How's the leg Jim?

[John Paul Sanborn]

BTW, how's the leg doing Jim?

 

[Tree Machine]

I can stand on one leg now (the injured one) with all my weight, a new level of progress. Walking, but not without pain. I limp, but am sucking it up, bearing the pain so as not to limp. I'm hoping by EXPO I'll be able to walk around the tradeshow floor a couple times during the day.

I was mildly concerned about being present, but just having to hang out somewhere. Now I can hang out somewhere and actually be of use.

The physical therapist says "NO" on my entering the secured footlock competition.

Otherwise I feel blessed just to be walking. Thanks JP.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm glad to hear your coming along well buddy. That sounds like a major advance to me.

 

[Tree Machine]

Let me get my camera and pull up my pant leg. Can ya hang on a second?

 

[Tree Machine]

Here's a shot of the back side. I think it looks remarkable compared to what it was.

Sorry bout the weird lighting. Let me get a better shot, and one of the front where the tibia went ripping through.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Man, you are one lucky dude!

Shortly after hearing of your incident I was backing up, looking at a fall when my client yelled at me. He was transporting his Rayco Jr. with the wheel enguaged. I was 10-15 feet from him, but I still gave him a dirty look!

 

[Tree Machine]

Thanks, JP. My greatest hope is that all of you can take my experience and use it to prevent any sort of injury to yourself or co-workers on your job site.

It's been exactly 4-1/2 months. I feel happy and blessed and just so very greatful to be alive after that event. Plus, I still have my leg, intact and although a bit uglier than before, I am certain I'll get full recovery and will possibly start climbing again in December.

I can walk right now, and every step is painful, but I can walk. I'm quite limited as to how far, though. I get this weird swelling called 'pitting edema'. If you press your thumb into my shin, hold it for a couple seconds and remove your thumb, the deep imprint remains there for a few minutes. Very bizzare. It only happens at the end of a day where I've been up and around too much.

Here's a shot the backside and the frontside.

 

[Tree Machine]

I really appreciate all the love and support from my Arborist brothers and sisters. It has really affected the healing. I mean that, truly.

For those readers who are reading about this for the first time and are fuzzy on what we're talking about, visit here.

 

[Lumberjack]

Lookin good Jim!

My father has had the edema for going on 5 months now, they put him on lasics and it went down 3 days ago, still has a way to go though, he isnt walking still.

 

[CoreyTMorine]

You seem to be making good progress Tree! The benifits of clean living?

 

[Dadatwins]

Glad to hear about the positive progress, the swelling will subside after a while, getting the leg elevated at night will help with the swelling. I busted an ankle years ago after getting hit by a bus (not as bad as it sounds) and had to keep my foot elevated for weeks to get the swelling down. I got so used sleeping with a pillow under my feet that I still use one today.

 

[Tree Machine]

You seem to be making good progress Tree! The benifits of clean living?

Who started THAT rumor?

Lumberjack, there's hardly a day that I don't think about LumberDad. Will you tell him I'm sending him healing energy. If there is anything at all I could do for your family, will you let me know? Otherwise I'll keep sending positive thoughts the direction of your parents' home.

One of our AS members is coming into Indy later this week, teamtree. I've got a pretty sizable multi-takedown job with one particularly large, hairy-scary dead monster that I was really looking forward to climbing.

I have never hired another arborist to do a tree job (other than apprentices), so this is going to be a stretch for me, watching someone else do my work. But I need to let it go. The job is on the far side of town, way outside of my normal workzone and I took it because of the technicality of the takedowns, that the clients wanted all the firewood bucked up and left where it lays and they want all the chips. Plus the home is on a bluff at the edge of a small lake, a very beautiful setting.

I'll go out there with them, but I really just can't walk very well. Maybe I'm in my head over this, setting myself up for frustration. I'm not very experienced at watching other treeguys climb and not running a saw where there are saws that need to be run. I really shouldn't do work of any kind, but I know myself. I just miss the work so very much. Especially this time of year (Fall colors, cool weather).

