Another vacation another broken bone

[Tadpole]

Do you have any bone density problems?

 

[LOL!]

Wow, just wow. I'm sorry to read about your bike accident. Can I impose on you and ask about the logistics of all this? Were you with a group or alone? I suppose someone called perhaps 911 on a cell phone? Or did you get back on your bike and ride to a doc-in-a-box or hospital? Did you have your health insurance card with you? Still in North Carolina? How to get transport to home? So many questions!

The reasons I ask all these is that it could have been me. I broke my wrist riding a bike in San Francisco, but just got a splint at the drugstore and kept on for a week doing the vacation thing. When I got back, I had it X-rayed and then treated. After 6 weeks and getting the all-clear, I went to the shore in North Carolina (Outer Banks, too) and rode a bike every day for tens of miles. I usually rode alone every day for a few hours on roads where I would not see any cars or cyclists for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, so if I had a spill, then I would have to rely on my phone for a while.

And years ago while cycling, I hit a bump and the next thing I remember was a motorist asking me "How long have you been lying in the road?" My helmet was all cracked up, but I was not bleeding.

So your accident scares me a little and I'm glad you seem to have gotten quick treatment. I hope you can respond to the questions. Thanks!

And I hope the surgery went well.

 

[Fermion]

Trike

 

[Walt34]

At least the morphine is good.

They're shorting you. Don't settle for less than dilaudid, that's the really good stuff. The nurse told me it's about eight times stronger than morphine.

Seriously, sorry to hear about this happening to you and hope it all heals up well.

 

[donheff]

Finally got a chance to do a followup. I returned home to a busted PC and buried laptop so I used my iPhone for social media for the last week which precluded lengthy responses, Now I have the laptop back on line so I will answer some of your questions and address some learning factors.

A couple of people wondered about glasses, visual acuity: I think I am OK there. I wear monovision contacts which could potentially be an issue. But my accidents have been for unrelated issues - two from carelessness, and the current one by a fluke look around a coming corner causing me to miss seeing a small road obstruction that caught my tire. I have concluded that I need to be a lot more careful - no one can afford annual surgeries, One more and I will consider switching to a recumbent trike (seriously). On the accident aftermath, I was lucky. I was with my wife and an out of state EMT was driving the car behind me and came to my aid. I tried to stand, with assistance from bystanders and could feel that the right hip was totally loose and out of commission. It was immediately clear that I had to go to the hospital. DW called my son who brought our our car to retrieve the bikes and DW. Surprisingly, The OBX hospital was excellent. Small, quiet but staffed with competent, friendly southerners. The orthopedic surgeon was from Georgetown and split his practice between OBX and Northern VA. My post op orthpedic doc says the metal work looks perfectly done.

On the learning front, this has been an interesting experience. There is so much to cover that the hospitals never really get you ready for a home transition. The areas I have noticed lacking include good prepartion to limit constipation from pain meds and cautions about what to do with swelling. In my case my right leg swelled like a sausage the second day at home because I sat for long hours with my leg down thinking it was a better position to be in than prone. MY ER room doc neice called while that was going on and quickly got me straightened out on how to fix that and the OIC - nontheless, 24 hours wasted,

The other factor I think needs more attention is home assistance, self assistance. It would really help to know in advance that a toilet topper with a raised seat and grab handles will be a life saver. Luckily my neighbor had one she wanted to excess so problem solved. A similar useful aid worth recommending is a simple hip and knee kit available from amazon for $30. These include a grabber to pick things up, a sock tool, long shoe horn, and and a couple of other simple devices to make you less reliant on others. That is a big deal psychologically and would be major for someone living alone with home support visits.

I am skinny and in good shape so my transition was easy. I am getting around smartly with a cane (walker for the first few days) and will be in great shape when my kit arrives tomorrow. But, this could be horrible if I was 15 years older or 100 pounds heavier. Getting up from bed unassisted in the hospital is no easy task and could be a show stopper for someone with no upper body strength or multiple injuries. Same with mastering stairs (with assistance) - a requirement for release. I really feel for injured older folks or obese folks. Very easy to end up in rehab for an extended period.

At any rate, we have learned a lot and will be better prepared when DW has a hip tendon repaired later this year. Hopefully a much more minor procedure.

Attached is a photo of the "pin" going during the operation for those who like visuals. I thought a pin was a pin, not a beam.

 

[Ronstar]

Nice beam, Don! Take care of yourself and you'll be back at it in no time.

 

[Lsbcal]

Good update Don. That pin might be an issue in airport security.

Best of luck in recovery and keep posting!

 

[antmary]

A Belated Happy Birthday, Don, and sorry to hear about your injury. And, thank you for sharing your experience, and the good advice.

I'm 70. I've been getting hints that "the party's over," health-wise. We're not in our 30's any more. I can't believe that I tripped over a root while hiking, and fell flat on my front-side...no injuries, though, thank God. The next project is grab bars in the showers. A class in Tai Chi sounds like a good idea too.

