I Survived My First Worlds!

In July of this year my son, Danny, and I attended the 2013 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships in Emporia, KS.  This was the first major tournament I had ever participated in.  

I had no idea what to expect as I prepared for the event.  I was pretty sure that most of the players would be way out of my league, and that proved to be correct.  But that was not a concern for me.  All I wanted to do was survive.

Just 10 weeks before the tournament, I had my left kidney removed after a lengthy illness.  We had made the decision to go to Worlds way before I knew that I was going to need surgery, or I probably would not have gone so soon after that procedure. 

There were moments when I was preparing for the competition when I fretted about whether I could survive all the walking and all the throwing that was involved in a six round disc golf tournament.  I knew that the weather would play a big part in my ability to play all six rounds.  I was hoping for sunny weather, so that I didn’t have to deal with lugging an umbrella, or alternatively, playing in rain-drenched clothes.

The number of discs I took to Emporia was more than I needed, but I did not know how many I might lose in lakes, ponds, or streams along the various courses we played.  During the actual competition I limited my bag to six discs, two Leopards, two Kites, one Putter and a spare disc that I was willing to risk losing if it landed in water.

Most of the other competitors had far more discs with them than I did.  However, I was concerned about carrying anything too heavy.  I also carried a water bottle that I could refill at numerous places along the course, and a tri-pod stool, so that I could rest my legs and feet while waiting for someone to throw.

What I wasn’t figuring on was that the weather would be nice—too nice!  It was sunny and hot during the whole tournament.  The first day it was over 105 degrees by the time we got off the disc golf course.  There was a point during that first day when I thought I might not make it the full 18 holes of the afternoon’s session. 

The morning session was at a course with a good amount of shade trees.  It was fairly flat with small elevation changes, and some holes wound their way or near some woods and a small stream.  This was nothing out of the ordinary for me.

The course that afternoon was rolling hills and long fairways.  It was super-imposed over a ball golf course just for this tournament. However, we weren’t allowed to use golf carts to transport ourselves. We were constantly going up one hill and down another. 

The 18^th hole was a hole where the basket was located on this small island in the middle of a small lake.  I had some bad dreams the night before I played that course.  I had no idea how I was going to get across the lake.  I have never had a strong arm that could throw a long drive.  But in my post-surgical state, throwing across all that water was something of a nightmare for me.  I thought I may have to throw every one of my discs in the water.

Just at my moment of deepest doubt when I reached hole 13 Danny showed up to caddy for me!  He had completed his round for the day and came to help.  He carried not only his bag, but mine as well, and ran for water for me, and carried my stool while I was throwing.  It was so encouraging to have him there.

Once I got to the dreaded 18^th hole, I threw my first disc in the water, and then had to throw from the drop zone.  But I made it across to the island from there!  When that hole was done a good friend, Ken Franks, was there driving all competitors up this large hill back to hole one.  That, too, was such a blessing!  There is no way I could have walked up that huge hill.

After that there were just six more holes for that afternoon.  By the time I was done, I was giddy with relief.  I knew right then that I could make it for the rest of the tournament. 

The second day I only had to play one course, and while it was the same, long, hilly course from the day before, I knew that once I was done, I had the afternoon off.  On the third day, I had to once again do a double session.  The morning course was easy and familiar as it was a repeat of the first day.

The afternoon course I had to play sight unseen.  My head kept telling me, just keep moving forward, and throwing in the middle of the fairway.  It, too, proved to be a very long, very hot, afternoon.  I was approaching my 30^th hole of the day when suddenly, I began to get very dizzy.  My biggest fear was looming in my face – that my body would fail me and I wouldn’t be able to continue.

Thankfully, one of the other women on my card, Kim, ran back to the group behind us.  One of those ladies had some nursing and emergency care training, and she told Kim what to do for me.  While I had been drinking plenty of fluids, apparently my body temperature was just getting too high.  They wrapped a pack of ice in a small scarf and placed it on the small of my back.  In about 10 or 15 minutes, I had relief from the heat.

The following day I just had one more round to play, and at that point, I figured that either I was going to complete the journey, or they would have to drive me away in an ambulance.  I was so determined to get it done, and so thrilled when I did!

