So this past spring my wife and I were knee deep in a kitchen remodel. I had ordered this really nice stainless steel cook top vent/hood/light to replace a perfectly good white one. (I know, wasteful but we took the old one to habitat for humanity.) It's about 1am and I decide that it was a good time to put up the new unit. I had capped the exposed wires and told my wife, "Wake up and help me hold this metal unit up while I screw it into the cabinets." She asks me if the power is off and I tell her no and that the wires are safe, they are capped? As I'm feeding the wires through the back of the unit and she is straining to keep it from landing on my head something goes really bad. I saw blue and white flashes of light accompanied with loud popping gun fire noises. My wife screams and luckily the breaker trips. Which prevents the two of us getting blasted across the kitchen but now leaves us in complete darkness.:foul: I told her to stay there while I turned on other nearby lights.....since now the power was actually off and I had the range hood in the proper position. I am neither a mechanic nor an electrician.
I was showing off to a mate at a creek crossing that had a flat rock exit at about 50 degrees (almost looked like a slap of concrete about 5 feet high. Well with a bit of testosterone I hit the exit too hard, got airborne with the front wheel landing on a slippery tree root. This resulted in a 90 degree change of direction straight into a large gum tree. The bike stopp immediately, drove my shoulder into the tree then I roled the now 12 feet straight down into the creek. Naturally my mates were a gret help. They just pissed themselves and had tears in their eyes (bastards). Anyway long story short I climb out of the creek, up the bank and find the bike standing against the tree. Unfortunately the Bark buster was bent straight onto the front brake lever which in turn was now push hard on. After a few hits with a log I got the buster to lift up and release the brake. its now 12 month later and my rotator cuff is still ordinary. Just goes to show what dumb showing off can do. lesson learnt-get more sympatheic friends.
Last fall I had my left foot fixed after 15 years of dealing with a broken big toe and resulting bunion. No riding for 6 weeks. I get 4 rides in (including pitching my bike off a ledge at Downieville) then, last winter I invited a few friends over to do the tour de moonrocks staging at my house. As I'm getting ready that morning I decide that my garage is a wee bit too trashed even for me - so I start cleaning it. I squat down to pick up a box and feel my right knee - the "good" one - go POP. Damn. About that second they all pull up. So I finish gearing up and then lead them on a 70 mile round trip ride, punctuated by me flatting a rear tire. By the time we got home I couldn't bend - or stand on the - formerly - good knee. My good wife feeds us all, and they all head home. The next morning I need help getting my no longer bending leg out of bed. I tough it out for 2 days, trying to convince myself that its "just a flesh wound" and all will be well (I am a former Army medic, and have a very lapsed EMT-P license laying around somewhere - I know better, but the power of self delusion is strong). Finally I drag myself to my ortho - who worked on my "bad" left knee twice - and show him my new self-inflicted enjoyment. Sigh - I no longer have an ACL. So under the knife we go. I burn through physical therapy, get knee braces, and go do the Sheetiron in May - 11 weeks after surgery. And put my foot down in a hole - EAST of Ukiah - and feel a "pop". Dammit. So I hobble back to Stony, not sitting or bending my right leg any more than necessary (this includes Cow Mnt. - owwwww- about 7 hours and over 100 miles), and I pack up to drive my manual trans truck back to Reno (about 3 hours). Now my buddy threw a rear wheel bearing (or rust collection - truly not pretty, bearings should not look like that) on his XR400 leaving Ukiah - but he and the others had planned to stay in Stony for a few days and ride - so I thought I would be a nice guy and let him use my bike - cause I ain't gonna need it for a while. No good deed goes unpunished. Two days later he calls - "hey we are back - how much do you want for your bike?" Me - "Haha - did you like the TXC?" Him - "loved it - how much do you want for it - no really?" Me - ? - "well, I'll let you have it for XXXXX". Him - "nah, its not worth that - its broken?" Me - "!?!?!?!?" Him - "yeah, about 8 hours into Monday morning it started sounding like @#$@#$, so we shut it off and took off the valve cover - looked like a grenade. Intake cam, gear side bearing blew up - crap everywhere, not pretty" Me - but, but, but, but, but, #$!#$!#$#$" Him - "no really, I feel really bad - where do I send it to get fixed, etc., etc., etc." Me - "no, just bring it here - I'll look at it, not your fault, don't feel bad, etc., etc., etc." Rode it yesterday, finally. Life is good.
