Shhh...this is Silver's hubby...

[Thistle]

silver's hubby, you rock

just get a new bell, Nell

[bambu101]

Get a new stem, Clem

Hang in there Silver, and Mr Silver!

[Tri Girl]

In time, I'm sure her ambition to ride will return. When she feels better and is not in pain her thoughts may drift to riding once again.

Get on your steed, Reid.
Hop on the road, Toad (hey, it could be a name)
Clip on in, Erin,
and let the road lead.

Get out the door, Thor
Jump on your bike, Ike
Burn rubber quick, Nick
and enjoy the fun.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So get out your pump, Gump,
and put in some air, Claire,
Slip on your chamois, Tammy,
and pedal with me...

[silver]

Oh Geez!!!!! Yes, he's sweet but I'm gonna have to change my password!!!

well, I will admit that i'm in tears reading this. yesterday was the frist day that I had seen DH since the day after the accident becuase of work logistics. And I was having a cruddy day. I've found that about every day and a half that I crash big time, both emotionally and physically. Sleep has been elusive the last two nights. I must be getting used to the pain meds since they no longer seem to make me drift off into a welcome foggy sleep like before.

And I was already teary after reading bacarver's email about the bravery that she summoned up when she had her wreck.

It was just a month and a half ago that I watched Sam's life leave his body after being cut down by a car and now two weeks since my own accident while riding a memory ride for him. My old bike has been restored to "ride-able" and the new Oh-so-lovely Madone sits in my kitchen waiting for me to take it for a ride.

I figure that what I'm experiencing is some sort of post traumatic stress response. I had accomplished my cycling goals for the years and had already turned my mind towards running through the winter.

I know that I have already recovered so much since the accident. I remember screaming at the slightest move the first few days. Now I can move about and get by without the narcotics during the days. My lung is healed. My road rashes are all nearly healed. My parents are going home after taking over for two weeks. I can drive. I've even been trying to figure out which exercises I can still do. Like calf raises.....I can do calf raises.

But the emotional part will take so much longer to heal. I had so looked forward to doing the memory ride for Sam, thinking that it would bring so much closure to the experience, then I didn't finish his "Finish His Ride"



I did go out to my workshop was happy to know that I can still work. Slowly and carefully and probably not with as much skill and force as before but knowing that I will at least be able to complete the orders that I have.

I want to ride again. But I don't watn to be fearful. It has been so helpful to read how some of you have made small modifications to your riding that have helped. to read how you have triumphed after serious injuries. you all know.... I need to be on my bike. Well, tomorrow I will try to get on my spin bike and see if I can pedal. I'll go to the gym and see what I can do. and then see where that takes me. And I'll get to meet bacarver!

I've been through injuries before and always went on and found something else to do. That's how I found the bike. I bought my bike with and rode it with a broken foot all last summer. I'd walk to the bike in my air cast, take it off and bike and put it back on. I worked so hard at weight lifting when I broke my left foot that I finally developed 6 pack abs. I know I've done this before, so why does it seem so daunting this time. I think because it hurts a lot more this time. It came closer to mortality, it came on the heels of Sam's death.

Thank you DH and others for the sweet encouragement. I'm listening. I will not give up.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Silver,
remember that crying and embracing your fears, despair, sadness, and frustration is all a good and natural part of healing and getting strong again, both physically and emotionally.

[Bad JuJu]

Well, here's my pathetically late response:
Grab hold of those bars, Lars!

But mostly, because I'm late reading this and read Silver's heart-wrenching response, I just want to send a big ol' hug {{{{{ Silver }}}}} . We're all cheering for you, pal.

[sbctwin]

Remember, always, time is is your friend. There is no need to rush to jump on your bike...maybe, after you heal some more, time on a trainer with your old "bike/friend" will help you to feel more secure on sitting on the bike...no pressure, some videos of the open road to remind you what riding outside was like, but most important, TIME....I, for one, get impatient, and then I have to remind myself that, what I can't accomplish today, I can try tomorrow. And if tomorrow is a week, a month, a few months, a year away, I can still see the possibilities, and well, at my age, I don't think of it as an excuse....I just need the TIME. I only found this site in October and I feel so wonderful just reading all of the frustrations/ celebrations/ hurddles/ accomplishments that my fellow cyclists endure, and I am encouraged that one day, I will also accomplish that which I find impossible at this time. Back in the early 80's, I took a terrible spill...I rode my bike before work every morning. The night before, it rained. I came down off this hill and took a corner too fast and I went down. I was one road rash person and, yes, even in 1982, I was wearing a helmet, it took the brunt that would have surely ended my ear as I know it...It took me awhile to get back on the bike to feel the joy and independence...but I finally got back on it, it just took me TIME.

[SouthernBelle]

After I cracked my ribs, I wasn't afraid of riding itself, but I was afraid of speed. Oddly, I wasn't even going that fast when I crashed, maybe 13-15 mph. I still get nervous when I get up around 30.

I was back on the bike at about 3 1/2-4 weeks (but I didn't have the pneumothorax). Just do what you feel comfortable with, and it will come.

[LBTC]

big hugs to you, Silver!

When I broke my shoulder, it was a pretty straight forward injury - one bone, broken in 2 places, 3 pins in for 4 weeks, then physio, physio, physio and slow recovery. No lung problems, no road rash, as I said, very straight forward.

I think I took a week to recover just from being put under for surgery. But it was months before I tried the bike. Even a gentle decline put too much pressure on the shoulder. I broke it in mid June, I finally rode again in the spring. My first ride on the mountain bike, I was so geared up it was embarassing. Add to the body armor, helmet and glasses...hockey shoulder pads! I was obsessively worried about getting hurt again! DH took me up to a bowl where I'd first learned about riding steeps, and I put on all my gear and went at it very slowly.

It was not fun while it happened, but I thought my recovery time was just right. After all, it was mid december before I had a cortisone shot to regain full mobility in that shoulder.

As a mountain biker, I was really pretty nervous riding, until I had my first crash! Once I'd done that, and I wasn't really hurt, it was truly liberating!

You will get to where you need to be. Perhaps instead of focussing on being patient, focus on something new.

If it weren't for the time I was forced to sit still while I recovered, I would never have discovered the wonder of flowers which has led me to take pictures almost obsessively...and that simple act of taking pictures has carried me through some even tougher times since then.

Do not feel bad about your beautiful new bike. She will wait for you as long as you need her to. And she will treat you with respect and love because you took the time you needed to heal. The last thing she wants you to feel is guilty or obliged. Heal at your own pace. Do what you can when you can. Be joyful in each bit of progress you make. Understand that there are difficult emotions as you go through this and really feel them. Then post them for us so we can share our own stories and encouragement.

You're amazing, silver, and you will find your own way in your own time!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[luv'nAustin]

how about this:

Just jump on your bike, Mike
get a new lid, Sid
you don't need to be shy, Sy
Just get yourself free

Hop in the lane, Jane
You don't need to be tame
just try it and see, Bea
and set yourself free