good day until the wreck

[Lauren Tjaden]

very light conditions at quest. me, paul, dustin, carl and jamie were going to fly out and back but not high enough so we flew around the patch. i worked small lift using carl's tips...he is english where conditions are weak, and is 2nd in world.
came in with no wind after an hour and had right wing drop. instead of wrestling gilder straight i tried to flare while desperately trying to straighten.
bad bad whack. horrible pain, i could not move. screaming with pain ,literally. took a very long time to get me out and to the hospital. got very good drugs.
turned out to be badly dislocated shoulder. they had to knock me out to put it back in but it was so bad i kept waking up and screaming. finally they got it done but then they had a hard time waking me back up. drugs were so wierd by the end i could not leave for hours ,i'd just start bawling for no reason.
am home now. will see ortho in the next few days. hopefully the damn thing will stay in joint so i can skip surgery. much better with the pain now it's back in joint. looking at maybe 6-8 weeks currently.
anyhow will be ok. pretty crappy day and it doesn't do much for the typing either
lauren

[Dan T]

Sorry to hear it Lauren, keep your spirits up.

Dan T

[theflyingdude]

Sorry to hear about your boo-boo, Lauren. Hopefully, your shoulder will mend w/o the need for surgery. Dislocated shoulders are not uncommon in the world of whitewater kayaking and, in theory, they can be reduced in the field, but the longer they stay dislocated, the harder it becomes to get them back in joint as the muscles start to spasm and contract from the pain. My ex-wife dislocated her elbow at Lakeview whacking her landing in the main LZ. According to the medical staff at the hospital where I took her, that's an even more painful dislocation than a shoulder and they had to put her under to pop it back in joint. By the time that ordeal was over, I was wishing they would have sedated me, as well. Follow your ortho's advice so your shoulder heals properly and I hope to share some air with you and Paul at some point in the near future - maybe the Wallaby party?

JR

[mcelrah]

Ouch! 2008 has been a no-good, lousy, very-bad year with respect to finance - and crashes. Sending good healing vibes your way (taking lessons from my woo-woo New Age friends in Charlottesville).

Hey JR: which is the main LZ at Lakeview? When I was there a couple years back, I was told the huge LZ behind the church was a special good deal for the fly-in, otherwise you were supposed to land in the campground by the geyser... Or are you talking the LZ at the mountain a few miles south over the California line? - we had James, a pilot from [Alabama?], take out his shoulder there...

- Hugh

[theflyingdude]

Ouch! 2008 has been a no-good, lousy, very-bad year with respect to finance - and crashes. Sending good healing vibes your way (taking lessons from my woo-woo New Age friends in Charlottesville).

Hey JR: which is the main LZ at Lakeview? When I was there a couple years back, I was told the huge LZ behind the church was a special good deal for the fly-in, otherwise you were supposed to land in the campground by the geyser... Or are you talking the LZ at the mountain a few miles south over the California line? - we had James, a pilot from [Alabama?], take out his shoulder there...

- Hugh

She dislocated her elbow in the main LZ below Sugar Mtn, the launch about 25 miles south of Lakeview. I wasn't there to see her whack as I had headed north along the Warner Range towards Lakeview, but I went out to land when I heard Larry Ball on the radio say that she was hurt. They picked me up along the highway and he dropped Kim and I off at the hospital in Lakeview. Larry then drove back to the LZ and bagged up his glider, Kim's glider, and then my glider which was still set up next to the highway where I landed. The day before, Kim had had the longest x-c of our group flying almost 30 miles from Sugar to Adel, but after her accident, her desire to fly hang gliders was pretty much extinguished and I would speculate that was the beginning of the end for us as a couple.

The main LZ for the Black Cap launch above Lakeview is the campground by the geyser. You couldn't ask for a better wind indicator than that geyser and it's a great LZ to land in.

JR

[brianvh]

Dang it Lauren, you and Paul have to quit gimping around on us. Sorry to it happened, but now you can maybe take time off to work on writing projects. There's always a way to make nasty things look like an opportunity. Heal well!

[jimrooney]

Look on the upside.... good drugs

Sorry about the shoulder. Sounds like you've had a hell of an ordeal
Heal well
Jim

[Spark]

Lauren, really sorry about the injury ... hugs and healing thoughts at ya.

Coincidentally, a flying buddy from Alabama (James) dislocated his shoulder in the Sugar LZ two years ago.

Hugh, JR - the hot springs LZ at Lakeview was closed the last time I was there. The Church LZ (E of the highway) was the designated LZ. Mark Webber (and anyone at the Chamber of Commerce can provide the current status

[Lauren Tjaden]

thanks lots guys
happy new years to all

[mcelrah]

But Lauren, I gotta ask: "glider OK?" (JOKE!)

Allen, thanks for the update on Lakeview. I would have hated having to land in the campground - not that I haven't put the PG into a gnarly LZ or two (e.g. Flattop Mt LZ in VA) since Lakeview a couple of years ago...

OK, holidays are over, back on your heads. - Hugh

[John Simon]

Ouch,
Very sorry to hear of your wreck and the subsequent pain and suffering. I am glad to hear you are feeling a bit better now as well. Here's a new year's wish for your speedy and full recovery!

Take care,


John

[silverwings]

Lauren,
Sorry about your injury. Please keep us informed about your healing.