I told people later that it was the biggest physical challenge of my life.  To make it through the surgery, and recovery, to push myself to be ready to compete, was difficult.  And then to have enough strength to make it through Worlds was no small task, but I had done it!

That’s why I’m so determined this year to be fully trained and ready for the 2014 Worlds.  It isn’t going to be enough just to survive.  This year I want to really compete.  Last year it was OK to say, “I’ve just had surgery.”  

This coming year I’m going to be strong, and be able to throw as far as my competitors did last year.  I’m going to be a real contender this year!  Are you hearing those strains of “Rocky” in the background?  I am!

A Baramoter of Health - Part 4

(This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog.)  Late in April of 2013, my left kidney was removed during an operation that was supposed to be done laparoscopically, and take just a couple of hours.  The operation ended up taking five hours, and required a full incision on my left side running from just under my rib cage all the way down and over to the left side of my waist. 

It took 65 staples to close the incision, plus more to close up the four small incisions made initially to try to do the procedure in the less invasive laparoscopic method.  My doctor had me up and walking less than 12 hours after the surgery.  I was to walk as much as possible in the halls of the hospital, to begin to recover my strength.

Moving with the incision was difficult, even with the pain medication.  I suppose in a way it is kind of like childbirth – no one really talks about the pain ahead of time – they just deal with it afterwards.  I guess that is a good thing.  Now, all these months later it doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but at the time it was.

During post-surgery blood testing, it was discovered that my iron levels were beginning to rise.  That was exceptionally good news for me.  Having to take iron supplements does not sit well with my system.
  

While we were discussing my post-op care, my doctor told me he was going to push me to regain my strength.  The first day back home from the hospital, I had to figure out how to do simple things like sit in a chair and stand up, get dressed, take a shower, use the facilities, get in and out of bed – just normal movement – without hurting my side or ripping out the staples.

The second full day home I began (at the doctor’s orders) to walk around the neighborhood.  The first day, I probably only walked a half a block. By the time I had gone that far, I was so glad to be back home.  

During those early days of recovery, I was quite terrified that I would trip over an uneven sidewalk, or some debris in my way, and rip open my incision.  So my family took turns walking with me, holding my hand as I walked. 

My daughter came home during the week on her lunch hour to take me for a walk.  In the evening my husband took over that duty or my son.  Every day I walked just a little farther than the day before, always pushing myself, all with my doctor’s blessing.

A week after surgery the staples came out which was definitely less painful than I thought it would be.  Surprisingly, I barely felt it when each one was removed.  The nurse put steri-strips over the incision to promote healing, but it wasn’t until the strips fell off about two weeks later that I had any confidence that it would not pull apart!

I returned to work about three weeks after the surgery, but it wasn’t until my six-week post-op check that I felt I was ready to return to the disc golf course to attempt to play again.  That first day, I was oh, so, cautious every time I threw.  My entire left side had no feeling due to the nerves that had to be severed during surgery.  So I had to relearn how to make my body twist so I could throw properly.

On my first trip to play disc golf I only played four holes – which was enough to push my endurance but not enough to hurt myself.  From there I tried to play at least one additional hole on each subsequent outing.

It wasn’t until three weeks before the 2013 Worlds that I played my first 18 holes, post op.  After that, I added a few more holes every chance I had, until I was up to 36 holes in one day.  I kept pushing, doing a little bit more every day, so I was ready to head to Emporia, KS for the tournament.

It took all my energy just to get myself around the course, so I took a minimum of discs in my disc golf bag, and had plenty of water to stay hydrated.  I also purchased a little tripod stool so that I could sit and rest my legs when I got tired.  It was interesting how just a brief one or two minute break renewed my energy and allowed me to continue on to the end of the course.

Once again, disc golf had become a barometer of health for me.  Even as I was gaining back strength post surgery, I realized that I was feeling so much better inside.  It had been a long time since I felt strong.  For the first time, I thought that just maybe, if I was smart about it, I could make it through the tournament.

So, with my discs in my bag, plus a water bottle and my stool, I was as ready as I was going to be!  It was off to Emporia, KS for me.

I was going to the 2013 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships!

A Barometer of Health – Part 3

 (This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog)

After having two lithotripsy treatments to remove a staghorn kidney stone in 2012, I was beginning to feel more like my old self. 

