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Ok. so a lot so you know my son tore his UCL and there is a discrepancy on what should be done. Rest / Rehab was first recommendation. We are getting second opinion with Dr Kremchek next Monday.

One of the great things about this sight is the knowledge. So I am going to be a sponge. What questions should I go in being prepared to get answered?

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Chef, first off, let me say I am sorry for your son's injury.  I'm not a orthopeadic doc, but I will tell you where I stand, having the ability to look back on my son's situation.  My son felt a "pop" during a throw from the outfield when he was 15.  We had x-rays, MRI and examination which all revealed a UCL tear.   Son had no pain, even during docs exams.  Our local ortho referred us to Dr. James Andrews.  Son saw Dr. Andrews about a month after the injury.  During his examination, I could see the look of confusion on doc's face as he was expecting son to exhibit some pain, but to his surprise, my son complained of zero pain on all the movements.  Dr. Andrews was great!  He took a LOT of time talking to us and explaining his findings and recommendations.  He suggested that we proceed with rehab, but he warned me that surgery may still be required in the future if he didn't respond favorably to the rehab.

Son did the prescribed rehab and followed up with Dr. Andrews 6-8 weeks later.  A second MRI was taken and showed his UCL scared over and healing.  Dr. Andrews was certain he would make a full recovery and released him to normal playing about 4 months later. 

Fast forward 3 years.  Son feels a "sensation" in his elbow the morning following a complete game in which he threw only 89 pitches over 7 innings.  The team trainer felt like it was just soreness and nothing structurally wrong.  After 2 weeks of rest, the issue was still present, so we saw the ortho doc once again.  This was a different doctor from our first visit.  On examination, he felt certain there was no structural damage.  The doc didn't want to do a MRI.  I basically demanded it as son was getting a lot of pro interest leading into the 2015 MLB draft.  The MRI showed no structural damage, and the ortho told me his ligament looked better than it did on the MRI from 3 years prior.  We talked with his HS coach and college pitching coach and all agreed to shut him down as a precaution until he got to campus for summer.  Son went through the summer throwing program with no issues while throwing long toss or flat ground.  When he threw his first bullpen from the mound, he felt the "sensation" again.  The trainer immediately diagnosed it as an ulnar nerve issue and he was referred to the team ortho.  On his examination a few days later, he confirmed the trainer's diagnosis and set son up to have a nerve conduction test.  The test confirmed the clinical diagnosis, and son had ulnar nerve transposition surgery in August.  He rehabbed from the surgery and everything progressed seemingly flawless.  Son was again able to throw long toss and flat ground with no pain or issues.  His first bullpen from the mound, he felt a "pop" on his 4th pitch.  A UCL tear was feared and that was confirmed by MRI a couple days later.  Son had UCL reconstruction December 16.

I know this has been a very long post, but I'm trying to lay the groundwork for my opinion.  With all the information I have now, I still do not know if I would have done anything different.  You can really only go by what the experts recommend.  I do think the original tear of son's UCL never completely healed.  He does have a slight mechanical flaw where he throws from a slightly closed position.  Other than that, I have never had anyone tell me that son had mechanical issues.  He has never had a pitching lesson, but he has thrown in front of many, many scouts.  I would think that if a major flaw was present, someone would have said something by now.

I think your son is a freshman or sophomore in college, right?  My opinion would be to lean toward the more aggressive surgical option at this point I think.  Maybe being conservative is the right call for a young teenager, but at this point in your son's career, I would rather have the issue solved rather than putting a band aid on it, per se.  Again, I'm not an ortho doc, but I am in the medical field and have a fair amount of knowledge and understanding of anatomy.  Everyone is different and each has his own opinion.  I'm just giving you my opinion as my son is 2 months post-op. I'm not saying we or he would have done anything different.  It is very difficult and I really feel for you and your son.

Things happen for a reason and I fully believe that God is in control.  My faith is the one thing that I can hold on to.  I can tell you it is very difficult to see my son sitting in the dugout watching his teammates perform and knowing he can't.  This is the first time he has missed any sport due to injury.  I have to believe God is teaching him something.  Hopefully we are able to look back in a few years and see the lessons. 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear that, Chef.  My advice would be to go to ASMI site (asmi.org) and ask Dr. Fleisig for a referral to an Andrews-trained doctor in your area, but after Googling Dr. Kremchek, it looks like he fits that bill.  Still, couldn't hurt to ask.

Good luck to your boy!  Hoping for the best. 

Thanks Younggun (and everyone else). I agree with you about being aggressive in treatment. He did hear a pop, but said his arm got really hot at end of third inning, then we had a long at bat. he said his forearm was tight when eh went back out, felt something on first pitch but tried to work thru it. threw about 10-15 more pitches, got worse and coaches kept asking if he was ok and he said yes. They came out and out immediately after he buried a fastball 10 feet in front of plate and he was done.

I am with you on Gods plan. He said to me this morning that he has been praying about it a lot since last night and whatever God decides for him he is ok with. that he is at peace with whatever happens. Makes me proud of who he is as a man  

sultan, that is the question and Dr did not say. I saw MRI (I had to ask, he wasn't going to show it to us), but really didn't know what I was looking at. He just said a tear. Said there were long strands still connected from bone to bone. Coaches were asking grade1,2,3. Not sure they ever got an answer from Dr. I think that is why they were pushing for a 2nd opinion. They did not have to push much for me to agree

chefmike - really sorry to read this.  Your son will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Couple of things from our older son's UCL experience:

  • He heard no pop, but instead felt something like a 'funny bone' sensation in his elbow after throwing a changeup in basically a bullpen session.  Both he and his MLB club thought (hoped?) it was probably an over-pronation.
  • The MRI conducted by the team's doctor did not show a tear and so they tried rehab - didn't work.  Same 'funny bone' sensation 4-6 weeks later after rest.  He was then given the choice to decide - he went for the surgery after which the doctor told him there was indeed 'extensive damage' that hadn't been seen on the MRI
  • Our younger son's college PC told him (once he heard about older son) that these things don't turn out w/ no surgery very often - no idea what that means?  But in our older son's case, he was correct.
  • Since his MLB team would fly him anywhere for the surgery, our son did a lot of research and picked his own doctor based on a number of factors including a) reputation, b) success rate, c) repeat surgery rate and d) number of holes drilled.  There were probably other factors, but those were some.  Dr. Andrews was indeed 1 of 3 finalists in our son's analysis, but he chose a different doctor based on his own criteria.  My point is that it would be hard to go wrong with the doctor everyone mentions first, but there may be another one that fits your son's situation better?  Think about it, thats all.