 

[Sue J]

The other factor I think needs more attention is home assistance, self assistance. It would really help to know in advance that a toilet topper with a raised seat and grab handles will be a life saver. Luckily my neighbor had one she wanted to excess so problem solved. A similar useful aid worth recommending is a simple hip and knee kit available from amazon for $30. These include a grabber to pick things up, a sock tool, long shoe horn, and and a couple of other simple devices to make you less reliant on others. That is a big deal psychologically and would be major for someone living alone with home support visits.

I am skinny and in good shape so my transition was easy. I am getting around smartly with a cane (walker for the first few days) and will be in great shape when my kit arrives tomorrow. But, this could be horrible if I was 15 years older or 100 pounds heavier. Getting up from bed unassisted in the hospital is no easy task and could be a show stopper for someone with no upper body strength or multiple injuries. Same with mastering stairs (with assistance) - a requirement for release. I really feel for injured older folks or obese folks. Very easy to end up in rehab for an extended period.

At any rate, we have learned a lot and will be better prepared when DW has a hip tendon repaired later this year. Hopefully a much more minor procedure.

Attached is a photo of the "pin" going during the operation for those who like visuals. I thought a pin was a pin, not a beam.

Thanks for the visual.

Before I had a hip replacement 2 years ago, DH and I had to attend a "hip and knee" class for upcoming surgical patients and their person who would be assisting them upon release. The class covered exactly what you mentioned - the tools in the kit and how to use them properly, the importance of the raised toilet seat, techniques to get in and out of bed, walker usage, expectations of recovery, etc. We were given a notebook covering all the topics so that we could reinforce what we learned when we actually needed to use it all. There was even a brief section on how to have sex (after Drs OK) during recovery. One of the best parts of the class was being among others going through it, as many had already had one hip or one knee done and could talk about their experiences.

Did you have occupational therapy during your hospitalization? Mine taught me how to use the tools for dressing and the physical therapist taught us how to get in and out of the car when I went home from the hospital. Wow, thinking back on this reminds me of how intense some of the recovery was.

Good luck in your recovery. I hated the walker and felt such a sense of freedom when I could finally use the cane and drive again.

 

[ivinsfan]

Glad you are on the road to recovery. Have you given some thought to the idea that what you are referring to as carelessness might actually be your body slowing down a little both physically and mentally?

If that's the case then simply trying to be "more careful" might not be possible. That's hard to admit but frequent accidents aren't good either.

 

[Teacher Terry]

At 62 I stopped power walking for exercise and now have a slower pace. I have had 4 serious falls in past 2 years. I agree that you may need to slow down. I have had some tests and an appointment with a neuro doc too just in case. I have not fallen since I have slowed down. My Dh is 57 so likes to walk faster so after we do a walk together he will do a faster one himself.

 

[HFWR]

I can tell there are subtle but noticeable changes in my balance and my reaction time, but I ride pretty slow anyway...

I have caught myself drifting off into la-la land while riding, and I figure that's when I'll eventually crash from hitting a pavement defect or crashing into an obstacle, etc., so I try to not drift too far!

I do ride the same few MPTs, and not on the road with the crazies, so there aren't many surprises.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Thank you for the update and I hope the recovery continues to go well! It is amazing that medicine can fix us up better than ever. The pin in hip image is a show stopper, for sure! You sound like you are following doctor's orders, which must be key to a full recovery.

 

[donheff]

SueJ. That class sounds excellent. I had PT at the hospital to make sure I could get in and out of bed, use the walker, and handle stairs but no OT. Maybe bigger hospitals are better able to cover that. A simple handout describing the challenges and available tools would help patients get a few steps ahead on the learning curve.

 

[donheff]

Ivansfan - I do worry that my accident proneness could be more than carelessness but I plan to keep on a bit longer with care. My previous two crashes were definitely careless user errors, particularly the one last year in France. I plan to slow things down a little, stop even occasional no hands riding, etc.

 

[Avalon]

Don, you mentioned a recumbent above. That might be a good transition from what you're riding now.
It's extremely rare for me to see other cyclists on my rides, but one that I do see occasionally is a fellow on a two wheeled recumbent. I've visited with him several times. He prefers it to the three wheeled version as it's more "bike like' to him, but is more stable than a typical two wheeled bike.

This fellow rides an Sun EZ model like this:
Sun Recumbents ~ Sun EZ-1 Lite recumbent bike from the Bicycle Man
He has his customized with all sorts of lights, mirrors, even turn signals. He has a small 12 volt battery behind the seat.

When he's at a stop, his upper legs are roughly parallel to the top tube with both feet flat on the ground, and still reclined in the seat. Very comfortable according to him. He said he's not sure exactly what it would take to actually fall from his bike.

The first time I talked to him was around two years ago. He was 86 years old at time and rode about 1000 miles per year.

Best of luck with your recovery.

 

[donheff]

Thanks Avelon. I assumed two wheel recumbents were for bad backs and trikes for stability. When and if I get serious about them I will check them out carefully.

 

[4nursebee]

Seating position for 2 or 3 wheel bents are similar.
2 wheel have low speed stability issues. When one falls over onto the hip I imagine they would wish they bought a 3 wheel bent.

Bentrider online forums a good place to read to learn more.