My son Danny had been encouraging me all year to be sure to register for the 2012 Orlando Open.  If I successfully competed in that event, I would have an automatic invitation to compete in the 2013 PDGA World Disc Golf Championships.  He wanted me to participate in that tournament, as he had gone to Worlds in 2012 and he wanted us to go together in 2013.

Being a more cautious, one step at a time person, I figured, first things first, and decided to see how I did in the Orlando Open that fall.  I prepared pretty well for the amount of throwing and walking I would have to do, and for my first tournament, I was pleased with the outcome.

So again, talk in our home centered on going to Worlds in 2013.  We needed to register for that event in March of 2013 before the tournament was opened up to any registered member of the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) rather than just those who qualified for it.

There were a few times when I still didn’t feel quite right, like something was still wrong internally, but without being able to put words to the symptom, it was hard to figure out what doctor to go to or what to tell him or her when I got there.  My energy level was beginning to come back, but some days I still seemed extra tired.

So, in March of 2013 we signed up for Worlds and paid for our hotel room.  Travel arrangements would be made closer to the event. 

It was later that month that I went back to my urologist for a follow-up exam following the removal of the kidney stone I’d had the year before.  They did an ultra sound of the kidneys which indicated that more tests were required.

Three weeks later I returned to the urologist’s office to have another CT scan, and this time they were able to administer the contrast medication.

 

The great thing about my urologist is that those tests are done right in their offices and an initial reading is made immediately.  As we were looking at the films together, my urologist discovered that I had no kidney function on my left kidney!

Wow!  That was a shocker.  I immediately was sent back to the Same Day Surgery Center to have a stent put in place to see if he could get kidney function to return.  That attempt proved to be unsuccessful, and in fact caused me great pain for about a week. 

At that point my doctor was very concerned and put me in the hospital immediately to try and discover the source of the pain.  I probably had 20 different tests over the course of ten days, not to mention daily blood testing and nothing obvious showed up except for the fact that I was extremely anemic, and in a lot of pain.

Ultimately, after seeing a plethora of doctors, they decided that my kidney was the source of all the problems and so surgery was scheduled to remove it.  I was told the procedure would be done laparoscopically with four small incisions, through which the organ would be removed.

Five hours after the procedure began (which we had been told would be a two-hour operation) the kidney was removed.  It was very infected and enlarged which meant that the surgeons could not remove it through the small incisions.  Instead, a large incision was required so that they could remove the kidney and clean out the abdomen of all the infection.  I awoke later with 65 staples in my abdomen and side.

However, the very next day, when I got out of bed, I knew I was better.  Oh, I had plenty of pain from the incision, but inside….I felt great.  The thing that I knew was wrong but could never describe was GONE!

Prior to the surgery I had told my doctor that I had planned a trip to Worlds.  Could I still go if I had this surgery?  Of course, he based his decision on the anticipation that I would have four small wounds, and so he told me Yes!  

After the outcome of the unexpected complicated surgery, I just didn’t know what would happen.  At my one week post- surgery check-up, my urologist told me that I could still go as long as I wasn’t in any pain.

The question was….could I be ready in time?  My side had to heal, I had to be able to twist my body, I was very weak after the surgery, and I hadn’t been on the disc golf course in over a month prior to the surgery.

As with most things in life, I decided it would be best to take this challenge one day and one obstacle at a time.  Come back tomorrow for the final episode in this story!

A Barometer of Health - Part 2

(This is a continuation of yesterday’s blog)  After being sick on and off for a couple of years, my doctor finally sent me to have a CT scan done of my kidney.  When I arrived at the imaging center, blood was drawn to determine if there were any obvious problems.  Then, into the CT machine I went.

It was explained to me that they would do a series of images without giving me any contrast.  Then they would give me the contrast and repeat the test for clearer detail regarding how the kidneys were functioning.

I remember distinctly when the CT tech came to my side after the first series of images had been done.  She said, “Mrs. Voss, we will not be giving you the contrast.  Your blood work indicates that your kidneys are under distress, and if we gave you the contrast, that would further stress your kidneys.”

In a way, I felt a bit cheated.  I thought that this test was going to finally give an answer to why I had been feeling so awful for so long.  I got up off the table, gathered my belongings and returned to work.

