Endo Ended In ER

[ronin]

Hanging in. Thanks for asking. A little better each day maybe. Hard to say for sure. It'll be a week tomorrow, so that's something I guess.

 

[haha]

Are the broken ribs the most painful part?

Ha


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[Ally]

Sounds bad! I hope you have speedy recovery!
I'm glad it wasn't worse.


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[ronin]

Are the broken ribs the most painful part?

That's an interesting question. The shoulder pain is constant and I would say as painful as the ribs most of the time. But the ribs, while also constantly painful, get moments of much more intense shooting pain at times like when I try to breath deeply or cough or am getting up or down. I am only using low doses of Tylenol to blunt it. The intensity and quality of pain is definitely something that I listen to within my body. There must be a lot of pain receptors near the spine or maybe the fractures are more severe or numerous back there. It hurts a lot there. Trying to sleep is challenging. I don't have a lot of sensation of damage within my lung although I know it was severely bruised and torn at least a little. My breathing is too shallow still but it seems more related to the ribs. I have to focus on moving air. The fear of pneumonia helps.

 

[H2ODude]

Had my second mtb crash a month ago, first was collarbone. This time I was carried away with the features of the new Trek Fuel EX and simply skidded out on downhill. Pretty sure I bruised or fractured a rib, also pulled a muscle in back. I forewent the doctor as assumed wasn't much could do for me anyway. Ibuprofen is on my daily diet now. Has caused me to rethink my approach. Glad you are healing and things no worse, they certainly can be.

As to the pneumothorax: DS had one in Tanzania where he works, he's a long distance runner and it just....happened. Tried to reinflate in TZ, medivaced to SA where he was treated by of all people the guy who was Mandela's personal physician. Great care, then the special overseas med insurance company his firm uses really took over. Insisted he be medivaced to US, business class with physician accompanying him (complete with needle to poke hole in chest if he had in flight PTX). OK. SA Dr. told him he'd be fine but repeat pneumothorax are NOT the exception. OK. Told to keep flying to minimum for a few months. Fast forward to Dr. in Chicago.

Dr in Chicago says from now on he should never be more than 30 minutes from a good hospital, should likely never fly. WTF? He calls us freaked out, international work is his thing. Finally gets in touch with SA Dr. who says..."Hey, you work in Africa so you take some risk. It's not a big deal. You're talking to lawsuit and risk averse American Dr who is covering her ass. Just be aware of the issue and have a plan." Bear in mind this is a great MD in SA who was entrusted to care for Mandela.

DS has returned to Africa, flies, and no problems so far almost a year later. He knows what to expect and generally has a plan but not always, work sometimes takes him out to the bush.

I posted all this to just point out there are wide ranges of risk aversion in the world. My guess is that if you mtn bike on hills steep enough for that crash, the risk of pneumothorax isn't a big deal. As it was, DS survived fine on one lung for a week before they got it back inflated. X Ray was impressive, deflated lung couldn't have been as big as his fist.

Assuming you cleared by Dr and feel Ok I hope you enjoy your trip to MP! Good luck!

 

[ronin]

Had my second mtb crash a month ago, first was collarbone. This time I was carried away with the features of the new Trek Fuel EX and simply skidded out on downhill. Pretty sure I bruised or fractured a rib, also pulled a muscle in back. I forewent the doctor as assumed wasn't much could do for me anyway. Ibuprofen is on my daily diet now. Has caused me to rethink my approach.

Sorry for your experience. That is a sweet machine. There's you and me and then there's this fellow.

Danny Macaskill-Isle of Skye

 

[haha]

That's an interesting question. The shoulder pain is constant and I would say as painful as the ribs most of the time. But the ribs, while also constantly painful, get moments of much more intense shooting pain at times like when I try to breath deeply or cough or am getting up or down. I am only using low doses of Tylenol to blunt it. The intensity and quality of pain is definitely something that I listen to within my body. There must be a lot of pain receptors near the spine or maybe the fractures are more severe or numerous back there. It hurts a lot there. Trying to sleep is challenging. I don't have a lot of sensation of damage within my lung although I know it was severely bruised and torn at least a little. My breathing is too shallow still but it seems more related to the ribs. I have to focus on moving air. The fear of pneumonia helps.

You have a good attitude. I am sorry for your pain, but you will recover well.

I hear what you say about broken ribs and getting up. I've had broken ribs a few times, and one of these times I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Oh boy, getting up was a real daunting project. Also lying down was not fun.

Ha

 

[splitwdw]

Sorry for your experience. That is a sweet machine. There's you and me and then there's this fellow.

