Just when things were going so "nicely" - a flip and a broken rib!

Yesterday, I took Hugh Lade's "Sculling Skills" class. It was Mother's Day - and the weather was cool even for Seattle. There were three other women in the class. Hugh was in his beautiful wooden single, the other women were in Aeros, and I took the LeMieux - which is very skinny by my standards - but a boat I row often and really like.

We were practicing emergency stops, and I did a bunch of them without Hugh watching (of course). 

Then Hugh rowed towards me and gave the command, "Stop the boat!"

I responded. Apparently, my oars were pitched assymetrically, and I flipped right into the drink. It was in the high forties yesterday. And I wasn't wearing my Dolly Parton blow-up safety vest. After all, I was in a class - not rowing alone!

I tried to get back in the boat a couple of times with no success. I think it was on the third try, when I felt a right lower rib "give." It was painful, but not disabling. In any event, I didn't want to try flopping over the boat like a beached whale again - this time with a painful rib.

I swam the boat eastward, making it to one of the houseboats. After what seemed like a long time, I got to the houseboat dock and climbed up the litttle dock's ladder.

We strategized that it might be possible to step into the LeMieux from the dock from above - tricky, but it worked.

By this time, my class - plus Jack B. and John A. with their freshly graduated Learn-to-Row I students had gathered around to help.

I'm sure Jack and John appreciated my spectacle - I wonder if there will be any Learn-to-Row II students out of that mix!

I rowed back from East Lake Union to Lake Washington Rowing Club, with Hugh commenting "It's starting to rain; we might get wet." Hugh has a "dry" sense of humor.

I slipped easily back up to the LWRC dock where Hugh and John helped me out of the boat. Somebody threw a blanket over my shoulders - and very kind Lise A. from my class helped me to the shower. I was surprised that even though I could row back to the boat house, my body had somehow converted to jello.

Hugh drove me to the Swedish/Ballard ER, with Lise following in my car.

In the ER, I was heaped with warm blankets and given tea. My body temperature was 97.5 - by no means critical. A set of rib films confirmed at least one rib fracture, and  I have questions about a second matching one on the other side. You don't do anything about rib fractures really, except medicate for pain - unless a rib pokes inconveniently through a lung - which, of course, it hadn't.

Waiting in the ER under a pile of warm blankets, I started to cry. After the fact, of course. The very kind nurse asked if I needed anything.

"No, I think its just that my husband died three weeks ago. It's been a rough month."

I had collected myself before Dr. Kelvin Mar walked in.

"When I worked in Antarctica, we found that giving people sugar helped to raise their body temperature. Let me see what we have."

He returned with Girl Scout Chocolate Thin Mint cookies - the universal treatment for probably everything.

By the time I was discharged, I had made the following observations:

• There's likely to be another flip test in my future.
• You really could get hurt out there; probably a good idea to wear that blow-up vest every time.
• A flip test next to the LWRC dock is different than flipping unexpectedly; read that "easier."
• I think if I had trouble getting back in the boat, there are many others in the club who would have trouble also.

I am very grateful for Hugh's assistance yesterday - less grateful for his "Stop the boat" command(!). I am very appreciative to Lise for stepping up to help.  I am grateful for the folks to "stood by" - it reminded me of how the kids on my daughter's soccer team used to crouch to the ground when someone seemed to be hurt.

I am very sorry that my little spectacle might have discouraged the beginning rowers. Anyway, I'll be back on the water soon -  maybe Tuesday - in a sweep boat!

Take care,
Linda Gromko, MD