The following day, I got a call that changed everything.

“Mrs. Voss?  This is your doctor’s office.  (Ok!  Warning!  Anytime the doctor calls you – it is BAD!)  The CT you had yesterday indicates that you have a staghorn kidney stone.  We need you to visit an urologist right away.”  I’m surprised that I had the wherewithal to ask some questions, such as, what is that, how is it fixed, how bad is this?  I had lots of questions but of course received no answers.

I was, however, given the name of an urologist to call to schedule an appointment.  I made the call almost immediately and was asked the usual questions about was I a new patient, insurance, blah, blah, blah…..  When they asked the reason I was calling, I mentioned that I’d had a CT scan the day before and they discovered I had a staghorn kidney stone.  Things changed very quickly after that.

I was given an appointment for the following day, when I met with the urologist.  After reviewing the films, and taking some x-rays of his own, he directed me to view the films with him.  There it was, right on the x-ray – a large object in my kidney, about the size of a thumb.  He explained what it was, and then gave me the options for removal.

The very next day I was in the Same Day Surgery Center having a procedure called a lithotripsy (ESWL).  I went back to the urologist in one week where they repeated the x-ray.  Magically, nearly all of the stone debris had been flushed from my kidney except for one, small chunk.

That meant a return to the Same Day Surgery Center for the procedure to be repeated.  The second try eliminated all the calcified material from my kidney.  I was sent on my way, and told to come back in six months for a follow-up.  I was also told to be on the look-out for any further fevers, or symptoms of a kidney stone that might have come back.

A few days after the second procedure I was back on the disc golf course, glad to be able to once again play 18 holes of disc golf.  I thought that my problems were over.  I was feeling better, though still not 100%.  I figured that in time, I would be back to full strength and ready once again to resume playing the sport that I had grown to love.

However, I later found out that there was more serious trouble yet to come.  (Come back tomorrow for part 3.)

A Barometer of Health

The sport of disc golf, for me, has become my personal barometer of health.  There was a period of time when I was quite sick, and didn’t fully realize how dangerously ill I was.  It was only because of disc golf that I had a way of gauging when I was sick and when I was well.  Ultimately, it was the inability to play the sport at all that made me realize something was very wrong.

I had been playing disc golf for about a year.  When I first began playing the sport, I would play just a few holes at a time, and eventually worked up to nine holes.  Sometimes, I would skip a difficult or exceedingly long hole because the physical exertion was too much for me.

 

Over time, the nine holes became more manageable and I began taking a “break” after the first nine, and adding another 4 or 5 holes to extend my playing time.  Eventually, I tried paying the full 18 holes.  While I often couldn’t get 18 finished in the short time I had to play after work, weekends were another matter.  I tried my best to complete all 18 holes.

It was at that time when I starting playing handicaps with Danny on Saturday morning.  The first attempt left me nearly exhausted, and I needed to take a nap when I got home.  Eventually it got a little easier.  Sometimes I was really struggling on the last 3 or 4 holes, but I managed to get through it.

However, one day, I was exhausted and breathing extremely hard after just five holes.  I didn’t understand what the difference was.  I had been having chills and fevers during the day, but it always went away with some Tylenol.  After a time I went to the doctor who said I had a urinary tract infection.  A course of antibiotics, and I was good to go, and good to play 18 holes again.  Or so I thought.

The problem was, I wasn’t actually healthy.  Shortly after finishing the course of antibiotics, the fatigue and exhaustion returned.  After a month or two I again was unable to complete even 9 holes of disc golf.  So, back to the doctor I went. 

This cycle repeated itself time after time.  For two years I struggled with the fatigue and fevers.  I felt as if I wasn’t making any progress. 

Many, many days I went out to my car during my lunch break and took a nap just to get through the afternoon.  Sometimes I feared I might fall asleep driving on the way home.

However, it was always when I was unable to play even 9 holes of disc golf that I knew something was very wrong and headed back to the doctor.

At some point, I just couldn’t fight the fight any more.  I went back to the doctor once again and insisted that some other testing be done.  He sent me for a CT scan, and that’s when things really started getting interesting……  (More tomorrow)

How Many Flicks Does it Take?

