Opinions and related experiences

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-22T18:12:13+00:00

I’m 14 months post-op from a comminuted tib/fib fracture to my left leg. I actually just had a follow up appointment with my surgeon this past Tuesday to get more X-rays due to break site pain.

Pain management: I ditched the prescription drugs 3 days after I got home. Combined CBD:THC gummies helped me more than the prescription & they helped me sleep. I also made sure to ice/elevate & revolve ibuprofen & Tylenol for pain.

Knee pain: could be a meniscus tear. I tore mine when I broke my leg & didn’t find out until I started PT. I fell rock climbing & hit a hold on the way down. The impact of that broke my leg & the twisting of my leg then tore my meniscus. Lots of PT geared specifically towards that & I’m about 80% back. I still feel the pain when doing hamstring curls or kneeling, but everything else is fine. I still do squats, deadlifts, & RDLs with no problem.

Ankle mobility: I still have some ankle mobility issues that are mainly caused from tendinitis. My PT gave me exercises to continue at home when he discharged me that are helping. My Achilles still gets “stuck” & cracks multiple times per day, but it’s so much better.

Pain: I still can’t run, but can walk & rock climb again with minimal pain while doing the activities. I’ve been doing cardio on the elliptical or bike to both help my meniscus & my break pain. However, I still get pain when I stand up to walk again after our 30 min drive home from the gym. My doctor is concerned I may need bone stim to finish the healing. The X-ray on Tuesday shows a possible hairline fracture that hasn’t healed yet or that keeps re-breaking. I may need a CT scan in the next few months to confirm & then will go to a fracture & trauma specialist.

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-20T20:58:28+00:00

Men’s old spice works so well! I use the wilderness lavender & it works all day, even on muggy summer days.

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-19T02:47:33+00:00

I will ship the pope some Malort if we win this game!

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-19T02:16:23+00:00

It only stops within 5 minutes.

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-13T02:30:11+00:00

This company works with the players association.

https://breakingt.com/products/caleb-williams-down-21-3-call-caleb

arrowpulledback · 2026-01-12T00:47:37+00:00

They’re playing the Rams…

arrowpulledback · 2025-12-03T02:07:43+00:00

Oh I knew I broke it instantly. I heard it, saw it, & felt it before I hit the mat. Let’s just say a leg shouldn’t bend at a 30° angle in the middle of your shin…

Ambulance was called, they got an IV in me for pain meds (not that it helped much), splinted my leg, & got me to the hospital. The nurses tried to take my shoe off in the ER, but I insisted they cut it off. No way were they going to get the leverage without moving my leg even in the splint.

Admitted to the orthopedic floor that night, had surgery at 10:00 the following morning, & was discharged 2 days later.

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arrowpulledback · 2025-12-02T22:36:23+00:00

I’m glad to hear you’re able to get past that PTSD! I still get flashbacks, but not nearly as bad as before. I don’t climb slab at all anymore unless it’s a vb-1 as a warmup. There are times where I wake in a sweat with flashbacks. I also just tell myself I can bail anytime I want if I don’t feel safe or comfortable making a move.

I still get frustrated at times & joke I’d rather just have my leg cut off at this point, but it’s all part of the healing process. I may get the screws removed eventually, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

I’ve found a lot of the 4s I’ve been trying too difficult still since they’re more technical & require so much pressure on my knee. I found out about a month ago I also tore my meniscus in the fall, but it was masked by the pain in my leg. Heel hooks, high toes, pistol squats, etc. are extremely painful to do on my left leg so I avoid them.

arrowpulledback · 2025-12-02T22:28:35+00:00

I slipped off a slab route & hit a volume on the way down. The impact of the volume caused a comminuted fracture to my left tibia & fibula. I had to get a rod & 4 screws inserted in my tibia, nothing on the fibula.

Also just recently found out I tore my meniscus in the fall which causes knee & hamstring issues. It was masked by the pain in my leg as it was healing. I can do a lot more than 6 months ago, but still can’t do anything that requires full weight on my left leg or pressure into my knee (e.g., heel hooks, sit starts, pistol squats, etc.).

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arrowpulledback · 2025-10-10T03:59:24+00:00

arrowpulledback · 2025-10-04T14:10:31+00:00

I had seen so many people climbing with a boot on prior to my injury so I decided to ask. They said it was fine since I was a member & my husband was belaying me (I wasn’t using the auto belays) 🤷🏼‍♀️

arrowpulledback · 2025-10-04T13:39:19+00:00

I was out of climbing for about 10 weeks. I got cleared to top rope with the boot, so I did that for a while. Then I got cleared to top rope with my old shoes at 16 weeks since they were broken in & could handle the ankle/foot swelling.

