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My Shoulder and Kickball

8K views 36 replies 18 participants last post by  LeeHam 
#1 · (Edited)
I figured I'd post about this now that I am repaired. I could have summed this up in probably 2 sentences but I am feeling creative and not feeling like working on this holiday.

On June 20th 2009 I was recruited to be apart of a Fundraiser and play Kickball on a team called World Domination. We were a collective group of athletes considered to be the best of the best for a game meant for children :laugh:. We did end up winning the tournament though I only completed 1 whole game...read on to find out why at 28 years old I got hurt playing kickball.

First game in the tournament my team kicks ass, dominates if you will.

All is well and we all come out injury free.

At this point I should mention 2 things. One its absolutely pouring, literally buckets were falling from the sky and smashing unsuspecting adult children in the face. The field was just pure mud, you couldn't move in it. So we decided to play in the outfield grass. Second the only thing flowing more free then the rain from the sky was the beer from the kegs.

By the time the 2nd game started there were puddles the size of ponds forming. And by the end of the 2nd game home plate was a miniature lake. In this lake were girls wrestling each other for fun and having clothing either see through, missing or riding up to areas that covered nothing. It was at this moment while I was on third base I was going to REALLY make an entrance coming home...read that as you will.

Ball gets kicked and I run home. Remember I had predetermined these actions and they were by no means necessary. I ran as fast as I could and tried to slide from as far out as possible and still make it into the puddle with the ladies.

I made it there alright, but with only one arm intact. Somehow in my exuberance my arm went behind my back and when I slide feet first I landed on my back because the grass was just too slick to have any body control (plus drunk). With all the weight of my body on my arm awkwardly pinned behind me it decided it had enough of being attached to my shoulder socket and ripped out violently.

I knew something was wrong immediately and every muscle in my neck/shoulder/arm went into full blown spasm because they didn't know how to react. They locked up to the point my arm was stuck wherever it ended up.

Everyone was assuming it was a sprain or something else minor till I showed that I could stick my fist into the socket where my arm was missing. It wasn't missing or lost, I knew where it was...below my armpit sticking out above my ribs.

Ambulance was called and it was the most painful wait of my life, followed by the most painful car ride of my life. Just breathing was enough movement to have pain shoot through my body.

Here is me in the back of the ambulanc using my right knee as a support to have my arm rest on.



I completely ruined the sheets on this gurney by the way and the hospital bed. I was covered in mud, you can kind of make out that my lower leg is not white.

I get to the hospital and have the wondeful experience of the doctors needing to follow protocol. Which means even more waiting without any meds. They decide they need to xray it before proceding in case I need surgery because stuff is broken. Fine...except that I had to wait 30 minutes for the xray people. Eventually they see this picture.



Which confirms, yes my arm is not where it should be. And luckily no bones are "really" broken. I did crack the head of my arm into a few pieces but it was "intact."

This is where it gets interesting, I am sure if you have read this far you thought this was already interesting. The doctor says he needs me to relax so he can get my arm back in the socket. I am relaxing about as much as a guy finding out that all of his HS girlfriends had every STD in existence. He cannot budge my arm, so he shoots me up with a double shot of dilaudid, some morphine derivative he told me. He said it was strong and would relax me. It didn't do anything and he still couldn't move my arm. He proceeds to do another double shot of the stuff and now I can feel it. But he still cannot budge my arm.

Now this next part I REALLY wish I had video/pictures of. He had a nurse get a bed sheet. He tied my wrist/hand to one end of the sheet. He wrapped the other end around his waist. He had nurses hold my body on the left side, while he grabbed one of those handicap bars on the wall in the room. The doctor played TUG OF WAR WITH MY ARM! At this point I think every doctor and nurse in the ER were watching, the room was packed and there were people in the hall ways. So while he is pulling with both arms on the railing, 2 nurses holding me around my waist on the left, and another nurse pulling up on my dislocated arm it snaps back into place.

My body felt like I just came 10000 times. After more than 2 hours with my arm not in the socket the reunion was so sweet. So sweet in fact, the mixture of all that booze and morphine stuff wanted in on the party and I puked everywhere immediately.

