GeminiJane
New member
Took my Street Triple out Sunday since it was in the high 50's - just quite windy/gusty. My husband was riding his Ducati Multistrada ahead of me west on Highway 149 and the southerly gusts would catch us broadside and move the bikes maybe a foot over and we'd readjust and do it again. When we came to the intersection of 149 and Route 3 we planned to turn north and cross the river into Missouri at Chester and ride some of their good twisty, hilly "alphabet" roads. David pulled up in the middle of the lane at the Route 3 intersection and motioned for me to pull up beside him, which I did, realizing that it put me a couple of feet from the poured curb of the highway and also in the piles of cinders, etc. from the last snow that was not yet washed away since we've had no rain. He asked me if I felt comfortable going on with the wind gusts (maybe about 30-35 mph) and I told him no problem, especially since we'd now have the wind at our backs on Route 3 and then in Missouri would be on narrow 2 lanes with trees on both sides offering some wind protection. He pulled on out onto Route 3, and I carefully gave the bike bit of gas so that I wouldn't spin out in the loose cinders - just as I was lifting my right foot to the peg, an extra strong blast hit me broadside from my left. It tilted the bike to about a 2 o'clock position. I briefly considered gassing it a little hard to see if I could bring it back upright but was still in the drifts of cinders so decided instead to put my foot back down (can only touch one toe down on this bike - it's a bit tall for me). My foot went down but slid in the cinders and I realized I couldn't hold the bike against the wind and was going to fall on over. I didn't want to wrench my back trying to hold up a bike - just going to let it gently fall over and step off it. Instead my foot ended up under it when it went down and I felt the bones snap in my right leg. David was long gone down the road and I couldn't reach the kill switch or pull my leg out from under without grating bones, so I just laid my helmeted head down on my gloved hand (didn't want to scratch one of my favorites). Shortly a car stopped, a woman began screaming and her husband's feet appeared in my line of sight and then another pickup stopped. I told the guys I thought my leg was broken and if they could pick the bike up off me, I would try to roll over. I had on good riding boots with leathers tucked tightly inside and as long as I didn't try to rotate my leg, no bones grated. I got rolled over and pulled myself backward holding my hurt leg/ankle up until I could get sitting on the curb. David came riding back up at about that time. We conferenced - from my low vantage point on the curb I could see that the only damage to the bike appeared to be a broken lens cover on the right turn signal mounted low on the forks and the plastic antennae cover on my GPS had popped off, but the GPS was still intact otherwise. The guy from the car was a rider and volunteered to ride the bike the 15 miles in to the closest hospital with me sitting long-wise on the back seat of their car with my leg out in the seat. Worked fine and once they got me in a wheelchair at the hospital, I thanked the guy (who loved my bike and volunteered to keep it on the road while I was obviously going to be laid up:helpsmilie
and his wife and off they went. I then called my brother who lived locally to come ferry my bike on home with David, so David could bring the pick-up truck back in and load up my riding gear (wouldn't let them cut my favorite leathers off - had to pull them off once we got the boot off - ouch!) That's the only time I felt a little sick - when I saw my foot just dangling limp from the end of my leg with a huge "detour" bulging in and out and the end of the bone showing just under the skin as a dark red line. I still thought at that time that we would do the "bite the stick, pull the ankle til the bone pops back in place, cast me up and send me home" number. After four hours of lying on the gurney in the hall by the reception desk (busy ER day), I finally got put in a ER room and then taken for x-rays. Another 1/2 hour passed, saw a doctor and was finally given something for the pain. X-rays weren't good, so an orthopedic surgeon was contacted who thought he'd get me into surgery on Tues. They transferred me via ambulance to Carbondale hospital where he would do the surgery. Turns our he stopped in later that evening and talked with me and committed to working my surgery in late Monday evening. The tibia (larger inside bone of lower leg) was broken through just above the ankle and the smaller, outer bone (fibula) had broken just above the ankle and then again about four inches up. That 4" bone piece had managed to get a bit sideways and was poking just under the skin of my leg. All they did for first day was lay the leg on a long piece of cotton strip and then bind it from toe to hip to keep immobile. Surgery on Monday evening went well. Ended up with a big incision under my inner ankle and then up and around the inside of my leg so that a plate and screws could anchor the tibia. They made another incision just above the ankle on the outer side of my leg and inserted a rod up through it and threaded what was left of the fibula bones onto it - then grafted bone into the "holes". They tell me I'll be in a cast for three months with no weight bearing on that leg the whole time. I passed hospital physical therapy tests with flying colors - able to lift myself off the bed with my left good leg and get to side of bed. Did well using the walker to lift my body weight up onto my hands/wrists and swing my good leg forward while holding the other leg off the floor (the cast weights a bit more than 10 lbs. so already my knee and hip are feeling the effects of the added weight). Later that afternoon I trekked about two blocks over to the physical therapy room and aced the lifting myself up the stairs using the handrails and upper body flexing, so they let me go home two days early
hyea:. Home today and David went to get me a shower chair and grab handle for shower, and a wheel chair so I can still cruise along and dust/clean and haul stuff on my lap, make the bed, etc. Otherwise I'm supposed to use the walker which has my shoulder joints and hip joints pretty sore right now..but I'm sure I'll build stamina on that.
Now it's just learning to do all the daily things for myself so that David won't have to do everything for me. Since he just came off three back surgeries in the last two years, he can't lift/pull me nor can he do much housework without suffering the consequences so we'll have to figure some of that out but he's been great today. Have to give myself an injection in the stomach each morning for about three weeks for anti-clotting following the surgery and immobility of my leg and that's not much fun.
