Fifty Plus (50+) - Little tumble from the folding bike

And much more consequence than it deserved. I thought it deserved a 'whoopsie and a moment's embasassment, but it's going to be a longer haul than that.

Took a Friday (first day of the weekend) ride with a bunch of friends who ride less than we do, so I took the folder to encourage an easy pace.

After about 10 minutes the others were way behind spouse and me, so we
thought we were being unfriendly and we'd better turn round - so we
did, rode past them, and made a second U turn to join in behind. At
that point, the road is often used by trucks taking dredged sand to
land reclamation points, oily sandy slurry. I knew this, had
anticipated it, had got my foot out of the clip in case of skid, but
skid I did = and fast and hard. Maybe the 20 inch wheels on the folder
had a little less gyroscopic stability than a full-size, I dunno
Anyway, the thoughts in quick succession were
Hmm, interesting, I haven't fallen off a bike since I was, what, about 8?
That felt a lot harder than I remember
In fact, it felt very hard indeed
And it hurts. A lot
Oh well, better get up and get on
No, I think I'll just lie here a bit
My foot's on the wrong way round

Ambulance called, long delay (30 minutes?), very painful indeed,
chilly shock and shivers, rough ends of broken bones grating. Then
very painful transfer to the public hospital, and a second very
painful transfer to a reception stretcher in A&E, and a third very
painful transfer to a pallet for xray confirming a big break down the
top of left femur, and a fourth transfer back to the A&E stretcher
where I stayed until mid afternoon the following day, about 30 hours
in a crowded and jostling room with people banging into the stretcher
and the unsecured bone ends grating

Then an operation = pins and plates, and when I came round, a much
more comfortable situation - the sensation of bone ends grating had
gone. Much better

Then after a day, back to the company hospital where I am now and will
be for a couple of weeks, they tell me, doing physio. (The operation
couldn't be done here, as there isn't any orthopedic capability)

So that's how I spent my weekend. Hope yours was better

bummer!

Sorry about your injury. Here's to a full and speedy recovery. :thumb:

Oh no. Are you sure there's nothing missing in the report? Something like, "And then I awoke from the horrible nightmare"?

Best wishes for a smooth and full recovery.

Dang, that was painful to read. A break in the femur is pretty serious. Heal well.

Foot pointing the wrong direction is never a good thing. Did you get any Titanium bits installed in your leg? That would be something to brag about. Hang in there.
Remember to increase your fluid and fiber intake if you are taking opioid painkillers.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that, wobbly. Listen to your docs advice and don't forget to keep us informed. I hope everything works out okay for you.

I can feel your pain as you described in detail what you went through. I retired my folder already for the season due to it's slick tires. Don't want to ride it till spring next year when the roads are free of snow and ice. I wish you speedy recovery so you can get back on the saddle.

Thats a Bummer.

Don't worry though- We have sent DG out to cheer you up and as he has his pliers with him- he'll service the bikes while he's there.

(You had better get well soon)

Wow, glad you got the care you needed. Sorry it was so painful for you. I don't know about the health care providers where you are, but I've had success being very forceful about wanting something for the pain NOW. In fact, if I can get my hand on a health care professional, I can usually convince them that they need to pay attention to me. My grandfather was a blacksmith and I learned this from him. To discipline us, he would simply reach out and grab us anywhere he could and just slowly start to squeeze. Eventually you complied with what he wanted you to do. Hell, he could bend quarters with one hand. I could never do a quarter with one hand but in my younger days was able to bend one with both hands. In any event I hope you heal fully and quickly.

Ouch, that hurt just to read it. Another reminder for us to be careful as we pedal.

Hope your recovery is rapid.

That made me cringe to read that story.......Good luck on a speedy recovery.

So sorry. At least you got it diagnosed promptly. My son broke his femur in early March and was not diagnosed until July.


Reminds me of the time when I was teaching and my classroom was next to the outside door. It was wet and the floors were slippery, and I heard a yell. I opened the door and one of the teachers was lying there, and her foot was pointing the wrong direction. I called 911, ambulance came, and she recovered very quickly.

I am sure you will also.

:eek::eek:

Oh, you poor thing! How awful that not only did you break your leg, you were left to suffer for so long. I'm so sorry!

I'm glad you're on the road to recovery; I hope that's a superhighway and you're out and about soon.

Man, that hurt just reading about it. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a minimum of physical therapy!

Good luck Wobbly........heal quick