broken heel bone

May 5 at north table mountain, I slipped downclimbing a route where the bolt was too high.

I could not put any weight on my foot. When we decided I could not crawl down to the parking lot, the Golden fire department (THANK YOU) helped me hop to the cliff top and drove me down to where my partner, eventually, could meet me and drive me in my car back to Boulder Kaiser. (Rob was a great partner, but also, thanx to Sue who drove him home from Boulder.)

A quick x-ray at Kaiser (they have no emergency room and close @ 6pm) showed a big long crack in my heel bone(calcanus). Kaiser told me to show up at their (inconveniently-located) Louisville ortho department 3 (THREE!) days later. Kaiser made me pay $100 for a CT scan.

Kaiser foot expert determined from the CT scan that my heel bone was not displaced or shattered around the fracture. ($40)

(I fell 8 feet. After reading about other heel bone fractures, I must conclude that my break is not, relatively, so bad, in that there is no dislocation or shattering. If either dislocation or shattering result from the impact/fall, all sorts of terrible surgery must happen. Google for yourself images on heel bones screwed and plated, etc. Plus, they cannot even attempt this surgery until after swelling has gone down---days, weeks.....

• ****This is just an awful climbing injury and one quite likely to happen, one that is on a relative scale---not nearly so bad as spine, head, still...a risk we must all accept--unless we gym climb*****

My foot was still so swollen 3 days after the fall that Kaiser could not apply a cast. June 2, I go in for a real cast, if swelling has subsided enuf. Terrible thing is, that splint/cast is so huge, that, I cannot ice in order to reduce swelling. I bought an electric ortho ice machine, yet no cooling gets thru my splint.

I will supplement this report as my recovery progresses.

Caveat: I am retired and do not have to rely on what my medical insurance will provide. I have decided to use my retirement funds to buy outta insurance treatments like electro-magnetic therapy, chiro manipulation/acupuncture, and private pt/personal trainer. I am eating: more protein, calcium, iron, Vit K and D, and tumeric & ginger. Not very much weed.

I hope my experiences with these options can help other climbers deal with an injury that many may experience.

Just now, I have to say that, after 30+ years of climbing, maybe my time had come for this injury. I used to climb without a helmet--now I don one when leading...after cracking my head on a Boulder canyon sport climb. (This fall that broke my foot was partly due to my emotional state from losing my life partner, C).

I try to get around--on crutches and a knee scooter-- but even 4 weeks out, I still need to lie flat 1/2 the day because my foot just NEEDS to be elevated.

I have bought a capitalist contraption ("I walk free 2.0") that is supposed to allow me to get around without crutches or scooter. I have concerns about this device (will wear my helmet when using) and the knee scooter because each puts a lot of strain on the knee of my injured foot. I have also felt worrying dislocation and pain in the hand and wrist of the injured foot when moving around my home.

AND--it is a mean thing that OARS river trips, incorporated, will not let me reschedule my $1000.00 Yampa trip because they cannot accommodate my injury--one month after it happened.

Lin

Lin, I'm sorry to hear about your injury. I had fractured my calcaneous in April. I went through the whole ORIF calcaneal surgery, too. I've been getting along with crutches, though I'm mostly immobile and in recovery stage.

Feel free to ask me anything.

Take care,
Brian

wow, that sucks, Lin!

ankle injuries -- who needs them!?!

Sending positive thoughts your way, and hope you heal well.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Ice the hell out of that cast, any cooling should help. Ibuprofen in 800mg doses ( If you doctor says that's OK ). Swelling cannot hide from Ibuprofen. Good luck.

I sustained a chip fracture of my calcaneous last winter and I wore one of these while it was healing. Allowed me to walk without too much pain. I'd check with your orthopedist to make sure it's ok before getting one.

amazon.com/Darco-Heel-Wedge…

How are yo doing? I am the survivor of a shattered right Heel. the injury was in mid july of '94, with three surgeries through out August. I had the sub taylor joint, flipped, put in upside down to compensate for the void left by the shattering action of a 15 foot fall off 'Junior',  a slippery .9 at the central zone , the Uber-fall,  at the Gunks.  I refused further surgery ( no fixation or removal) and was able to dance at my wedding in '97 and continue to climb well. approaches and retreats are rough and I can be Lame and limping for two days after a twenty mile day. good luck and try to stay off the foot !

Thanx everyone for your good vibes.

Without your responses I would never had know about this boot:

I am going to buy the Darco boot, and I am going to just pay for a 2nd opinion outside Kaiser because they are too conservative and not pro-active re healing. It is really important to weight the foot asap to counter muscle degeneration in the lower leg.

