling.
I am trying to be positive for him, telling him lets just get him healed up and go from there. So thank you for letting me vent my fears for him here.

And he feels so bad for the girl who called for help for him. We met her mother in the waiting room of the hospital. That poor woman went through heck. They sent her to one hospital, then finally someone called her to say her daughter was on the way to this one as it had a trauma unit. So she was understandably hysterical by the time she arrived not knowing what had happened. Her daughter finally got there another hour later. They believe she broke her pelvis. We stopped by the trauma unit to see her before we left and she was joking about seeing Noah on the slopes first thing in the morning. While she and Noah talked, her mom and I just went in the hall and cried. Then joked that we hoped they both just got jobs at McDonalds.

Sorry for such a long post, but thank you again for just letting me vent here. Sometimes it is hard being strong for my son, when part of me wants to just say give up that job and find something on flat land. But I know how important it is to him. I just wish he could stick to teaching beginner lessons instead of most of them being the advanced park classes.

Thanks again,
Pam