National Geographic Traveler article

[Patti Puzo]

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/features/islandsrated0711/islands.html

scroll down and check out #66, "Out Islands of the Bahamas".
Pretty powerful observations.

[Henz]

I pretty much agree with it I think, particularly the second home part..I do not want to step on any toes but the addition of second homes on any of the out islands that are owned by any non-bahamian is detremental to the overall ambiance of the abacos in my eyes.

[JJ]

Sadly, only Faroe Islands, Denmark get a rating of "Authentic, unspoiled, and likely to remain so" and none get the highest rating.

[SamFamAustin]

Aw come on, a 66 isn't bad at all. Look at Key West and St. Thomas in the caboose way back there! And only cold, remote places with no beach got good grades - I mean give me a break! Would you go ocean swimming in the Faroes, Falklands, or Iceland?

Even Ocracoke, which polls in the top ten US favorite beaches, was pretty much dissed. Look at the list in a relative sense, not the grade number they gave things. Seen that way, even Sanibel Island in FL looks great.

Geo-tourism is a little different from eco-tourism or your list of favorite vacation spots. And honestly, perhaps it was good that the Bahamas Out Islands didn't score all that great - we don't want a bazillion people coming over in a mass horde, right? But the warnings about sustainability and geo-tourism suffering due to rampant development in the Abacos should send a very clear message to all who care ...

/sammie

[Wonkee]

I mean give me a break! Would you go ocean swimming in the Faroes, Falklands, or Iceland?
/sammie
Well there are pics and some video of me breaking through the ice to do a polar plunge in a frozen pond here in Kansas.....and I was less than clothed...Neked as I often have seen it said. A Cohort in that crime lives in North Carolina that likes to Surf in the snow, he also took a trip to Alaska to do the plunge. There is a big following for it in many places.

I am in no way saying that these places deserve a better score than Abaco, just that there are those who prefer to dip themselves into ice cold water. In my defence I was in College, and what happens in BlueStem stays in BlueStem....except for the fact that there is video and pics. The sad part is no mind altering substances were involved....except the stress of Senior competancy exams, and 2hrs sleep in 3 days. But that is not part of my nature at all. In fact I hate cold weather and cold water, The only part about winter I like is my yearly trek to Cherokee for Christmas, and New Years. And this year due to a broken knee I have to wait it out in Kansas.

[Patti Puzo]

Hiya Wonkee, they do that in Boulder at the Boulder Reservoir on New Years Eve every year here too.
Not me! Can't even begin to think how bad that would shock my system.

Hope your knee heels quickly. Watch out for the slippery stuff this winter. I broke my knee and leg way back in '91. I had anxiety attacks every time I ventured outside on the icy walkways on my crutches.

[SamFamAustin]

Man I'm sorry about you knee, Wonkee. Maybe you should try the trip anyway?

My wife broke her leg and foot in three places and was in bed, on crutches, or in a wheelchair for about 6 months (from whence I got the term "Cabana Boy"). She got real depressed ... so I loaded her up and off to the coast we went. Do you know how hard it is to lug a wheelchair with a person in it through all that sugar sand?

But after almost passing out I set her up with her feet in the water, a big old umbrella, and a double Wanna-Wanna drinkie-winkie.

The smile slowly returned ... the sun came out ... the birds began to sing ...
sammie

[BahamaAngie]

What a guy!!!

[BahamaAngie]

Wonkee, hope you are doing okay. That was a nasty looking injury. Be careful with the cold weather coming. You just need that Abaco sun!

[Wonkee]

Wonkee, hope you are doing okay. That was a nasty looking injury. Be careful with the cold weather coming. You just need that Abaco sun!

The Sun and the Sea will heal anything...but they dont add days to my Vacation, and it is hard to do Physical Therapy in Kansas City from Cherokee. The Dr spent 3hrs fixing my knee and has threatened death if I do something to re-injur myself. Between that and the fun of not being able to bend my leg far enough to sit in a standard airline seat. I feel like I should just wait until the beginning of June and go to mid Aug. By then I should be able to walk and swim fairly well and the pain should be all but gone. Besides I need to find out if the hardware, 2 metal plates and 12 screws, is going to cause delays at the metal detectors. I hope all who get to make a trip for Christmas have a great time, and if you get a chance go to Cherokee for the Christmas tree, and Guy Fawkes. and catch a few bones in my honour.
Thanks for all the well wishes'
Wonkee

[Island Daze]

Hey not to bad i live on a 64 "Ocracoke Island' and have a vacation house on a 66 "Green Turtle Cay".3 more days untill GTC can't wait.

