Bike Accident :-(

[Pax]

+1

But I still know every note of the songs I listened to in the 1970s...

Ditto. I amazes my wife that I am so out of synch with the construct of time; I have a built in GPS and can tell you which way is north no matter where I am, but time/date is hard. For example, in my head right now, it's an afternoon in October, it's been October for a long time now, ifI follow my usual pattern it will be July soon and for the next few months. I love my head!

[azfiddle]

Oh, Emily, so sorry to read this. I hope everything heals well. I think it impossible for humans to pay attention to everything and we just can't prevent everything- even when we know in hindsight we could have done something. Don't get into a constant re-run of the accident because it's happened and now you just have to go forward.

My two small bike crashes were caused by inattentiveness / judgement. The hematoma on my thigh took a full 6 months to disappear- at one point it was the size of half an orange! So it may take time and we don't heal as fast as kids.


Good for all concerned that the girl is okay.

Hugs- Sharon

[IBrakeforPastry]

Emily, please don't jump the gun with an oral surgeon. Once the swelling and inflammation go down, you may just need some physical therapy (are you taking lots of anti-inflammatories?). So much joint pain is the result of muscle imbalance and the jaw is so complex with two sides trying to work together to move in multiple directions. A very simple alignment exercise is to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the front teeth. Slowly open your mouth about 75% of the way to feel a gentle stretch and hold for about 10 seconds. Keep your tongue there while you slowly close your mouth. Repeat a bunch of times. I do this every morning, and other times during the day (in the car, at the computer). You can google TMJ exercises.

I had PT for my jaw. The therapist massaged the muscles inside and out (she wore gloves) and did some manual manipulation. I had TMJ surgery several months earlier and had a hard recovery, probably because I didn't have the PT right away. The PT was very beneficial, the surgery not so much.

I really hope that with time, things will take care of themselves.

[Pax]

How are you feeling today, Emily? Hope each day is a bit better, it's hard to be patient these days since it seems like we don't bounce back like we did in our 20's, but you'll get there!

[north woods gal]

Yes, thinking about you, Emily. Hang in there.

[cosc]

Emily, so sorry about the accident. I hope your feeling better. Hopefully, the parents will keep a closer eye on their toddler. Love reading about your biking adventures so take time needed to heal and think about all the wonderful times you've experienced on two wheels.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. I've written a blog post that is a little more detailed than what I posted here about my accident, if anyone is interested: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...-bike-accident

Thanks especially for your recommendations, IBrakeForPastry. When I see my PCP, I'll certainly discuss PT and see what she thinks re. a more conservative approach. The only reason I mentioned an oral surgeon is because a friend who is a dentist highly recommended I consult with one in case the jaw does not come back in line. Right now, though my swelling has gone down some, I have a bad cross bite and most of my teeth are not touching. I cannot jut my lower jaw out past my upper teeth, so it kind of seems that my lower jaw got shoved way back and probably to one side as well. Gentle physical manipulation may be all it takes to bring it back, but possibly not. I am prepared for whatever. I just want to be able to eat, smile, and talk the way I used to and hope that in time, that will be possible.

Every day I feel better, but I still have a lot of numbness, bruises, and some swelling, though it's come down a lot. I think I've made huge progress in six days, though!

[shootingstar]

Emily, please don't jump the gun with an oral surgeon. Once the swelling and inflammation go down, you may just need some physical therapy (are you taking lots of anti-inflammatories?). So much joint pain is the result of muscle imbalance and the jaw is so complex with two sides trying to work together to move in multiple directions. A very simple alignment exercise is to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the front teeth. Slowly open your mouth about 75% of the way to feel a gentle stretch and hold for about 10 seconds. Keep your tongue there while you slowly close your mouth. Repeat a bunch of times. I do this every morning, and other times during the day (in the car, at the computer). You can google TMJ exercises.

I had PT for my jaw. The therapist massaged the muscles inside and out (she wore gloves) and did some manual manipulation. I had TMJ surgery several months earlier and had a hard recovery, probably because I didn't have the PT right away. The PT was very beneficial, the surgery not so much.

I really hope that with time, things will take care of themselves.

Interesting...IBrake.

I feel for you Emily.
My rehab (totally different injury) took 6 months. lst few weeks, I could not walk much..I got dizzy. I had learn to balance and walk fast again,...before getting back on bike. Take your time to recover and try to sleep normal sleep cycles. It's important for the sleep pattern is re-established. I'm back normal about 80% there, sleep-wise. I'm saying this now, because the older we get, the harder it is to re-establish normal sleep length after major incident. I had to see a sleep doctor (he specializes in sleep disorders) about this.

[Crankin]

Hope your jaw is decreasing in size, Emily!
I only asked about the oral surgeon as I wasn't sure who would treat this kind of injury. But, I too, have been to PT for my jaw. Not the result of an accident, just jaw,TMJ, neck pain that the regular PT (not the one I have now) couldn't resolve. He sent me to a colleague in a different town, who gave me exercises that resolved the issue in about 3 weeks. I did most of the exercises in the car, on the way to work, and throughout the day.
The funniest thing was, when I was seeing her, it was one of those open, big PT rooms, where everyone does their work in the same place. In walked a guy a I went to elementary school with! He was mortified, but, I thought it was funny. We were in Harvard, MA, about 40 miles west of where I grew up.

[emily_in_nc]

Interesting...IBrake.

I feel for you Emily.
My rehab (totally different injury) took 6 months. lst few weeks, I could not walk much..I got dizzy. I had learn to balance and walk fast again,...before getting back on bike. Take your time to recover and try to sleep normal sleep cycles. It's important for the sleep pattern is re-established. I'm back normal about 80% there, sleep-wise. I'm saying this now, because the older we get, the harder it is to re-establish normal sleep length after major incident. I had to see a sleep doctor (he specializes in sleep disorders) about this.

I'm sleeping pretty well, so far. I haven't been a great sleeper since peri-menopause, though. I wake up a lot and sometimes have long periods of wakefulness in the wee hours. But I'm going to bed the same time I used to and waking up the same time. I know how important sleep is to recovery; it's when our bodies do lots and lots of work we don't even realize!

I get more tired than normal during the day, but since we've been at my mom's, I haven't gotten to nap any. Naps would be good, but I'm doing pretty well just one week out. My swelling has come down a lot, and now my neck is a lovely combination of greenish yellow and red, as the blood does it's gravity thing. Doesn't hurt, but looks a bit horrifying. Normally I wouldn't go out in public at all, but since I'm in my mother's city, we've been to a couple stores. No one else seems as horrified by the way I look as I do!