Danny Macaskill-Isle of Skye

Holy cow, thanks for the link that guy is amazing. I watched most of the "making of" videos besides "The Ridge". The strength, balance, attitude is something. Did you watch the video where he's practicing doing the fence flip?
When I broke my ribs my doctor recommended not over medicating so I would be aware and the pain would stop me from overdoing. I always feel if you hurt or are sick that you feel better mentally if you keep moving. It was a couple of years ago (2011) but you never forget the pain. I bought a power recliner so I could sleep. My dad claimed it as soon as I was done with it and still has. I had a friend that thought they would help me get out of a chair quickly (their idea was do it fast like ripping off a Band-Aid....NOT) but stopped when the gurgling screams started. Happy one week anniversary!

 

[ronin]

Yeah, I saw the "making of" as well as numerous other videos that he has and outtakes from different ones. The beautifully photographed and edited product belies what it takes for him to do this stuff. He probably has had way more broken stuff inside than me.

I've been wrangling all week with the medical supplier used by my insurance to get a prescription hospital bed, getting the serious runaround, finally being told yesterday that it may take up to 60 days to process the claim. So I went on my own to a local place this morning and rented one for a month (the $175/mo is trivial at this point) and the fellow is setting it up as I type. I could have been off the stinking couch all this time if I had only known. I can't lay flat and can't imagine a mattress on the floor like Ha. Hardcore.

 

[splitwdw]

I can't lay flat and can't imagine a mattress on the floor like Ha. Hardcore.

When I read Ha's post I thought the same as you. I can't imagine what it took to get up off the floor. I believe in moving so you feel better but I don't think I could get off the floor. Maybe he had better drugs. Only kidding.

Ha, I can't imagine the pain you went through. For anyone that's never had a broken rib the pain just from breathing, laughing, sneezing is unbelievable.

 

[H2ODude]

Sorry for your experience. That is a sweet machine. There's you and me and then there's this fellow.

Danny Macaskill-Isle of Skye

Dude has to have some serious mountain goats in his ancestry. I had to watch that flip over the barbed wire fence a couple of times! Videos like this are not good...makes me think that if he can do THAT surely I could do THIS? This being something pretty pedestrian but for the fact I'm a brittle 64 yo man!

 

[ronin]

If I could have only front flipped over the rut, I could've avoided the collision with the hillside.

 

[splitwdw]

H2ODude & Ronin, Is that an expensive bike he's riding? I know that it's an "off road" bike but is it made for all the bouncing he's doing? Did you watch the making of "the gap" video. I think he says that the wheels okay but his head is hurting from the bouncing. He's got to be pretty strong carrying that bike up to the peak. I couldn't believe when he took off the safety rope. I don't mind heights but don't know how I'd be on the ridge.

 

[H2ODude]

H2ODude & Ronin, Is that an expensive bike he's riding? I know that it's an "off road" bike but is it made for all the bouncing he's doing? Did you watch the making of "the gap" video. I think he says that the wheels okay but his head is hurting from the bouncing. He's got to be pretty strong carrying that bike up to the peak. I couldn't believe when he took off the safety rope. I don't mind heights but don't know how I'd be on the ridge.

I can't really tell but my guess is that is at least $10k and likely more. Just knowing the frame make (which I can't tell from the video stops I did) is only part of the story; components can run the price way up. I'm always impressed at how well a good mtn bike takes abuse given the bumps and impacts. It definitely has the rear as well as front suspensions, and the rear (soft tail) can add a little or a LOT to the price. Even mountain bikes these days with carbon can be pretty light, but he does seem to heft it around pretty well. As to that ridge and the images, I did a fair amount of puckering just watching the video. Not a heights fan. Like I said, dude's a mountain goat!

 

[Walt34]

... I did a fair amount of puckering just watching the video. Not a heights fan. Like I said, dude's a mountain goat!

Same here, and I'm thinking "Sure hope that's a parachute in his backpack". But probably not.

 

[ronin]

H2ODude & Ronin, Is that an expensive bike he's riding? I know that it's an "off road" bike but is it made for all the bouncing he's doing?

It appears to be a Santa Cruz Bronson, which coincidentally is what I was riding. Mine is green, but the magenta is the other color it comes in. Assuming it is carbon fiber and depending on the component build it comes in somewhere in the $6.5 - 8.5k range. He's changed out the handlebars for something narrower. The stock bars are 760mm, in line with the "new" geometry for all-mountain type bikes: ultra wide bars, short stem, slack head tube angle and shorter chainstays. Stock, the bike comes in at 27.5 lbs and can be easily lifted and carried. It is tubeless and can be ridden at pretty low pressure. He generates a tremendous amount of vertical hope with the tire pressure and the rear suspension, but he can hop several feet in the air easily on just about any rig. There's one video of him hopping on top of a phone booth.

santa cruz bronson

Select the satin black/magenta to see if it is what he is riding, dark green to see mine.