Fast forward a couple years and I finally had the surgery to repair everything I fucked up on October 18th, 2011. I am in rehab now and everyday it feels like I have my arm back more and more.

If you really read this all I applaud you and your ability to procrastinate and waste time as much as me.

See you on the track! And don't play kickball, it's dangerous :thumbup:
 

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#2 ·
This made my work day better haha

Glad rehab is doing good on your arm though.

The puking thing I can relate. Meds usually fuck me up bad, when I had my nose broke the second time and they had to go pop it back in they shoot basically legal coc in your nose and right after he popped it back in I threw up on him haha. Good times and luckily I was not the first to throw up on him haha.
 
#4 ·
I figured I'd post about this now that I am repaired. I could have summed this up in probably 2 sentences but I am feeling creative and not feeling like working on this holiday.
this was terribly productive, Pete. It produced several chuckles from me, especially your xray and your description of it. Glad to hear you're practically all healed up and in good spirits.

PS- at least you knew you had a day off work today. I got up at 6am and drove down to Rahway, only to find I was the only scientist on campus at Merck. I finished my coffee and drove back home :doh:
 
#29 ·
Thanks for putting this in your sig, I just noticed you linked to this story :rofl2:

I was at a kickball game where the chick playing 2nd base got her tibia snaped in two. We all went to the bar aftward contemplating our kickball careers. Haha
Damnnnnnn. That sucks. Hope you gave her some sympathy...:nod:
 
#6 ·
I especially like the descriptive phrases of what was going on and how it felt. I have had people say how dangerous bike are because I fractured my shoulder blade last year. Next time they say that I should have them read this story. Hope you get better soon and quick. Godspeed
 
#8 ·
Wow!!! That is a funny story. Definitely helped pass time today while I'm at work and everyone else gets to stay home. So thank you for posting about your pain for my amusement it made my day. Glad your feeling better and almost all healed up.

I'd rather be riding my Triumph
 
#9 ·
classic....

whenever someone asks me why I take a motorcycle to a track, I ALWAYS tell them I stay away from dangerous sports like golf, football, and chess. Mostly just to look at their face(s) but it just shows as your story states you never know.....
 
#12 ·
Nice to hear the whole story in detail Pete, although it makes me cringe. Very glad to hear you will be riding soon.

See you on the track! And don't play kickball, it's dangerous :thumbup:
This made me laugh out loud. :laugh:
 
#13 ·
Nice story.

We can all learn from this. Ball sports are bad, dangerous things. The best way to look at the situation is like this; the invention of the wheel saw the ball effectively superseded.

If we were smart, we should have all stopped playing with balls the moment the wheel was invented.

Everyone knows that motor sports such as MX, road racing and rallying are far safer and more sensible than ball sports. Has anyone here looked into the figures regarding how many people are killed playing golf each year? Shocking.

The lesson is ... stay away from balls!



O.B
 
#18 ·
Glad you're OK, I'll feel far safer on my bike after having read that :D
 
#20 ·
Good story and nice xray!

Just got back from the physio for mine - ball sports are bad news (diving at bad pad to stop a toed drive and go the run out, but landed oddly and the thing just popped out). Went back in, felt pretty sick for a bit then tried to drink it away - dumb idea also.

I had a bad attitude that it would be right & just to give it time, but have finally been convinced 2 1/2 months after doing it and going the physio route I've got to let an ortho look at it. Apparently the socket isn't so much a ball and socket but a curved plate - hit it from the wrong angle and it can just slide off, and surgery is the only way to prevent/fix damage (have done my left twice before but never as bad as my right this time!).

Hope the recovery continues to go well for the OP.
 
#22 ·
Cricket (indoor to be precise). Bat-pad is the fielding spot right next to the batter the nutters (think Boonie) field at, and the guy went to crack the ball at me but poorly timed it and it came of the toe (base) of the bat. He was in the motions of making a run for it, and I was already in the air to stop the ball and run him out (or hit him with it full pelt at least). But I muffed it good and proper :). Got 5 wickets in my previous over so thought I was up for a good night until I hit the deck wrong.

