An Open Letter from Lisa Sher

The irony of my accident is that I had the best form of my career, so that makes it especially disappointing. However, this pill is easy to swallow knowing that the doctors at the Medical center in Mt. Snow, Vermont saved my life. The accident happened during the Friday practice at Mt. Snow at about 1 p.m., about 100 feet from the start of the DH course. My hand slipped off the handlebars, I crashed in a very awkward manner, and the handlebars speared me in the left abdomen area. I also knocked the wind out of myself. The crash itself was not especially dramatic, it was actually kind of silly; I just didn't get away from the bike. I sat on the side of the course for about 5 minutes and caught my breath. I felt a little funny immediately, but since I had winded myself it didn't seem too bad. I finished the run with no problems and headed back to the Chumba pits. The only symptoms I had were a little bit of nausea and a strange "tingle" in my shoulder.

Following DH practice was MTN X practice a few hours later. I practiced and qualified for MTN X without incident. At the bottom of MTN X I had a small cup of Gatorade, and immediately felt sick. I walked up to the "Yard Sale" section of the DH course with Tracy Moseley and started feeling worse and worse. I complained to her that "the Gatorade wasn't sitting that well," and that my insides had started to give me discomfort. A few minutes later I was sitting in Gale Dahlager's RV and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable sitting there. My team was heading back to the condo, and I asked if they would wait for me if I rode to the medical center and got checked out. By this time it was about 7 p.m.

At 7:15 p.m. I was in an ambulance with an I.V. and oxygen on my way to Southwestern medical center in Bennington for a CT scan and more. When I was at the medical center and mentioned the "tingle" in my shoulder, the red flags came out. Apparently there are nerves in your spleen that run directly to your left shoulder, so this was a huge clue to my condition. I wasn't really given a choice regarding the ambulance ride, and at the time I felt it was a little over the top for the situation. In fact, I was quite stubborn, did not want to go in the ambulance, and was worried about how much it was going to cost. However, I would quickly be proven wrong! Thanks to Dr. Harry for being adamant about me going to the hospital. If I had not gone, I probably would have bled to death by morning.

The CT scan determined that I had a grade 4 splenic rupture in the splenic artery region. The handlebars missed the artery by a mere 2mm, so I am very lucky, because that would have been a one hour to live, life-flight situation. The splenic artery is about the size of a pinky finger. I had already lost 1 1/2 pints of blood, and counting. In addition, I was informed that I have (genetics I guess) an x-large spleen. The normal spleen is about the size of a fist, and mine is the size of two fists plus. This fact will probably save my spleen. The rupture almost split the spleen in half, but didn't quite make it all the way through. Dr. Frederick Loy, a surgeon, is my doctor and he made every effort with me to save my spleen and avoid the surgery to remove it. The spleen is an organ you can live without…the issue is that a surgery in this case with the type of injury I have near the aortic area is more dangerous and traumatic. In addition, if you suffer from any type of auto-immune disorder, pneumonia, cancer, leukemia, etc. in the future, you will have a harder time fighting off infection, as the spleen is helpful to your immune system and blood cell development. So, my spleen is staying for now!

I spent 3 days in the hospital with constant blood pressure checks, blood tests, and with an IV and heart rate ekg strapped on. The clear liquid diet was pretty exciting. There was a bit of drama since I have really low blood pressure, and there would be a big panic every night when the new nurse would discover this for the first time. Believe me, when they saw 73 over 38 they were freaking. I kept telling them: "I have low blood pressure," but each time it was like a new discovery. Since my pulse stayed around 40, they relaxed a bit. I guess if your blood pressure drops and your pulse rises, it usually means you are bleeding internally. All the doctors and nurses were great.

After my nice hospital stay, I am at my mom's house in Chicago recovering for a while. The extreme danger zone for internal bleeding to start again is 10 days, and 3 weeks is when you are out of immediate danger. I need to get blood tests every week to 10 days for the next few weeks and monitor how I am feeling carefully. I can't have any physical contact in that area for a solid 3 months. After that, I can resume mountain bike riding, and expect to make a full recovery with my spleen.

I haven't had much pain or discomfort, except for the extremely uncomfortable IV. I was about ready to rip that thing out of my arm! I feel extremely fatigued, and I have been lying in bed and resting a lot. My energy level is not normal for me, I feel like a slug. Amazing how in one instant you can be reduced to this! Ah, the price we pay to play…..

I am really grateful for all the great medical care I got from everyone, and also the support from my family, team, and friends. I feel lucky to be alive. I urge everyone out there to listen to your instincts when it comes to internal injury; listening to mine and getting my bootie in to the med. center saved my life. And that is no joke! In addition, the "tingle" in the shoulder is a sure sign of a ruptured spleen. Apparently about 90% of people with a ruptured spleen complain of this feeling in their left shoulder/neck area. Be aware of this, it could save someone's life. I apologize for the mass email; I just wanted to educate as many people as possible through my experiences, and also let everyone know first hand what had happened. I know there was some confusion since I seemed fine on Friday, up until the time I visited the medical center. I guess that's why the spleen injury is called "the silent killer." Scary.

At any rate, thanks to everyone for the support. I am looking forward to being back on my bike and back to 100% for the adrenaline fueled lifestyle I love.

Take care,
Lisa Sher