[DrRalph]

The Dr spent 3hrs fixing my knee and has threatened death if I do something to re-injur myself. Between that and the fun of not being able to bend my leg far enough to sit in a standard airline seat. I feel like I should just wait until the beginning of June and go to mid Aug. By then I should be able to walk and swim fairly well and the pain should be all but gone. Besides I need to find out if the hardware, 2 metal plates and 12 screws, is going to cause delays at the metal detectors.

Yikes, give us some gory details, what exactly did you do?:(

[Charlotte Couple]

Hey Sammie, if you went for a dip off one of those islands you could sing soprano in Dr. Ralph's a capella group!

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

Yikes, give us some gory details, what exactly did you do?:(

Doc, we have a new iMac, and we haven't figured out how to resize the pix yet. He may have to e-mail them to another computer to do it, but the jist of it is, he was asked to sub on a parks and recreation church softball team. He was catcher, and this fellow hits a ball to outfield. The ball was relayed, and Craig (Wonkee) had the ball as the guy was between second and third, but he kept charging. Craig made two steps out of the baseline and held the glove for the tag. Now it turns out this guy is a semi-pro ringer the other team brought in. He wasn't there for fun, he was there to win. From about six feet away, the guy does a flying drop kick and takes out Craig's knee. It pulverized the tibial plateau, split the tibia and tore the minsus. Three hours of surgery, two metal plates and twelve screws. To add insult to injury, the guy never touched home, Craig still had the ball, and the ump called him safe!:mad:

He was able to scan and e-mail some pix and the xrays to some friends, so we'll see if we can get some posted.

[Abacoparrott]

we need to make this "semi-pro" dude into a soprano.......:D ken

[DrRalph]

So he has a fracture (broke the main bone in his lower leg, shin bone, upper part) and a meniscus tear; that'll take some time and a bunch of physical therapy, But, I'm guessing it's not like ligament damage (example: ACL tear like the NFL guys get) that takes a year to heal and may never be right. He'll be doing leg lifts and mobility exercises, and they are wonderfully entertaining when you're swollen and hurting. Hang in there, Wonk, it gets better after a few weeks.

[BahamaAngie]

Wonkee a good time to sit and study hard and than you will have the summer months in wonderful Abaco. Stay well!

[visitortime]

My daughter tore her ACL and meniscus in a soccer game, she was landed on by a player that outweighed her by 75 pounds. After surgery by a Dr that had previously been the Colorado pro football teams physician she rehabbed and is fine now. Youth.

[Patti Puzo]

Hope your daughter is well and back to running full tilt.
Funny, my daughter is a surgical scrub for one of the teams current physicians for CU at a Boulder Ortho practice.

[Wonkee]

well here are a couple of the pics, and later On Ill send you a copy of the Operative report Dr Ralph. The only thing that I did not do to my Knee was tear a ligament. The gist of it...I crushed the top of the Tibia fragmenting it depressing fragments 2cm into the shaft. For those needing English units 2.54cm = 1in
They took out some of the fragment, and filled the hole with Freeze dried bone graft and held it all in place with screws and a pocket made with a metal plate. There was a piece that broke off of the side close to the Fibula, the small bone in the lower leg, that was reattached with screws, and the split further down was also pulled together with screws.
The Meniscus was Entirely disrupted from its periphery in the anterior 2/3rds and they had to use sutures to reattach it. The Dr told me that I had torn it into several pieces and he sewed it together and then reattached it. I was very lucky that I managed to somehow avoid tearing the ACL. The damage is close enough that it caused some concern for the Dr. initially, but after the fast progress during the first month and a half he feels like it will not be a problem, between that and the Meniscus tear Are the only reason that I have not been given more weight bering. At first I was told 3 months before I would be bering weight, but am now released after 1 1/2mos that I can do 50% and hopefully will be released to do 100% sometime in Dec. Lucky for me I have a high pain tolerance, as I have a poor response to pain medications. It makes PT my favorite place, I just keep Cherokee in my head and push through.
The Dr informed me up front that if I was a Pro Athlete, I would never play again, but I would be able to function in a normal manner if I work hard. My long walks would now be 3 to 5 miles, and Bike rides about the same. He also pointed out that I should never play softball or any other aggressive sport again, I may not have torn any ligaments but I damaged the bone bad enough that it would be very easy to do it now. So I figure I should just move to Abaco, and spend all my time in the sea. Less stress on the joints, and great aerobic work out.
The Pics are the wound just after coming home, and a poor view of the X-ray

[DrRalph]

:eek: Yikes, that is a very impressive injury, and it must have been really unpleasant to deal with. I blew an ACL/MCL skiing, I was 48 at the time, and I have really never been able to do any activity involving that knee that requires a quick change in direction or lateral movement. But, that is a closed injury, you don't have the suture line and the bone pain to deal with. You have our sincere sympathy, hang in there, hit the therapy, and let's hope your recovery progresses well and perhaps you'll get more function than what they have indicated. And, thanks for sharing.