Don't tap your self man you are still in the game and you have had 5 years worth of injury in advance. Go play with the toys.
Wally and dfeckel, I talked to my doctor after i did it- he said elevate, compression and ice- the swelling is down a lot, no damage to the ligaments or joints that I can feel. Also taking aspirin as an anti coagulant because of the size of the bruises. However, while shoveling and moving rocks my chest started hurting worse-think I have a broken rib or two- calling the doc again.
I think if you had a broken rib, you would not have noticed it after moving rocks. You would not have been able to move the 1st one. It sure sounds like you gotta learn to stop killing yourself!
+1 to what Eurofreak said. I just spent a week with my knee elevated, and 3 hours of ice a day. Swelling is way down and I almost have 70 degrees of motion. I am really trying to stay positive about riding the 2nd and 3rd week of November. Walt
"It sure sounds like you gotta learn to stop killing yourself! I work for myself so... My nickname is "I hurt myself Pete" and Pete "Suchawreck" (last name is Komarek ). The list goes on and on. The broken rib was noticed because I was first using my arm and chest muscles after I had spent a few days on the couch icing the knee. I thought it was another bruise until I started moving around. You can feel the difference between a cracked rib and a bruised muscle. Plus there's no visible bruising at the site which also implies the injury is deeper. Wally, I'm with you- hope the ice gets the swelling down more. I found if ligaments and tendons are involved a heating pad after days of icing will improve the blood flow to the injured area. Good luck!
This is a true story.I can relate to the cop pulling you over, thing! I have a friend that was driving & he cannot drive & talk at the same time. A trooper pulls him over & makes him get out. Well my friend is almost 60 years old with 2 bad knees, bowlegged & walks like a penquin. He gets out & hobbles to the front of the truck & the trooper has him stand on one leg & touch his nose I think! We had just got thru playing a round of golf & my friend had earlier stepped in a hole & hurt his hip somehow so here he was trying to stand on one leg, wobbling, touching the ground ever now & then, pokes himself in the eye, lets out a scream & falls down. Well, the trooper backs off, puts his hand on his holster {startled}, looks over at me staring thru the front windshield & has this expression that is really hard to describe.[sort of like Barney Fife with dark sunglasses & his mouth wide open]. I start to get out & the trooper tells me to "SIR, get back into the truck". He helps my friend up & decides to have him walk a straight line.Well my friend cannot see, his hip is killing him, & he walks bowlegged any way. Have you ever seen a penquin walk a straight line? The trooper finally gets frustrated & tells my friend to wait there. He gets a breath analyzer & my friend blows a zero The trooper walks him back to the car & looks at me & my eyes are sopping wet & red from laughing so hard! I'm trying not to laugh & holding my breath & the trooper looks away & sees 2 empty beer cans in the back of the truck.As serious as he can be he instructs us that we cannot have open containers of alcohol inside a vehicle. My friend [not me because I am trying to look away & i'm still holding my breath & emitting some noises like a little girl or something], anyway my friend explains that we were playing golf & drunk them about 5 hours ago. He looks at us & say's "you still can't have them in you vehicle & I could arrest you for this". My friend say's he is sorry & the trooper say's "have a good day" & walks away. My friend looks at me & says "DON"T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS & DON'T TALK TO ME THE REST OF THE WAY!" I laugh so hard & long that my ribs & stomach is hurting. IF only I had a video of the moment, we could have made some money on a show somewhere!