I am concerned that my wrist and hand and forearm are getting tweaked using the crutches and crawling around.
I am getting electro-magnetic zapping and considering laser treatments.

My plan to climb Kalymnous in October is not so-far fetched. I recall that some years ago when I was there, we could mo-ped to well-marked climbing locales.

Climbers need a good beer with calcium, vits D & K.

Try Dr. Daniel Ocel at Cornerstone Orthopedics in Louisville. Very good doctor- specializes in feet and ankle injuries.

Awww bummer Lin, hate to hear you've gotten hurt.

I know the feeling, I wrecked my ankle last week and am currently looking at some rehab and maybe an end to my climbing and hiking season.

Best to you back over there in Boulder, finally sunny here in Vermont!

lin murphy wrote:AND--it is a mean thing that OARS river trips, incorporated, will not let me reschedule my $1000.00 Yampa trip because they cannot accommodate my injury--one month after it happened.

You belabored this point in your other thread yet you still haven't answered the key question: how long before your scheduled river trip did you inform OARS that you weren't going? Days? Weeks? Months? Hours? And if I recall from that thread, you elected not to purchase trip insurance.

Sorry about your heel injury and wish you a speedy recovery, but taking the opportunity to publicly bash OARS, who to my knowledge has a pretty good reputation, a second time without providing that bit of info - which would allow us to form our own opinion about OARS trip policies - just sounds like sour grapes.

Marc801 wrote: You belabored this point in your other thread yet you still haven't answered the key question: how long before your scheduled river trip did you inform OARS that you weren't going? Days? Weeks? Months? Hours? And if I recall from that thread, you elected not to purchase trip insurance.

Trip insurance is a BS scam intended to trick people into thinking they need to pay for money they are already entitled to. If you canceled a trip with reasonable notice, there is no reason why they should not give you a refund in most cases. Saying "we dont offer refunds" does not cut it. They can say that, and you can even agree, but that does not necessarily make it legally binding. The truth is you paid for a product, and you dident get the product you purchased, which depending on various laws, could entitle you to a refund by law regardless if you bought the scam "trip insurance."

For example, if he paid with a credit card, then the Fair Billing Credit act comes into play, as well as Visa's terms and conditions. You are allowed by law to dispute the charge with your bank under the provision that you did not receive the product you purchased.

Now, depending on how much it cost the business to set the trip up for the OP, I agree that they should at least get to keep a bit of the money. If they incur real, actual charges, then they shouldent be out of that money because the OP choose to cancel. But if they are not providing the product, the OP should at least be entitled to a compromise of sorts.

20kN wrote:

"Trip insurance is a BS scam intended to trick people into thinking they need to pay for money they are already entitled to.
If you canceled a trip with reasonable notice, there is no reason why they should not give you a refund in most cases. Saying "we dont offer refunds" does not cut it.
They can say that, and you can even agree, but that does not necessarily make it legally binding.

The truth is you paid for a product, and you dident get the product you purchased, which depending on various laws, could entitle you to a refund by law regardless if you bought the scam "trip insurance."

For example, if he paid with a credit card, then the Fair Billing Credit act comes into play, as well as Visa's terms and conditions. You are allowed by law to dispute the charge with your bank under the provision that you did not receive the product you purchased.

Now, depending on how much it cost the business to set the trip up for the OP, I agree that they should at least get to keep a bit of the money.

If they incur real, actual charges, then they shouldent be out of that money because the OP choose to cancel. But if they are not providing the product, the OP should at least be entitled to a compromise of sorts.".. . . .

If the firm is more than an out-fitter, if they provide a service and do so with a paid staff, not under independent contractor status, then you have retained those services and are due a refund if the service is not as the contract laid it out. Stand for a reasonable fair settlement but insist that it be spelled out even if they refuse to be co-operative, get it in writing

What's up with a thousand dollar retainer for a river trip?

Yes and no the company policies may give them cover to only offer services not refunds, but a stern letter from a third party should stir the lazy pot to action. Lin, send proof of injury,a doctors stationary with a signature or two and give the company an out to save face, ask for reservation, for next season, try to get a trip rain check. Follow up in writing and then yes let them have it on the Internet.
The company has insurance against the event that a customer, you Linn, has a claim - if they need to - let them make the claim on the business's dime.

I feel sorry for Lin but OARS is not a villain.

Link to other thread.
mountainproject.com/v/bewar…

Huge thanks to the folks who posted and speedy recovery wishes to the OP. I just fell 20' after blowing a piece of gear in a flaring crack and landed square on my calcaneus. It's only bruised per the ER doc but i can't believe the amount of pain and lack of mobility. I'm definitely going to look into that boot on amazon as I have 20 cord of wood that needs to be piled, among other things.