All the best - let us know how it goes.  Hopefully just rehab, but others have given you good experiences and advice on that scenario - that I've heard from many others too.

I had my surgery done in August 2014 by Dr. Kremchek. He was the third doctor I saw and the only one who was able to fully diagnose the tear (mine was a partial tear). Before Dr. K, I had done two stints of rehab (each 5 weeks long). I did not find improvement and ended up having the surgery which could have been done 8 months prior, in reality. 

 

With that said, if your son ends up opting for surgery, I would absolutely go with Kremchek. He is one of the best there is. Also keep in mind that the road back from TJ is not the end of the world. Stick to the process and it will heal as it is supposed to. I wish your son the best! Feel free to give me a PM if you have any questions. 

Got final news about son. Tommy John surgery with Dr Kremchek this Friday. Said original MRI was "terrible". Did X-ray, ultrasound, and a contrast MRI with fluid. Showed a significant tear across the middle of muscle. Holding on a one end by a couple threads. 

The difference in the whole process of diagnosis was like mid day at the equator on the longest day of year vs midnight in anartica on shortest day of year. 

He is ok with outcome. He has been saying surgery since it happened. thanks everyone for the information. It was very helpful in asking questions and then understanding what the Doc and everyone was talking about.

 

I'll keep you posted

Unless we want to have the donate for yearly out of pocket money. Like I have $4000 laying around . That's what payment plans are made for. It does frost my buns a bit that because we got such bad advice by college docs we felt the need to go outside, which means instead of college picking up all the costs after our insurance pays, I have to. Will and would do it in a second for any of my kids but is a bit frustrating. The 4K would be the same whether I went thru school docs (not specifically affiliated with school but an agreement of some sort) or where he ended up. The politics of insurance- ugh! 

2014 Dad posted:

Unfortunately we will have an opportunity to compare notes my college soph has surgery scheduled March 16th. Man this has been tough mentally for everyone as there was no indication, he had felt great.  Best of luck in recovery for your son !

I hate hearing about these injuries. Best wishes for your son and family, as well.

2014 dad. Answered your pm. Same about no indication.  Jeremy handling it well so far. 

Although lots of negatives, a few positives.

1. School -potentially if he wants- for 5th year with scholarship. So can either finish degree or work on grad degree.

2. For first time in life, will learn to deal with true adversity. And though I never ever want my kids to deal with adversity. Reality is they will and this one can be in a controlled environment where his family and team has his back. 

3. For first time in his life, he will learn how to not be "the man". He has always been a great teammate but now he will learn how to be one even more. 

4. I get to spend quality time with my son. He gets to realize even more that I love him not for son the ball player but just Son the man. 

I am going to look at this as a positive experience in his growth as a man. To date, so is he. 

Right this second, he has his girlfriend and 3 HS friends at our house with him. They are laughing in other room about who knows what. 

Keep making it a positive experience! My own son went though two different surgeries over his 4 year college career, cutting short one year and summer ball and preventing him from pitching another (he was a 2-way player). Overcoming and having success after adversity is a life lesson, no matter what he ends up doing. Learning how to deal with it will make him a better person. My prayers are with you and your son for a speedy recovery and I'm looking forward to following his future successes on the mound and in "life."

Chef, we went through the same with our son and you are spot on about loving the man he has become. It made T1 put  a lot of things in perspective. 

As far as the out of pocket goes, we did the same with ours because school doc's really mis diagnosed everything. We went out on our own and kept our ins company informed every step of the way and they contacted the school to get second party payment info for the doc we went with.  It wouldn't have mattered because like you we would have paid whatever it would have cost, well been on the payment plan like you, but regardless would have done whatever it took.

Maybe talk to your rep and see what your options are. The only out of pocket we had was $100 for the anistegiologist. Everything else has been covered between our ins and the schools.  He even choose not to go back to that school and had follow ups for 3 months after and not  any bills.

Good luck! He will be dying to hold a baseball in a week.

Update on UCL and TJ for son. Brace came off a week ago. He is so excited. He has full range of motion.  He can now do lower body workouts. He is a little ahead of schedule but really that is not a concern of mine. Truly doesn't matter if he is ready to pitch in early January vs. in Mid February  since the first game isn't until mid February . The trainer said the nice thing about being ahead at moment is 2 fold. 1, if he has a set back, he could still be ready for opening weekend. 2, if he does stay ahead, then he can build endurance for first outing.

 

As far as the insurance goes, College picked up the doctor who did his surgery as their team guy from now on. He had done the last 4 surgeries of team after not great advice by who they had previously used (who we saw first). Because of that, nothing out of pocket for me

Great news- sounds like progress is going well!   

LHP son recently found out he will be redshirted....20 months post TJ finishing freshman year of college.  Arm doing great and touched 91 for first time.  Came into fall season at 80-82 (was 86-87 prior to TJ).  

True test of persistence and staying the course.  

Keep us posted on all his future milestones!  

TroyBaseballKid22 posted:

Sounds great ChefMike! Still remember watching him go head to head in the tournament against our ace pitcher (who also just had TJ) Good luck and hopefully his team can show the big dogs what is up this weekend!

wait -ZK who plays for BG had TJ surgery? Wow that is a lot of letters!!! ZK and Jeremy played on same summer team (Raptors / MV Prospects) summer before senior year and summer after. They are good friends and I love his parents. Actually had some excellent parents / players from Troy that were his teammates those 2 years.

Yep - 2pm today is battle of Ohio, Then hopefully take out the #2 Louisville Cardinals. WSU have the ability, but baseball is a game that can go either way on any given day. Such as that playoff game between Troy and Miamisburg. Classic 1-0 tournament game. Both pitchers pitched great that day.

chefmike7777 posted:
TroyBaseballKid22 posted:

Sounds great ChefMike! Still remember watching him go head to head in the tournament against our ace pitcher (who also just had TJ) Good luck and hopefully his team can show the big dogs what is up this weekend!

wait -ZK who plays for BG had TJ surgery? Wow that is a lot of letters!!! ZK and Jeremy played on same summer team (Raptors / MV Prospects) summer before senior year and summer after. They are good friends and I love his parents. Actually had some excellent parents / players from Troy that were his teammates those 2 years.

Yep - 2pm today is battle of Ohio, Then hopefully take out the #2 Louisville Cardinals. WSU have the ability, but baseball is a game that can go either way on any given day. Such as that playoff game between Troy and Miamisburg. Classic 1-0 tournament game. Both pitchers pitched great that day.

Yes, he did. My family and his are very good friends as well! Our mothers worked together, my brother helped his dad coach a team and I played with ZK for a year back in the day. Came out when pitching against a B1G team, didn't feel good, got an MRI and then had TJ (by Kremchek) in the middle of May.

For sure. I'd love to see Wright State or even OSU pull one out in that regional (no offense to UL)

Just replied Bucsfan. So sorry.

Update on the rehab since I am here. It is going very well. Jeremy started throwing in first week of July on flat ground. No pain to date. Says arm feels very strong. He has had 3 checkups (I think) since June including one today. Ultrasound today and cleared to continue the plan. Plan at moment is to continue  with long toss daily . Throwing on a line as increased distance by 20 feet weekly. This is until he reaches 200 feet. Today he is at 120, with clearance for 140 as of tomorrow. The idea is this will increase velocity and strength without over extending. He said yesterday 120 is very easy for him but he is being watched closely (thank goodness) so he is not trying to increase velocity within a shorter distance.

After he reaches 200 feet on line then he will get on the mound (basically beginning of November). Not sure how mound work will be done but I know there is a specific plan. The goal to get him on the mound opening day of 2017 season and what they think as of moment is he will be with a pitch count of between 70-80 pitches. 

Thank you, Swampboy.  Will do. So many others who have come back strong from it have inspired and motivated him.  He will put in the time, and we'll see how it plays out.  If it was going to happen, timing isn't all that bad.  That it happened in the Fall, of course, means he doesn't lose a year of eligibility and he has a full 15+ months to get strong and healthy for 2018.  Always a silver lining. 

TJS today "could not have gone better", according to Dr. K. I joined the consultation yesterday via FaceTime, and Kremchek was "as advertised", spending more time with my wife and son answering questions than I could have hoped.  During the consultation, he said son had "complete, 100% tear", a surprise.  BUT, even more surprising, after surgery, I got this text from my wife: "Dr came in after and told us that the tear was actually very old. He had a new tear on top of the old one, so he was throwing his entire senior year with a torn UCL (possibly even longer ago than that)."  ?!!!

Let the healing begin. 

Last edited by BucsFan

Update on Jeremy, I was a week behind on where he was in long toss. As of tomorrow, he will be allowed to be on the mound. He is so pumped. No pain or issues so far. Coaches are watching closely to make sure he doesn't over do it. 13 weeks rehab on mound. No idea what that entails but I'll be pumping him for details next week on the plan. Then he is a free man for the team be participate. Timing is good since it is 3 weeks before first game of season.

Team is jumping right in. first weekend - Clemson, 2nd weekend - South Carolina. Going to spend part of my February in South Carolina this year

 

chefmike7777 posted:

Update on Jeremy, I was a week behind on where he was in long toss. As of tomorrow, he will be allowed to be on the mound. He is so pumped. No pain or issues so far. Coaches are watching closely to make sure he doesn't over do it. 13 weeks rehab on mound. No idea what that entails but I'll be pumping him for details next week on the plan. Then he is a free man for the team be participate. Timing is good since it is 3 weeks before first game of season.

Team is jumping right in. first weekend - Clemson, 2nd weekend - South Carolina. Going to spend part of my February in South Carolina this year

 

Wow that's an awesome 2 weeks to play at those venues!  Enjoy!

Next update. Jeremy said he is 3 1/2 weeks from being cleared. Which is mid January. that is timetable it has been all along. He was told a couple days ago that on December 26th he will be able to throw 10-15 at full velocity and based off that, he then will be working on off speed as well as everything else. He is pretty excited about finally getting to "let it go". I asked if they were going to "gun" him and he said he didn't know. My guess is yes, since when the are scrimmaging it is the practice to gun the pitchers for data. Will they tell him, who knows, will he tell me if he knows- doubtful .

Guess after the weekend at South Carolina they are staying for the week (spring break). Playing Gardner Webb a couple games, then to USC Upstate, where they will play them, Pittsburgh, and Wofford. Hope South Carolina is nice in late February to early March. Jeremy excited about going. He had to miss the trip last year with his surgery.

He will be on campus. We only live 20 minutes from Wright State. He has an apartment and basically lives there even when they are on break. Last time I think he spent the night at our house was when he had surgery in March, the team was gone and he needed to be "watched" for those 7-8 days. One of his roommates lives very close too, so stays there all the time.

Plus it is amazing that when I ask what he is doing in a given night while he is on a school break, he is "hanging" with his long time girlfriend. Can't "hang" with her in my house overnight

chefmike7777 posted:

Next update. Jeremy said he is 3 1/2 weeks from being cleared. Which is mid January. that is timetable it has been all along. He was told a couple days ago that on December 26th he will be able to throw 10-15 at full velocity and based off that, he then will be working on off speed as well as everything else. He is pretty excited about finally getting to "let it go". I asked if they were going to "gun" him and he said he didn't know. My guess is yes, since when the are scrimmaging it is the practice to gun the pitchers for data. Will they tell him, who knows, will he tell me if he knows- doubtful .

Guess after the weekend at South Carolina they are staying for the week (spring break). Playing Gardner Webb a couple games, then to USC Upstate, where they will play them, Pittsburgh, and Wofford. Hope South Carolina is nice in late February to early March. Jeremy excited about going. He had to miss the trip last year with his surgery.

Glad to hear the good news!

FWIW, its cold in the upstate in February.  One season on opening weekend there were flurries.  

 

Hey everyone, latest update.

As of 10 days ago Jeremy is cleared. . He was allowed a few days before Christmas to start throwing 100%. No pain or problem. He said he had no idea about velocity. January 2nd he was allowed to start on off-speed. That is basically what I had been told from him since then. other than, "it's going fine".

Friday night he and several of his teammates came over to our house for a meal. I cornered his best friend and asked how Jeremy was doing since I get nothing from him. He laughed and said he was doing really well. He had 2 live against hitters bullpens earlier that week. First one he sat 84-86 high 88, then Friday (so 3 days ago) he sat 87-88 high 90. These were outside in about 50-55 degree weather. Which he thought was important to tell me. He said off speed was rough first time but much better 2nd time.

 

As frame of reference for velo, day he hurt himself was 4th inning of season. they had him clocked 90-93 and high 96. Year before as freshman, he was at roughly 87-90, high 93.

Doc said when it first happened, that what they expected was once cleared, he would regain velocity within a month or so of being cleared and maybe pick up up to 4 MPH since it is a fresh ligament. That was based on everything going well and that he do his rehab correctly and work on other conditioning so those areas (primarily shoulder) would not be hurt while rehabbing.

I have to say his trainers, coaches and he have been very diligent about doing it right, pushing but not to much. Following the limits of the rehab without going over. To date, seems to have worked. Fingers crossed.

I'm just happy to se him healthy and feeling like he will be a big part of this season team

Great news Chef!

My little fella started his throwing program on Dec. 12.  He's up to 150 feet now.  Says the elbow feels better than it ever has.  No setbacks so far - only discomfort he's experienced has been some mild soreness the day after some throwing sessions.

Biggest challenges right now are 1. Not overdoing it, since his arm feels so good, and 2. Dealing with baseball season starting without him (his team has their first scrimmage today, season starts Friday).

MrBumstead posted:

Great news Chef!

My little fella started his throwing program on Dec. 12.  He's up to 150 feet now.  Says the elbow feels better than it ever has.  No setbacks so far - only discomfort he's experienced has been some mild soreness the day after some throwing sessions.

Biggest challenges right now are 1. Not overdoing it, since his arm feels so good, and 2. Dealing with baseball season starting without him (his team has their first scrimmage today, season starts Friday).

So is that 150 on flat ground? When did he start throwing and when is his release to 100% expected?

Interested because a friend of mine son going thru this and my son started throwing at 4 months from surgery - 16 weeks on flat ground (he got to 200 feet for 1 week- then done with this part), then 13 weeks on mound. slowly building up. At about 10 weeks was allowed to throw 100% and at 11 weeks started off-speed stuff. - so a 7 1/2 month throwing program

My friend's son will be 6 months before he throws (in April, 2017). He isn't sure how long his throwing program will be since he is resting 6 months vs. my son 4 months. I know my son's program was designed to have him be available for start of college season mid February this year.

Are other programs designed around when it would be timed to be back on field? So longer rest early, less throwing time?  Just trying to be educated.

For my son it has works well to date.  Fingers crossed it continues.

chefmike7777 posted:
MrBumstead posted:

Great news Chef!

My little fella started his throwing program on Dec. 12.  He's up to 150 feet now.  Says the elbow feels better than it ever has.  No setbacks so far - only discomfort he's experienced has been some mild soreness the day after some throwing sessions.

Biggest challenges right now are 1. Not overdoing it, since his arm feels so good, and 2. Dealing with baseball season starting without him (his team has their first scrimmage today, season starts Friday).

So is that 150 on flat ground? When did he start throwing and when is his release to 100% expected?

Interested because a friend of mine son going thru this and my son started throwing at 4 months from surgery - 16 weeks on flat ground (he got to 200 feet for 1 week- then done with this part), then 13 weeks on mound. slowly building up. At about 10 weeks was allowed to throw 100% and at 11 weeks started off-speed stuff. - so a 7 1/2 month throwing program

My friend's son will be 6 months before he throws (in April, 2017). He isn't sure how long his throwing program will be since he is resting 6 months vs. my son 4 months. I know my son's program was designed to have him be available for start of college season mid February this year.

Are other programs designed around when it would be timed to be back on field? So longer rest early, less throwing time?  Just trying to be educated.

For my son it has works well to date.  Fingers crossed it continues.

(Going from memory, since my son has the actual protocol with him at college.)

So far everything has just been progressive buildup in long toss.  He started with 2 sets of 25 at 45 feet, and gradually build up sets and reps through 60, 90 & 120 feet.  He's now up to 150 feet.  Next week he should bump up to 180.  But it's all long-toss based so far - in the early weeks of the program, he was doing a shuffle-step even from throwing 60 & 90 feet.

After he gets through 180 feet, he gets to start adding in some flat ground pitching.  Then in the last month of the program he can start throwing from a mound.

Each throwing session also includes the DriveLine warm-up/activation and recovery exercises.  He's got bands, rollers, lacrosse balls, plyocare balls, a mini-trampoline, adjustable wrist weights, shoulder tube, etc.  I think he uses just about all of them.  (To be clear, he is NOT doing any weighted ball or plyocare ball throwing exercises except reverse throws, which his trainer had him doing even before he began throwing a baseball again.  No roll-ins, pivot pickoffs, pulldowns, etc.  He's just doing the warmup and recovery exercises.)

Concurrently, he's back to almost unrestricted weight training.  The only restriction is that they want him to keep the upper body work light-medium intensity (moderate weight and reps) so that none of the arm muscles are tight during throwing - they want the muscles to stay loose during this phase.  He's also still working some with the trainer doing rehab, just not daily like he was in the fall.

Let me be the first to congratulate ChefMike on Wright St.'s very, very  impressive opening weekend at Clemson.  More importantly, of course, CONGRATULATIONS on a very impressive, albeit brief (that is what happens when you throw strikes!!) 4 up, 4 down outing.  Oh, and he struck out arguably the best college hitter in America (swinging) in the middle of it all.  All of this less than 1 year post TJ.  You must be feeling great, tonight.  If you are not, you should be.   Keep us posted on how he is feeling physically and emotionally about all of this.  Maybe he is happy with his current role, maybe not.  But, it is still so early in his come back, and now he has the confidence he needs.  I hope BucsFanSon can look as good as JR come Fall.  (Btw, Sexton was a bulldog and  very impressive today).

Last edited by BucsFan
BucsFan posted:

Let me be the first to congratulate ChefMike on Wright St.'s very, very  impressive opening weekend at Clemson.  More importantly, of course, CONGRATULATIONS on a very impressive, albeit brief (that is what happens when you throw strikes!!) 4 up, 4 down outing.  Oh, and he struck out arguably the best college hitter in America (swinging) in the middle of it all.  All of this less than 1 year post TJ.  You must be feeling great, tonight.  If you are not, you should be.   Keep us posted on how he is feeling physically and emotionally about all of this.  Maybe he is happy with his current role, maybe not.  But, it is still so early in his come back, and now he has the confidence he needs.  I hope BucsFanSon can look as good as JR come Fall.  (Btw, Sexton was a bulldog and  very impressive today).

Thank you for the info. I am a Tiger fan but also a Jeremy Randolph fan.  Way to go!

Just got home from 7 1/2 hour drive. Still flying high. I am so happy for Jeremy. He was impressive in his outing. Always the plan this weekend and next to be out of the pen. Wright State threw 12 pitchers this weekend. And still have thier #1 starter  out for a few more weeks. Impressive group of pitchers we have. 

I wasn't projecting 11 pitches and done but that is what you want. Low pitch count. His slider really bit on the last pitch to Seth Beer who is crazy talented. We generally were very careful with him this weekend. Somethings like 5-6 BB and he still had 2 HR and a double. 

Radar gun on scoreboard had him 92-94 on his fastballs. Sliders 87-90. Don't know how accurate it is but looked awesome up there. He did have highest recorded velo by WSU. I believe shoveit4ks son Ryley had the 2nd highest on Clemson at 96. And his stuff was crazy good Saturday

BucsFan posted:

Let me be the first to congratulate ChefMike on Wright St.'s very, very  impressive opening weekend at Clemson.  More importantly, of course, CONGRATULATIONS on a very impressive, albeit brief (that is what happens when you throw strikes!!) 4 up, 4 down outing.  Oh, and he struck out arguably the best college hitter in America (swinging) in the middle of it all.  All of this less than 1 year post TJ.  You must be feeling great, tonight.  If you are not, you should be.   Keep us posted on how he is feeling physically and emotionally about all of this.  Maybe he is happy with his current role, maybe not.  But, it is still so early in his come back, and now he has the confidence he needs.  I hope BucsFanSon can look as good as JR come Fall.  (Btw, Sexton was a bulldog and  very impressive today).

For got to answer question. He feels "awesome" and arm feels "great". Though very short quotes by him and typical. Music to my ears. 

Well mine returned to the mound tonight 11.5 months after surgery. Got an inning in during the wrong end of a blowout. Pitched a 123 inning, it was more emotional than I thought it would be. 13 pitches , boy it's just great to see him doing what he loves again. To those who have sons rehabbing trust the process , and be ready to grab Kleenex when he returns!

BucsFanSon crossed another milestone yesterday.  Saw Dr. Kremchek and team and got the big "green light" to start the long throwing rehab process.  Had him wait until 5.5 months "just because the calendar afforded him that luxury" (Oct. surgery).  He said he might even try to throw his first 45 foot session in the courtyard with one of his teammates last night after flying back to school, that is how excited he is .  I like the fact that he will "enter the rough rapids" during the warm summer months AND be back home working with his local trainers whom we love.

Been a while since I posted. Jeremy reinjured his elbow pitching in the championship league game on Saturday. Not sure of outcome, he is in MRI as I am typing this. Hopefully coach caught it in time. He is very competitive, which is good most of the time, and didn't tell anyone it was hurting. Coach saw something and went to get him, he talked his way into 2 more pitches, then coach took him out. He was pitching a shutout 2 hitter at time into 5th and didn't want to let his teammates down.

he went to MRI alone because he wanted it that way. Wanted to deal with the news himself before he told anyone. if you see this soon pray for him.

chefmike7777 posted:

Been a while since I posted. Jeremy reinjured his elbow pitching in the championship league game on Saturday. Not sure of outcome, he is in MRI as I am typing this. Hopefully coach caught it in time. He is very competitive, which is good most of the time, and didn't tell anyone it was hurting. Coach saw something and went to get him, he talked his way into 2 more pitches, then coach took him out. He was pitching a shutout 2 hitter at time into 5th and didn't want to let his teammates down.

he went to MRI alone because he wanted it that way. Wanted to deal with the news himself before he told anyone. if you see this soon pray for him.

Chef - Praying for good news, brother!

Got me on a roller coaster ride here, Chef!  Was just getting caught up.  Will pray for him anyway.  Anyone who has seen him knows he is a bulldog/competitive, so this is all understandable.  I am convinced it takes 2 years to get back to normal (and will have to be reminded of that many times next year, I am sure!).  Keep us all posted as much as you are willing.

Last edited by BucsFan

I'm glad CHEFMIKE's follow up post was already posted by the time I got around to reading this.  That first post sort of took my breath away, but saw the follow up about 1 minute later and was able to exhale.  Hope you have smoother sailing through the summer and into next season.  Kudos to the coach for protecting the kid at what had to be a very pivotal moment in the game.

MidAtlanticDad posted:
chefmike7777 posted:

he just texted me. No ligament damage at all. Need to spend summer rehabbing flexor mass, no summer ball, He will be good to go for the fall! I can't stop crying - LOL

You probably already did this, but just in case, I would make sure that his surgeon reviewed the MRI and not just a radiologist.

yep, that why the wait until today for the MRI. The did it at Dr Kremchek place. As son at the MRI was over he had a consultation with the Doc.

Wednesday night was a big night.  Not only was it Kidzilla's first time pitching in a college game, it was also his first time pitching in a competitive game since TJS, and the first time pitching in a competitive game in over 14 months.

He was understandably nervous, and therefore didn't have his best "stuff".  But he still did pretty well:

1.0IP, 0R, 1H, 1K, 1WP

The hit was an dribbler up the middle, just hard enough to make the SS dive for it, which allowed the batter to barely beat it out for an infield hit.  The wild pitch was an 0-2 splitter in the dirt blocked out in front of the plate pretty easily by the catcher; but it looked like he forgot how fast the runner was and assumed he wouldn't take off, so he didn't get on it very quickly and by the time he did it was too late.  The other two outs were a routine grounder to 3B and a popup to 3B.

Many tears of rejoicing and relief were shed.  And the entire dugout ran out to him as he came off the field.

Something to build upon...

Thanks for sharing we also shed the tears. From experience I can share our first year back in 2017 was full of ups and downs. Ours came back at 11.5 months got a 1,2,3 inning; we all felt relief , velo was back we were pumped. He really thought he would be built up for multiple innings and again start but he never got strong enough for it.  He had a tough year, his feel was not there and could not control his run on fastball. Add to it the fact he only pitched 1 inning at a time and had to adjust to a reliever schedule it took quite a while to get feel back. He had some great innings and some uncharacteristic rough ones with lots more walks. Summer ball was better with only a couple of rough innings.

Mentally not performing was the toughest struggle. He shut down did not touch a ball for 6 weeks and is now back through throwing program to the point where he is throwing pens and feels great. It is 18 months post surgery and he finally feels good again we can't wait for this season. The plan is to  lengthen him out to start again.

My long winded point to everyone who is going through it, it takes time to truly get the feel and strength back. He thought throwing without pain at the same velo meant he was back but he wasn't.  Our wish for him this year is simple, stay healthy that's it. If he stays healthy at the start of the season it will be 24 months post TJ, the results will come as he has put in the work.

Many thanks to both MrBumstead (for the exciting milestone) and 2014 Dad (for the cautionary tale / insights).  My 2016 RHP is just a couple of months behind (10/21 will be anniversary of TJS).  He is feeling great (actually, instead of "good", he has been saying "fantastic" recently) and has 1 week left of a month long 100% rest of the arm - per Dr's orders.  He did the rehab protocol to the letter from mid April through early Sept.  Upon return, two weeks of long toss before getting back on mound for good - that takes him to mid October.  All of this means he may or may not throw live to hitters this Fall.  To his credit, he (perhaps moreso than I) has the long term perspective.  I'd like to see him at least in a scrimmage to show the coaches what he can do, but HC (also PC) told him in Spring exit interview to just be ready by February.  He is at Ivy school in NE, so the Fall season is not very long, as you can imagine.   I often think of the emotions that will hit me when he is out there in live action (he hasn't thrown live since playoffs his senior year of HS...injury happened after first bullpen on campus last Fall).

Last edited by BucsFan
BucsFan posted:

Many thanks to both MrBumstead (for the exciting milestone) and 2014 Dad (for the cautionary tale / insights).  My 2016 RHP is just a couple of months behind (10/21 will be anniversary of TJS).  He is feeling great (actually, instead of "good", he has been saying "fantastic" recently) and has 1 week left of a month long 100% rest of the arm - per Dr's orders.  He did the rehab protocol to the letter from mid April through early Sept.  Upon return, two weeks of long toss before getting back on mound for good - that takes him to mid October.  All of this means he may or may not throw live to hitters this Fall.  To his credit, he (perhaps moreso than I) has the long term perspective.  I'd like to see him at least in a scrimmage to show the coaches what he can do, but HC (also PC) told him in Spring exit interview to just be ready by February.  He is at Ivy school in NE, so the Fall season is not very long, as you can imagine.   I often think of the emotions that will hit me when he is out there in live action (he hasn't thrown live since playoffs his senior year of HS...injury happened after first bullpen on campus last Fall).

Good news and best wishes going forward to him BucsFan!  Curious, what is the idea behind the month long 100% rest after rehab and prior to long toss?  And also, same question about just two weeks of LT before getting on mound after a full month shut down?  Curious to hear the experts' take on the process.

cabbagedad posted:
BucsFan posted:

Many thanks to both MrBumstead (for the exciting milestone) and 2014 Dad (for the cautionary tale / insights).  My 2016 RHP is just a couple of months behind (10/21 will be anniversary of TJS).  He is feeling great (actually, instead of "good", he has been saying "fantastic" recently) and has 1 week left of a month long 100% rest of the arm - per Dr's orders.  He did the rehab protocol to the letter from mid April through early Sept.  Upon return, two weeks of long toss before getting back on mound for good - that takes him to mid October.  All of this means he may or may not throw live to hitters this Fall.  To his credit, he (perhaps moreso than I) has the long term perspective.  I'd like to see him at least in a scrimmage to show the coaches what he can do, but HC (also PC) told him in Spring exit interview to just be ready by February.  He is at Ivy school in NE, so the Fall season is not very long, as you can imagine.   I often think of the emotions that will hit me when he is out there in live action (he hasn't thrown live since playoffs his senior year of HS...injury happened after first bullpen on campus last Fall).

Good news and best wishes going forward to him BucsFan!  Curious, what is the idea behind the month long 100% rest after rehab and prior to long toss?  And also, same question about just two weeks of LT before getting on mound after a full month shut down?  Curious to hear the experts' take on the process.

Thanks for good wishes and for the thoughtful questions.  I don't have a lot of detail other than:

1. Month Off:  Dr and therapist literally said "you will have thrown for 4.5 months (the length of the full throwing protocol) and simply need to rest your arm, rest your body."  They even told him to take 2 weeks off from working out (not sure if he did or not...unlikely).  I think the idea was also to get him the time off (albeit a month or two late) that a pitcher normally would have during the year (late July/August).  He will be working hard with PC/HC up through Thanksgiving on "individuals" (ie, bullpens), so I thought it all made decent sense to me.  Also, he did work up to 60 pitches at 90-100% at the end of the protocol.  He said that was cool; all of the coaches and most of the team was watching and pulling for him.

2. I don't think the Dr and his therapists envision him going live just two weeks post LT.  That is the big question and the part that is slightly frustrating (to me, not my son).  If he was just a week or two ahead of this schedule, he could probably throw an inning or two in a Fall game they have vs. another D1 in the area.  But, since he will have just gotten back on the mound (to start his build up to going 100%), he likely will just miss it.  I was hoping we could "thread the needle" and get him live action/competition, but it doesn't seem like it will happen.  I am hoping they at least let him throw a simulated couple of innings before it gets too cold.

In essence, the "experts" told him that once he comes back after the month off, he is "good to go" and build up as he and his coaches/trainers see fit.

Last edited by BucsFan
BucsFan posted:
cabbagedad posted:
BucsFan posted:

Many thanks to both MrBumstead (for the exciting milestone) and 2014 Dad (for the cautionary tale / insights).  My 2016 RHP is just a couple of months behind (10/21 will be anniversary of TJS).  He is feeling great (actually, instead of "good", he has been saying "fantastic" recently) and has 1 week left of a month long 100% rest of the arm - per Dr's orders.  He did the rehab protocol to the letter from mid April through early Sept.  Upon return, two weeks of long toss before getting back on mound for good - that takes him to mid October.  All of this means he may or may not throw live to hitters this Fall.  To his credit, he (perhaps moreso than I) has the long term perspective.  I'd like to see him at least in a scrimmage to show the coaches what he can do, but HC (also PC) told him in Spring exit interview to just be ready by February.  He is at Ivy school in NE, so the Fall season is not very long, as you can imagine.   I often think of the emotions that will hit me when he is out there in live action (he hasn't thrown live since playoffs his senior year of HS...injury happened after first bullpen on campus last Fall).

Good news and best wishes going forward to him BucsFan!  Curious, what is the idea behind the month long 100% rest after rehab and prior to long toss?  And also, same question about just two weeks of LT before getting on mound after a full month shut down?  Curious to hear the experts' take on the process.

Thanks for good wishes and for the thoughtful questions.  I don't have a lot of detail other than:

1. Month Off:  Dr and therapist literally said "you will have thrown for 4.5 months (the length of the full throwing protocol) and simply need to rest your arm, rest your body."  They even told him to take 2 weeks off from working out (not sure if he did or not...unlikely).  I think the idea was also to get him the time off (albeit a month or two late) that a pitcher normally would have during the year (late July/August).  He will be working hard with PC/HC up through Thanksgiving on "individuals" (ie, bullpens), so I thought it all made decent sense to me.  Also, he did work up to 60 pitches at 90-100% at the end of the protocol.  He said that was cool; all of the coaches and most of the team was watching and pulling for him.

2. I don't think the Dr and his therapists envision him going live just two weeks post LT.  That is the big question and the part that is slightly frustrating (to me, not my son).  If he was just a week or two ahead of this schedule, he could probably throw an inning or two in a Fall game they have vs. another D1 in the area.  But, since he will have just gotten back on the mound (to start his build up to going 100%), he likely will just miss it.  I was hoping we could "thread the needle" and get him live action/competition, but it doesn't seem like it will happen.  I am hoping they at least let him throw a simulated couple of innings before it gets too cold.

In essence, the "experts" told him that once he comes back after the month off, he is "good to go" and build up as he and his coaches/trainers see fit.

Awesome, thanks.  Makes sense and sounds like everyone is totally on top of things with him.  Would just hate to see him try to ramp back up too quickly for one fall outing when things are going so well with early Spring and full health in sight and on schedule.

OK, just the facts, because I wasn't there and my son is not the first to go through this process..so no need to layer on a bunch of emotions.

