I fell down, I'm broke, but should be fine (with time)
Normal Tue/Thu roadie ride last night. First time I put my 404 front/808 rear on my road bike, first time I went with the "A" group after nursing some of my best bike form/fitness of my cycling 'career'.
Going down a slight decline I've been down hundreds of times now, the guy two bikes ahead of me hits an errany "city titty",and goes down hard, sprawling across the pavement. The tandem behind him (no idea why a guy with a tandem and a 10year old kid was riding in our group), rides right over the top of the fallen rider - and stayed upright the whole time. Impressive.
I brake and swerve enough to avoid the fallen rider, but end up bouncing my front wheel off the tandem's rear wheel, and really wheel-check the tandem HARD at 28+mph (we usually hit 34+ on this stretch). I get launched over the front, onto the pavement, and do some sort of whirly bird move where my cleat (my shoes stayed on) end up tagging the rider behind me in the shin (he stays up). then I roll a few times into a curb, over it and into the muddy grass (it rained all day Tue, but the roads were dry).
I finally slide to a stop about 10 feet from yhe curb I just launched over. Riders run over to see to me, and first thing I ask for them to do is get me out of the mud. They help me rise and I walk to the curb, where I sit. I do a quick body check, and the road rash is the most painful injury. As the ride leader, George (a doctor), checks me out, he notices I'm cradling my right arm. He pulls my jersey back from my shoulder and sees a lovely bump. I run my fingers across it gingerly, and see that my collar bone is completely displaced/separated from the other end. NICE!
We chat about what to do, but I am, of course, more worried about my bike. My front 404 is almost completely sheared of its spokes.I ask one of the guys to check the rear 808 "because it costs more than the 404". Just like you'd imagine, I'm more worried about the bike! HAHA
Another guy calls his wife (she seems to be the group's SAG, when needed). The guys load me into the SUV, and away we go to a local "doc in the box" to get xrays and hopefully some meds. Turns out this place won't even look at me unless I have my actual insurance card WITH me. Seriously? What a jacked-up policy! Obviously, I don't carry it with me. So we leave. She drives me back to my car and puts my bike in my 4runner.
I drive home as I mobilize my friends and our, unfortunately, clumsy and (now) titanium-laden friends, to get info and next steps.
Get a call into my ortho's office on-call pager. I get a tylenol w/ codeine scrip, and end up sleeping a whole three hours partially-uptight on my couch.
I've got an appt shortly to gey xrays and confirm the diagnosis and discuss options/plans.
#1 lesson: Scan your insurance card, email it to yourself. With the advent of smartphones and online email, it's easily acessible that way. I've already previously done this with my DL and passport, and I'll do my insurance card now too.
Off to the doc now. I'll update y'all when I can!
Comments
Here's some pretty pics of my shoulder...BUTTERFLIED!
Surgery isn't needed, but is available. I have a surgical consultant on Tuesday. So now it's all about comfort, which means meds!!
Just trying to help you out. Hope it is not too bossy
Carrie
And besides, as I'm sure someone like Chris Malone will mention...chicks dig scars!!
VERY good tip on the insurance card - being the accident prone Withrow, I'd better get on that pronto.
You also got this song stuck in my head. Consider it your new theme song. You're welcome. ;-)
Scott,
Sorry to hear about the crash and you recover quickly.
Gordon
Sorry to hear about the crash. Sounds like your spirits and your head are in the right place. Get the surgery, recover fast and get back at it man. Bst of luck.
Ouch. So sorry you got involved in that mess. Hoping you heal soon and get back on the horse when you can!
My only advice is to find a good surgeon and get the surgery done ASAP.
Good luck!
My only advice is to find a good surgeon and get the surgery done ASAP.
Good luck!
Scott,
I know how resilient you are, nevertheless it pained me to hear of your fall and injury. As you know, I am local, please let me know if I can do anything - including beer therapy if needed........
Get well soon!
SS
Hi Scott,
Sorry to hear the bad news. Unfortunately, I know how you feel. I broke my collar bone last May in Lake Placid. I spent a LOT of time reading peoples stories online, and a lot of people have poor results just waiting for it to heal. Some end up having the surgery months later after it never heals. I decided to push for the surgery, and the surgeon that I went to agreed. I felt better immediately. Amazing how much better it feels once the bones are stabilized.
I was running within a month, and also did the Pumpkinman half last September. I haven't had the plate removed, and most days don't even think about it. However today, I rode the Lake Placid loop twice, and it certainly brought back some bad memories.
After two crashes last year, I've become much more conservative, and I do my best to stay far enough behind other riders that they can't hurt me if/when they go down.
Since you started the show and tell, here is my before and after pics.
Good luck,
Greg
As to scanning your card, I highly recommend scanning your entire wallet and other key documents to Evernote. It's then accessible from anywhere and device. Your phone always dies while you sit in the waiting room
Sorry about your crash, but...
Welcome to the Collarbone Club!
Sooner or later, most cyclists eventually become (unwilling) members
Me: came unclipped at ~34mph in a full sprint, had a broken cleat with a new set to replace it in my bag but was too lazy to swap it out...
Yeah, this is totally one of my irrational (?) fears
Rich -- I am changing out my cleats as soon as I get home.
So what is the word on the surgery?
I'm heading in Thursday a.m., to have ORIF (open reduction internal fixation) with Sonoma pinning. It's an outpatient procedure, so I'll be home and completely drooling from meds by early afternoon.
I decided to go with a different doc (highly recommended from several other members of my local tri team who've had the procedure) after my primary ortho seemed to push me away from surgical options.
Personally, I didn't want the bone to be almost sticking out of my shoulder indefinitely (what I was beginning to call "Lumpy", my Quasimodo bump), and was worried about structural integrity, muscle imbalance and regaining full range of movement.
All I know is, that I want to be on the other side of the recovery curve...ASAP!
Three weeks til a stationary bike, and hopefully about six weeks until running again!! I'm completely fine with holding off my swimming!! haha
Thanks all for the kind words and encouragement! I'll update this post and FB when I can!