Monday, January 27, 2014
the return to the land of miracles
August 4th of 2011 seems like so very long ago, in fact so long ago that I had to just now stop to remember the actual date I was thinking of. Wow, that was weird! The days and weeks that followed that infamous day in my life's time were filled with many regrets, one of the biggest being that I had so carelessly decided to attempt to jump a curb while riding my bike. The ending result, a left arm smashed to "smithereens and back" that would never end up being the same again.
It's been so long that my left arm, wrist, and hand looked "normal" that I can't even remember what that was. Sometimes I see pictures of my left arm just prior to the accident and it makes me a little sad, even now nearly 3 years later about what happened to me that day. I don't stay sad for long though because I know how much worse I would look without any arm at all. In the least of things, I give thanks.
During my visit to Kansas this past week I went to see the good Dr. Chan over at the Kansas Orthopaedic Center in Wichita. I'd been having some continuing problems over the last few months and I wanted him to take a quick "look see" to determine what might have to be done. After taking a look at my x-ray, the verdict was the same as it was earlier in late 2012 when I complained of the same issues. I need yet one further surgery to excise a little bone spur that has randomly attached itself where it should not be. The continuing numbness and tingling in my left hand and fingers will forever be there with me. There is nothing to do for that and as Dr. Chan so seriously reminded me, "Your injuries were just that severe Peggy."
"old lefty's" photo, taken last Friday
My beautiful "Red Greene" hardware is still in place just where it was put, now nearly 3 years ago. It will stay with me forever and ever.
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While I was there, I looked up my good friend "Kim the taskmaster". He did months and months of physical therapy on my arm. There were a lot of times that I didn't exactly really like his visits but he continued to "crack the whip" over me and made me work even harder. While I was there, I asked him if he could check my strength level in both hands. From late 2012 until now, my right hand remains unchanged at a level of "55". Poor "old lefty" has had to work hard coming from a strength level of only "18" back then to its current level of "37". Still not normal but trying so very hard to catch up! The degree at which I can turn my hand over, palm side up is a little bit better but will never be the same as it was. I had to laugh when Kim was measuring it this time. My right hand is normal at "85" but the left one of course is far from normal. As I was attempting to turn the left one over, Kim looked at me and said in a voice that I have heard a thousand times before...."Is that ALL that you can do?" It was. I can only turn it to a degree of 70 which is just about what I can expect for the rest of my life. One of the first things I heard from each and every medical person who took care of me was the same~I will never have a normal wrist again.
For now I am just waiting to decide what to do. Dr. Chan assured me that this surgery would be nothing compared the four previous ones on "old lefty" and that I would only need to be in a long arm cast for two weeks and then it would be done. I have to decide now whether to let him do this one or to find someone who would be willing to go in there and take care of the problem here in Colorado. One way or the other, a final surgery or not, I will be ok. I can't think of anything that would compare to the exciting 9 months' time of recuperating from this ordeal the first time around.
I wrote a lot in this blog about those days of recovery and last night I sat down and reread some of them. I'm reposting one below, in fact it was the very first one that I wrote about it, shortly after returning home from the hospital the first time. My son Grahame typed it and I dictated to him in my "morphine induced" state of mind. If parts don't make sense, please keep that in mind, ok? :) That was a good drug to have in my system back in those days.
Wherever you may be this day, I hope that you are well. I wish for you that all of your "limbs" be intact and not broken. I pray for safety for you, especially as you travel to and from places this day. So many good folks said prayers of travelling safety for me as I went down the road to Kansas and back to Colorado this past week. May God watch over all of us, no matter who we are, where we live, or the destination we might be going. Have a good day everyone out there~ Be at peace with your lives.
The re-post from that blog entry of August of 2011 is shown below. Little did I know, the recovery time would be about 4 times longer than I had originally thought. When I break an arm, I do it really good :)you just never know
It's been so long that my left arm, wrist, and hand looked "normal" that I can't even remember what that was. Sometimes I see pictures of my left arm just prior to the accident and it makes me a little sad, even now nearly 3 years later about what happened to me that day. I don't stay sad for long though because I know how much worse I would look without any arm at all. In the least of things, I give thanks.
During my visit to Kansas this past week I went to see the good Dr. Chan over at the Kansas Orthopaedic Center in Wichita. I'd been having some continuing problems over the last few months and I wanted him to take a quick "look see" to determine what might have to be done. After taking a look at my x-ray, the verdict was the same as it was earlier in late 2012 when I complained of the same issues. I need yet one further surgery to excise a little bone spur that has randomly attached itself where it should not be. The continuing numbness and tingling in my left hand and fingers will forever be there with me. There is nothing to do for that and as Dr. Chan so seriously reminded me, "Your injuries were just that severe Peggy."
My beautiful "Red Greene" hardware is still in place just where it was put, now nearly 3 years ago. It will stay with me forever and ever.
