The Sewing Place

What to make for my "broken" dancer

MitchOfTheNorth

What to make for my "broken" dancer
« on: December 18, 2018, 10:37:02 AM »
Well, in true the show must go on style, I need suggestions for what to sew for my "broken" dancer, DD1.  My initial plans were to make up several pieces - shorts, pants, leotards, tops - out of several lovely coordinating lycras.  Back in October, she and another dancer collided in rehearsal - head to head - and knocked themselves out.  Both girls had to withdraw from classes at university and DD1 won't be returning for the spring semester (I don't think the other girl will be returning either).  She has compression of the cervical spine, constant nausea & motion sickness (her balance is off), noise sensitivity and minor vision issues.  She is supposed to exercise but not raise her heart rate above 100 bpm & they're concerned about her low blood pressure (which we've known about for a decade).  Today's visit to the concussion clinic brought the recognition of cognitive issues as well.  She looks fine but she can't really do much - she's too sick to go to the club or bar with her friends - the lights & noise make her symptoms worse.  Truth be told, I really have no idea when she will be able to return to her life or dance.  I don't want to make her feel worse by gifting her something that she can't use and will only remind her of what she is missing.

Christmas pajamas are already underway.  But honestly, I'm confused as to what else to make for her.
Stashbusting 2022
Goal:  50 meters
Total:  32.5 meters

Sewingsue

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2018, 10:44:49 AM »
Couldn't read and run.
Sending good wishes for your DD. Scary how much damage colliding with another person could do.
Bernina Aurora 440QE, Brother BC-2500, Singer 99K (1938), Juki MO-654DE overlocker, Silver Viscount 620D overlocker.

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2018, 10:53:58 AM »
So sorry to hear about your daughter, I hope she improves soon, poor girl.

sewingj

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2018, 10:56:32 AM »
That sounds terribly worrying, I hope she gets better very soon.
How old is she? Would something for her bedroom be appropriate?

StitchinTime

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2018, 11:12:54 AM »
Poor thing, it must be miserable for her and worrying for you. Could you make a storage caddy for her to keep various bits and pieces (phone, headphones, book, meds, etc) next to her in bed or on the couch and make it easier to carry everything from one room to the next.

Bowerbird

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2018, 11:48:44 AM »
@MitchOfTheNorth, what a worry for you, best wishes for a good recovery for her. It sounds like one of life's 'hasten slowly' moments.

@StitchinTime that is an excellent idea.

As a variation on that, when my adult daughter was on crutches  I made her an apron with pockets to carry things in. I just found a funky style on line & made it in material she liked.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2018, 11:51:56 AM by Bowerbird »

Missie

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2018, 11:55:09 AM »
Oh @MitchOfTheNorth your poor DD  :'(  Didn't want to read and run.  I hope she has a speedy recovery and is soon back to uni and dancing.

Yellowfeather

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2018, 12:27:20 PM »
Your poor daughter!  I do hope she will soon be on the road to recovery.  I would go with the suggestions to make something for her bedroom, or bits and pieces.  Nothing dance related.

Renegade Sewist

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2018, 21:06:19 PM »
Bless her heart. How awful for a young woman to go through that. Here's to a speedy recovery for both of the girls.

I think bedroom accessories sound good, including maybe a bed jacket in case she is spending time propped up in there resting.

Actually, I think those garments you listed might still be a good idea. She is supposed to exercise, right? Not needing to wear garments already associated with dance might be good for morale. Maybe just the shorts, pant and tops, skip the leotard for mow. Just some nice exercise clothing.

The healing will take time. It'll be 2 years Christmas Eve that I hit my head with no loss of consciousness. Cat related incident with me coming up under a shelf-thought I was clearing it. Even such a minor concussion caused several months of problems with continual neck pain. Are they treating the neck compression with any physical therapy? That's what's finally given me relief. Saw him yesterday in fact. He does mild neck traction and stretching on me and it's been a huge help. I was having balance and vision issues if I tilted my head back and that's mostly gone now. Worth consideration for the future during her recovery.

I wish you all the best with this.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Catllar

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2018, 23:48:09 PM »
How about some funky yoga pants she would wear anytime. Hope she's soon up and about. She must feel as if her life has stopped  - I know that's  how I felt when I broke my back and couldn't dance for months.
If life gives you lemons, add to gin and tonic !

