elfanie

I can give excellent information regarding.. 1. fertility and conception 2. pregnancy 3. childbirth 4. nursing/breastfeeding 5. newborns I'm a certified doula, certified childbirth educator, on the Board of Directors of CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) and an Apprentice Midwife....so those are my specialties.

Let me know what the doctor says!

I had my doctor's appointment on Tuesday..my 4.5 week postop appointment with my surgeon. My husband said that he was going to give me SO MUCH CRAP for being without my cast already!! (remember that I had called 3.5 weeks postop and asked them "If it doesn't hurt...can I do *whatever* so long as it doesn't physically hurt?" they said yes...to take it easy and if it doesn't hurt then I'm not damaging anything or whatever...so I took the cast off and started walking carefully on it.) I went to the DZ this past weekend..and got crap from everyone about walking on my ankle without my cast. I told them that I was being careful and wasn't hurting it...they still gave me a ton of crap about taking it easy and not pushing myself yadda yadda yadda.... so I get my Xrays on Monday (posted them in a different message) and took them to my appointment on Tuesday. Doc walks in...first thing he says is, "No cast, eh?" I smile and say, "nope.." He puts my Xray up and looks at them...then at me. "Does it hurt?" I say no...he presses slightly on each ankle bone (I broke both bones pretty good, got a plate and 6 screws in it) and asks if that hurts, I say nope...he asks me to show him how much I can move it, so I flex it and point it... He says..."that's awesome...you are healing perfectly. This Xray here...bones are perfect. This here is regrowth...that amount of movement is just amazing for 4.5 weeks postop...you're doing everything exactly right! Keep moving it like you are...that's what's probably helping it heal so fast! it's when you don't move it that the scar tissue knits tight and they lose mobility and it's so hard to get motion back into it...this is just beautiful! I'm just so pleased!" then he said what was music to my ears.....the same man, the doctor, who performed my surgery and who said I'd be in a cast for 3 months and wouldn't be able to jump for 3-6 months....he looked at me and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were jumping within the next month." I about cried. He specifically told me that as soon as I could stand on this right ankle - and do a one-legged hop up and down without pain...then I could jump. I thought it was awesome that I got a concrete "if you can do THIS" thing that I can focus on. (btw...I can easily stand on the one foot...but hopping? naw..not there yet. But it won't take me long!!) anyways...I couldn't be happier, and I was able to tell my husband "NEENER NEENER!!" HA! Hey Skymama....how's that sprain doing? (doctor actually said that the bone at this point isn't my problem...it's the sprain and the ligament damage I did when I broke it and the way that I broke it) I remember your pictures you posted and they made my stomach just knot up, it looked so painful. Are you jumping again? (it was you, right? or was it skybytch?) Hey Sunshine..how's my gimp-sis doing? Everytime I look down at my ankle I think about you...I kinda feel like in some wierd way we're karma-sisters or something. how's your ankle doing? I hope it's healing quickly... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Who needs a new post...go ahead and share them!!

HAHAHAHA... I noticed that. The screw isn't in the plate..it's actually on the OTHER side of the bone... pretty wild, eh? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

wow...I hadn't had a chance to see my hardware before...tee hee hee. Ok..so are my Xrays taken today. I got so so SO much crap at the DZ this weekend for the fact that a week ago (last monday) I took off my cast and threw my crutches and cast into the corner and am walking around normally now...but the Xray tech said everything looks fine and I'm healing up just right. anyways, here are my Xrays...maybe I'll be jumping sooner than I thought!!! -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

You obviously missed the best part... watch it again....he says, and I quote... "I deployed the chute...the chute opened, and I - I looked up, and the chute was full and round which was a good sign...but the next second the chute was disappearing, I was going further and further away from it." umm....no you dimwit...the chute never opened and you weren't jumping a round chute anyways. Watch the video again from about 53 seconds in and you'll hear him say that... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

stunning....exquisite....that's absolutely gorgeous!!! -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Hee hee... he'll read a book, watch tv, dance, sit, turn lights off, try to take his garter belt off.... but he won't masturbate. and it's interesting if you tell him to have sex. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I've done it...but not intentionally. I'd never been able to stall a canopy (too lightly loaded), not even just a slight rocking back stall... until this time when I buried both toggles and felt that slow braked "floaty" feeling. I got into enjoying the peacefulness, the relaxation of it, the scenery...spent probably 20-30 seconds (quite a while!) looking around and enjoying the view/feeling...when all of a sudden it felt like I'd hit huge turbulance! I look up and my canopy looked like a ball of crap (Sil 190). My heart did this huge thump and I let up on both toggles quickly (which I would no longer do). Canopy recovered fine...but it scared the crap out of me because I wasn't expecting it. I was a brand new jumper and didn't know the different types of stalls. I flew it so cautiously and conservatively all the way to the ground...had one person tell me that it looked for a second like I'd cut away - and had a JM, when I told him what happened, kind of shrug and say, "you stalled your canopy - now you know what it feels like" with a smile.