The worst part is it looks like Spyderfest might be a "no go" for me since I'll still be casted at that time. But I'm staying optimistic that by then they'll switch me to a cast that might allow me to use the Spyder foot brake, in which case I'll still be able to ride - I'm not cancelling my reservations just yet! They guys who helped me in the road found it funny that some of my first words were to lament such an injury right on the cusp of good riding season:clap:. So looks like the Spyder will be my best bud for the rest of this year - they say I won't be safe to ride any two wheelers for at least that long until that bone really heals - then another surgery to remove the plate on the tibia. Really a bummer that my new Ducati Diavel is supposed to ship in March ...but sweet guys that they are my husband and brother have volunteered to keep it ridden this year until I can get on it - they're so good to me! Well gotta go while my pain meds are still strong and try to figure out how I'm going to get my shower taken without getting water in my cast. Keep me in your "spyder" thoughts so that I will heal quickly. My brother's CMA riding group put me on their prayer list and I asked them, as long as they were praying, if they would go ahead and pray for my Diavel to get here, too, since Ducati is notorious for being slow about shipping bikes. Figured I'd get a "two-fer" for my prayer power. Also took advantage of the situation to score a handicapped parking permit so that I can park closer to Macy's and TJ Maxx while I go shopping for "cast friendly" outfits. :roflblack: Safe ryding to all and watch the wind if you're on a two wheeler!
and his wife and off they went. I then called my brother who lived locally to come ferry my bike on home with David, so David could bring the pick-up truck back in and load up my riding gear (wouldn't let them cut my favorite leathers off - had to pull them off once we got the boot off - ouch!) That's the only time I felt a little sick - when I saw my foot just dangling limp from the end of my leg with a huge "detour" bulging in and out and the end of the bone showing just under the skin as a dark red line. I still thought at that time that we would do the "bite the stick, pull the ankle til the bone pops back in place, cast me up and send me home" number. After four hours of lying on the gurney in the hall by the reception desk (busy ER day), I finally got put in a ER room and then taken for x-rays. Another 1/2 hour passed, saw a doctor and was finally given something for the pain. X-rays weren't good, so an orthopedic surgeon was contacted who thought he'd get me into surgery on Tues. They transferred me via ambulance to Carbondale hospital where he would do the surgery. Turns our he stopped in later that evening and talked with me and committed to working my surgery in late Monday evening. The tibia (larger inside bone of lower leg) was broken through just above the ankle and the smaller, outer bone (fibula) had broken just above the ankle and then again about four inches up. That 4" bone piece had managed to get a bit sideways and was poking just under the skin of my leg. All they did for first day was lay the leg on a long piece of cotton strip and then bind it from toe to hip to keep immobile. Surgery on Monday evening went well. Ended up with a big incision under my inner ankle and then up and around the inside of my leg so that a plate and screws could anchor the tibia. They made another incision just above the ankle on the outer side of my leg and inserted a rod up through it and threaded what was left of the fibula bones onto it - then grafted bone into the "holes". They tell me I'll be in a cast for three months with no weight bearing on that leg the whole time. I passed hospital physical therapy tests with flying colors - able to lift myself off the bed with my left good leg and get to side of bed. Did well using the walker to lift my body weight up onto my hands/wrists and swing my good leg forward while holding the other leg off the floor (the cast weights a bit more than 10 lbs. so already my knee and hip are feeling the effects of the added weight). Later that afternoon I trekked about two blocks over to the physical therapy room and aced the lifting myself up the stairs using the handrails and upper body flexing, so they let me go home two days earlyhyea:. Home today and David went to get me a shower chair and grab handle for shower, and a wheel chair so I can still cruise along and dust/clean and haul stuff on my lap, make the bed, etc. Otherwise I'm supposed to use the walker which has my shoulder joints and hip joints pretty sore right now..but I'm sure I'll build stamina on that.Now it's just learning to do all the daily things for myself so that David won't have to do everything for me. Since he just came off three back surgeries in the last two years, he can't lift/pull me nor can he do much housework without suffering the consequences so we'll have to figure some of that out but he's been great today. Have to give myself an injection in the stomach each morning for about three weeks for anti-clotting following the surgery and immobility of my leg and that's not much fun.
The worst part is it looks like Spyderfest might be a "no go" for me since I'll still be casted at that time. But I'm staying optimistic that by then they'll switch me to a cast that might allow me to use the Spyder foot brake, in which case I'll still be able to ride - I'm not cancelling my reservations just yet! They guys who helped me in the road found it funny that some of my first words were to lament such an injury right on the cusp of good riding season:clap:. So looks like the Spyder will be my best bud for the rest of this year - they say I won't be safe to ride any two wheelers for at least that long until that bone really heals - then another surgery to remove the plate on the tibia. Really a bummer that my new Ducati Diavel is supposed to ship in March ...but sweet guys that they are my husband and brother have volunteered to keep it ridden this year until I can get on it - they're so good to me! Well gotta go while my pain meds are still strong and try to figure out how I'm going to get my shower taken without getting water in my cast. Keep me in your "spyder" thoughts so that I will heal quickly. My brother's CMA riding group put me on their prayer list and I asked them, as long as they were praying, if they would go ahead and pray for my Diavel to get here, too, since Ducati is notorious for being slow about shipping bikes. Figured I'd get a "two-fer" for my prayer power. Also took advantage of the situation to score a handicapped parking permit so that I can park closer to Macy's and TJ Maxx while I go shopping for "cast friendly" outfits. :roflblack: Safe ryding to all and watch the wind if you're on a two wheeler!
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