First major crash

[Ashgarth]

wow-that is super scary. I am so glad you are not 'seriously' hurt. Bruises and scratches will heal...

[DrBee]

As for the headache and the need to nap, the thought has probably already struck you that you may have a concussion.

So if Mr. Fish thinks you've slept too long and you still have that headache, or if you get nauseous, or just in general if you're not feeling better by tomorrow, you should maybe go to the ER and get checked out. In fact, you might want to do that anyway just to document the injuries for insurance purposes.

Concussion did cross my mind - part of why I gave in to take a nap. Unfortunately the ER here is a frightening place. I'd have to be near dead to willingly go there and even then I might risk to 2hr drive to Memphis. My daughter got a high fever when she was 5 weeks old so we took her to the ER. They did a spinal tap (not unusual for a baby that age) and the moronic doctor tried to use an adult needle. It was horrifying. To top it off, I probably had bronchitis and was coughing my lungs up and no-one even glanced at me for the 2 days I lived in the hospital with my daughter. That ER is notoriously bad. We have a decent clinic in town that I could go to on Monday if I still feel bad. It stinks to get hurt here on the weekend. Good advice, though

[Jones]

Wow, fish I am so glad you are okay. On the few occasions that I have crashed I always feel worse the day after the crash and the day after that. Expect to be tired and sore for a few days. Road rash hurts like crazy I found these bandages http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...Y-PLST-0-BRAND kinda of create a bubble over the road rash and I could even lean on my elbows while I was wearing them. The thing is you need to put them on before the road rash drys out.
I agree with everyone else about your helmet it needs to be replaced. Is it still under warranty?
I hope you are out riding again soon and am sending speedy healing thoughts your way.
Jones

[Melody]

fishdr, I'm glad to hear that you're ok. Crashing is never ever fun which I got reminded of today (well, ok, it's 4:30 in the morning, so yesterday) since I crashed too.

Sending us both healing vibes. (Can you send yourself healing vibes?!)

Mel

[DrBee]

Melody - thanks for the commiseration. I hope you're feeling well today! I know I'm sore and can now identify all of the points of contact with the pavement, based on the bruises. Apparently I rolled after I hit the ground.

Jones - it had already pretty much dried up by the time I read your post. I'll look into those bandages for the inevitable next time.

[mtbdarby]

fishdr, glad to hear you're ok. I would skip the peroxide on the rash though. Wash it out good with soap and water - if you have gravel in there you will have to scrub. Keep the area covered with bacitracin and let it breath like someone suggested unless you're in a dirty area (I work in a shop with saw dust floating around) or if it's more comfortable to sleep with it covered.

I used peroxide on my rr last year and have a scar. I've been using bacitracin on my current rash and it's healing so nicely I can't believe it. Of course, I'd rather not have rash at all, but hey, it's me!

Speedy recover wishes your way.

[fixedgeargirl]

Wow, fishdr, glad to hear you're okay and the bike is getting some TLC and the responsible party is being responsible! Congrats on making that snap decision to bail!

The new wisdom, form recent recent research, is that peroxide is not recommended because it destroys healthy new tissue at the same time it's destroying bacteria. It doesn't discriminate . Soap and water are recommended.

Happy trails!

[wavedancer]

So sorry about that crash, but glad you are mostly doing OK. I imagine today you are probably feeling sorer and stiffer, so continue to take gentle care of yourself.

Ditto on the new helmet, Bacitracin for the rash, no peroxide.

Do they have "Bad Truck" socks?

Speedy recovery,
Linda

[Lise]

Hey, fishie,

I just wanted to throw in my handful of healing wishes, too, as does Ariel, the furry grey cat sitting on my right hand at the moment. Hard to type, but it feels good that I was missed by my beasties!

I agree with all of the above--I still find it hard not to reach for the H2O2, but I'm trying to heed the current advice.

How frightening to ride next to an 8-10" drop off. It is amazing how the mind protects us with it's own internal "delete" button, right?

Rest up. From Harry Potter, we learned that chocolate is very good for recovery from a Dementor attack, and I think this most certainly qualifies as that.

love, Lise

[DrBee]

Thanks everyone!

I just got back from a very long day at the LBS. The bill came to $510! They replaced the left shifter, bartape, pedals, trued up the wheels and realigned the derailer. The price also includes a midrange helmet. I just called the woman to tell her the damage. She sounded less than thrilled but will have the check for me in the morning. I hate confrontation. I am ready to get this overwith.

While I was there, I decided to go clipless! This was, of course, at my expense. I went with SPD and Pearl Izumi shoes. Wish me luck in the morning!

[maillotpois]

Good luck on the clipless. It is a great move. Maybe some practice in a parking lot or on a lawn is recommended at first?

[DrBee]

I practiced a bunch at the shop. I'm going to do a short ride tomorrow when there's no traffic and see how I do. It will be quite an adventure.

[Lise]

I just called the woman to tell her the damage. She sounded less than thrilled but will have the check for me in the morning. I hate confrontation. I am ready to get this over with.

Quoting from your first post:
I see a truck heading towards me on my side of the road. I mean - like - leaving me maybe 1ft of road on my side. I had nowhere to go! So - I tried to go as far over as I could and slipped off the edge (which was an 8-10inch drop) (emphasis mine)

Driver of truck on wrong side of road = same woman who is "less than thrilled"?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Call the police, press charges, oh, heck, just give me her address.

She's really lucky she's not looking at your husband and daughter and pleading for their forgiveness. She was driving down the wrong side of the road. She could have killed you.

You get every penny. You picture a really pissed off dachshund ready to bite the heck out of her ankles if she gives you any lip, OK? That's me.

(((((fishdr))))) Chin up. Good for you on the clipless. I think you'll love them. L.

[Duck on Wheels]

Good grief! The woman owes you more than bike repairs! Has she seen the pictures mr. fish took of your cuts and bruises? Have you shown those to a lawyer? Have you talked to the police? Have you contacted your insurance company? If only for the sake of others on the road, the woman needs to learn a lesson that will stick with her longer than one weekend, when her self-rinsing conscience has already left her "less than thrilled" to hear that a measly $500 and pennies is what it cost to repair the material damage she caused to your bike.

[Lise]

Yeah! What the Duck said!