Explaining it to the Doctor

[Deaf Smith]

One time I ended up in a ER room getting seven stiches in my head from being kicked there in class. I drove up on my motorcycle to the ER. They didn't ask a thing like was I in a fight or a motorcycle accident. Why? Cuase I still had my uniform on and there was blood on it!

They figured out real quick what must have happened.

Deaf

 

[Ceicei]

This thread reminded me of a wrist injury (work related) I had years ago and ended up re-injuring the same wrist while training with Jujitsu. I needed surgery to fix the injury. After the physical therapist heard my story of how the injury happened, he encouraged me to continue training with Jujitsu. He said that even though Jujitsu (when trained improperly) may have aggravated the injury, Jujitsu (when applied properly) will also strengthen my wrist.

It surprised me to be referred to a physical therapist who not only understood how it happened, but also encouraged me to continue training as part of the healing process. I suspect my surgeon took my love of martial arts into consideration when he made the referral.

- Ceicei

 

[Punchy]

Concerned co worker : " How did you get those scrapes on your neck?"

Me : "I had a board broken across my throat"

Co worker looks at you like you have two heads and walks away

 

[shihansmurf]

When I had my knee operated on I had to list all the broken bones I've had over the years. Between martial arts, football, the army, ant the fact that I am both clumsy and braver that my risk evaluation skills allow me to be, the list is rather impressive.

The nurse asks..

"What sport do you do?"

"Martial arts", I replied succinctly as I was filling out another bit of paperwork.

Her reply stung.

"Are you good at it?"






I think I responded with something like "Well it didn't all happen at once, you know." But my pride had been wounded terribly. I don't know if she thought I showed up for class one night and there was an announcement that went.."Allright quys.... Marks here....GET HIM..Woo HOO!!!"



Made me a bit worried about the operation.
Mark

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I have had some interesting emergency room visits.

One time I was hit in the chest while sparring and on the way home (one hour drive) I was having a hard time breathing. Stopped in the ER and they started to ask what I was doing. So I told them we were sparring and I took a punch to the sternum. That lead to a long conversation regarding trauma and how I am constantly putting myself at risk.

That actually was a hard injury and took several day's for the swelling to go down.

Another time I was finished with a kickboxing fight and had fractured a hand and also required some serious stitching. (you should have seen the other guy

) The nice thing about this visit was that the ER doc was also a martial artists (aikido) so we had a nice conversation and he understood what it was that drives me.

On a different occasion I drove someone else to the ER after they had injured themselves (in martial arts) and initially the ER nurse thought I had caused it. :erg: Fortunately my friend quickly corrected her and then he was treated and we had a good talk with the doc, nurses, etc.

On another occasion after a match I was thumbed in the eye. :erg: Could not see or drive. Pain was excruciating and ended up eventually two hours later in the emergency room above where they had given me a hard time about the trauma to my sternum. So when a nurse who was there before saw me she said, "what did you do this time."

Oh and there is more. Did I tell you about the time........ :rofl:

Echoing what several people said before just communicate clearly and there will probably be no issues.

Also to the gentleman who was doing jiujitsu I have been in the same position before and it probably would be wise for you to go and see a doctor and get some treatment! Good luck!

 

[hkfuie]

Ummm...she's a gentlewoman. I guess I will call the nurse and see what she thinks.

I also have an ankle injury. I have had it before. Went to PT. Wore a brace, it all did not help. It just took a while to heal up. It's just like that. Always a nick or bump somewhere.

I know you all don't run to the doc EVERY time something happens.

But thanks for the input. I will have it checked out. It does not hurt to speak in my normal voice, just raising the pitch. Yep, I should have that checked out, huh? Thanks again.

 

[Carol]

Definitely get it all checked out. You only have one body and getting the little issues taken care of right away will keep the little issues from becoming bigger issues.

I'll echo what everyone one else is saying. Say up front that you were hurt in a karate/martial arts class, and the docs and nurses will be very understanding. I had to go to the emergency room earlier in the summer for an injury, and the nurse even complimented me for staying active (even though I hurt myself doing it...LOL)

 

[Kacey]

My doctor asks me every year at my physical if I'm still in TKD (she's very approving of any type of exercise) - although we did have a long conversation after I seriously sprained my knee testing for IV Dan. She understood, and so did the sports medicine doctor she sent me to.

A friend of mine with very fair skin went to the grocery store the day after a sparring class, and had several large bruises that were very visible because of her coloring. A very nice woman stopped her and said "You know, dear, there is help available". It took my friend over 10 minutes (and showing the lady her belt and dobok, which were in her car) to convince the woman that she really wasn't in an abusive relationship.

 

[Cirdan]

The only problem I have had with seeing the doctor about a MA related injury is getting him to spell Ju Jutsu right

 

[Marginal]

I have been fortunate not to have suffered many injuries will training in MA but, when I have been injured it always seems to take the Doctor a while to understand how I got hurt.

I broke my finger sparing. The conversation with the Doctor went like this:
Why are you here. I broke my finger. How did it happen. I got kicked in the hand. Who kicked you. A 15 year old boy. Was this your son. No I don't have any children. Why did he kick you in the hand. We were scrapping. Are you a teacher. No I am not.>>>> I noticed at this point that he is more interested in how it happened than why I was there. He got a weird look on his face. I then thought, he thinks I was a victim of domestic violence. Just before he called 911 or who ever handles this problem I had to explain to him that I am a MA student.

Any of you have the same simular experiances?

Explaining the MA student part first keeps the confusion to a minimum.

 

[jonbey]

When I badly twisted my ankle kick boxing (chipped fibula) my sifu put some dit dar on it (Chinese herbal ointment). I told the doc, she looked at me like I was completely insane, then sent me off for x-ray!

 

[YoungMan]

I went to the hospital once after a testing in which my instructor's son kicked me in the nose, breaking it (You guessed it-Taekwondo). Blood all over the place and one of the instructors was gracious enough to take me. We had a good laugh about it.
Wasn't much the doctors could do.

 

[Brian S]

We once piled into a van and went to the ER to get a guy's underside of his nose sewn back into place. Most of us had blood on our gi's. The ER workers thought we were crazy.

When goingto the doctor just e honest and tell them everything that happened. Most likely it's not a first for them.

 

[KP.]

My wife and I were sparring and we crashed badly. I caught her moving in to me, and we just were too darn close and closing too darn fast.

She had a horrific black eye, and my jaw was broken and bloody.

She takes me into the hospital with blood pouring out of my mouth. The admitting nurse asks "What happened?"

And my wife answers with great pride "I hit him!"

It took a while to straighten things out after that . . .

 

[Mark Lynn]

I have a sleeping disorder.

So one day I was working with my Kobudo instructor and he was teaching me a Kama kata. In the middle of the kata there is a posture where you bring both kamas arcoss your chest (so that they are on either side of your head) come up on one leg and then step forward and bring the kamas downward uncrossing them.

So about the time I raise up on one leg I fell asleep and continuing with the movement brought the left kama downward imbedding it in my right forearm (we were using live steel). I wake up looking at it in my arm and my instructor goes "Well I guess class is over for today"

When I got to the ER aboout 2 hours later (dummy me wanted to save the $50.00 ER fee so I tried to see my family Dr. first) I had to explain how I cut myself with a sickle. The nurses thought I was nuts, but the guy who sewed me up had some MA background and we had a great time talking.