That is a burning question in my training right now.  Ever since I began playing disc golf, this shot has been difficult for me, and because it was difficult, I focused more on the backhand throw.  Every time I attempted a forehand or flick, it was pretty pathetic.  So I never used it.  Now, I am fine tuning the backhand, while I’m still in the novice stage of the forehand.  Sounds like a good

So, I’ve watched videos, like the one below:

I’ve watched others throw at the disc golf course to get a concept of what I’m not doing correctly.  I’ve gone in the field and tried to learn the sequence leading up to the throw as well as the actual throw.

In the trunk of my car I have a milk carte filled with discs that aren’t a part of my regular disc bag.  I use them to practice shots in the field – whether it’s a sidearm, backhand, or roller.  There are 26 discs in that crate and I usually throw them all out, go into the field and throw them back to the starting point, and repeat that routine about four times per day.  That gives me about 200 tries at getting a particular shot embedded in my muscle memory.  Even with all that practice, I still throw a flick awkwardly and not with much accuracy or distance. 

When I’m playing with Danny or any other player who knows how to throw a forearm well, I watch closely how they are executing it.  I’ve even taken videos of players throwing the flick and viewed them on my Ubersense App so I can slow it down to analyze the parts of the throw.

The bottom line is, I still haven’t reached that magic number – when the throw becomes an extension of my arm, and is a natural motion from the tee to way down the field. Or I still haven’t seen that perfect video that will cause that “click!” in my brain that will make me finally understand the “how”of the throw.

Things I have working in my favor to learn the throw are determination, and a large dose of stubbornness.  I know that I can do this if I just get that motion down.  I have been practicing disc golf steadily for months now—daily in recent weeks—and I know that practice eventually makes perfect.  Or, if not perfect, at least I should attain acceptable performance.  Factors working against me would be a lack of natural athletic ability, and strength.

So, how many flicks does it take to learn this throw?  For me, the answer is still unknown, something along the lines of how many licks does it take to get to the middle of a Tootsie Rolll!

Follow Through... It Actually Works!

Monday was Columbus Day, I didn’t have to work, and it was a gorgeous day!  Slightly cooler weather, lower humidity than normal, and sunny skies greeted us as we played disc golf.   In the morning I asked my daughter to go with me to the disc golf course.  She is in the banking industry, and so she didn’t have to work either, and both her children were at school, so it was a perfect time to have an outing.

We played the front nine of the original T-1 course.  Carole did quite well considering she doesn’t play nearly as often as I do.  So many of her drives go 30-40 feet farther than mine do.  She isn’t quite as accurate as I am, but when she hits a good drive, it is an amazing thing to watch.  We also played on Sunday and I noticed the same thing then.

Yesterday I was trying to figure out how she was getting that extra distance.  It wasn’t until that afternoon, when I was all by myself that I realized the key – FOLLOW THROUGH!  Danny has been telling me that I need to do work on executing a good follow through.  When he says it, or reminds me, I try especially hard to remember while I’m playing with him, but somehow seem to forget it at the next outing.

In the afternoon, when I went back to work out some more, that advice suddenly dawned on me as I approached hole two.  I think I get nervous when I have to play a hole that is narrow, or has a lot of difficult rough on the edge of the fairway, or is very wooded.  I try to make sure that I release the disc at just the right time so it has the optimal chance of having a good flight.

In my caution, I realized yesterday that I am making things so much harder for myself.  My disc doesn’t have a chance to get up to full speed, which means it doesn’t really have a chance to go as far as it could.  So I threw caution to the wind and decided to just play “all out” on every hole.

Wow!  What a difference that made.  My throws were going just that much farther on every drive, making the approach shot much more doable for me.  The advice that Danny had been urging me to follow was really working. Imagine that!

When Danny came later that afternoon, we played the back nine of T-2 and there were several holes when he commented that he’d never before seen me drive that far.  There were a couple of times that I hit trees, which certainly shortened my drive, but in almost every case, my second throw was remarkably longer than usual.

Even throwing over the lake on hole 16 was amazing.  I threw farther than I have thrown in a long, long time, and with no fear of losing it in the lake.

Now, the question is, will I remember this next time?  Hmmmm….stay tuned!