MitchOfTheNorth

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2018, 03:51:49 AM »
Thank you all for your well wishes and concern.  StitchinTime, I think I'll go with your suggestion and make her a caddy.  And RenegadeSewist, the bed jacket idea reminds me that I have pink (her favorite colour) stretch fleece hiding in my sewing room.  Our medical system has a few flaws - unfortunately, adequate concussion care is on that list - even emergency room doctors are sadly under-educated.   DD1 is a patient at a private concussion clinic - she sees them once a week for physiotherapy for her neck and specialized therapies for her other problems.  We know about the clinic because 2 1/2 years ago, she suffered her first serious concussion.   We have been there and done this before.
Stashbusting 2022
Goal:  50 meters
Total:  32.5 meters

Missie

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2018, 10:05:16 AM »
  We have been there and done this before.

Blimey @MitchOfTheNorth .  I worry about my boy playing rugby, who knew dancing was as dangerous!

Roger

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2018, 12:52:26 PM »
I am sorry to hear about your daughter, Ive had a lot of sports injuries in recent years and have been in out of sports and changing sports and stuff.

you could go down the 4 way stretch knits/technicals fabrics (amazing for any exercise) and relaxed yoga styles - then if she is doing light exercise (slow dance, yoga, relaxed free weights, natural movement that sort of thing) they'll be suitable but she can also use them as comfy wear. I'd maybe leave the leotards but that would depend on you gauging her mood, but the other items sound great.

Also does she own a 'fitness tracker' I got a fitbit Charge 2 and I have to say I love it - i track my food and drink and steps and exercise types, times and burn on it, but handily in this situation it also has my heart rate on it (68 currently) and you can check it with a flick of the wrist.

All the best,

R.
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132

MitchOfTheNorth

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2019, 09:12:29 AM »
I've been busy offline this holiday season.  She was very happy with her gifts. 

Missie, dance can definitely be hazardous as dancers advance.  This is her third dance related concussion - the first 2 weren't serious.  The first she was kicked in the head with a tap shoe (steel taps) during recital (a full audience).  She stood up and kept dancing.  The second she hit her head on the floor when she pushed off the floor from a laying position and didn't catch herself as she came back down.

Roger, she got herself a fitbit alta.  Unfortunately, even with keeping a tight check on her heart rate, she made herself really ill for 3 days after she went to the gym for some light exercise.  My instincts tell me that this is going to be a longer recovery than her last one which took 4 months. 
Stashbusting 2022
Goal:  50 meters
Total:  32.5 meters

Elnnina

Re: What to make for my "broken" dancer
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2019, 13:00:48 PM »
I have only just caught up with this thread, and do hope your daughter makes progress in her recovery.

About 20+ years ago now I had a nasty fall resulting in my hitting my head against a heavy fence post and shed wall (blood pressure was apparently sky high) and the fence post left quite an indentation on my forehead.  I was away for the weekend celebrating my parents diamond wedding anniversary, so by the time I got home and got to see my GP my blood pressure was still extremely high, and the following day after seeing the GP I ended up with black eyes – quite scary.  However nothing else showed up, then gradually little things happened, all unconnected but unexpected.  The result five years later I awoke in the middle of the night and found the room spinning around me and I was falling into a permanent black hole (no street lights where I live)  That was scary and the result of many tests and an MRI showed that half of my balance mechanism no longer   works.  Even now I wobble   a lot, have given up driving as I do not like the constant turning of my head, vertical lines bother me a lot, travelling on motorways is horrible, I cannot fly or travel by train and even the TV sometimes bothers my head.  I have a lump the size of a large grape that comes up in my neck and is rather painful at times, this is the result of holding my head off centre and the muscles have gone into a spasm.  I have had to train my remaining balance to work for both sides, and even now some 17 years later from the balance finally giving up on one side I get caught out, and if I am not careful I end up with Vertigo and that is absolutely horrible as I cannot stand and do not wish to drop to the floor.

Obviously I am a lot older than your daughter and nothing can be done to correct my balance, but hopefully as your daughter is still quite young there is hope that given time and physio she will recover but may take time.  Bangs on the head are not at all pleasant and as for concussion well that is another matter altogether.

I wish your daughter well, encourage her to takes things easy when she has to and allow her to follow her instincts – time is a great healer.