jkbernstein

Wendy for the win!

Thanks for the input and encouragement, guys, though that's not exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm actually pretty well versed myself in recovery after more conventional shoulder surgeries: I've had 6 arthroscopic rotator cuff/labrum repairs (including biceps tenodesis on both shoulders), and one open surgery where pig tendon was grafted on to my supraspinatus. Every surgery was done in December or January, and each time I was jumping again by June or July.

I have just blown out my rotator cuff AGAIN, (why it was so susceptible to injury is a long story...) and, because the muscle is so degraded, another repair is not an option. Additionally, the arthritic and osteolytic damage to the bone is extensive, necessitating a total replacement.

Christel, the procedure I'm facing is a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement (I transposed the first two words in the title). You can read about it here: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00504 The short version is that a traditional shoulder replacement involves replacing the ball (humeral head) and socket (glenoid) of the shoulder joint with artificial parts. However, in order for this procedure to be successful, you need an intact rotator cuff, which I no longer have. (The clinical term to describe my rc, according to my surgeon, is "completely shredded.") A Reverse Replacement involves the reversing the position of the two parts, so that the ball part comes out from your body, and the socket is at the top of your humerus. It's more stable than real shoulder (which is inherently unstable), and allows you to use other muscles (like your deltoid) to move your arm, so that you no longer need a rotator cuff for either stability or motion. It's actually pretty cool.

I have a great surgeon and wonderful physical therapist, both of whom are fully aware (and supportive!) of my jumping. I've read the available information about recovery from this procedure, including the one study that's been done; it's limited because the procedure is pretty new (at least in the U.S.). I know what the statistics say, and what I need to do to increase my chance of success. I'm wondering if there are any jumpers who have actually had this procedure, and can attest to their new joint's ability to withstand the rigors of freefall.

Anyone have any personal experience with this procedure, or know anyone who does? I'm facing one, and need to know if I'm going to be able to jump afterward. (Please respond only if you can actually speak from experience. I don't need hypothesizing about what I "should" be able to do; I can do that myself.)

Just echoing the thanks about your post, Chris. It has been so hard, reading all the media accounts which either mention Aleks almost as an afterthought, or insinuate that he was somehow negligent. We (I think I can speak for the Ranch community in general) really appreciate your recognition of his competence.

There's a thread in Incidents about it, but information is minimal. He came out of his harness in freefall; the speculation is that is was suicide.

Senor was a longtime teacher, mentor, coach and friend. He was a fixture at many different dropzones, includes Mohawk Valley Skydiving, Vermont Skydiving Adventures, and The Blue Sky Ranch. He was deeply loved and touched many lives. His death is hitting the jumping community here in the Northeast very hard. There a facebook group, RIP Senor, for anyone who is interested...

Amen, Tom, well said.

Denis wasn't just an outstanding spirit in the skydiving world; he was one of the biggest-hearted people I have ever met, period. It breaks my heart to hear that he's gone. I send my deepest condolences to his family, and to Butch.

Blue skies, friend.

Thanks for the remembrance, Howard.

Deepest condolences to Diane, and all the Jumptown family. Gary was a unique spirit; he will be deeply missed.

Blue skies, Gary. Give 'em hell up there. Liven the place up a bit.... lord knows, you did down here.

Response from my old, cranky boyfriend (he'll say this in the kitchen, but for some reason didn't want to to post it): "Howard, you're old enough to remember when a 'good deal' was 4 bucks to 4 grand!"

I was gonna send you an email, but this is worth posting publicly: Skydive Spaceland ROCKS. Very, very well-run operation, nice facilities and aircraft, and super-cool staff. I am looking forward to an excuse to jump there again soon.

Deserving of his own special mention is Scott Latinis, who does big way load organizing there; he's amazing!!!! He's a wonderful coach and a great guy, who comes up with some of the craziest, most fun stuff you've ever seen. (You might even enjoy getting off your head and doing some belly stuff with him, Simon. He's THAT good.) I had an absolute blast jumping with him this past weekend.

