Sick of hearing about my ankle/foot/leg?

You should be, but then again consider yourself lucky. As much as I've been obsessing compulsively about my injury I'm surprised it's not all I've been blogging about for the last two weeks. I haven't been REALLY injured (like "Ouch, I might need to see a doctor") since some time around March of 2002. That would have been the last time I went to the doctor after an accident, and the only day I ever called in "sick" over the last thirteen years at my current job.

"Don't look at me... I need a haircut."

I came to laying face down in an intersection looking at the blood around my head. I couldn't find my front wheel, and I was rather disoriented. Eventually Big Worm showed up (we shared the same commute route), my wife's friend Sandra showed up (she worked across the street from where I ended up), and then the cops showed up. I asked them to call off the ambulance that had been summoned to whisk my fractured human form away to the bowels of the medical system. After confirming with them that I did in fact know how many fingers they were holding up and just who the current president was they allowed me to go on my way.

The Wonderboy picked me up and took me home after I called off work "unconscious and without a front wheel." I went home and sat in a tub of water until The Pie convinced me to at least get my head checked out at an urgent care since I was out of it for awhile. The urgent care said I was okay in the head, but I was pretty fucked up otherwise (my words). I ended up with two black eyes (called "raccoon eyes", a sign of a closed-head injury), a tooth that turned black, a broken tooth, facial lacerations out the wazoo, and a right arm I couldn't lift much higher than my waist.... oh yeah, and I never found my front wheel.

I was back at work the next day. People were not really thrilled to look at me. I wasn't thrilled to be there, but no sick leave is one of the benefits of being a messenger. Eventually I got two root canals, two new ceramic teeth (slightly less buckier than the originals), and my arm finally loosened up and started working like an arm again.

Now I realize the smartest thing I coulda done two weeks ago would have been to walk back to the car after I wrecked since I was only two minutes into the ride. I also realize I should have taken the next day off work, not ridden my mountain bike four days later, not walked with The Pie for miles and miles the next weekend... whatever. Not much I can do about that now.

I didn't go to the doctor because I didn't feel broken. I've been dealing with a wide variety of pains from burning itching to dull aches to throbbing bursts to something that feels like my lower leg is being inflated with a bike pump. The bruising went all the way from my toes down around the arch of my foot and to a point halfway up my calf. The more I rest the better I feel physically and the better I feel about not pissing away the small amount of insurance money in our HRA spending account. I felt like something was going on inside my leg, but nothing as bad as this:



Watching the video of my wreck (by and large the most popular video on the Team Dicky channel) closely I think I high sided when my bike hit the tree sideways, and I basically cartwheeled head over heels/ass over tea kettle style. I don't think I made the whole 360° spin though, and instead of landing on two feet I came in at an angle on just my left foot. That would explain a lot, and that would be my final CSI analysis of the situation.

I have no plans to talk about my ankle/foot/leg anymore. This is the last of it... assuming it doesn't get worse or fall off. I've spent more time injured since I returned from Crank the Shield than I have healthy. This is prime goof off riding season, and I am going to rest up (aside from going to work) as much as possible so I can get on with situation normal.

In non foot/leg/ankle related news..

I got my new 2011 Awesome Straps in the mail!!!

All right, I'll admit it's not the most exciting off season accessory one can acquire, but I've been anxious to get my hands on them and see what they are about. I will more than likely be using the Vital or the Zone for racing next year, but I see the purpose for the Rag Top now that I have it in my hands.

More about the new straps next week, but if you can't wait Backcountry Research has full descriptions of their own up on the site.

Oh yeah...

One more thing.

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Now I'm done.