My trip to the ER on Friday-long story

[crazycanuck]

HI, have decided to try an type with one hand to update you ladies. This will be a long post k..First, thank you to the ladies who wondered how I was!!! You know who you are :)

Friday mornings are normally my 50 k morning ride day. I was a bit tierd but knew by the time i was at waork, i'd be nice and chirpy:) . My speed was alright and knew my ride woudl be ok. Just letting you know I was on a purpose built bike path running along the roe highway and not near any cars. Alng this bike path there are a few corners that are hard to see around and most of us slow down. It was at one of these corners that my accident happened.

I guess Kim(gent I ran into) was comingng down the small hill that goes under the freeway and does a sharpish turn & I was moving quickly towars that sharp turn that leads to a small uphill climb. As I turned, í'm not sure who was doing what, all I know is I swerved to get out of his way but swereved the wrong way?? Anywho, the last thing i remember is crashing into him. It happened so quickly! I don't remember much after that except giving kim my phone to call Ian. Ian got the call & zoomed to get me-i'll post his facebook update-. I couldn't sit up while waiting for him and couldn't remember the month. Kim was really helpful and tried to get me to sit up but i was out if it. When Ian did come, I had a hard time sitting up to get in the car as it hurt so much! He wondered if he should call and ambulance but decided against it and zoomed me to the Armadale hospital. (they know me now :o third time in the last year)

Got to the hospital and had an off duty nurse help me into the ER. I was still quite hazy and not sure if they even asked me many questions but an ER doc came out of the office and saw me. I was sent right in & was assessed. I don't remmeber much except trying to explain where i was hurt. A large amt of x-rays were ordered and sat wondering how to sit as moving forward was :eek:

The X-rays were cool but gee Mr X-Ray Tech, my shoulders hurt when you mentioned where i had to keep them! I had a collar on too which wasn't helping...I was enjoying the ride looking at the ceiling..:o he heeehh..
Xrays came back saying my right knee was ok (i think kim had to pull my feet out of my clips and had to apply some pressure on the right side :o ). Dr told me the following:
Dislocated Left Collar bone (at the end by the sternum).
Badly strained left sholder (in a sling for 4- 6 weeks)
Twisted Right knee
Concussion

Even better, i got to have a CT scan!! Cool machine but FARK it hurt to get on it..yeow..DR wanted to know if the bone had moved inwards or just up. We waited for a while & was told the bone had just moved upwards hence why it's hard to breathe sometimes. I still have dizzy spells when i get up in bed & it's exciting deciding what part to move first.

I was told we could go home but i have to go back on monday to see a dr at one of the clinics & will know how long it'll be before i can bike, swim or run again :o OOPS..Ian knows i'm going to go crazy....:D

So, i've changed my profile on bikejournal to the first aid sign. My goal was 10,000km this year and am at 7490km and hope I can get to at least 8500km by the end of the year...I hope...

No idea if i'm doing the 200km brevet in two weeks, the 12hr and so forth..

If you have any healing suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks again for reading all the way down to here:)

c

[Tuckervill]

Ow! I hope you feel better in time for your brevet in 2 weeks (didn't you say a sling for the next 4-6?)

Glad it wasn't worse.

Karen

[redrhodie]

Ouch! Did you see stars? Sounds like you need a new helmet! So glad you're as okay as you are! Big hugs.

You're too funny worrying about your 10,000km goal. You're one tough chick.

[SouthernBelle]

Oww. Hope you got some good drugs and will rest comfortably o'er the weekend.

[teigyr]

Ow! I hope you feel better in time for your brevet in 2 weeks (didn't you say a sling for the next 4-6?)

Glad it wasn't worse.

Karen

I thought that too. Very tough girl...that needs to relax and heal :D

[snowtulip]

CC, I'm sending you lots of healing vibes so that you can do your brevet and everything else you have planned. Please remember to take it easy though.

Full strength healing vibes headed your way!!!:D

[Tri Girl]

Oh no! :eek: I'm so sorry about your accident, but so glad that you'll heal up OK soon. The fact that you're thinking about the brevet in two weeks amazes me. You're a tough cookie, and if you take it easy, you'll heal up in no time.
Wrecks stink- especially ones that cause a concussion. Yeeeow!

[CR400]

Hope you feel better. I was in the ER this past weekend for an accident as well. I didn't make it over the tree quite how I hoped. Instead of a bunny hop it turned into an endo. I can kind of feel your pain. I thought that I had broke my collar bone or at very least dislocated my shoulder:eek: . But praise God I just ended up with some deep tissue bursing over the shoulder socket and collor bone. I felt the shoulder pop back into joint when I tried to get up the second time after the accident. Good to know you had somebody with you even if it was the person you hit.

