Maybe I should have worn my helmet

Speedo · Since 07 May 2007 262 Posts Obsessed

I had hoped to post some kiteboarding pics of Panama. I'll post those later when I get home.

I was having the best session I've ever had. Beach all to myself. No wetsuit. Nice water. Solid 9m wind. Haven't stepped on any stingrays the whole trip. Tiny little waves to play on (which is great for me). I managed to fall in front of a wave- these things were really gay- like 1 foot, but just fun all the same, and somehow managed to smack my head on the board or fin. I wish I could say I was in some double overhead surf or something cool.

15+ stitches (in multiple layers) $600 later (that money's supposed to be for a new Naish Sol dammit) and no more kiting for the next 10 days.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4907 Posts Portland Unstrapped

Ouch! Heal up.

mmmmmmmmmm brains!

tonyb · Wed Mar 26, 08 3:31 am

Ouch! Sorry to hear Ken. Heal up soon! Post some pics of Panama when you can.

Tony

Moto · Since 03 Sep 2006 2698 Posts Still a gojo pimp! Moto Mouth

Sorry about your head Sad

hope you get better soon!

So do sting rays like brains or what?? Laughing

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

Put on a hood to protect the stitches and hit it!

Sol-flyer · Wed Mar 26, 08 9:06 am

Ouch Man!!!

Looks like a fin slice? I've wore my helmet all summer, and it came in handy only once. Same kinda thing, I was doing some trick and landed a lil over the nose, the board shot out of the water as i was crashing and whacked me good right across the side of my head.

Hope you heal up fast bro!, you could shave your head and show off your scar to the ladies Wink

tell em you had to fight off a 17ft tiger shark,...lol!

Kraemer · Since 24 Apr 2006 1735 Posts Sky Pilot Unicorn Captain

Sorry to hear, but listen... 15 stitches for 600 bucks is a steal ! One trip to the ER for that repair in the states runs over $1500!

pdxmonkeyboy · Wed Mar 26, 08 9:36 am

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

If only we had Panama's healthcare ... Confused

railgrab · Since 29 Mar 2005 177 Posts Seattle, WA Stoked

Shave your head, slap a waterproof NWkite sticker over it, and ride.

Ryan · Since 14 Jul 2005 536 Posts Oregon Addicted

Ken,

I had the same thing happen a couple months ago surfing. 3 staples. one of my doc friends, who is still windsurfing, said a wound like that will be closed up and sealed in 24 to 48 hours.

I say give it a day or two and enjoy your vacation. plus salt water is great for healing......just stay out of the water around Panama City

Glad you hooked up with Vito....he told me he left you somewhere Shocked

Ryan

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4907 Posts Portland Unstrapped

Speedo · Since 07 May 2007 262 Posts Obsessed

The hospital visit was associated with Johns Hopkins, and I had a specialist, a plastic surgeon sew up my head. This is pretty unheard of in the hospitals I've been at. Most plastics guys wouldn't be interested in this type of work. The docs spoke decent english and a lot of them are trained in the US. I didn't ask my for my doc's credentials because I didn't want to offend them(there was an ER guy and the plastics guy) . The care seemed very good. The facility was better than most i've seen in the US. It was very clean and modern. service was fast. I also had a recommendation to go to the national hospital. there, I probably would have paid about $200 for sutures, with good care, and probably would not have waited long. This was a recommendation from Vito, a guy from PDX, who's lived down here a couple years! He said he'd been to the nat'l hosp a few times for things like this and had good care for cheap, as well as timely. I normally would have ended up there but the friend I was staying with insisted on the Johns Hopkins affiliated hospital, which was fine with me. I've sewn up tons of lacerations, since I did a year of emergency medicine training, and the only thing that concerned me was that the guy didn't irrigate my wound. just soaked with peroxide and went to work. feels ok right now. I'll have it checked out when I get home, but so far, it seems like he's done a great job. On the other hand, i had a good sized cut, so he probably could see debris, and the head and face are well vascularized, so it may not be a big deal that it wasn't irrigated, as long as there's no foreign bodies in there, like sand.

Vito's an awesome guy. Thanks for hooking me up with him Ryan!

Panama is great. its less developed and has less infrastructure for tourism, and as such, there is a lot of undiscovered, or at least obscure places left. There aren't many 'all-inclusives' yet, and its nice having a place that isn't a total tourist trap. There's also affordable real estate still, although they're in a boom right now. Hell, one of the surf schools doubles as a realty office!

Anyway, more later when I can post the pics from my good cameras. The laceration pics are from a phone camera. there are tons of islands and coastline to discover- so i'll post what i know later.

mkiteboard · Since 23 Oct 2007 17 Posts

are you in punta chame ??? i am in Bocas del Toro and we are heading there in a Week.

Nak · Wed Mar 26, 08 7:15 pm

Glad you're OK! It sucks that you missed riding on a trip like that... At least it'll be Summer here soon. Heal fast!

Speedo · Since 07 May 2007 262 Posts Obsessed

I'm actually staying in panama city but heading back to PDX tommorow. Thankfully, its not a PMB or blowhard injury. just a cut thats a pain in the ass. cant wait till summer!

Punta chame started going at 130pm yesterday, but i heard its usually good in the early am and after 4pm.