I find it ironic after reading all of these "stuid things I did"...that you have this for a sig line. In skydiving, I definately think that it's better to regret what you didn't do than what you did... jumping in high winds, downsizing quickly, swooping early, etc etc etc... I'd rather not do it and wish that I had.. than do it and wish that I hadn't. most everything else in life? yeah..I'd agree with your sig line...

I found 7 pages of stuff....all about me. Interesting thing is that I've been online for 11 years now...and had the same handle the entire time. That's not what's interesting...what's interesting is that TO THIS DAY i'm the only one with this name/handle. If you look up "Elfanie"....ayup, that's all me, too. Convenient..as I know if I ever go to log in someplace that my handle will not already be taken. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

While I would like to agree with the above statement because it is being generous towards folks like myself who have had a cutaway.... I disagree. "less experience" is such a broad statement. The person who has 2000 jumps has infinately more experience than myself...because if we say "more experience" or "less experience" then you're talking generally... and they will have had much more experience in freefall than I do, and much more experience landing than I do, and much more experience under canopy than me, possibly more experience in CReW than me, more experience hooking, more experience with freeflying, more experience with relative work... I have more experience with a hard pull resulting in EPs and a reserve ride. whoop-dee-whoop. Not comparable to the person with 2000 jumps. I've just have ONE experience that they haven't had...they've had hundreds of experiences that I haven't had. Unfortunately, I think that's true. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Wow....those are some of the coolest exit pics I've ever seen. Although I have to ask this....I find it as cool to see the background inside the plane the jumpers in the door watching those before them fall away and preparing for thier own jump...I see them standing in the door looking down and it just brings a smile to my face.. am I the only one? I mean..I see the jumpers and think, "Cool.." then I see those looking out the door and it gives me a giggle and I just smile... am I the only one who likes seeing the "head peeking out the door" shots of people? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

How differently would the alti read? I've done a few rodeo jumps...so obviously I was sitting inside of a burble...and used my altimeter to determine when to dismount... how different will the alti be while in the burble? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

oh gawd... that's just..twisted! That can't be real... gawd, I hope it's not real. Please don't let it be real.. that's nasty. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

thanks!!

I do actually have a question.. I was told "no baths"...but not told for how long. When can I soak in a bath again? edited to add: And how long do I have to wait before I can get the changes to the hand-cloud done? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Billvon looks like Edward Norton??? *swoon swoon* Ok...so now I have yet ANOTHER reason to have a secret crush on Bill. hubba hubba!! I have never been told that I look like ANYONE famous.... below are two pictures of me...I don't think I look like ANYONE.

awww...you're so sweet.

I spent 15 years of my life sitting on my butt watching life go by...I'm just so enjoying life now.

The tattoo artist drew it for me....from some pictures of me and my husband jumping together. (originally she drew the typical "whuffo skydiving image" of a person flat on their belly spread eagle and I just wanted it more...'real'?? like, I wanted the arch and such..) I also wanted the helmet off so you could see that it's a girl jumping. I'm definately doing some more work with the hand..adding the wrist, fluffing up the fingers with some misty clouds around... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

*sigh* yeesh. I feel so unpopular. I think I need to do more boogies and get people to know me in person more so that I can get more responses when I post. Half the time I post i feel like there's nothing but the sound of crickets... Oh well...at least my DZ will get some from me this weekend..since this WAS my first tattoo... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

We're doing the Rocky Point boogie in just 3 weeks...WHOO HOO HOOOOOOO!! If you'll be at that boogie, let me know and we can hook up and have some fun! I have no pride whatsoever....I'm going to be in rocky point with a healing ankle unable to jump....so I'm going to strap myself onto one of my JM's and do a tandem. I can't be down there and not get some sky under my feet...just can't! And after not jumping for 6 weeks...I HAVE TO! So come to the Rocky Point boogie with us and Par-TAY.... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

First...the ankle news... background: broke my ankle (tib/fib) 4 weeks ago today, had surgery on it 2 days later (3.5 weeks ago) to put in a plate and 6 screws. Update: Asked the doctor yesterday, "So if it doesn't hurt...can I do it? Can I do 'whatever' on my ankle so long as it doesn't hurt?" They said yes...take it easy, but if it isn't hurting then I can do 'whatever'... so I threw my crutches across the room, took off my cast....and walked outside and got in the car to drive myself for the first time in 4 weeks! WHOO HOO!! FREEDOM...FREEDOM..!!! Where did I drive? Down to a tattoo parlor and got a tattoo...my very first. I think I'm having a midlife crisis.. It's actually bigger than I thought I'd get - and I'm not as thrilled with the hand (which is supposed to be made out of a cloud) so I'm going to go back in and have them finish off the wrist (it's supposed to be the hand of God) and put more "poof" around it so it looks more like cloud and less like a hand...but I'm still happy with it. Attached is a picture..(it's on my butt..and covers a GOOD portion of my butt cheek) The tattoo itself is about the size of my hand... anyways...I'm now able to walk without those stupid crutches and I'm finally able to drive myself. I see the doctor on Tuesday (a week from today) and I'll get Xrays done then...so I can share my wonderful hardware pictures with ya'll then. But for now..FREEDOM!! I can walk...I can drive...FREEDOM!!! that is all... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings