Injuries

I was just thinking of all the injuries I've had doing this sport so far (in no particular order):

• Sprained my back (got stacked). Couldn't bend over for like two days.
  
• Fat lip (head butt)
• Hyper-extended all the fingers of my right hand simultaneously (guy fell on them passing my guard). Surprisingly, this was painful for a moment, but didn't hurt for more than a few minutes.
  
• Bursitis, right shoulder. Required cortisone injections.
  
• Strained rotator cuff, left shoulder. Required cortisone injections.
• Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (left knee). Required reconstructive surgery and 9 months rehabilitation.
• Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), left leg. Just getting over a bout of this. Required a cortisone injection.
  
• Hyper-extended right elbow. I fell into an armbar. Ouch. I felt and heard that first 'pop' and then had a sore elbow for like 6 weeks.
• Countless bruises.
• Neck injury from an Ezekiel choke (Finnie got me good one time. Took like 4 weeks before I stopped feeling like I had the flu. :)
  
• Numerous black eyes.
• Mat burns. Currently having the worst one of these I've ever had. Tore open a piece of my foot the size of a nickel that has been healing and scabbing for weeks. Had to buy wrestling shoes to wear to practice until it heals.
• Staff infection, right knee. Popped/pulled an infected hair off my knee before showering after practice. Got so infected I had a 107F fever and had to get numerous antibiotic injections.
• Probably lots more I am forgetting.

Believe it or not, I believe that this is at least -somewhat- typical. Everyone I've ever known in the sport has gotten hurt at -some- point doing this. I mean, this is fighting, and people want to win. I'm one of several at my school who've had ACL reconstructions done. I just saw a purple belt the other day who hyper-extended and possibly broke his thumb because it got caught in a gi. These things happen.

So...I guess if there's a moral, I guess it's just that I really really like jiu-jitsu. :) The last time I went to see my Orthopedic Surgeon (or "Bill" I call him, as we are on a first-name basis now) said "Do you compete in this? I mean, do you make money doing this or something?" I had to laugh. I had to admit that yeah, to him, the amount of shit I am willing to go through to keep going back to that mat probably seems a little absurd. Anyone who's ever done it could tell you differently; it's totally worth it.