Zenner Recovering After 'Probably The Worst Thing I've Ever Had To Go Through'
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Zach Zenner lifted his shirt up Friday and showed off the bandage on his side, nearly a week after fracturing four ribs in five places. It was an injury that partially collapsed his lung and required an emergency procedure to put a chest tube in.
"That's where the hole was," he said wryly. All things considered, Zenner was in good spirits Friday when he visited the Lions' facility to get his bandage changed. After taking a hit against the Bears Sunday, Zenner couldn't catch his breath, and just assumed he'd had the wind knocked out of him.
"I just couldn't get a full breath and my chest was spasming and my abs were locked up, trying to keep my body stable," Zenner said. "So not being able to get a full breath was uncomfortable but then I was able to just kind of control it with shallow breaths, and then all the movement I did basically getting to the hospital was very painful."
The rookie running back, who had gradually seen his role in the offense grow as the season has progressed, was taken to the hospital almost immediately Sunday once team doctors did X-rays and knew exactly what had happened.
A chest tube had to be put in to re-inflate his lung – "that was probably the worst thing I've ever had to go through, pain-wise," Zenner said. "It was brutal."
"It happened so quick," he said of the procedure to get the chest tube in. "You get there and they cut you open and you're rolling pretty much."
The situation landed Zenner on the injured reserve list, effectively knocking him out for the season. His stat line will freeze at 17 attempts for 60 yards, but it was clear the offensive coaches were putting more eggs in the rookie's basket, especially with starter Joique Bell dealing with on-again, off-again injuries all year.
While in the hospital, Zenner said several team doctors and trainers visited him, and he received phone calls from head coach Jim Caldwell and general manager Martin Mayhew.
"That's the hardest pill to swallow honestly," Zenner said. "Just finally – I worked so hard to get to that point and then have it all end so suddenly. But at the same time, getting back, getting ready to rock for next year."
"I had a chance to visit with him and he's doing fine, moving around and getting better and better every day," Caldwell said. "So he's coming around. Young guys heal fast."
According to Zenner, he's in a "very minimal" amount of pain now, and hasn't had to take pain medication in "quite a while." His return to activity will depend on his own tolerance, but he said he's looking at a relatively short window of time of being knocked out completely.
"I'll probably be up and running around next week," he said. "It's all I can handle. None of my ribs are displaced."