beowulf7

^ Dang, after all this time and you're still in pain whenever you try exerting a little energy. I hope you have a lot of P&S $ coming your way, not that it would completely offset your pain!

kokomo61

My main goal is to get better. I've got a new bike, and that's going to be paid for, and there will be a P&S settlement at some point (current medical costs billed will be at $10K by 11/1)....but I'd just as soon not be dealing with any of this.

dalmore

I hate it for you, kokomo61.

My experience with injury recovery mirrors yours somewhat. Lots and lots of frustration with it seemingly never gettting better. But then one day I can do an exercise that I could not do previously. And then I can do that exercise without swelling and ... then later I can do it without discomfort...

So hang in there and keep at it. And don't settle for anything less than what you want. If the PT or Ortho tells you that as good as it's going to get, stay after them to try different approaches.

beowulf7

I agree that no amount of money can make the pain you had to deal with the past few months go away and give you back the summer.

I also agree with dalmore that injuries can take a very long time to heal, but they often eventually do. I've had sports injuries in the past (neck, shoulders, biceps, etc.) mostly due to inflammation. Sometimes it took me 2 years to fully recover. Hope it won't take you that wrong.

kokomo61

It's been a while since I updated, but here's the latest -

I've been released from physical therapy - I had plateaued, and was in the 'acceptable' range for movement/strength, so they ended treatment.

I'm still not back to 100%, and am only riding about 1X a week - I need to get that back to 2-3X to feel like I'm 'normal'.

My back muscles tire easily - raking leaves gets fatiguing (muscle-wise, not cardio), and by the end of the job, I'm doing a good Quasimodo/Elephant Man impression. It clears up after 24-48 hours with heat/anti-inflammatories.

I have to deal with 20 lbs of weight gain - since I'm not riding as much, it's been harder to keep my weight down. I'm (finally) getting serious about my eating habits, because if my activity level is lower, then my caloric intake has to be lower too. I'm also adding in non-bike exercise, so with the winter coming in, I can remain fit/get better fitness towards spring.

Insurance companies are wanting to know where I am (probably to get it off of their books). I'd like to be 'done', but I found out something this morning at my ortho doc - he told me that the MRI (taken back in August) has an 'acute compression fracture' on my T11 (just above my T12-L3 fusion). That's pretty scary, but he said that as long as walking and supported weight training don't bother me, it seems to be healing OK. Swimming and cycling are also OK - I just have to ease back into higher activity.

It DOES however, make the accident a bit more serious. I didn't think that I broke anything. Evidently I was wrong.

HardyWeinberg

Holy crap. Good luck continuing your recovery and letting that bone heal.

djwid

I am sorry to hear you got hit. Recover well and I hope you are not going to experience any longterm damage. Good luck with any legal action and getting a new bike.

ok_commuter

I'd avoid raking leaves until your back is completely better. Lots of people have trouble with that activity.

Fantasminha

Oh no--so sorry to hear that! I wish you (and Jake!) a speedy and complete recovery.

Don't be too quick to settle with bonehead. I was involved in a car accident a few years ago, settled too quick only to find out I will probably have to go to the chiropractor for the rest of my life.

kokomo61

There's a kid around here (21, but that's a 'kid' to me), who does yard work for $10/hour. 2 hours of raking a week, and it's spotless. I just run a leaf blower to get the stuff out into the yard, and he takes care of most of the rest.

With the fracture news, I think this becomes something that a PI lawyer should handle. I was expecting to get cleared today, but now I'm going to be under supervision for at least 1 year post-accident. The issues around this start to get a lot more complicated, and I don't want to make a mistake.

ok_commuter

21 is a kid to me too.

I don't mean to be glib, but... dude, you got hit in a crosswalk, by a jerk who lied about it. You should have had a PI lawyer all along. Good to hear you're going to see one now. Keep taking care of yourself, physically, spiritually and legally.

4SEVEN3

Man, I hate to hear about all your issues! PI attorneys suck, but they can and will definitly help you out in the long run.

I wish you the best!

kokomo61

In hindsight, maybe - there are a couple of things I could have done better at the time:

1) get witness names - there were a couple people who saw it, and witnessed the accident....and offered their names. I started to get the names, but the EMT's took over and got me on a backboard/in a cervical collar, and put me in the ambulance. I told the police officer who arrived to get the names, but they didn't. They cited the driver, and let him go. Once the street was cleared, the witnesses just drove on. (good news is that he was cited, pled guilty,and I have my GPS data to show what I was doing - so there's not much room for them to deny he was at fault, but still. Witnesses would have been helpful).

2) Get pictures of the scene before he moved his car - I carry a camera at all times now, but didn't have one then.

Because the ER showed no broken bones on Xray, and a subsequent xray didn't either, I didn't think I had any. It was the MRI 2 months later that showed the spinal fracture. Prior to this, the case was simple enough for me to write a demand letter with copies of the bills, and have an attorney review it for an hourly rate. Now, I think I need to get one to deal with everything. It's too complex for me.

beowulf7

^ Man, what a bummer. Sorry to hear about the fracture. Good luck w/ everything. At least things are healing, albeit slower than you'd like .

floriderron

First of all, glad your O.K.. Getting what is due you is different from nailing him to the wall. Make sure the insurance company takes the bike to an LBS to check out the damages.

Good luck and get back out there as soon as possible.

uke

It's scary how something so sudden could have such lasting effects. Six months later, you've got $10,000 in bills and still aren't back to where you were, physically, the day before the accident. Kind of makes me reevaluate riding in general.

Mr. Underbridge

Ouch, good luck with the compression fracture. I've had a couple of those myself, not so much fun.

Hopefully the pain will get better with time. Mine hurt like hell for a couple of months whenever I would do things like jump (didn't know I had a fracture at the time), or if the wife would give me a bear hug. Now, though, it doesn't hurt except just a little when I'm hunched over for a long time, or if I turn my back just right and tweak it.

kokomo61

I didn't think I had one, because the X-rays didn't show it. Because I was having pain further up my back, I got the MRI in August - and they sent the report on to the doc.....but never saw the report until this week. Now that I know, it explains a lot.

beowulf7

Remember, accidents can happen in any transportation means. You could be driving and get hit by a drunk, but that shouldn't discourage one from driving again. The same w/ biking, be it for leisure or commuting.

beowulf7

Now that it's been about 11 mos., are you near full recovery, kokomo? Hope all is well (as much as possible).

uke

From a post he made in early April, it looks like he's still got a while to go:

beowulf7

^ Yikes!

TheRealNicola

Man what a horrible thing to hear. Hopefully it all turns out okay. Keep us updated!