WARNING: sking can be hazardarus

Last week my husband and I headed up to Colorado for some of the best snow skiing in the US. We got there on Friday night and hit the slopes on Saturday. This was only my husbands second day skiing ever. We were taking it easy trying to help teach him how to turn, how to stop and most importantly how to control his speed. He was getting the hang of it. We hit the slopes Sunday, he was really sore from falling but he was being a good sport. He had a sore shoulder, sore legs and was tired. We were still taking it easy and just enjoying the fresh snow as it was coming down all day long. It was PERFECT! The weather was nice and sunny, the skies were clear and blue and it was warm. Most people don't believe me when I say it was warm. But, when you are skiing and the sun is shining you are going to be sweating.

Sunday evening around 5:55 we realized the lift was about to close at 6pm. So my friend Luis and I decided we wanted to take one more run down. I asked Brian if he minded and he said, go for it and enjoy! SWEET! Off we go! We were near the end of the green run we were on and the lift in sight! SCORE, we are totally gonna make it on one more time! YAY!

I am racing down the slope, I hit a large pile of fresh fluffy snow. There she goes! The front of my ski plants into the powder my body continues with the velocity at which I was skiing. My foot on the other hand was planted into the snow where my ski was, at some point I heard a snap. I landed face down (checked my nose first, it was fine) and looked up, there was this young little snow boarder who was squatted down beside me asking me if I was OK. I looked up and I was like, that was BADASS!!! Then I realized that my leg didn't feel so great. By this time Luis had caught up with me and he said that was a pretty bad spill, "are you ok?"

I realized I was probably not ok, and I told him to give me a minute. A few minutes later he asked if I was ready to get back on my ski's. I told him I did not think I could stand. He then offered to piggie back me down the rest of the way. I was like your nuts! You are sweet, but nuts! I told him he should probably go and get ski patrol. About twenty minutes later this is what I looked like. Picture courtesy of Luis, he said I will look back and laugh one day...

From the sled I was taken to the Keystone emergency room the ER doctor told me that it wasn't good.... oy, give it to me doc. He informed me that I had a broken leg. Not just a normal break either... No, that would not be "Danielle style"... I had to go big right.. I have a Depressed Tibial Plateau Fracture with meniscus damage and potentially a torn ACL I believe he called it a level 5 break. Here is a picture of one of my X-rays.




On the right side of the image, you see that my bone is lower than the left side. Good job Danielle! Laugh or cry right... Here I sit at home bored.. Maybe that means I will be able to blog more. I have been told to sit, stay on top of my pain meds., elevate and ice. Those are my rules. great, that sounds like so.. much... fun.... I will have surgery some time this week, they will make three incisions, one lower down on my tibia so that they can drill a diagonal hole up to the depression to tamp it back into place. They will seal that hole with "bone putty". They will then set it with two screws to keep it from moving. Sounds like a cake walk right? While they are in there working with that bone they are going to access the ACL. If my ACL is torn, I will have to recover 100% before I can have ACL surgery.

So, send good vibes our way. My husband has taken on more than anyone should have to, as if his job was not stressful enough, being a General Foreman on a construction site, now he has to come home take care of a wife and a two year old. My mom and sister have come over to help clean the house and my best friend cooked a week worth of meals that can be pulled out of the freezer and popped into the oven, this morning she came by and cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes on her way to work. I LOVE her!!! Jim came over with his tractor and leveled out of drive way so it is nice and smooth, no bumps, means it hurts a little less to get down the drive way. Butch and Kathy came over yesterday to pick up Emma and take her to their house, sense I can't take care of her right now.

I feel truly lucky to have all these people in my life that have stepped up to help out. Thank you, Mom, Andrea, Butch, Kathy, Katie, Jim, Glenda, and the love of my life, my husband!

I can not say thank you enough!!! You are all so amazing, and we are truly lucky to have you in our life!


She keeps me smiling; when I can't handle the pain.