SLOW HEALING

It's been three weeks since my accident and I'm still on the mend. I've never been injured this bad, so I'm not used to being inactive for so long. My wrist is still in a brace, but I have an appointment this week with the wrist specialist, so I hope he'll let me just wrap it and clear me to ride again.

I'm still having neck and back soreness, but I've eliminated the muscle relaxers at night, opting for ibuprofen instead. Mel has been wonderful, giving me neck and back rubs when needed. The most noticeable difference is my stress level. Riding my bike was my stress reliever and my body as well as my psyche miss it.

We are in the middle of our most stressful time of year at work and I need to get back on my bike. I know I could ride a stationary bike, or walk, but it's not the same. Anyone who rides regularly will understand; most others won't.

Mel and I had the pleasure of hosting Mom and David last weekend. They attended a bike rally in Austin on Sunday, so they spent Friday and Saturday with us. It's always great to spend time with them, and last weekend was no exception. It would have been nice to ride the trails with David again; maybe next time.

Mel still has some trepidation about me riding solo and rightly so. I found a locating device called SPOT, which offers a GPS locating service in case of an accident. http://www.findmespot.com/en/

For $99/yr, you get the device plus service. It seems pretty cool and if it alleviates Mel's fears of me riding again, it's a small price to pay. SPOT and a new helmet, and I should be good to go!

Last weekend when David was messing with his velos, I checked out my bike and it wasn't damaged as I thought. Instead of a broken derailleur hangar, the chain was jammed. Once I unjammed it and tweaked the settings a little, it was fine.

Well, another FIESTA has come and gone without us attending one event. When we didn't live here, Fiesta was a major event for us every year. Now that we live here, we hate dealing with the crowds, parking, possible DWIs, and the $7 beers. Instead, we watch the parades from the comfort of our living room, sipping tequila with beer chasers. Then when we're tired, we can stumble to our bed instead of driving home with one eye open to avoid double vision! MUCH safer.

Well, I guess I'll spend the rest of the day washing and watching the NFL draft on ESPN. It was hard to stomach Michael Crabtree going to the 49ers, so I hope Graham Harrell is actually drafted and by a decent team. (By that I mean, one I don't hate, like the niners.)

Until next time, Big Dog out...

ON THE MEND

Although my raccoon eyes would indicate otherwise, I feel pretty good, all things considered. Thank all of you for your prayers, concern, and words of encouragement. I know my family and friends care a great deal about my well being, and I appreciate that.

Reactions to my accident were varied and very interesting. Remarks ranged from "been there, done that" from fellow cyclists, to "I guess you'll give up mountain biking now", to "well, you know, you're not in your twenties any more", to advice on how to properly complete a jump. I have been very tactful in my responses, but had to bite my tongue listening to many because I know they were made out of concern for my well being.

For those who asked if I would give up mountain biking, my response would be "have you ever been in a car accident? Did you quit driving as a result?"

For those who said "you're not in your twenties any more", I would ask "what does age have to do with it?" It would be different if I was trying to do tricks like BMX or extreme bikers, but I wasn't. It would be different if I was racing against men half my age, but I don't.

Bottom line is, I enjoy mountain biking because it is good exercise and a good stress reliever. I don't look for opportunities to injure myself; in fact I am very careful most of the time. Obviously the two times I've been injured seriously, I wasn't as aware of my surroundings as I should have been. But I learn from my mistakes.

In reality, I am more fearful for my life every time I get in my truck to drive to work. With all the road rage, lunatics, drunk drivers, etc. on the road, the odds of me being in an auto accident are very high every time I leave the driveway.

With mountain biking, I am in control of the situation as long as I am aware of my surroundings. If I come to a technical part of the trail, I can always walk my bike or turn around; I do both regularly. I never ride without a helmet, I have a GPS, cell phone, first aid kit, whistle, etc, in my back pack at all times.

The trails I ride are usually within 100 to 200 yards of people's houses and are well traveled by bikers and hikers alike. I am actually very conservative when I ride, taking precautions while doing so. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally spaz out and forget to pay close attention to my surroundings, but with every ride I learn more. Just as I have learned from this latest miscue.

I feel safer riding trails than I would riding road bikes. I would much rather take my chances against rocks and roots, than a 2 ton car or truck. Again, you are not in control of others' actions.

I realize that I could easily get my exercise riding a stationary bike or lifting weights, but what fun is that? I like being outside, seeing new trails, and challenging myself. If you are a gym rat and like doing that stuff, more power to you. I would never ask you to mountain bike instead; different strokes.

I can't say enough about how Mel has handled this whole ordeal. It would have been very easy for her to berate or lecture me, or ask me to give up biking, but she didn't. She voiced her concern, but didn't do so in a condescending manner. She understands how important it is to me and realizes it was an accident. She knows I have learned from it.

