Cauliflower or not cauliflower

Discussion in 'Injuries and Prevention' started by Latikos, May 4, 2016.

  1. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Hey everyone!

    I feel a bit like a dork asking this question, but here it goes:
    TLTR-version: Down below.


    When training for a grading there was an ear-throw included.
    You grab the ears, twist them a bit and the partner flows (not from the twisting, but that part is the important part for my current problem).
    Quite a nice throw actually, even though it hurts the ears when done right ;)
    And boy, did my teacher do it right :D

    So, I felt that the cartilage hurt a bit for weeks now.
    Didn't think much by it, to be honest, because: Man, he twisted the ears, of course it hurts a bit.
    So I didn't pay any attention to it and kept training; everything was fine.

    Now,this Saturday we went to a seminar and "played" a bit and he grabbed my ears again.
    All was fine.
    Until I wanted to scratch my ear on Sunday and my finger wouldn't fit anymore :eek:
    If it weren't for the itch, I wouldn't even have noticed something was wrong, because the pain wasn't that bad and the part that's now swollen doesn't hurt either.

    Fast forward to Monday: I went to training, showed it and asked one of my JJ-teachers and became a dirty grin as an answer: Well, that's gonna be cauliflower, congrats! When was it? Saturday? Well, tough luck and enjoy your ear!" so to speak.
    So: He was certain --> cauliflower.
    He had his own ears drained quite some times in his competition time, so I think he's probably right.

    Same with my Judo-teacher: I asked him if I could come train even if my ear looks like that.
    Hey, cauliflower, nicely done, hardyhar.

    So, yes, schadenfreude as its best ;)
    My other JJ-teacher, who "did it", was too busy laughing :D

    But: Today yet another teacher looked at it and said: It's just a hematoma, it will go away. Cauliflower is only in the upper part of the ear.


    I tend to believe the first two more, because they were both active in competitions and have seen their share of ears, but I got curious.
    Because my swelling is more "middle-ish" and not in the upper part (sorry for the bad wording here).
    It's not horribly bad either; the left side is worse, the right side has only a slight swelling I noticed by accident (I actually had to touch my teachers ear first, to see if it's normal that the ear is a bit soft on that place; well, it's not :eek: :D)

    TLTR-version:
    I added a picture (feel free to ignore the cat), so that I can show where the swelling is, when I say "middle-ish":
    Sorry that the quality isn't better.

    So: Cauliflower or not?
     

    Attached Files:

  2. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Cauliflower
     
  3. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Okay, thanks!

    I think it actually got a little worse yesterday, due to my own gi revers knocking it slightly at times :eek:

    Is it of any use to wrap a bandage around it while training?
    So it won't get any worse?
     
  4. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    Cauliflower ear isn't an acute condition, it's the result of untreated auricular haematoma which is what you have. Go to an emergency department and get it sorted.
     
  5. Dao

    Dao Valued Member

    It will become a cauliflower if not drained ASAP, get to a hospital or clinic that can perform this for you.
     
  6. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    According to my teacher(s) it's too late for it, since it's nearly a week old and therefore is too thickened(?).
     
  7. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    It's the result of hard work and dedication! West that badge with pride!



    But seriously, if you have a chance of salvaging your ears, go for it.
     
  8. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    Congrats!

    You can go get it fixed and drained.
     
  9. liero

    liero Valued Member

    Your location says ... Ruhrarea? In Germany?

    You have free healthcare, why are you asking a bunch of people on the internet and your coach? Go get it checked out.
     
  10. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    Because I actually have to pay quite some money (I don't have) for every single visit to my doctor let alone actually emergency room.

    Plus, today is a holiday, so the doc is closed anyway.
     
  11. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    They can open your ear up and physically remove the clot (not hard) if necessary. If you haven't already developed cauliflower ear then it's not too late to do something. Even if you have cauliflower ear you can have the cartilage shaved down. The swelling is impinging the opening to your middle ear, so you really need to get it sorted out.
    Do you have club insurance?
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2016
  12. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    Personally I'd be pretty peeved at having cauliflower ear from someone demoing a throw.
     
    Monkey_Magic likes this.
  13. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Or throwing me around by my ear in general - that's completely unnecessary.
     
    Monkey_Magic likes this.
  14. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    If you don't have insurance give your teacher all the bills to pay.
    If it was from sparring/rolling/competition that's a whole other story, but it's not.
     
  15. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    It was part of the curriculum, and he only did it as often as was necessary.
    He actually skipped it all now and then.

    I'm not at mad him, because it's something that just happened. Bad luck.

    It's not that he was twisting my ears with the only reason to cause it, it was just a normal throw out of the curriculum.
    Did it hurt a bit? - Yes.
    Did it hurt so much, that it had really concerned me? - Not at all.

    It was his grading for the fifth Dan, so it had not only to look okay, it had to look and be done correctly.

    I wasn't mad at the person who accidentally broke my arm, I'm not mad at him.


    I do have an insurance (a private health insurance), but I have to pay everything up until to 900€ on my own, which is money I just don't have.
    Technically I don't even have the money to pay the monthly costs of the insurance, but I won't be able to leave that insurance and switch to a statutory health insurance for at least another two months.

    So if it's not totally necessary... so to speak.
     
  16. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    So here's a thing. Nearly 2 weeks ago I busted my toe slipping on the stairs. I ice'd it, taped it, hobbled for a couple of days and then it settled down.
    Then like a muppet I went to TKD a week after the accident and when pivoting on a side kick it "went" again (no idea what "went" actually means here...maybe I broke it initially and displaced the break, maybe I dislocated it and pivoting partially dislocated it again...either way it HURT again, swelled up and now looks fat and off-salmon coloured).

    But now I feel a little bit in no-mans-land medically.

    I could have gone to A&E the day I initially busted it but it didn't seem that bad at the time. So now nearly 2 weeks later it's not an accident or an emergency. So I'd feel stupid going there (and know I'd immediately go to the back of the queue and end up sat there for a whole day). I feel I'd be wasting already stretched NHS resources. I can walk and drive and all that (with some discomfort) so I ain't crippled just yet.
    But I think there's more wrong with it than just bruising (maybe ligament or joint damage?).
    If I make a doctor's appointment I'm pretty sure they'll prod it and say go to the hospital and I'll be back at square one.

    So what do I do? It's getting better every day but I'm worried it'll end up being a long standing problem (as my right wrist is due to not getting a broken wrist sorted in the same way...no lesson learnt there sadly).

    Sorry for thread hijack!
     
  17. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Minor injuries unit. It's what they are there for. Try to go to one with an x-ray - check the NHS website.
     
  18. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Well I never. Never even knew such things existed. Cheers.
     
  19. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Fair warning - its filled with the worst attention seekers the country has to offer. You will probably be the most badly injured person there.
     
  20. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    If it's not your big toe and it's not angulated or rotated then just wear good fitting trainers, take regular painkillers and walk around on it, it'll probably be mostly better in a week. If your place lets you wear martial arts shoes get some.
    If it's your big toe or it's deformed then the default place for traumatic injuries causing acute problems is the minor injuries unit which if you live in a major town will likely be part of your hospital's emergency department.
     

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