August 1st I had my first official bike crash complete with road rash and bruised ribs. I had been out on the campaign trail in a neighborhood with asphalt roads and in one particular cul de sac the road had deteriorated to the point where there was a lot of loose gravel on top of the asphalt. Loose gravel on a paved road is like water on top of ice. Very slippery. In a flash my bike skidded out from under me on a turn and I went down with a thud, belly first and ended up with a great deal of road rash on my hands, elbows, knees and had the wind knocked out of me. Luckily I did not actually hit my face on the ground or knock out a tooth. X-rays later showed no broken bones, they just hurt like they've been broken. I left a lot of skin behind on that road.
Like all accidents it happened so fast, one minute I was up and the next I was hurtling toward the ground belly first. I laid there dazed and out of wind for a minute or two and finally got into a sitting position and stayed there for a while. I reached for my cell phone and called a friend who came to my rescue.
I've not been on my bike since the accident and really have not had much desire, not so much because I'm afraid, but because I still hurt too much in the ribs that I could not imagine riding right now. I hope to be able to get back on in the coming weeks because I'd like to build up my strength ahead of a knee surgery that I am planning on. I have not scheduled it yet but expect to do so today.
As an anti-climatic footnote to this post I was not successful in the primary election and my term of office will expire on November 20th of 2012. Winning is more fun, however I am at peace with the outcome and look forward to a new chapter in my life.
Glad that you are ok Deb. Oh boy, now you can say you got that out of the way. From your latest post it looks like you are healing well and you are back on the bike. Stay strong.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue. I am healing up well from that with just an occasional twinge from my ribs. Yup, super glad that's outta the way and I don't intend to repeat!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine your physical pain, Deb. It’s a good thing you didn’t decide leaving biking for good. The injuries and all the medical expenses are of no equal to the feeling of freedom and liberty that biking gives you, am I right? :) Would you like it better if bikes have their own trails?
ReplyDeletePenelope Worrall
I'd never want to give up biking on my own and I would find it more than terribly sad if I were forced to because of physical limitations. The feeling of freedom with the wind in your face reminds me a bit of waterskiing which I DID have to give up due to physical limitations and that made me very very sad for a long time. Thankfully I'm still able to ride even with my knee problems.
DeleteWell, incidents like that are unavoidable. Even though we don’t want to, unfortunately, accidents really do happen. You are very lucky, indeed. Although it’s sad to hear what happened to your bike, it’s still great that you are safe and you didn’t suffer any serious injuries. Your safety is much more important. And I’m glad that you’ve been able to ride your bike again. So, how’s your knee?
ReplyDeleteCindie Guevara
Hi Cindie, I've just now seen your post and thank you for your comments. Much changed since this post and my knee was scheduled for surgery and replacement and instead I got a different surprise surgery. Thanks for your comments and concern.
ReplyDelete