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My Worst Wreck Ever! It was going to be the last ride of the 2000 season anyway. A warm sunny day in November. I took my Honda, 'cause its the only functional dirt bike I own right now. This riding spot had a little track area, and some woods trails. We took a few laps around the track, and I was having a hell of a time with my right arm pumping up and going numb. I rode 1 lap as hard as I could, trying not to get run over by Jason on his 350. Damn near dropped my bike at the end of the lap thanks to my limp, useless right arm. I went off the course and sat in the weeds sulking for a few minutes. Then I set the stop watch on my bars and lit off into the woods, determined to achieve some sort of redemption by turning a fast lap through the 2 mile or so section. Well, hot headed as I was, I went in way fast, which was no problem on the way in, but then things started to get twisty. The leaves had fallen, and I couldnt really see what condition the trail was really in.(Turns out it was really muddy under the leaves, even though the track section outside was dry) I braked to slow down and the rear wheel broke loose and the bike turned sideways. No problem, except I was heading for a tree. I hit the tree exactly sideways, right in the middle of my bike. The bike was stopped cold by the tree, and I started to do a cartwheel off of the bike. Time kind of slows down for me when Im getting off, and belive it or not I was thinking to myself, "no problem, gonna hit the ground and roll...no problem" but as the rest of my body left the bike, my left foot was trapped between the tree and the bike. It would of been the last part of me to come off anyway, even if it hadnt been trapped, so the idea is all my considerable weight is in flight already when my lower leg refused to follow. So, "POP!" The pain was like a lightning bolt. (celery stalk like) my knee basically bent sideways before my foot let go, and I finished falling. I landed about 15 feet away from the bike, which, ironically, was still upright against the tree, and I might add, still running! I screamed like hell, but no one heard me. I layed there for about 20 minutes, trying to move my leg but it didnt want to move. If I kept it bent just right, the pain was bearable. I knew if I was gone long enough, Jason and Glen would come after me. Then I heard some kind of thumper coming through, and It turned out to be a man and woman on a Quad. I asked them to go out and get my friends, and they returnded later with Glen and Jason. The guy's quad had a nice rack on the back, and they helped me onto the rack, and he pulled my ass out of the woods on the back like a dead deer. Glen and Jason got my bike out of the woods and loaded it into my van for me, and then, I managed to drive home. They followed and unloaded for me.
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Well, later, I called the Nurse's line, and described what had happened. They told me to wait til morning and see how it looked. I was supposed to take my wife out for our anniversary that night anyway. Well, the next morning, my knee was shaped weird, and it really didnt look much like my other knee. Hurt like hell too. So, about 1:00pm or so, I went down to the Hospital, and they took me back after a long wait. After some x-rays and a CAT scan the doctor informed me that I had 2 broken bones, above and below the knee! He put me in an immobilizer and sent me home to follow up with the orthopedist. Well, I went to see the bone doctor, and he was quite impressed after looking at the films. He started talking about jamming a steel rod up into my femur and putting a few screws into my tibia.
However, after examination, he thought, like I did, that there was no way my femur was broken like the CAT scan showed because there really was no pain above the knee. He put me in a full extension cast from my toes to my crotch, and sent me for an MRI. Turns out, the CAT scan had a glitch in it and I only had 1 broken bone. Oh yeah, and all the crap in my knee was torn to hell. I got the cast off 4 weeks later, and Ive been wearing a brace since then. In January I will undergo a procedure to rebuild some of my knee structures. (My ACL, among other things, tore out of my bone as it was fractured where it attached)With about 4 months of therapy following the surgery, I should be as good as...well... we'll see....Update: I had my surgery, and it went well. The bone had healed with a lip on it, and the Dr smoothed it out. I got to watch the whole thing on TV, as they gave me a spinal instead of general anethesia. Turns out there is some damage to the cartilidge on the bottom of my Femur, and I am suposed to go back this winter and get it fixed, but i doubt I will because it requires a 6 week on crutches recovery, and theres no way I am going to voluntarily put myself in that condition. If I dont have it done, I am likely to be sorry in 30 years, but oh well....maye when I have a job where it doesnt matter if Im on crutches for 6 weeks, then Ill have it done....I got to keep some of the films from the surgery, and Ill post them here. UPDATE: Well its spring 2001 now, and I am about 90 percent most of the time. I bought a mountain bike to get some exercise so I can get the knee back in shape. Ill get around to posting some pics of that soon too I guess... |
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