For now I am just waiting to decide what to do. Dr. Chan assured me that this surgery would be nothing compared the four previous ones on "old lefty" and that I would only need to be in a long arm cast for two weeks and then it would be done. I have to decide now whether to let him do this one or to find someone who would be willing to go in there and take care of the problem here in Colorado. One way or the other, a final surgery or not, I will be ok. I can't think of anything that would compare to the exciting 9 months' time of recuperating from this ordeal the first time around.
I wrote a lot in this blog about those days of recovery and last night I sat down and reread some of them. I'm reposting one below, in fact it was the very first one that I wrote about it, shortly after returning home from the hospital the first time. My son Grahame typed it and I dictated to him in my "morphine induced" state of mind. If parts don't make sense, please keep that in mind, ok? :) That was a good drug to have in my system back in those days.
Wherever you may be this day, I hope that you are well. I wish for you that all of your "limbs" be intact and not broken. I pray for safety for you, especially as you travel to and from places this day. So many good folks said prayers of travelling safety for me as I went down the road to Kansas and back to Colorado this past week. May God watch over all of us, no matter who we are, where we live, or the destination we might be going. Have a good day everyone out there~ Be at peace with your lives.
The re-post from that blog entry of August of 2011 is shown below. Little did I know, the recovery time would be about 4 times longer than I had originally thought. When I break an arm, I do it really good :)you just never know
Grahame here again. Otherwise this post may not make it until next week to be online.
I didn't wake up yesterday on August 4th expecting things to go the way they did. But, life happens and you just have to take whatever comes your way. I'm putting this post online today because I'm feeling really sad and right now things seem kind of hopeless. I bet that by the time I post this online, I'll have a better outlook on life.
My day started off really good yesterday. It was a beautiful morning here in south central Kansas. I knew by the early morning forecast that the temperatures would be in the low 70s by the time I rode so at 6:30 I headed out for my usual 10 mile ride. When I went past the Medical Center "time and temperature," it read 74 degrees. NOW THAT IS A BICYCLIST'S DREAM RIDE.
It was a lot of fun riding to the south on Main Street. I passed a lot of the usual people that I see every morning as I ride. It was interesting to notice that everybody seemed to be in a much better mood yesterday. Must've been those cooler temperatures that helped make people feel "human" again. Whatever it was, it was nice.
About halfway through my ride down Main, I saw my good friend, Mike Fazio, working on putting up banners on Main for the city. I yelled "hello" and kept on riding. Because the north breeze was pushing me I found it easy to keep a steady pace at 12 mph and it felt good.
Halfway through the ride, I decided it was time to come back home because some storm clouds were appearing in the northwest. As much as I miss the moisture, I still don't really want to take a bath in it on a bicycle. I came back on Main, stopping to visit with Mike about maybe riding bikes sometime in the future and then headed home.
For some strange reason, instead of turning on 14th for home, I went on to 17th Street. There is a family on 17th that has been working really hard all summer on making a patio/fenced in garden area by their house. All summer, I kept thinking that it would be good to stop and tell them someday how nice everything was looking. So when I went past their house and saw them there on the porch, I decided that today was the day.
There I was, a total stranger on a bicycle standing there talking to people I'd never met. But after five minutes of conversation, we were strangers no more. They really acted like they appreciated the fact that ANYONE would've noticed what they were doing, especially someone they didn't know. How many times have I blown opportunities, just like THAT one, to let someone know that I appreciated their hard work and effort in doing something?
I headed on home from there at a pretty steady pace. As I rounded the corner at 14th and Elm, I remember seeing by my odometer that I was close to ten miles for the trip. Without even thinking, I started riding faster. No special reason to do so, it just felt good. By the time I made it to my house, my speedometer read about 10 mph and that's when it happened.
As I got to the point where I turn into my driveway, I realized that I was late in making my turn. Rather than go ahead to the next driveway, for some asinine reason I decided to try to jump the curb! To my friends Craig, Dennis and LeRoy, I already know what you're thinking! LOL But I did it anyway.
I knew better, but at age 55, I guess you just have to chalk it up to being an old person. It didn't work out so good and the results were catastrophic for me. The picture below shows the indentation of my handlebars and mirror in the ground. It's a wonder that I wasn't hurt any worse.
Except for popping the mirror off, the bike was in decent shape. No issues with the rim or tires, just the mirror. I didn't fare so well.
During surgery yesterday, the doctor found that my entire radius was shattered. Bones were twisted around and a few even fell out to never be found again somehow. But he did the best he could under some very dire conditions, attached an external fixator on my arm and got everything relocated. For the next 4 weeks I'll have the pins and then another 4 after that with an actual cast. My wrist will never be the same possibly as this was nearly a worst-case scenario, but all-in-all, I got off pretty easily.
