On Friday November 28th., Len Mayes, a biking friend and I did a ride too check out a variation/addition of a standard ride. The day was sunny, dry and cool. There was a little bit of wind, some of it headwinds, some of it tailwinds and most of it sidewinds.The first half of the ride went smoothly and we stopped at 35 miles at a local gas station for a break and some nutrition and then started back.
Tha tmuch I remember. I even remember the next 10 miles back up highway 1489 returning the route we had come south on. I remember riding up the highway shoulder , thinking that my legs felt good and that the shoulder was remarkably clean. That's the last thing I remember until I came too noticing that there was blood on the glove underneath my forehead and hearing my friend Len tell someone that I had been unconscious for at least five minutes.
Flashes of the EMT personnel, the ambulance, the ER room, Len telling me that she would stay with my bike until my husband, whom she had called, came by to pick up my bike and then would come by the hospital to check on me.
On and off during the ER room, CT scan, chest x rays and novocaine to the forehead my cell phone kept ringing. I finally got someone to give it to me and it turned out to be my husband who was driving up and down 1489 trying to find Len, or me or anybody who knew what was going on. It turned out that Lens' husband had come by and picked her, her bike and my bike up and taken off to the hospital in Richmond after the ambulance. I got her number to him and they somehow made connection which was a good thing since they had taken my cell phone from me during the ct scan. Both he and Len arrived as I was getting my forehead stitched up and various patches of road rash and trash cleaned up. My bike was transferred to Phil's car and after 33 stitches in three layers (skull covering, lower muscle and skin) and cleaning and bandaging I was given two hospital gowns to wear instead of bike shorts which had been removed without being cut off (thank goodness) and jersey. All the bits and pieces including stuff out my pockets, my broken dark glasses, cracked helmet , bloody and dirty bike clothes etc were gathered into a plastic bag and I was released with a handfull of prescriptions for anitbiotics, pain killers and muscle relaxants and orders to stay awake the rest of the afternoon and to check in with my regular doctor in five days to get the stitches out. Phil was given mmore complete instructions including notes about unconsciousness, failure to rouse and vomiting which wnet in one ear and out to other for me since I knew he would be taking good care of me over the weekend.
When we got home and Phil had filled my prescription he took pictures. Hence the photos.
Aside from the cracked and mushy helmet, and a pair of presecription riding glasses,nothing is broken. I have a gash in my forehead, bruising and road rash down my right shoulder, upper and lower arm, hip and knee , a distinctly handlebar shaped bruise across my upper thigh , a left glove whichfor some reason is missing the index finger and the velcro fastening, I am up and around again.
The stitches came out Friday, a week after the fall, and I am down to three butterfly strips on my forehead. The two black eyes and the purple cheek bone are almost cleared up, the road rash is scabbed over and healing and the bruising is phasing from black and blue to purple and yellow green.
New aero bar pads have been ordered for the bike, the back wheel has been trued, the brake lever and gear lever repaired, the frame check edand the handle bar rewrapped so I can pick it up tomorrow. Now if only the post snow rain fall would stop I would be good to ride. Maybe thursday, if Len is free and willing to hang with me.
after the fall but before the second black eye.developed. Color coordinated stitches which may leave an interesting "duelling" scar.
No comments:
Post a Comment