broken collar bone and ribs- what now?

Suz,

You lined up of your own free will with Big Mig, and a guy wearing
safety goggles? Not smart are you.

RVD

PS Does his helmet sticker read "eat"!

He is straight up your ass in that photo. He does have the troll like
qualities I can't stand in a rider.

RVD

Mark dont be such a suck up, and how did you find that?
Rvd

Suz wrote:


I'm supposed to be at Elite Natz this week, but instead am sitting here
writing to RBR. Man, my life DOES suck!

well, when you put it that way, lol!

haven't ever been smashed around like that (thank god!) so all i can
offer is my sympathy.
heather

"Suz" wrote in message
...
Hey all,
17 days ago, I was doing a local master men's crit, just for fun and
training. Was going to do the master-A's, but didn't was still warmed up
from the women's race, and didn't want to wait around for another hour. I
looked around at the start line, saw some sketchy looking riders, and
wondered if I was making a mistake. But I figured I'd be okay if I would
stay up front, or maybe try to get off the front. Well guess what- one of
the sketchy guys was also pretty strong, and marked me the entire first
half of the race. As I was rounding the last corner, going for a prime,
he tried to come up the inside, clipped my handlebars hard, and sent me
flying toward the pavement. Witnesses say he landed on top of me, though
I don't remember this.

Anyway, he got up, got his free lap, and finished the race, in 2nd or 4th
place I think, ( i know the guys who were 1st and 3rd) while I went to the
hospital with a broken rt. collar bone (two places, displaced), at least 3
broken ribs on the rt., maybe more, and a pneumothorax (punctured rt.
lung). Was hospitalized for two days with a chest-tube to re-inflate my
lung. I don't think the pneumothorax is holding me back much now. The
collar bone is mending- it seems I can do a little more each day, though
I'm not yet ready to hold the handlebars. I've been on the trainer daily
since day-6. (I can do a little intensity now, for short periods of time,
as long as I don't hold the handlebars.) But the ribs, they feel fine
when I'm just walking around, but they don't seem to be improving much. I
still can't roll over in bed, or lie on either side without feeling like
my chest is caving in..

Has anybody had similar injuries? If so, how long did it take for you to
get back to racing, or even riding? Any ortho or sports med-types out
there? Murray? My ortho docs are always so conservative, one is saying
possibly 3 months, but I don't buy it. I want to be ready to compete by
the "Tour of Altoona" a 7 day stage race, which will be 7 weeks
post-injury. Realistic?

I'm supposed to be at Elite Natz this week, but instead am sitting here
writing to RBR. Man, my life DOES suck!

crash pics:
one lap before the crash: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7187vp.jpg (see
the dude in on my wheel?)
~10 seconds after the crash: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7192vp.jpg
(same dude)
finish: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7241vp.jpg (same dude in 2nd
wheel, ~20 meters from finish line)

thanks, suz

p.s. I had a lot of friends at the race, but nobody knew who this guy was.
The official said he was an out-of-towner, probably from Oregon. Any of
you OBRA people recognize him, or his team kit?

Interesting incongruity. Richard Sachs on the jersey and what looks like a
GT between his legs. Hope you fell better real soon!

RVD wrote:
Mark dont be such a suck up, and how did you find that?

rVD,
Since Jake has been kicking my ass up all of our local hills, I figured I
should stalk his wife. (For the humor impaired... I'm just kidding.)

Mark
(btw, in RVD, does VD stand for Venereal Disease??)

Suz wrote:

Hey all,
17 days ago, I was doing a local master men's crit, just for fun and
training. Was going to do the master-A's, but didn't was still warmed up
from the women's race, and didn't want to wait around for another hour. I
looked around at the start line, saw some sketchy looking riders, and
wondered if I was making a mistake. But I figured I'd be okay if I would
stay up front, or maybe try to get off the front. Well guess what- one of
the sketchy guys was also pretty strong, and marked me the entire first half
of the race. As I was rounding the last corner, going for a prime, he tried
to come up the inside, clipped my handlebars hard, and sent me flying toward
the pavement. Witnesses say he landed on top of me, though I don't remember
this.

Anyway, he got up, got his free lap, and finished the race, in 2nd or 4th
place I think, ( i know the guys who were 1st and 3rd) while I went to the
hospital with a broken rt. collar bone (two places, displaced), at least 3
broken ribs on the rt., maybe more, and a pneumothorax (punctured rt. lung).
Was hospitalized for two days with a chest-tube to re-inflate my lung. I
don't think the pneumothorax is holding me back much now. The collar bone
is mending- it seems I can do a little more each day, though I'm not yet
ready to hold the handlebars. I've been on the trainer daily since day-6.
(I can do a little intensity now, for short periods of time, as long as I
don't hold the handlebars.) But the ribs, they feel fine when I'm just
walking around, but they don't seem to be improving much. I still can't
roll over in bed, or lie on either side without feeling like my chest is
caving in..

Has anybody had similar injuries? If so, how long did it take for you to
get back to racing, or even riding? Any ortho or sports med-types out
there? Murray? My ortho docs are always so conservative, one is saying
possibly 3 months, but I don't buy it. I want to be ready to compete by the
"Tour of Altoona" a 7 day stage race, which will be 7 weeks post-injury.
Realistic?

I'm supposed to be at Elite Natz this week, but instead am sitting here
writing to RBR. Man, my life DOES suck!

crash pics:
one lap before the crash: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7187vp.jpg (see
the dude in on my wheel?)
~10 seconds after the crash: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7192vp.jpg
(same dude)
finish: http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/img_7241vp.jpg (same dude in 2nd wheel,
~20 meters from finish line)

thanks, suz

p.s. I had a lot of friends at the race, but nobody knew who this guy was.
The official said he was an out-of-towner, probably from Oregon. Any of you
OBRA people recognize him, or his team kit?



I broke my L clavicle in '94. I was at the time already an old fart of
42. I was in a sling for several weeks, and there was significant pain
when I was NOT in the sling. You're already ahead of my healing
schedule, but you're younger and tougher than I was.
I don't think I touched the bike for more than a month, but might have
sooner had my orthopedist not told me not to. It was sore even when I
was able to use it, but I didn't seem to suffer much afterwards, so it
probably was OK.
My fracture was in the distal 1/3 of the collarbone, which put it close
to (but not within) the shoulder capsule.
I would think that except you may feel like you see God if you cough,
the pneumothorax would be less of a problem--assuming your breathing
isn't affected by the time of the race.

Good luck,
Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

Don't blame me for your failed test.

RVD

VD=Visio dei

"Suz" wrote in message
...

As i said, it was a mistake to do this race. Normally masters races are
pretty tame- that's why I did that one instead of cat-3 (men's) The
cat-3's are so...twitchy. Also my dad was there, from out of town. He
loves to watch me do well in a race, and I figured he wouldn't know the
difference, and be so impressed with his daughter beating up on the dudes.

Forgot to mention a tiny detail- I don't normally hold a grudge (hell, it
was partially my fault for sandbagging); crashes are a part of racing, but
this guy had the balls to be talking smack after the race, and telling the
head official it was somehow _my_ fault, even though I had ~30 witnesses
that said the opposite. The official told him to pack up and get his ass
of town before anyone caught up with him...

Forget about it Suz. Sorry you were hurt and it will take about 6 weeks
before everything is working right but in some cases the pain might be
around for a WHOLE lot longer. Punctured lungs and broken ribs usually hurt
like hell long after they're healed.

"Me" wrote in message
...

Isn't that Eric Zabel on your left??

What the hell kind of Fred wears a pro jersey in Master's race?