Thankfully, he is a VERY experienced demo jumper, and knew how to handle the situation. His comment, when telling us the story afterward, was, "I looked down and knew I was gonna have to do the best PFL of my life."

The fact that his canopy reinflated just before impact made a huge difference, too. (He acknowledges that that probably saved his ass.)

As a friend of his, that video makes me sick to my stomach...

Neither of mine were jumpers either, but we talked a lot about shoulder physiology and what happens during a skydive. I felt comfortable that they were aware of what a shoulder would be subjected to. My last surgery was three years and a couple hundred jumps ago, and my shoulders seem to be holding up just fine.

Like I said, a repaired labrum is actually quite strong. The only things I've been told not to do are exercises that involve pulling weight down from above my head (like pull-ups), or pushing down if my arms are behind my torso (like a triceps dip). You shouldn't be doing either of those while jumping. Basically, if you're heads-up about your body position, your shoulders should be fine.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

My favorite of these so far is the guy whose ex cheated on him with Chachi!

I was good friends with all the guys from the band Phish way before they were famous. I briefly dated Mike Gordon - which pissed Jon Fishman off, 'cause (unbeknownst to me) he had a crush on me.

I used to date a guy who is really good friends with Stefan, the fiddle player from the Dave Matthews Band.

I went to high school with Jessica Sklar, who is now married to Jerry Seinfeld. Her mom and my mom are good friends, as are her younger sister and my younger brother.

...And oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that my boyfriend - and a friend of ours - were on the E-Team, the "other" flying Elvi!

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It'd be pretty hard to wear a shoulder brace while jumping. The purpose of a brace is normally to keep a joint in a neutral position. It's rare that your shoulders are in anything resembling a neutral position when you're jumping, regardless of discipline. If the repair was done properly, you shouldn't need one; the labrum should be stronger than it was before.

I've had three shoulder surgeries - two on the left, one on the right - which included a Bankart's repair on each shoulder. (There was rotator cuff and biceps tendon damage, as well.) Each shoulder was immobilized for six weeks after each procedure, then I went through another 6-8 weeks in a sling, doing PT three times a week. Other than being grounded through the healing process, the surgeries haven't impacted my jumping. In fact, they hurt a hell of a lot less now than they used to, and I haven't had any more dislocations (other than that one snowboarding accident...).

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I am only going by my search results on this forum. It seems quite a few people have resorted to wearing a shoulder support and with good results. I couldn't believe how common an injury this is in skydiving; however it is very reassuring as I thought I was the only one with this problem!
So do the dislocations hurt less now because you are used to them more?
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The only dislocation I've had since the third surgery happened snowboarding - and it hurt like hell. Although my shoulders sometimes hurt after a day of jumping - sometimes they hurt even when I'm not jumping - they've never felt unstable during freefall.

Have you talked with your surgeon about jumping? Both of my surgeons said that once the shoulders were healed, jumping should not be an issue. (One of them even asked me for a picture of me in freefall once I was back in the air.) There are motions you should avoid, but normal belly flying or freeflying positions should not put excessive stress on the joints.

It'd be pretty hard to wear a shoulder brace while jumping. The purpose of a brace is normally to keep a joint in a neutral position. It's rare that your shoulders are in anything resembling a neutral position when you're jumping, regardless of discipline. If the repair was done properly, you shouldn't need one; the labrum should be stronger than it was before.

I've had three shoulder surgeries - two on the left, one on the right - which included a Bankart's repair on each shoulder. (There was rotator cuff and biceps tendon damage, as well.) Each shoulder was immobilized for six weeks after each procedure, then I went through another 6-8 weeks in a sling, doing PT three times a week. Other than being grounded through the healing process, the surgeries haven't impacted my jumping. In fact, they hurt a hell of a lot less now than they used to, and I haven't had any more dislocations (other than that one snowboarding accident...).

