I crashed and fractured my skull two weeks ago today. Man, has it been a long time. Things have been going way worse than I’ve every experienced, so I kind of mixed up the recovery yesterday. We’ll see how that goes. So far, nothing new, which mainly means I’m at square one.
Yesterday, Stacie, my friend, and an orthopedic doctor from Louisville, called a neurosurgeon from Kentucky and talked to him about me for a while. He told Stacie that I’m going to have this headache thing going on for a bit. Maybe up to two months or longer. So now I’m on a 7 day prescription of a pretty high dose steroid, along with Celebrex, which together, should reduce the swelling in my head and make it so I can sleep some. Man, I can only hope. This has been ridiculously frustrating.
Bill has ridden a couple times. He is riding his MTB around town for a hour or so. He has a bunch of broken ribs and collapsed one of his lungs, so he is going to be slowly healing too. He is doing way better than me, but it is still going to be a while before he is back up to speed.
Days really are really long when I’m only sleeping a couple hours every 24. Night especially. I’ve been sitting in the kitchen, with my head on the kitchen table, listening to the BBC from midnight until dawn. Last night, I might of slept another hour on the table, but my neck was so stiff that it wasn’t really an advantage.
Okay, all these posts just seem like the same thing over and over. But man, I don’t remember being in a situation like this before. Like I wrote yesterday, I haven’t seen a x-ray or CAT scan of my skull, so I’m not even sure where it is broken. They said two different places, but the whole thing hurts so badly that I couldn’t tell you where it is cracked. It really doesn’t matter I guess.
Trudi pulled the staples out of my head yesterday. They had been there for nearly two weeks, so they should have been yanked out earlier. They were loose, so it didn’t take long and didn’t hurt at all. I tried to get my head surgeon doctor appointment moved up, but they didn’t seem to want to call back. Maybe today they might move it up a day or two. That would a nice , appropriate thing.
Kris sent me some photos he took at the crash. I have no recollection of anything associated with it, so it all looked new to me. KInd of surprised there isn’t a picture of the dog. I don’t think anyone on the ride actually knows the dog I flipped over. I surely don’t. Okay, pictures are below. I’d normally say thank god it’s Friday, but I hardly know that, so it is just another day of the week, the same as it has been the last 14.
Laying in the middle of the road. Bill ran into me from behind and is on the edge of the road. They cut all my clothing off in the ambulance.
Loading me onto the stretcher.
I don’t have my bike, so don’t know what is the matter with it. Obviously the rear wheel is not good.
I guess I left a puddle of blood on the ground after I left.
I came to when they were loading me into the ambulance.. I was pissed at the medic.. asked what’s going on.. she says that I was involved in a bad accident… I replied no I am taking part in some stupid bike race..
You’ll get their.. just keep resting..
Cheers…
It’s hard to read of your pain and discomfort. We all encounter our cross to bear at some point it seems. I’m thinking of and praying for you Steve, I know many are. I trust you find and receive a power and strength that you’ve never felt before, I pray that it’s real and it’s miraculous. I hear of and believe in divine healing, I pray you receive this and it shows up in a way unexplainable and real. I pray a comforting wind blows through your presence as you’ve never felt, it’s steady, it’s strong, it’s calming, it’s peaceful, it’s uplifting, it’s healing. I share this from my clean heart and from the most Holiest of Holies within.
Believe.
John 14:18
I will not leave you comfort less; I will come to you.
~just a faithful servant.
Hang tough Steve
http://www.medicaldaily.com/use-electronics-after-concussion-may-double-recovery-time-266452
Hope someone is typing your updates – use of electronics after a concussion is thought to slow recovery.
Hope you heal quickly
Hope you’re not reading this, but I wish I knew of a decent way (other than rest and time) to help alleviate your discomfort. I’m sure the marijuana advocates will not be too far behind with their magic solution. You will get through this. It will just take time.
Remember a couple months ago I mentioned how you might want to get your first real job because you were always sick and tired? I don’t wanna say ‘told ya so’ but this might be a great time to dust off the resu….oh hold it. Never mind.
Damn… I was really sorry to hear about your crash. I was involved in a pretty bad one 4 weeks ago myself.
Helmet probably saved me from frontal lobe damage. As it is, I just smashed my face!
I hope your recovery goes well!
Los
Keep an eye of the Celebrex. it can cause some swelling on its own. When Beverly was in the hospital last December, they gave her Celebrex. It resulted in some pretty serious edema in her legs and feet.
Just think, if you had a helmet on you’d probably have walked away from the accident with nothing but a slight headache…
Unfortunately, we will never know. That’s all the reason to wear our helmets though because just that, “you never know”.
I feel bad for you Steve. I know what migraines are like. I couldn’t imagine having one for days on end. Hoping you turn a corner soon guy!
Since I live in Europe I get extremely offended by this comment. Shame on you. Get yself another nick when you post crap like that.
If the photo is from right after the accident, Bill was also not wearing a helmet either? And he’s riding “around town for a hour or so” with a bunch of broken ribs and a collapsed lung?
You guys in Kansas really are idiots.
Mr. Terri Tater; Well duh, his lung is not collapsed now! Hence, why he is riding around town two weeks after the wreck. I have ridden with Bill enough to know that he was probably wearing a helmet. I too, usually take my helmet off once I’m sitting on the ground away from my bike. Your obviously observant that in this picture Bill doesn’t have a helmet on, of course I’m only using deductive reasoning based on my experiences with my fellow Kansan. Obviously your too smart for us Kansans! Please keep us idiots informed. Thank you!
Hey Gary: let’s hear from Bill himself instead of another stupid Kansas biker defending another.
Real job?? Because the money Steve has made, making, and saved is not real??
Even wearing a helmet, a hard hit to the back of the head can send the frontal lobe forward into the skull. Football players incur TBI all the time. A helmet may have helped to sustain less damage, but it’s def not a pillow.
Oh you mean stupid because I have graduated college with a B.S., M.S. and and Ed. S. Additionally, I scored in the top 95%tile in the nation on my licensing exam as a psychologist. Your right, I’m just another stupid Kansas biker, you got me on that one! But seriously, Tater, keep us stupid Kansans informed! I’m not sure how we will make it without your commentary?
Look at the photo again. It’s obviously at least several minutes after the crash.