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pt
Aug 7, 2004, 11:08 PM
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Registered: May 29, 2003
Posts: 400
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Spring was great with several good desert climbing trips under my belt. I had managed to do Levitation 29 and Primrose Dihedrals, routes I had wanted to do for years! Summer was about to start and I had grand illusions of an epic few months in RMNP. We headed down to Eleven Mile Canyon the last weekend in May to camp and climb and get ready for the summer. Our first day in the canyon we warmed up on a nice route that wasn't in our guide book but turned out to be a nice 5.8ish slab route. Next we scrambled up some boulders to the base of a 5.10 route called Death by Drowning. I felt fine as I headed up the route and I was getting use to the rock and the progressively harder climbing. As I started the crux sequence, I was a little scared with my last bolt a few feet below me, but nothing too bad. The holds were small but positive and not wanting to fall I made a quick pull with my right arm to get in position for the next clip. My arm was fully extended out to my side when I made the pull. The extended position of my arm, the quick move, and my advanced age all conspired against me and led to a rather unexpected outcome - I fully dislocated my right shoulder! I knew what had happened immediately and started yelling for slack so I could make the next clip. Somehow I held on with my dislocated shoulder long enough to make the clip! An excruciating 10 minutes later I was lying at the base of the climb after being lowered by my wife. I was incapacitated by pain! I once fell 130 feet and broke both ankles which seemed pretty pleasant compared to my shoulder at this point. Two friends with us, who had taken wilderness first responder courses for first aid, tried to re-locate my shoulder for a good thirty minutes without any success. Finally, not wanting to call for a rescue, they hauled my ass up and told me to start walking! With lots of help they finally got me down the steep approach trail to our truck. An interminable 45 minutes later we made it to an Urgent Care clinic where they re-located my shoulder for me.
So here I am two months later trying to rehab my shoulder and wishing I could climb. Oh well, hiking can be fun too! I'm getting better slow but sure and maybe I can do some easy top-roping soon. There's always next summer!
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canrocker
Aug 7, 2004, 11:33 PM
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Registered: Dec 7, 2002
Posts: 218
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OUCH!!! As a 3-time dislocator, allow me to welcome you to the club. The part about your friends trying to get your shoulder back into the socket brought back memories of my own attempts in all their queasy glory.
Best wishes for a quick rehab!
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ccharles
Aug 7, 2004, 11:41 PM
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Registered: Jan 24, 2003
Posts: 26
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Bummer man! How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? I just want to know how many year I have left before my arms start popping off :o
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pt
Aug 7, 2004, 11:49 PM
Post #4 of 6
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Registered: May 29, 2003
Posts: 400
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Actually, I was kind of joking about my "advanced age", I'm 39. Maybe the cumulative effects of climbing for 24-25 years are catching up with me. Or maybe I need to go on a Diet!!
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coloradosteve
Aug 9, 2004, 3:38 PM
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Registered: Jun 17, 2004
Posts: 61
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so - your telling me that I have 2 years of climbing before I start to fall apart? :shock: Great!! :wink: I should have picked up this sport earlier...
Take it easy - a year from now, the couple of months will look short.
Steve
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feedmerocks
Aug 9, 2004, 6:19 PM
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Registered: May 10, 2004
Posts: 109
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Horrible. Good luck on your recovery. I dislocated my shoulder once, climbing, but luckily I was young and it popped back in while I was still hanging onto the hold. No permanent damage, just two weeks of pain due to improper dyno technique.
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