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Great to see your healing well TM...but please take it easy at least for a few months more !! I know it must be very frustrating for you ,but i WANT in the future to read about your days climb etc etc NOT i wish i could climb, if only i'd let my leg heal for longer [rant over] Best wishes and positive vibes from across the pond..

 

[Tree Machine]

Thanks, Rolla.

There's no question, you're right. Work will always be there, as long as my leg is.

The frustration is this; I've been able to do a slew of estimates in the last 4 or 5 weeks, so I have abundant work just waiting for me. I've given most of the work distant from my house to an apprentice, as well as deadwooding jobs in medium and small trees, which leaves me with nothing but big 'ol juicy dead takedowns and a lot of Winter crown reduction / tip pruning jobs. The trees, Rolla, they call to me. I just bought a new Silky 20 foot extendable Hayate (the yellow one), got all new blades for my handsaws and tuned my pole pruner up. I've also put a 16" carving bar and 3/8 low-profile chain on my power-ported 346 and put those thick felt Cadillac pads on my spurs. I've put new knives and anvil on the chipper and got the electrical system and lights all working and ready for Winter.

Next week I go to TCI EXPO and I'l no doubt buy more gear, I'll get home with my whole kit amped up ready to hit the field in a big way, just so I can sit at home for another month or two?

Yes, I'm wigglin in my skin. I've got a few jobs so close I could walk to them, but I can't go and do them. I feel like a hungry dawg lookin through the glass at a butcher shop.

But you're right. I need to either wait until January, or hire a climber..... hey.... now that thought keeps coming up. Timber McPherson hired a climber and they do real well together. I've never had anyone but ground guys or apprentices. Having a climber is a foreign concept to me, but I'm actually considering what that would look like. I have over two months of jobs booked and sold, and I personally must choose not to climb, so maybe I need to shift. It sorta looks like the only option.

Any climbers wanna come work with the Tree Machine? There's a lot of 1 and 2 BR houses available right now, quite a few within a stones throw from my house. I like noobs, but I really need someone who's an A climber. I could committ 4 or 6 months. Anybody?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

I would wait until January ,you'd be too tempted to get stuck in and help out if you started any sooner, I know I would anyway. January is a good time to start again even then you should consider a contract climber to help out.You got to remember your a very very lucky man [i'm sure you don't need me to tell you ] your lucky to be even be walking properly again,let alone planning some big juicy TDs.

Don't be in such a rush you got your whole life ahead of ya !!! Mrs TM make sure he does as he's told..

 

[Tree Machine]

!

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Outnumbered Buddie !! Mrs TM plus ALL of us on AS and the other 2 Tree websites say save your climbing till JAN !!!!...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

less the a 1/4 days ride from my house. I'll be at TCIA on the 11th, then we can talk about setting up a few days of work in the winter, to get you going again.

I'b bigger and less gimpy, so I can leep you from getting too crazy

 

[Bodean]

Mr. Tree Machine;

I'm super green to this forum, though I've followed your recounting of the terrible accident. I had the whole thing playing in my mind as I continued to read. I knew something was up when your eyes were to the ground blowing near a running stump grinder. I wish you the upmost amount of "healing energy" and positive thoughts to follow you along on your rope back up the tree. ( when you're healed ) I told people here in Marin and showed them the photos of the accident, they were drop jawed in the realization of what a moment can turn into. I am super happy that yours is a success story, in that you are walking and talking. You put pride in my chest to be a climber, the ability to overcome great obstacles as you did only inspires. God Bless.
D

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I get this weird swelling called 'pitting edema'. If you press your thumb into my shin, hold it for a couple seconds and remove your thumb, the deep imprint remains there for a few minutes. Very bizzare. It only happens at the end of a day where I've been up and around too much.

Hmmm. You sure about those meds you are taking? My wife gets that too.


When she's pregnant!