My Day in the Alps

Most people want their day in Hollywood, or 10 minutes of fame, whatever. Not me. I wanted my day in the Alps. In making plans to visit a friend who lives in Munich, I discovered that the Bavarian Alps were just a short train ride away from Munich. And all total, the day trip would cost me about $100. Therefore, I decided it would be well worth it to take a day to ski. Off I go to Garmisch-Partenkirschen with my newly purchased ski pants, sunglasses, and borrowed ski gloves. I'm psyched!! Skiing in the Alps!!! Woohoo!!

Here it goes: Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007. I got up bright and early, walked to the metro, and caught an 8:32 train to G-P. I arrived and found a ski schule to rent equipment. I headed up the mountain and inquired to know how the European system works for rating the difficulty of slopes. I picked an intermediate slope and made my way down.

Then about halfway down, I hit a patch of ice on a downward curve and fall. Except that it's not that simple. The skis went haywire, but they didn't come off. The skis (or at least one of them) should have popped off, but the binding was too tight. Instead, my knees twisted with the skis. I heard them pop, and here we are.

I thought I could rest a bit and then finish the slope. I tried once with the skis still on, fell, and took them off. I rested some more and tried to get up with the skis off. Nope. Fell again. During this next rest period, guy stopped and asked if I needed help. I told him I'd be fine after I just rested a little bit. Not so much. I tried several more times, but the boots felt like concrete blocks on my feet. Even when I could get on my knees and position it so I wasn't lifting the boots so much, I fell. Again and again.

Finally, I decided I needed help. Another guy stopped to help me. He took my skis and poles, and then helped me SLOWLY walk to a nearby building. I would get more comfortable, try to walk slightly faster, and fall again. Then the man would help me get up again. Or when we had to go down a small slope, I'd lose my stability. At this point, I started to realize the seriousness of the injury.

There was a nice older couple who helped me sit and stayed with me while Mr. Samaritan went for the Mountain Rescue. Then I rode the snow mobile down to the nearest ski lift. At the ski lift, they put me in a wheel chair and took me down the mountain. The ambulance came to the Rescue Station and took me to the hospital in Garmisch-Partenkirschen. The doctor did x-rays on both knees, and told me I would need an MRI on my left knee. He said I would probably need surgery on the left knee, but that only an MRI could tell me for sure.

I tried to ask questions, but his English was limited. He said I could either stay there until
Friday for the MRI, or have the MRI done in Munich. I also got a splint, crutches, and a shot to prevent trombosis. I was instructed to give myself one shot per day as long as I wore the splint. At this point, they asked if I had transportation. I told them I arrived on the train and they scoffed. I tried to call Tobi in Munich for advice, but he didn't answer. I figured he was driving back from Frankfort because he'd gone that day to get his visa for the US.

I asked the hospital receptionist how much a taxi would cost all the way to Munich (because I could barely stand even with two crutches and a splint), and she said 300 euro. I though, ok, I can handle the train. But the taxi driver came to take me to the ski schule and return my boots, and then to the train station. I asked her how much she would charge me to go to Munich, and she said 135 euro. So I started to consider.

After almost falling on the two steps up to the ski schule, and still not carrying any of my stuff, I decided against the train. So we were off to Munich. This time I was aware of driving on the autobahn and paid attention to her speed, which was 160-200 kmh most of the time. That's between 100 and 120 mph. Thrilling! :) I called Tobi from her cell phone, and they agreed on a meeting place just outside of Munich, to avoid rush hour traffic.

That first day was rough. I've never broken any bones or needed to be on crutches, so I hated feeling like such a cripple. It also took me awhile to adjust to actually functioning with the crutches. The taxi driver told me over and over to use my good knee. But I didn't really have a good knee at that point. Even though the right knee is only strained and will heal itself in 3-4 weeks, it's still far from 100%.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent finding a place to get the MRI and a doctor to prescribe more trombosis shots. The orthopedic surgeon who looked at the MRI and prescribed more shots agreed with the radiologist that I definitely had to have surgery. But thankfully, it can wait a few weeks until I return to Atlanta. The doctor also examined my right knee because up to this point, the two felt the same (granted one was in a splint) and I was concerned.

This doctor also gave me tips on exercises to do with my knee, but I forgot to ask him how long to wear the splint. Insterestingly enough, in all this injury process, pain is not the primary problem. I feel pain and stiffness in the mornings, but it goes away quickly. My biggest issues are stability, mobility, and range of motion. When I come close to falling, I feel pain and wobbliness in catching myself, but the actual fall feels more like my knee(s) buckle or give out on me. As one friend found it described on the internet, it's like trying to walk on roller skates. You go along, but at any minute, you can be surprised and lose your balance quickly. So it goes.

But over the past few days, I have been continually surprised at the increased strength and mobility of both knees. At this point, I get around easily with just the lefthand crutch and the splint on my left leg. I only need the righthand crutch for extended walking or numerous stairs. Around the house or apartment, I can do some walking without either crutch. I have found some good info on the internet about best practice for the ACL pre-surgery. I've also talked to various people who have experience with this type of injury.

I was well taken care of in Munich. Tobi's parents were disappointed that I couldn't see their city, so they drove me around on Saturday to see as much as possible. I also promised to return another time to see more of it. Tobi's Dad even took pictures for me. They'll follow later.