[jobob]

:eek: Take care of yourself cc ! There's always another brevet.

[Fredwina]

Ouch!
sounds like your're rando material! I have who's going both of my 200K routes if his bike didn't burn in the fire....:confused:

[crazycanuck]

thanks :) & i shall rest but am finding it hard to lay down..as i have to think about how to get up again ..:rolleyes:

the helmet broke & left a bump/bruise/sore on my left temple. we are buying a new one soon..

the other guy, kim is ok. he cycled on to work but was sent home. I spoke to him last night and was told the next time he sees me, he'll stop & say hi. Lovely man!

i was training for the brevet but can wait for the next 200k i have planned on my summer calendar.

c

[Dianyla]

Sorry to hear about your crash! Hope your healing progresses smoothly. :)

[mimitabby]

I guess i can quit holding my breath now. I'm so sorry you crashed. What a bummer!
please get well soon.

[mtbdarby]

Gee CC - if you were single I'd tease you that was a heck of a way to meet a guy;)

In all seriousness girl, glad to hear you're on the mend. Take good care of you so you're better and stronger in no time. Need some fig newtons to help?!

[LBTC]

CC - things I did when I had a broken humerus and dislocated shoulder, complete with 3 pins...

I set up a bunch of pillows on the couch and coffee table, so I could sleep sitting up. Laying down was extremely painful.

Move the rest of your body as much as you can.

Be aware that frozen shoulder (adhesive encapsulitis) sets in after a very short time of immobilising your shoulder. Talk with the doc and see if you can get clearance for your dh to move your arm for you. You want to, if it's safe to, get as much range of motion in your shoulder as you can without using the muscles. The FS was the hardest part of my recovery. After months of physio I had to have a cortisone shot.

Take the pain meds if they make you more relaxed. If you're gritting your teeth through the pain, you're not relaxed enough for healing to take place.

Eat really well, drink lots of water, sleep often, be easy on yourself.

My four weeks with the pins in meant I could not move my arm more than a few mm. It was my writing hand - I could not drive, could not dress myself, and typing at my computer made me dizzy. Yes, for virtually the entire four weeks. The pain meds worked at first, then made me sick. I ended up taking regular aspirin before bed.

You may find that calcium with magnesium and zinc, especially in liquid form, will help the muscles relax, in a nice and natural way....

I would spend about 4 hours a day doing a very light workout on our home gym. Every body part except my right arm....then wrist curls with a 1 lb weight in my right hand as soon as I could....the rest of the day I'd spend reading, and trying to be on my computer.

Honour your body, CC, if it needs rest or needs to sit upright, or needs sugar or protein or whatever, give it what it wants. You've ridden an amazing distance this year already, and you will ride a lot again. Don't force it too soon. Heal completely.

Hugs and many many healing butterflies,
~T~

[KnottedYet]

Hmmmm, brevet in 2 weeks, but s'posed to be in a sling for 6....

maybe my math skills are off?

I second the movement to avoid adhesive capsulitis. But DON'T go for it until the doc clears you, and DH learns how from a physio. Moving too much, too soon, or in the wrong directions could keep the clavicle from healing into place.

(trust me, you don't want surgery for an internal fixation to stabilize the clavicle.)

I said it in our "home" thread, but I'll say it again: (((((((((CC)))))))))

[surgtech1956]

I second the comment - you don't want surgery on your clavicle - usually the surgery is a plate - not a good surgery.

[light_sabe_r]

YEOUCH!!!! Geez CC that's one hell of a crash! :eek: And you cracked your helmet???? Thank god for helmets eh??

Best thing I can say to you is find a good physio as soon as you can to get that shoulder moving! Talk to your doctor or the Hopspital clinic about it. I'm sure they can reccommend a few good ones (or they'll just refer you to the hospital physio dept... That'll work too!)

Good luck for monday and Get well soon! And while you're recovering I'll happily play scrabulous with you! ^_^

[snapdragen]

Yeeouch! Hope you're feeling better soon cc!

[maillotpois]

OOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

Ditto what the others have said. There'll always be a brevet. Heal yourself!!

[sgtiger]

((((((CC))))))
Please let your body heal before you try to do any brevets. Okay? In the meantime I'll be sending some healing vibes your way for a speedy recovery.

Take care of yourself, girlfriend, or else.... We may just have to go over there to make sure you're taking it easy. What say you, women of TE, how about a trip to Koala land to take care of CC? Hey any excuse to get out of the cold. Hehehe. :rolleyes: ;) :D Oh alright, the plastic couldn't take it, but I've always wanted to go.