I have to admit that I broke two of the cardinal rules for bicycle riding yesterday. I wasn't wearing a helmet and I was going too fast for the conditions. I was a total idiot for not wearing my helmet and I know it. So to anyone reading this who rides a bike, please take my advice and always put your helmet on. I was blessed to not have any head injuries and for that, I give thanks. I will never ride my bike again without a helmet on. And on the issue of going too fast, hopefully I will never feel this need for speed again. It's fun to go fast on a bike, but only when it's safe to do so.
I want to thank everybody for their kind wishes to get better and prayers for recovery. I have more good friends and family than I can even imagine. I'll be spending the next few days reevaluating the remaining items on my bucket list and trying to decide which one to tackle one-armed. I have been blessed even in this accident and I know it. I can at least walk and laugh and do most things normally including writing and driving as I'm right-handed. Things could have been so much worse and I know it. I've been told that I chose the best possible limb for this to happen to, so what else could I ask for?
I didn't wake up yesterday on August 4th expecting things to go the way they did. But, life happens and you just have to take whatever comes your way. I'm putting this post online today because I'm feeling really sad and right now things seem kind of hopeless. I bet that by the time I post this online, I'll have a better outlook on life.
My day started off really good yesterday. It was a beautiful morning here in south central Kansas. I knew by the early morning forecast that the temperatures would be in the low 70s by the time I rode so at 6:30 I headed out for my usual 10 mile ride. When I went past the Medical Center "time and temperature," it read 74 degrees. NOW THAT IS A BICYCLIST'S DREAM RIDE.
It was a lot of fun riding to the south on Main Street. I passed a lot of the usual people that I see every morning as I ride. It was interesting to notice that everybody seemed to be in a much better mood yesterday. Must've been those cooler temperatures that helped make people feel "human" again. Whatever it was, it was nice.
About halfway through my ride down Main, I saw my good friend, Mike Fazio, working on putting up banners on Main for the city. I yelled "hello" and kept on riding. Because the north breeze was pushing me I found it easy to keep a steady pace at 12 mph and it felt good.
Halfway through the ride, I decided it was time to come back home because some storm clouds were appearing in the northwest. As much as I miss the moisture, I still don't really want to take a bath in it on a bicycle. I came back on Main, stopping to visit with Mike about maybe riding bikes sometime in the future and then headed home.
For some strange reason, instead of turning on 14th for home, I went on to 17th Street. There is a family on 17th that has been working really hard all summer on making a patio/fenced in garden area by their house. All summer, I kept thinking that it would be good to stop and tell them someday how nice everything was looking. So when I went past their house and saw them there on the porch, I decided that today was the day.
There I was, a total stranger on a bicycle standing there talking to people I'd never met. But after five minutes of conversation, we were strangers no more. They really acted like they appreciated the fact that ANYONE would've noticed what they were doing, especially someone they didn't know. How many times have I blown opportunities, just like THAT one, to let someone know that I appreciated their hard work and effort in doing something?
I headed on home from there at a pretty steady pace. As I rounded the corner at 14th and Elm, I remember seeing by my odometer that I was close to ten miles for the trip. Without even thinking, I started riding faster. No special reason to do so, it just felt good. By the time I made it to my house, my speedometer read about 10 mph and that's when it happened.
As I got to the point where I turn into my driveway, I realized that I was late in making my turn. Rather than go ahead to the next driveway, for some asinine reason I decided to try to jump the curb! To my friends Craig, Dennis and LeRoy, I already know what you're thinking! LOL But I did it anyway.
I knew better, but at age 55, I guess you just have to chalk it up to being an old person. It didn't work out so good and the results were catastrophic for me. The picture below shows the indentation of my handlebars and mirror in the ground. It's a wonder that I wasn't hurt any worse.
During surgery yesterday, the doctor found that my entire radius was shattered. Bones were twisted around and a few even fell out to never be found again somehow. But he did the best he could under some very dire conditions, attached an external fixator on my arm and got everything relocated. For the next 4 weeks I'll have the pins and then another 4 after that with an actual cast. My wrist will never be the same possibly as this was nearly a worst-case scenario, but all-in-all, I got off pretty easily.
I have to admit that I broke two of the cardinal rules for bicycle riding yesterday. I wasn't wearing a helmet and I was going too fast for the conditions. I was a total idiot for not wearing my helmet and I know it. So to anyone reading this who rides a bike, please take my advice and always put your helmet on. I was blessed to not have any head injuries and for that, I give thanks. I will never ride my bike again without a helmet on. And on the issue of going too fast, hopefully I will never feel this need for speed again. It's fun to go fast on a bike, but only when it's safe to do so.
I want to thank everybody for their kind wishes to get better and prayers for recovery. I have more good friends and family than I can even imagine. I'll be spending the next few days reevaluating the remaining items on my bucket list and trying to decide which one to tackle one-armed. I have been blessed even in this accident and I know it. I can at least walk and laugh and do most things normally including writing and driving as I'm right-handed. Things could have been so much worse and I know it. I've been told that I chose the best possible limb for this to happen to, so what else could I ask for?
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