Interestingly enough, the ER nurse, ER doctor, my own personal doctor, and my dentist, are all mountain bikers. In fact, when my GP examined me on Monday, he asked me "what would you differently on that trail? What did you learn?" He gets it. No condescending remarks, no judgment.

Again, thank you to all who expressed concern and gave words of encouragement. I know you care and have good intentions; I love you for it. Now if I can just figure out how to milk another week's worth of neck rubs from Mel....

I'D RATHER FIGHT THAN SWITCH!

Remember the old Lucky Strike cigarette ads where you'd see a picture of someone with a black eye, saying "I'd rather fight than switch"? I felt like that today.

Yesterday I mentioned the swelling on my forehead and bridge of my nose; today it turned into a black eye. According to the doctor, the blood from the contusion on my forehead seeped into the area around my eye, causing a horrible looking black eye.

It isn't painful, just bothersome because it almost was almost swollen shut last night. At least I could see better today, but it still looked awful. After lunch I came home to ice down my face and neck and the bruising started creeping to my other eye. What a sight!

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the Orthopedist, to look at my wrist fracture. I hope he doesn't put me in a hard cast; that's a pain in the butt!

I hope your week is going better than mine...Big Dog out!

JOB WELL DONE

After Sunday's accident, I've been EXTREMELY sore and beat up, but I was able to work half days the last two days. My neck and back started hurting quite a bit late this morning, so I came home after lunch.

I ate, then took one of my little yellow muscle relaxers and took a nap. Imagine my surprise when I looked in the mirror and saw "Cat Man" staring back at me. It seems that swelling is a possible side-effect/allergic reaction to my medication, so it looks like I'll have to stick with Ibuprofen from now on, unless I go to a Trekkie convention as a Klingon!

My helmet performed as designed, taking the brunt of my fall. I took it outside to check it out in good light and decided to snap some pics of the damage. Pretty cheap insurance policy wouldn't you say? The outside is flattened and inside it cracked in numerous places. Job well done!

I'M ON THE DL FOR A FEW WEEKS

The diagnosis from the ER read "SPRAINED NECK AND BACK; FRACTURED WRIST". If I hadn't worn my helmet, my injuries would have been much worse.

The ride started as many before; beautiful day, windy but bearable. I went to Salado Creek Greenway since I hadn't ridden there in a month or so. The ride itself was pretty uneventful. I rode to Loop 1604, took a GU break, then started my return to the truck.

My downfall was taking a more technical section of the trail that I was not familiar with. At one point, I took a fork to the left instead of to the right, and within seconds I found myself at a 3 foot ledge drop off with no time to stop.

Instinctively, I tried to lift the front wheel as I went airborne, but the drop was too steep and I wound up flying over the handlebars and landing on my head, compressing my neck and spine. I never lost consciousness, but it did take me several seconds to gain composure and make sure my extremities could move.

My chest felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, as it was painful to breathe too deeply. I checked for cuts and gashes, but found none too severe. The impact had knocked my Camelbak off and scattered some of my stuff in the creek bed bottom. I sat up, gathered my things into my backpack and tried to stand.

I wasn't dizzy, as should be expected with a concussion, so I mounted my bike to try and ride back to the truck. My bike wouldn't move. Upon close inspection, I damaged my rear hanger and the chain was frozen. My only choice was to hike the 2+ miles back to the truck.

I started walking the bike down the trail, trying to think of additional symptoms of concussion: dizziness, nausea, loss of memory, loss of consciousness; none of which I experienced. I remembered that Mel usually went to the grocery store when I ride, so I started thinking about making the dreaded call to tell her I was hurt.

I had already decided that I was going to the Emergency Room to get checked out. Matt had experienced a less severe fall a few years ago while riding with me and he wound up with a mild concussion. I needed to catch Mel before she left for the grocery store, without causing her to panic.

Cell phone in hand, I waited for her to answer.

"Hello"
"Hey, are you at HEB yet?"
"No, I was getting ready to leave. WHY?"
"You might want to wait until I get there so you can take me to the Emergency Room."
"What happened?" (Tension apparent in her voice)
"I fell"
"Where are you?"
"Halfway back, but I have to walk cause the bike is messed up."
"Should I come get you?"
"No, I think I can make it home ok."

A second call later and she convinced me to let her come to the trail head and get me. After loading my bike in the back of her car, we left. After almost 5 hours in the ER and countless x-rays later, we were on our way home.

I made it through the night with the prescribed "happy pills"; I wouldn't have made it without, as the pain is worse than I've had in a while. I'm going to make an appointment with an Orthopedist to give me an opinion on my fractured wrist, as it's in a cast right now. The ER doctor estimated that I will be off my bike for several weeks, so I guess I'm relegated to the stationary bike until then.

Lessons learned: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET; I think my filled Camelbak probably helped absorb some of the impact too; let your loved ones know where you'll be; and slow down if you are on unfamiliar trails.

Until next time - One Armed Big Dog out!