My son hadn't faced a batter (literally had not thrown a single pitch with a man standing in the box) for 17 months (senior year, HS playoffs was last time).  This Friday will be 1 year anniversary of his TJS.  Dr. Kremchek had purposefully slow rolled his rehab throwing protocol (given the timing).  HC/PC saw him throw a pen this week and decided to let him throw an inning yesterday in a scrimmage vs. another D1 in New England.  He came in late for a freshman who was struggling, inheriting a 2-0 count and R1 and R3, no outs.  After a double steal, MIF mishandling throw down, he had R2, no outs.  He then goes BB, HBP, K, K, K.  He threw nothing but fast balls.  They did not put a ball in play.  The last K was 3 pitches with at least 2 (he said maybe 3) swing and misses.  He said he felt "fantastic" and it was "really awesome".  HC was "ecstatic" and said it was "incredible" how he pounded the zone after the layoff and after finding his release point.  Velo was fine, not where it was/should be/will be, but just fine for now.  HC wanted him to go back out for another inning.  AC said "wait, wait, what are we doing?  It is October and he is coming back from surgery!" So, they thought better of it.

Two other facts:

1. Good thing I wasn't there or I would have cried like a baby, and

2. I enjoyed a big fat cigar on the deck in his honor.

Then the Steelers beat the Chiefs, and my day was complete.

 

BucsFan posted:

OK, just the facts, because I wasn't there and my son is not the first to go through this process..so no need to layer on a bunch of emotions.

My son hadn't faced a batter (literally had not thrown a single pitch with a man standing in the box) for 17 months (senior year, HS playoffs was last time).  This Friday will be 1 year anniversary of his TJS.  Dr. Kremchek had purposefully slow rolled his rehab throwing protocol (given the timing).  HC/PC saw him throw a pen this week and decided to let him throw an inning yesterday in a scrimmage vs. another D1 in New England.  He came in late for a freshman who was struggling, inheriting a 2-0 count and R1 and R3, no outs.  After a double steal, MIF mishandling throw down, he had R2, no outs.  He then goes BB, HBP, K, K, K.  He threw nothing but fast balls.  They did not put a ball in play.  The last K was 3 pitches with at least 2 (he said maybe 3) swing and misses.  He said he felt "fantastic" and it was "really awesome".  HC was "ecstatic" and said it was "incredible" how he pounded the zone after the layoff and after finding his release point.  Velo was fine, not where it was/should be/will be, but just fine for now.  HC wanted him to go back out for another inning.  AC said "wait, wait, what are we doing?  It is October and he is coming back from surgery!" So, they thought better of it.

Two other facts:

1. Good thing I wasn't there or I would have cried like a baby, and

2. I enjoyed a big fat cigar on the deck in his honor.

Then the Steelers beat the Chiefs, and my day was complete.

 

That’s awesome! I can only imagine how proud you must be and how happy your son must feel after an outing like that! 

Hey...been a while.  We need a "bump" here.  Who is that leading the Cape in K's and top 5 in ERA?!!!  I have lost track of ChefMike but I sure am proud of his son!  What a comeback from TJ.  Also, did anyone see his incredible performance against Stanford in the Regionals?! 1 run, 1 BB, 6K in 6.2 IP.   You can run, ChefMike, but Jeremy cannot hide.  Seriously, hope all is well. 

http://pointstreak.com/basebal...6&seasonid=31242

I know the feeling, - congrats, it's great to see people overcome adversity/misfortune! My son had UCL Primary Repair surgery last September and I savor watching him pitch every time now. The first time I damn near cried. He's getting better and more confident each time and it's great to just see him happy playing ball! Hopefully he is able to get some college interest and continue playing. He's got the grades and the size for an Ivy, but the fastball for a D3.  But with continued work on the arm, who knows where things will lead. It will all work out somehow. 

Hi Everyone, It has been a very long time since I posted. The IT guy at work blocked this website and that is when I had most of my free moments

Got the email from Bucsfan last night and wanted to keep everyone updated. First, Dr Kremchek was and is a Godsend for my son. Very specific program on how to get back to what he loves.

This year has been great for him. The coaches at Wright State decided to keep in him the bullpen as one of the two main relievers. Lead team in appearances, about 40 IP, about 60 K, 2.5 ERA, 4-5 saves and a 5-3 record. Of course, the highlight was in NCAA game where he came in to relieve in the 7th and basically pitched lights out vs #2 Stanford. I was coaching in Indianapolis that weekend and couldn't get out to Stanford. But watching on TV until 2:15am. Couldn't have been more proud.

He graduated with honor in finance in May and was hoping to be drafted. He had talked to a few scouts and filled out some paperwork but wasn't meant to be. He actually was really disappointed, he wants that opportunity so bad.

As far as Cape, he found out in fall he was going there as a temporary player. Of course, he didn't tell me, one of the other parents on his team told me. God bless that child.  He is playing at Hyannis and after 2 relieving appearances, he became a starter. I asked him if they had removed teh "temporary" tag and he said no but he wasn't worried. Since then he has made 4 starts and overall 26 IP, 3.11 ERA and 36 K, which leads the Cape as Bucsfan said. The downside the is BA against is high at .291 and WHIP at 1.42.  He wasn't named as an all star which i thought he had a good chance, but as usual, he couldn't care less.

The future is a bit undecided at moment. As a graduate, he is probably going to transfer. Wright State does not have his grad program, so he has been looking. He has some very nice offers from some very nice schools (both academically and baseball) across the country and is going to visit his final 2 next week. It has been a long process and he is drained, I'm a bit frantic as both those schools will start in about 5 weeks and he still hasn't even officially applied (he is not worried at all -ugh). 

I'll try to be more active on here, certainly will let you know teh outcome of where he lands.  So many people here helped me and my son thru the journey. Hopefully more to go after next year, but I want to give back as much as I received here.

 

Thanks Bucsfan for the reach out!

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