[Lauren Tjaden]

just got back from the ortho doc. it will be at least 12 weeks; that puts my recovery to the end of march. i have an mri scheduled next tuesday. you know, dye injected in shoulder then get in the tube.
then gotta see the doc again. i have possible labrial tear and/or rotater cuff which will need surgery. that will require more like 6 months so i am trying to get this sh*8 out of the way quickly so if he needs to cut i can get it done yesterday.
it is very odd. i had such a lovely flight. i was thinking on the day how spectacular it was to have a falcon only a few feet away. his wings folded and he sliced through the air when i was too close. i climbed so well, and i met my goals on the day of flying fast and thermaling slow. my friends, jamie and carl, they were with me, and paul, too, all of us little leaves dancing together.
i fully admit i made a mistake, though conditions were trying to screw me up the backside with a jackhammer. i concentrated on flare timing as a priority over directional control. i do find it disconcerting simply because as much as i try to avoid it, people do make mistakes, and i do not know if i can be certain of avoiding one in the future.
one certainty is my necessity for better radio communication. paul and i are often slack, flying off to unknown places without any prior communication. if i had landed out, i do not what would have happened. with extensive help it was the biggest job of my life to get to the hospital.
i am trying to look at this as an opportunity, for writing, for freeing up my time. but i am very very sad now. it will be so long. hopefully only a little.
a reminder, do what you can when you can. it won't be here forever. life is short; make it count
lauren

[Dan T]

Hi Lauren,

I'm very sorry to hear about your troubles. Having experienced a wreck or two myself I know that it creates a psychic wound as well as a physical one. I certainly hope you recover from both. It would be a greater loss still if this incident steered you away from the passion that you hold so dear.

My Iraqi friends would say "in sha allah" you will be back in the air amongst us soon.

Your friend
Dan To

(meaning god willing)

[carweill]

Hi Lauren,
That was one of my early injuries before I even got a taste of flying more than 5 feet over the ground, and I thought I was done. It was my first significant injury and I had not any experience dealing with it so it took a while to recover. At one time my orthopedist gave me a choice of surgery or agressive therapy and I choice the latter.
This is something I really enjoy and altough I may not have the talent of others I still enjoy even a sled.
I hope that in your case surgery is not required, but even if it is we want you in top shape soon.

Anyway I am going to be in Fla next week I have and old email address for you and Paul I'll check it works

Heal fast

Carlos

[Lauren Tjaden]

thanks, you guys. lots. i have resolved to end my little pity-party, put away my plate of worms. i will be fine. i was just a little frustrated and sick of the pain -- sorry to have vented in public.
I truly should have stayed in the house all week. went mt biking, my handles collapsed, had a terrible wreck. next day i went falconing with terry reynolds. missed launching with my buddies due to it being a bad day for rat hunting, and hit a car in the parking lot rushing home. and then the next day,this.
ha, it's kinda funny. or not.
lauren
(percocet makes all things right)

[mcelrah]

A friend of mine said percocet made him amorous. Inquiring minds want to know! - hugh

[stevek]

How 'bout constipated?

[Ashley Groves]

So sorry to hear about the accident. Don't forget to let go at the last moment before a ad whack. It makes the landing look aweful and the pilot a fool, but you can laugh afterwards.
I know my fathers' first reaction to soft tissue surgery is always against (he is an orthopedic surgen). The recovery can be harder and more painful with physical therapy, but the sholder may never fully recover once surgery is performed. Of course that depends on your specific case, and a blanket statement does not apply.

Take care and best wishes.

Ashley

[Lauren Tjaden]

Thanks to all for the concern and love -- it means more to me than I can tell you.
I am going to have surgery next week. I had dye injected in my shoulder and an MRI (that isn't fun, just by the way, makes a crappy Xmas present OOOUCH!) and got the results today. I not only ripped my labrum but also broke off a piece of bone, so that removes any debate about the surgery -- the bone chip must come out. In a way, it's better that the results are so clear. I have no doubts -- no one does -- about what must be done.
Anyhow, this will give me lots of time to work on my book and Paul will have a driver and I will not go to Tegelburg Germany for the women's pre-worlds or compete in FL Ridge or the Flytec rally and probably Highland. Really, it's better now I know. The prognosis is good, like a 95% chance my shoulder will stay in the socket and I will be just peachy as a Georgia morning.
Yes, I will fly again. When I think about giving it up, it's like a death. Damn, I was thermaling so good! This sucks like butt cheese.
Lauren

[mcelrah]

Knowing you, I have no doubt that you will fly a hang-glider again - and spank the likes of me. But you should also consider having a retirement plan: sailplanes!
- Hugh

[Spark]

Wow I didn't realize it was like that. It's been almost twenty years since I had an accident injury (broken humerus) that took me out for several months ... I can still remember how bummed I was, and how unfair it all seemed. ... wishing you a speedy recovery. Physical therapy sure sucks.

I've booked a trip to Wallaby for Demo days (3/30-4/6) ... hope I get a chance to see you doing better by then.

[jimrooney]

At least you know. Not knowing is a horrible state of purgatory.
I have no idea how long a recovery you're up against... but if you're not done by the time I get back, I'm taking you tandem.
You take your time and heal well. I want to see your smiling face out there brightening up the field!

Jim

[kcarra]

Hi Lauren

It is helpful to know but I really wish you had received better news. I was pretty miserable while recuperating from my broken arm, but I didn't have a book to write. I can't wait to read yours!

Many hugs
Karen

[Gene]

Lauren,
Heal fast and keep pounding at the keyboard. I just received my magazine yesterday and enjoyed your article. My mag gets here real late, I don't know why. I am very sorry for your accident and wished it didn't occur. May the force be with you, so do you get another title to your list of names? SB (Swamp 8itch), Sky Goddess.............. Miss you and Paul.
Gene