[BahamaAngie]

Wonkee that sounds like a marvelous idea.....moving to Abaco. You will recuperate so well there!http://abacoforum.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

[SamFamAustin]

Wow that's a bunch of drywall screws and metal studs, major remodeling job!
Is your doc planning to take them out?
You take care, bruddah.
sam

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

It was a $23,000 cordless drywall gun (so it can be sterilized) and stainless drywall screws that will stay in place till his knee replacement in about 20-30 years, and the drywall mud was frozen, dehydrated cadaver bone. He'll have to carry the xrays with him to go through TSA, and of course he'll need Dad there to help with his recoupperation @ Cherokee! I think that "ringer" should foot the bill for this type of therapy!!

[SamFamAustin]

Golly, sounds expensive and I hope your "ringer" pays off somehow. I also hope the college is still on the horizon and all - big deal there, Wonkee, get your ticket so you don't have to do drywall like I did at first! Oh yeah, I've been around the hard way before I done good. Just a curve ball in the game. I think it builds character.

Blessings from South Texas,
sammie

[Wonkee]

Well A Great friend and coworker had her husband a Lawyer look into the "Ringer" and Kansas Law sticks me in a hole on this one. He talked to a Judge to see what would be the best course to take, and was told to give his information to your Insurance Company and let them get the money for the bills. Insurance companies have really good lawyers, that I have already paid for. If they are able to get him to pay for it then I may be able to establish a case for Suffering. If I go it alone I have the Burden of Proof, if it is already established it is a matter of what damages he is liable for...at least that is what I got from the Lawyer. So they have his information, if they chose to go after him, then I "may" follow, but the Pastor in me has this Grace policy. When Christ died for me he didnt ask for punitve damages. So I may just drop it.

[theKurp]

Re: Knee injury

Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss. When I was 17 (1975) and living in the Virgin Islands I sustained a knee injury while playing basketball. With no orthopedist or MRI machine on the island the only course of action was to stay off the knee until the swelling and pain subsided. After a month the knee was drained and it immediately felt better. Over the next few years I periodically had the knee drained after it swelled due to buckling during some sporting activity. When I was 22 the knee locked during a game of beach volleyball and it required a trip to Puerto Rico to have surgery to remove floating cartilage. After a few weeks of rest and rehabbing I was back playing sports.

Fast forward some 30+ years later. A few hours after competing in the annually held 8 Tuff Miles race on St. John (www.8tuffmiles.com (http://www.8tuffmiles.com/)) the knee had some minor swelling. When I returned to Florida I made an appt. with an orthopedist who just also happened to be the Orlando Magic team doctor. He examined the knee and then asked me how long it had been since I had torn my ACL. A subsequent MRI confirmed that my ACL indeed was missing.

After the surgery when I was 22, I experienced little, if any, problems with the knee. I played racquetball, flag football, beach volleyball, tennis, softball, went water skiing and ran 5K and 10K road races. Today I still run, play volleyball, and compete in softball. I also use weights to perform squats and deadlifts to maintain the leg muscles.

Looking back, I'm glad I didn't know about the torn ACL. If the injury had been properly diagnosed when I was 17 I'm sure the recommendation would have been to refrain from playing any sports that required lateral movement. Surgery to repair the ligament would not have been an option since I had no insurance and my family would not have been able to afford the cost.

Sometimes not knowing is more beneficial than knowing...

Richard

[Wonkee]

Way back in the days before Insurance and inteligence I Was running in the rain from one house to another. The house I ran to had tile in front, the reason for the running was the rain. Tile, Rain, 2ft x 2ft concrete pillar all good in thier respects but together lead to bad things., Like a Broken Hip. I had no insurance, I had just started a job, I was living in Abaco, all things that kept me from a Dr. The next morning when I woke up, I had a bruise from Arm pit to knee, and almost all the way around. I went to work the next day, and as I tried to climb a ladder, I started to cry from pain. The caretaker of the particular Island I was working on decided I should go to the Dr. I went, had X-rays, to insure the spleen had not ruptured, and went back to work the next day. Five years later I passed out at work, so I had to go to the Dr, where they checked everything head to toe, they asked me when I had broken my hip....So I hear ya on the part about ignorance being bliss, had I know I would have drasticaly changed my lifestyle, and probably gained 40lbs and lost out on alot of life. But this was a little diffrent, I tried to stand up, and my leg just buckled inward, I had crushed the top of the Tibia almost off.