[Xrayted]

I just got home... I've been wondering what happened. So, you got up close and personal with a dude out on the bike path, eh? Couldn't just say hello as you were going by, could you? Nooooo.... Had to go and run into him and splat yourself all over the pavement. You really are a Crazy Canuck, ya know? ;)

[lph]

oooooooooooohhhhhh - man, that sounds painful :(

What LBTC said - pain meds and lots of pillows. Healing this IS a brevet. You don't need two at the same time...

Wishing you lots of luck and good healing days!

-Laila

[Duck on Wheels]

What everybody else said. Think of the healing process as extreme sport. Oh, and about pain meds ... take them before the pain insists on it and you'll wind up taking less of them. If it were me, I'd also take a few along in a little pill box to that wedding you'll be attending. For a wedding I'd want to be comfortable, not so worried about people bumping into me, able to stay a while and enjoy the party, and mentally alert enough for conversations ... so just enough pain meds that the pain is a minor presence, a reminder but not an interference.

[Mr. Bloom]

Get well soon! After all, you've got your warm summer ahead (while the many of us fall into bleak wintertime!)

[OakLeaf]

Owie! Feel better soon.

[DebW]

CC, take care, rest, and heal. You've got a concussion along with everything else. And I 3rd the suggestion to aviod adhesive encapsulitis - recovering from that wasn't fun at all, and it took 4 months.

[bmccasland]

Big Hugs {{{{{{{{{ CC }}}}}}}}

I'll send Erin over to cuddle with you. She doesn't weigh very much. Maybe there are some tasty mice to fatten her up?

Hope you feel better soon. But riding the brevet, ARE YOU NUTS?. :eek: Go and watch, but you really need to let your body heal. That shoulder isn't going to take nicely to being bounced around. On the other hand, if you heal fast, and ride, I'll be in awe!

[Pax]

CC, glad to hear you're on the mend AND that it wasn't worse. :eek:

Take care of your body woman!!

[short cut sally]

Cheryl, REST, rest and get better-nurses orders!. Resting is much better than surgery..let it heal to avoid a longer recovery or possible complications from surgery. Wear that sling for 4-6 weeks as directed with no biking in between. HOpe you are feeling better soon..hugs

[SouthernBelle]

Prolly too late for your first night, but I 2nd sleeping in a chair. I slept in one for 2 weeks once. I got quite good at it.

[ehirsch83]

{{{{hugs}}}} I'm so sorry CC!!!!!!!!! If I wasn't across a big ocean I would ask you what I could do to help. Get better and rest!! I know how hard it can be to not be able to do anything, but trust me it is necessary!(I went to the gym to do upper body 2 days after knee surgery and ended up passing out on tile floor when I got home-not worth it!!) Lots of rest, catch up on tv and movie time:-)

[spokewench]

CC: - What a nasty crash! Hope you heal up fast!

[Ninabike]

Gee CC, what a crash!! I had a sternum/rib injury once (not a bike crash) and getting up from bed/moving in bed was the wrost. If you can get something to hold on to with your other hand (back of a chair or something like that next to the bed) it might help. Pillows; semi-reclining should help. Take care and heal!!

[margo49]

I would 4th what LBTC and Lightsabe r said
Also 2nd what DebW said about concussion. It is really not something to take lightly. Take it very very easy for a week or so. It's the only brain you've got.
Thoughts and prayers ...

[Trekhawk]

OH NO!!!:eek:

Sorry to hear about your crash CC. Listen to the great advice here, there will be plenty of other brevets. Rest up and give your body time to heal.

[Wahine]

(((((((((CC)))))))))))

Hope you feel better soon.

+1 what everyone else is saying about being kind to yourself.

I'm going to head off to look up some stuff on sternoclavicular dislocations. These are very different from the more typical acromioclavicular dislocations which is what people usually have when you say "dislocated clavicle".

I'll let you know if I find something interesting.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Ouch!

The best advice I have is to give yourself permission to rest, and allow your body to heal. Time off of the bike is hard, but sometimes it is what your body really needs - and unfortunately this sounds like one of those times.

I'm sending healing wishes to you (along with everyone else).

--- Denise

[sbctwin]

Ouch, CC...please take care of yourself...
CR400, I hope you are feeling ok too...
You both need rest and time to recoup!!!

[onimity]

Ouch!!! That sounds terrible, but I'm glad that Kim turned out to be such a nice guy & that things aren't worse... sending you good wishes & hopes for a quick recovery!

Anne

[Chile Pepper]

Ouch! I understand what the other posters mean about moving your arm as much as possible--but if you can't, you can't. I broke my collarbone in college (snapped it in two right about in the middle) and movement simply was not possible for several weeks. I had no problems with range of motion later. Good luck--collarbone injuries hurt!