Either way, you can go flat out on the track or field at bat pad without a box and helmet (I've now got injuries from both) - both get a similar pucker going and you know your alive!
 
#23 ·
Hope all heels well for you - sounds excruciating! If you don't mind me asking (how's that for my sensitive side, lol), did you tear your Rotator Cuff when the ball came out of it's socket? Reason I ask, is that my left middle tendon is 70% torn and I've been trying to rehab it just through exercise. The DR said if I couldn't get the area around the shoulder strong enough to live with then we'd operate. I've heard both good and bad things about RC repair.
 
#24 ·
Haha ask away, and thanks, I am healing very well just need to keep up with the rehab.

In complete shock to the doctors that have treated me I did NOT tear my rotator cuff. I managed to somehow only tear all the ligaments and such that wrap around and secure the arm. So I tore my labrum completely apart, there wasn't even a little bit still attached, and my capsular (sp?).

I initially hurt this like I wrote a few years ago and supposedly because I have a strong RC and muscles in the shoulder I was able to function fine after rehab when I first hurt it. I used to do a ton of pushups daily that must have helped. But due to subsequent misuse of my arm (sports) I dislocated it too many times and it just got too messed up. To the point that it was never fully seated in the socket from bone chips and my muscles being angry.

Sorry if that made no sense haha. Just keep exercising as much as you can tolerate and get it as strong as possible.
 
#27 ·
"My body felt like I just came 10000 times. After more than 2 hours with my arm not in the socket the reunion was so sweet. So sweet in fact, the mixture of all that booze and morphine stuff wanted in on the party and I puked everywhere immediately. "

that is hilarious.

On a serious note fed up shoulders suck. I tore my rotator cuff in hs from football and wrestling. Both shoulders were shit (loose labrums or something) but the right one was really bad. My mom helped me put my t shirts on in the morning for a couple of months before school because i couldnt lift my arm above my head. Pt was the only thing besides surgery that made it feel better although it sucked at the time.

glad to hear you are doing better.
 
#32 ·
Well I'm now going in for what they call a global reconstruction of the shoulder on my right shoulder next Thursday. Full circumferential tearing (i.e.: arm not attached to joint) and some bone damage also after my last misadventure of being asleep and rolling over on my arm. Can't say me putting it back in felt like you described as there wasn't much to go back into but felt somewhat better sitting approximately where it should.

Turns out I also need surgery on my left too (keeps popping in and out with a little push) but that can wait a while as I need a stubby holder and wiper in the meantime.

Any hints or tips to keep sane in the downtime hazexban? Got a recliner, slippers, a couple of video games and a new language ready to learn so far.
 
#33 ·
Well I'm now going in for what they call a global reconstruction of the shoulder on my right shoulder next Thursday. Full circumferential tearing (i.e.: arm not attached to joint) and some bone damage also after my last misadventure of being asleep and rolling over on my arm. Can't say me putting it back in felt like you described as there wasn't much to go back into but felt somewhat better sitting approximately where it should.

Turns out I also need surgery on my left too (keeps popping in and out with a little push) but that can wait a while as I need a stubby holder and wiper in the meantime.

Any hints or tips to keep sane in the downtime hazexban? Got a recliner, slippers, a couple of video games and a new language ready to learn so far.
Hey your situation sound similar to mine. By the time I had the surgery my arm no longer was actually in the socket even though I thought it was and from continued dislocations I broke pieces off my head of my arm. The doc said when he went in there was almost an inch gap between ball and joint. I needed the global reconstruction as well.

I wish you the best with the surgeries!

As for advice, with my arm strapped to my body for a few weeks i was still able to hold a gaming controller albeit in a slight weird way. So I played a lot of PS3 games with my unemployed friends during the day while the wife was at work lol. Also watched I believe every episode of Wheeler Dealers and lots of MotoGPs. I spent every sitting and sleeping moment reclined on the couch since I could not lie down.

Let me know if I can offer anything else. I felt great almost immediately following the surgery. Just make sure you rest it like they say, don't move it or you will screw up the sutured tissue. And work your ass off in PT for full movement and strength, hurts like hell but it is worth it.

Best of luck! :thumbup:
 
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