[patw]

Wonkee, take care of yourself and I agree that recuperation at Cherokee is probably a good prescription! The warm seas, the sun, family...what more could you ask for?

[CR]

Craig,

Come home for Christmas - I will keep you in fresh fish, crawfish, and conch.
Heck - I'll even push you around to the Guys in a wheel chair.:eek:

R.

[Wonkee]

I went to the Dr. Yesterday, and he said. "Man I did a Good job" refering to the rebuilding of my knee. He told me that he would have given me no chance to walk unti April after the amount of work he did in Sept. But yesterday he told me to hang up the Brace and Crutches and start walking. So almost 4 months early I am walking. I have far greater range of motion than I should have ever been able to accomplish, and the strength of the bones is astonishing. So to all of you who Prayed for me Thank You It worked. It hurts like crazy, but being able to walk in 2 1/2 months after having the knee rebuilt is worth the pain. So I am looking at ticket prices, and making calls home today to see if I will be able to make it home, Everyone there made alternate plans, so I have to see who will be around, and if I have a house to crash.
I serve a Mighty Creator
He is good all the time, All the time He is good.

[SamFamAustin]

About time for some good news, Wonkee! It must seem like a million tons lifted off your shoulders. Go get 'em, Bruddah, and Lord bless ...

[BahamaAngie]

Wonderful news Wonkee! But don't overdo, you hear?

[DrRalph]

Wonk, what are you doing for physical therapy, and how much medication are you requiring? Also, can you sit in a chair with your leg under your feet for extended time periods, or do you have to shift frequently?

And if I'm being too nosy, plus just say 'butt out,' don't mean to pry.

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

He tries to avoid the meds. Says they make him agitated! He doesn't always have web access, so he'll fill in with the therapy when he can.

[SamFamAustin]

Glad he's not taking lots of medication - my wife went through those super pills with codeine like candy. Sooooo ... I'm down at the grocery store and the managers says "Good Lord Almighty, whatcha going to do with all that Ex-Lax, son? :eek:

[Wonkee]

Wonk, what are you doing for physical therapy, and how much medication are you requiring? Also, can you sit in a chair with your leg under your feet for extended time periods, or do you have to shift frequently?

And if I'm being too nosy, plus just say 'butt out,' don't mean to pry.
You said Butt...that's funny. Well as Half mentioned I am trying to avoid the Meds, Hate the feeling. I had the Joy of living in a pharmacutical haze for about 12 yrs while young, know what it takes to stop, and dont wish to repeat. So unless I am hurting really bad "7" on that 1 to 10 scale.
I dont plan on sittin 'Native American" style anytime soon, but in a chair I sit with my feet up under me, and have the leg bouncing on my toes, I think the fact that I have such good range of motion, 135deg the other is 148, helps me to be able to tolerate longer duration in diffrent seated positions. I do shift alot but mostly the Ants in Pants syndrome to blame there I can sit for quite a while in one position, but the circulation goes away, and then it stiffens up and hurts. I have the first PT at 100% today so Ill let you know what type of tourture they have in mind.

[DrRalph]

You said Butt...that's funny. Well as Half mentioned I am trying to avoid the Meds, Hate the feeling. I had the Joy of living in a pharmacutical haze for about 12 yrs while young, know what it takes to stop, and dont wish to repeat. So unless I am hurting really bad "7" on that 1 to 10 scale.
I dont plan on sittin 'Native American" style anytime soon, but in a chair I sit with my feet up under me, and have the leg bouncing on my toes, I think the fact that I have such good range of motion, 135deg the other is 148, helps me to be able to tolerate longer duration in diffrent seated positions. I do shift alot but mostly the Ants in Pants syndrome to blame there I can sit for quite a while in one position, but the circulation goes away, and then it stiffens up and hurts. I have the first PT at 100% today so Ill let you know what type of tourture they have in mind.

That's excellent progress, given the severity of your injury. Remarkably good rang of motion, especially if you're just getting started with PT. You may get some relief with anti-inflammatories such as Naprosyn, or even Alleve, if you can tolerate those meds. They are non-narcotic, no buzz, just (hopefully) a little relief. Thanks for sharing.

[Wonkee]

I am now doing so many diffrent excersizes that I can hardly remember them all. Most are designed to help me with the mechanics of movement, and have no particular order. Next step is to start putting the diffrent movements in order so that I can do diffrent common tasks correctly. Walking stairs, Walking without a limp, sitting all those things that seem so simple that really are not when it comes down to it. But all is going well, and progress is apparent. The weights kill me though...