4 stitches and some glue on my most private parts

My husband and I paddling with our children

The summer holiday was so promising. After some fun weeks of snowboarding from Mt. Elbrus, skydiving and wind tunnel flying in Voss, and doing some nice peaks in Jotunheimen I was in in a good flow. It could only get better. I brought my family to visit my good friend Karina at her summer house, where she and her boyfriend Benjamin were hanging out with their kids. It is great to hang out with like minded people. Always ready to play, they planned one fun activity after the other, and we were happy to join.

They introduced us to wake surfing, a very nice activity in the summer heat, and took the kids to fish for crabs and buy ice cream. Good friends, sun and fun, life could not get any better. Karina, also an ex base jumper has taken up trail biking, a good way of both exercising and scaring yourself. She took me on a ride on their local forest trail, and I enjoyed every bit of being psyched out and challenging myself.

Most women get more scared after they have kids. In my case it has been the opposite way. It might be a good idea to keep within my skill level, at least when trying something for the first time. A 2 meter drop is not the recipe for success unless you’re tuned in with yourself and the bike. And especially not if there is a second drop after it. Trust me. Trying not to fly over the bike and down the second drop after forgetting to sit back, I ended up jamming down on the stem with all my weight. After getting back on my feet I could only register the intense pain between my legs, then the blood started gushing down. We were on a trail in the forest with no phone. My first fear was that I had ripped open the main artery. We quickly checked and although difficult to see through the blood we concluded it was not that. I used my shirt to compress the wound, and stop the bleeding. Thanks to the good wicking qualities of my Berghaus shirt I manage to keep the blood spill down- but the shirt, as well as shoes and socks were declared dead shortly after the event. Karina went ahead to get help, and I did my best to move out of the forest.

Walking into the ER one hour later, I got some strange looks. Shirtless, bloody and holding my crotch, I was immediately sent to see the doctor. It doesn’t really help when the doctors look at you with pain written all over their face, and say that this must hurt even more than giving birth. Yeah I know, I thought, I have sort of figured that out by now….

They glued me up, and told me to wait a bit to let it settle. Happy to finally be done I stumble to my feet just to see more blood gushing down my legs again. Back on the table, look deeper, and there a big cut and a ripped artery. Great, now they need more than glue. 4 stitches later it is still bleeding a bit, but I compress it, and go home with my big blue tennis ball of a crotch that is just getting bigger and bigger. 5 days later I am still in a horizontal position living on painkillers. Guess it will be a while before I can skydive again.

 

Karina and I with each our baby

Karina and me heading back from the beach

First time wake surfing- this is fun!

Finding the sweet spot

Happy camper Karina

Laughing my ass of after I actually managed to land in the water after another stupid stunt…

Benjamin and Sebastian

Elise feels safe on mommy’s lap- riding a boat can be scary…

Happy girl

My husband playing in the wake

My husband:-)

 

Benjamin having some fun

Lost the sweet spot!

The shoes smelled like massacre even after being washed. They were declared dead.

Not really enjoying myself

Feeling numb by now, doing my best to stop the bleeding by compressing the wound

Due to the red color of the shorts it is difficult to tell that the right leg was soaked in blood

Next stop ER!

Waiting to see if the stitches hold up

Got up after first round of treatment to find myself bleeding again. More stitches then.

Third round of filling the bed in the ER with blood. Clean up again.