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Operations for dancers


Harwel

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Well, what a thoroughly draining half term.  DS has had to undergo hip surgery to repair  a damaged labrum and reshaping of the ball joint to prevent any re occurrence.  This injury began in February and ds has had various amounts of time away from dancing, various strategies to try to manage the injury and meetings with a couple of consultants to try to accertain the exact problem.  He has had x-ray, MRI and CT scans and at one point I felt as if we would never get to the bottom of it.  

 

Out of the blue our second consultant decided that he needed to refer DS onto a child specialist (after 2 months of silence) -   thought he was one - and after believing in the summer term a solution had been found we were thrown into a loop hearing that it could be something else and a lot more serious than originally anticipated.  

 

We met with another consultant surgeon in August after DS had had rest, and a couple of summer schools to see how the hip was progressing.  We immediately felt reassured by this consultant and he knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it - we left the meeting with the first bit of real understanding and hope in 6 months. Next meeting set for half term to discuss timings of possible operations.

 

Meeting on Tuesday, ds rang me to say consultant could do operation the following day!  We juggled things about, booked a hotel and set off early the next morning, only to be told 2 hours later that the operation couldn’t go ahead at the clinic chosen as ds under 18 - no one had checked age! Tense wait to see if another hospital could take him for Friday and whether insurance company would cover this other hospital.  So, on Friday DS has his operation.  A 2 1/2 hour arthrosopy.  We finally got him home today at 3.30pm - and I am truly exhausted/drained yet relieved that he is out of surgery and on the road to recovery.  

 

Obviously not a life threatening condition but vital to get the right treatment for him to pursue his dancing career. At may points yesterday I thought how mad we were to let our healthy teenage son go through a surgery for something like this!  He has been very chatty today on the way home feeling hope for his career for the first time in a number of months.  

 

I have found out the vary mixed messsges he has been receiving from school which have actually made my blood boil!  Some extremely supportive teachers and others that have accused him of skiving, exaggerating and being lazy!  I actually HATE the old fashioned ‘do or die’ approach of some dance teachers.  That is what ruined my dance career and I am fuming right now.  When will they ever learn they have in their hands vulnerable, driven, hard working kids who just want to please their teachers and are terrified of being dropped from shows and performance opportunities.  I wish I could protect him from this dance world but I can’t as it’s his Choice to dance but good grief I wish my doors had never been darkened by this twisted world of ego maniacs! 

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I am very glad that your ds is over the operation and I hope he will make a perfect recovery. I echo your thoughts about his teachers though. Why on earth should they think that a previously hard working dc suddenly skive or give up? Such lazy and muddled thinking! Everything crossed for him. x

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Thank goodness he is on the mend now then.

I really don't understand these teachers ......it's almost as if they believe everything is being done just to spite them.....ridiculous...it just shows that they don't actually KNOW their students...not exactly a compliment.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a roller coaster you have been on. So glad the operation went well and wishing him a very speedy and successful recovery. 

 

I have decided that there are two types of dance teacher, the old fashioned do or die, your not my current favourite so I am not giving you the part etc or the kind gentle loving type 

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My daughters were blessed with the second kind. I will never forget my younger daughter when she was five sobbing her heart on her ballet teacher’s lap on the most boiling hot day in Cambridge. She had a tap exam the next day and was terrified. She cried all over her for about 20 minutes and her dance teacher cuddled her and told her she didn’t have to do the exam until she felt ready. I was all for telling my daughter not to be silly but her teacher shot me a look and shook her head slightly. The same teacher was full of concern when C tore a muscle in her back which took six months to heal. 

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6 hours ago, Fiz said:

My daughters were blessed with the second kind. I will never forget my younger daughter when she was five sobbing her heart on her ballet teacher’s lap on the most boiling hot day in Cambridge. She had a tap exam the next day and was terrified. She cried all over her for about 20 minutes and her dance teacher cuddled her and told her she didn’t have to do the exam until she felt ready. I was all for telling my daughter not to be silly but her teacher shot me a look and shook her head slightly. The same teacher was full of concern when C tore a muscle in her back which took six months to heal. 


I think it's an ego thing ...  some teachers are  completely 'over themselves'  in that they have achieved   the highest levels or  they knew when their talent 'ran out'  and they  reached their  ceiling ... and have insight into this and  peace with themselves ... 

look at the frustrated angry little men on the touchlines of  amateur soccer whether managers of  adult teams or managers and/or dads of kids teams  ...  i get  the feeling that some teachers  are in that bad  headspace

 

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