There's a pilot at VT Skydiving whose real, given name is Random Dudley. I LOVE that name!

I think that one has moved beyond dumb, into the realm of fuckin' nuts.

This is too good not to share:

My wallet was stolen this afternoon. I discovered this when I got an email from Speedway (gas station), saying that my PIN had been successfully changed a few hours earlier; I hadn't changed it. So I call the credit card companies and bank, and discover that someone tried to use one of my cards to buy $100 worth of stuff at Speedway. It was denied 'cause they didn't have the right PIN.

As I'm on the phone with the bank, a police officer pulls up to my house, holding a handful of cards - USPA, insurance, library, Sam's club, etc. He says they were found on the ground near my work. (My license and credit cards are not among them.) He says he'll go to the Speedway where my PIN was changed and ask some questions. (I had tried that earlier and got no information, but I wasn't carrying a badge and a gun.)

The cop just called. He says he went to the Speedway and, found out that, sure enough, some guy tried to use my credit card, which was denied, then used my Speedway card and changed my PIN (got two free sodas, the fucker). And then he ASKED THE MANAGER ABOUT THE STATUS OF HIS EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION, THAT HE TURNED IN ABOUT A MONTH AGO! (I'm choosing to ignore the fact that the assholes from Speedway did not call the police on him.)

The cop is going to double check the surveillance tapes tonight, and then go arrest him tomorrow. Doesn't get my shit back, but at least I'm entertained...

Oh my god!!! Woody, you posted! Now I'm REALLY honored.

The other reason to have people sign is also a great reason to log in the first place: posterity. What kind of memories come up when you look at your Pro-Track at jump 378? "Hmmmm.... well, I exited at 13,200'.... my average fall rate was 121... I pulled at 3000'...."

I look at back at my log book and, "Oh cool! That's the 22-way I did in Lake Wales! That was an awesome jump. Lew Sanborn and Dave DeWolf were on that one. I've got their signatures!"

Thanks, Kristi! Damn, we look pretty good.

And a HUGE thank you to Eric and to Mike Ashley, who generously offered their videography services for free. Guys, you're awesome.

Yesterday (Saturday, July 12th) a new Ohio State FS Record was set at Start Skydiving in Lebanon, OH. The all-female jump was a 20-way, with a 4-way base and 4 zippers. It was a two-plane formation, with 12 jumpers in the lead Caravan and 8 in the trail plane, also a Caravan. The ladies nailed the jump on the second attempt; it was truly beautiful skydive. (Pics to be posted soon.)

The participants were:

Jessica Bernstein
Leah Connell
Tristan Donley
Tara Durant
Joan Esson (coordinator of the event)
Amy Filion
Tracy Gaboury
Kathy Grix-Allen
Katie Groschwitz
Misty Harmon
Robin Heider
Carolyn Johnson
Linda Lohmiller
Tina Richards
Sara Robinson
Amy Romig
Kristi Snow
Shannon Sweeney
Beth Toman
Carol Wilkinson

John Woody did an outstanding job of organizing. (Woody, we love you!) Thanks to Bruce Schemmel and Jerry MacDonald for flying. Chicks rock!

My heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Papa Smurf!

Thank you, sweetie!!!!

It was two caravans: 12 jumpers on the first, 8 on the second. Jerry was flying the trail plane; I was front float on that one. Not my favorite position - I much prefer being a late diver - but it worked out great. And the view from there is phenomenal!

As Matt said, we got the formation on the second jump. The first one was totally solid, but we had two out. Second time around, we nailed it. Held it for 9.8 seconds! We were giddy. You could hear the shrieks in freefall.

We'll be back east for Plum Island; we'll bring pics and video. (We're also gonna submit it to Parachutist and Skydiving.) Looking forward to seeing everyone.

HUGE hug,

J.

Okay, now you're pushing it, buddy...

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Matt, you can carry my canula any time.

Hey! I thought *I* was the only one who gets to carry your canula!