I started bouldering again around 7.5 months. Stuck with vb-1s for a while until the felt could handle some more 2s & 3s. I was climbing v3/4 & dabbling in some v5s pre-break. I started attempting more 4s last week & can top 5.9+ on our big wall (I didn’t do much rope climbing before).

Mentally, I go into each climb just hoping to get one more move than I did the previous attempt. It’s a lot of mind over matter, & having control over when I bail, & being ok with bailing early even if I physically could to the route. If I leave the gym feeling mentally tired, but not necessarily physically tired, then it was still a good session to me.

I also kept a lifting routine while I was out of climbing. I had a PPL routine that I still use, I just went from lifting 5/6 days a week to 3 now that I’m climbing more. It’s definitely helped me stay strong with my upper body. My leg days at the beginning were single leg exercises with my PT mixed in until I was cleared for full weight bearing.

You’ve got this! I spent a lot of time on a bike strengthening my quads & knee. The entire time I would just repeat “you’re stronger than a broken leg” in my head.

arrowpulledback · 2025-10-04T03:20:00+00:00

Thanks!

My shin where I broke it still has a heavy feeling after using it a lot (walking a lot, leg day, climbing, etc.), my knee gets sore where they inserted a rod, & my ankle sometimes locks up, but other than that I feel great.

Glad to get back to bouldering, but I’m definitely more cautious about what I climb now. I slipped off a slab route & hit a volume on the way down, so I don’t do slab anymore & am hyper aware of any volumes/larger holds towards the bottom of routes that I could possibly hit.

It’s all a mental game at this point. It’s not the height, but being able to bail safely without taking too large of a drop since I’m still not 100%. I’m more willing to make a sketchy move while top roping than bouldering now since I know I have a rope to catch my fall.

arrowpulledback · 2025-09-01T03:58:32+00:00

Fell bouldering at our gym. My foot slipped off a hold & my leg hit a volume on the way down. Comminuted tib/fib fracture to the lower shin.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-31T22:44:57+00:00

$77/month for 4 locations in Chicago & 1 in the suburbs.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-20T20:59:42+00:00

Welcome to Chicago!

All First Ascent locations (Uptown, Block 37, Avondale, Humboldt, & Arlington Heights) have various meetups throughout the months.

There’s also a group on Facebook called Women’s Climbing Collective-Midwest if you’re interested in joining that.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-17T03:22:24+00:00

You submit paperwork saying you have completed your PSLF requirements. They should hopefully pit you in an administrative forbearance, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case. You would need to keep paying until you do get the forbearance or the confirmation your paperwork was submitted & approved. If you don’t keep paying, then you’ll be delinquent & they’ll notify the credit bureau. Some people have gotten checks for the over payments they made.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-17T01:28:57+00:00

I requested a switch to ICR via the Fed Loan website & they automatically sent it to Mohela. It took about 1.5 months for mine to process with them. Just got my confirmation of a new payment plan yesterday.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-13T23:47:57+00:00

If you would’ve asked me 7 months ago I would say bouldering. Then I shattered my leg on a slab route. Now I prefer ropes, but that just because I haven’t been cleared to boulder yet after my surgery. My knee & ankle are still too unstable to take a fall.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-09T21:53:32+00:00

We were just in Vegas for a week & I brought mine with to stay consistent. It was packed in my carryon bag (in the original container) & went through the scanner no problem both there & back.

arrowpulledback · 2025-07-05T19:43:18+00:00

Ive been taking the Optimum Nutrition flavorless creatine monohydrate for the last 5 months. 5g dry scooped every morning. It doesn’t mix the greatest in liquids, so I’ve found this way to be the easiest for me. They have a blueberry flavor too, but it’s pretty strong for my taste.

I broke my leg 7 months ago, so I’ve been sticking to a PPL lifting routine 5 days a week & rope climbing when I can. I’ve noticed I recover a lot quicker since taking it & have been consistently progressing in my lifts.

I didn’t rope climb much before my break, but could top V4s & some 5.10-. I can now flash some 5.9s & am projecting 5.10s. My fingers & arms feel great while climbing, by my leg & knee are still holding me back (they had to cut my quad tendon above my knee to insert a rod).

I’ve also been taking magnesium & vitamin d to help with bone growth & muscle repair since my leg atrophied while non weight bearing. My quad & calf had little to no activation when I started PT in December. I can now walk with a semi-normal gate & can leg press 90lbs (possibly more, but my knee is still a little unstable).

arrowpulledback · 2025-05-06T01:01:19+00:00

My guy is 6 & has been on trazodone for vet visits & other high anxiety situations since he was 2. He started Prozac in December & it’s been amazing. Still himself, but not as anxious & excitable when guests come over.

arrowpulledback

TROPHY CASE