[smilingcat]

Dear CC,

Sounds like you've had a very bad accident even though you didn't break any bones. I know the pain in the shoulder. I know the feeling of wanting to out riding after a big accident. And I am very aware of the discomfort in trying to sit up, lie down, breathing. I've been there too.

Please take it really easy for the first week or two and let your body heal a bit. It's one of the most important times when healing up. Then when you get an ok from the doctor, start your shoulder exercise. And its not going to be easy but please follow through religiously.

And that concussion, you might not think its a big deal but not remembering what month is an indication of how serious your concussion was. And not having the strength nor the sense of balance is another indication of ther seriousness of your concussion. Only thing you can do is to take it easy for a while and if you decide to get up and do things, make sure you have someone around you. I've been there too. It's not something to take lightly. And did the doctors kept waking you up like every hour on the hour for a short chat for the first 12 hours after the accident?

-------

Well, I wish we had more men like the one who you collided with. Sounds like he is okay.

Wish you a speedy recovery.
smilingcat

[sundial]

What a nasty crash!! I'm so glad you weren't injured even moreso than you are, not that it wasn't bad enough. :( Your guy was pretty lucky too.

Please take it easy and allow your body to mend. It's working double time trying to heal and I know it's tough, but don't push it trying to do too much before you're ready. I know it's easier said than done.

Do you have a good book to read? A comfy comforter to cozy up with in the chair? Lots of green tea?

Sending you a big hug >>>>>>>CC<<<<<<<!!

[mountainchick]

**Hugs from Japan**

Hoping for a speedy and painless recovery :)

[RoadRaven]

Ah, CC... HUGS!!!

You alluded to this crash in our recent PM-fest :p but I had NO idea it was this bad!

Let us know how the MRI goes, ok girl?

When I light a candle this evening, I'll be holding you close in my thoughts and sending you much healing energy...

[evangundy]

Is the Brevet an organized group one, or just one you were going to do on your own? Though it's best not to ride it, if it is a group organized one, maybe you can volunteer to be at one of the controls for signing the cards? If it was one on your own, that's something you can do at any time. Best to take everyone's advice and let yourself heal.

One of my friends tore her hamstring a week ago, doing power lunges. No bike riding until next spring now. She was planning to ride the 100k Populaire yesterday, ( www.orrandonneurs.org ) but worked the table at the first checkpoint, signing cards. Said that's what she would be doing at the next few rides.

Take care and heal well!
Edna

[sundial]

CC, are you feeling better? I just made us a cup of green tea.

[crazycanuck]

:o

sundial-mmm green tea. I'll share some rooibos tea with honey with you:)

Evangundy-the 200k was with the Perth Audax (randonneurs down our way) group. I would love to help out but I can't drive atm. Also,almost all of the Western Australan Audax rides are unsupported anyways.

I am a tech official at some of the tri's here in WA as well but felt bad when I had to tell the race director a few days after i was hurt that i couldnt help out. :(

I must ask-why would the ER doc give me two weeks off work :confused:

I'm recovering nicely and getting there ya know. I have no idea about how my collarbone/shoulder are but they feel ok. I sill have to sleep on the couch with fluffy pillows to my left so i can sleep. Crap sleep last night though :mad:

My knee-umm..I had an MRI yesterday and find the results out today. Only reason we found out was because we visited my normal doc & he noticed my knee moved in ways knees shouldn't. He then referred me to a specialist.

I could walk very very carefully and sloooowly and couldn;t feel much. It was still swollen when i saw him but the swelling has gone down very slowly and can now notice the annoying pain..grrr..That & my knee gives way-it feels as if it's moving freely-does that make sense? Anyways, am taking it slower when i walk!

I mange light housework :) slowly..I try and help Ian as much as possible. I feel quite bad not being able to do certain things & hate the idea of not having the independence I am used to.

In terms of biking and swimmimg-let me get back to you a bit later on that one..

I am dying to go for a bike ride..

Thanks for all your wishes :)

(((TE ladies n gents)))

c

[zondian]

Just signing on after being away for weeks . . . I am so sorry to hear about your accident and so happy you will mend ( I guess that's one way to put it). My sincere wishes for a speedy recovery so you can reach your cycling goals, and just start moving around. I hope you aren't going too crazy. 3 times in the ER this year??? I think you are made of very durable stuff -Jennifer

[jusdooit]

This kinda sounds like ACL or PCL injury. Hope not. Please take your time and heal!!! The bike will be there when your body is ready. I've been off bike for about four weeks now, but keep battling back the desire. I'd rather heal completely (or mostly) rather than risk prolonging things because of impatience.

BTW I love your sign off quote.