Unintentional endo.

[mcloud]

Hi Craig,
Thanks for sharing this with us. Hope the health issue will turn out OK.
Give a huge wet kiss to Bev from me, she deserves it! Her support and attitude is impressive. You can tell she's a special girl.

Good luck!

[Craiger]

She certainly is. We do most everything together....Jeeping, ATVs, camping, and we're both musicians in two bands together. She means the world to me. We had our 19th anniversary last week....and it just keeps getting better and better.

I'm scheduled for two MRIs on Monday (one of the cervical spine and one of the sacroiliac joints). In addition, I have to have Xrays (cervical and both hips) and 5 different blood tests done then, too. Rheumatologist suspects that I've got psoriatic arthritis and spondylitis. So the additional MRI, Xrays and bloodtests will confirm her suspicion.

I've already been diagnosed with degernative discs and spinal stinosis. So the additional diagnosis is just adding fuel to the fire....so to speak.

Regardless, I'm just hoping to be pain free soon as I can't say that I remember the last time I was. The accident sure didn't help matters any. I got the motorcycle as therapy....to help me forget the pain. LOL!

[scottp8113]

Good to hear that you're finally going to be told what's wrong with you! :-D

Your story and my ride with my fiance's dad last weekend definitely changed my mind about ATGATT... He's the kind that will wear sleeveless shirts and shorts on his goldwing and he talked me out of wearing my jacket (just a cheap Carhart jacket, nothing fancy yet) and that earned me one of the more severe sunburns I've ever had the pleasure to endure, so definitely a firm believer in that wonderful acronym

[Nascar Fan]

Get better man and if I was closer to you,I would help you wrench your ride back to new...get better.BTW does it hurt to raise your arm over your head or dou you have to use your other arm to help lift it??I am still mending from my second sugery--I pulled my rotator cuff from the bone and it also had a 5" tear in it....mand with what your saying about your arm and neck and pinched nerve feeling /pain it brings back some bad memories....Let me know if you need help with the bike..but I only work if I get to test ride...LOL!!

[Craiger]

Thanks Scott. We'll have to go on another ride as soon as I'm able.

Nascar Fan....thanks dude. I can lift my arm by itself, but I can't rotate it. The pain is in my neck (close to the base on the right side), but in the shoulder, too (right around the bend). Not sure if both are injured or if the source of pain is just the neck alone. I suppose I'll find out after the MRI. I can't turn my head very far to the right before I feel intense pain. While driving, I have to turn my whole body to see my blind spot....and even that hurts. The pain is constant.....it doesn't let up except while on meds (and they only take the edge off).

Where do you live? Your profile doesn't say.

[Nascar Fan]

I am all the way up in NY- about 40 miles North of Albany.

[BassCliff]

Mr. Craiger,

I pray you'll heal quickly. Thanks for sharing your story. As a young lad I spent 8 weeks in traction in a hospital bed and then 9 weeks in a body cast because of a motorcycle accident. I ride differently because of that experience.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Craiger]

Thanks Basscliff. I appreciate the prayers. I feel blessed that my accident wasn't nearly as bad as most....and could have been completely avoided on my part. Now I know what NOT to do when entering a ramp.

Nascar Fan....I think it's safe to say that you're a little far from me. LOL!

[posplayr]

Craiger

Sorry,

Did not know about your mishap; I just saw the link. Glad it was not worse and thanks for posting the story as it helps us all.

We have to remind ourselves we are ridding around a big heavy bike with virtually no protection and so very low tolerance for error.

Speedy recovery. Back injuries can be very serious. I suffered from back pins as far back in high school from running track, and I know how it can literally immobilize you.

As an aside, I have a friend at work that rides his bicycle to work every day (maybe 15 miles each way). He USED to ride and work on motorcycles (but not anymore) and so I share my motorcycle endeavors with him. About two weeks ago he was ridding home and next thing he knows he wakes up in the ambulance. He still doesn't remember, but he thinks he got his front wheel in a rut, he flipped hit is head and he went flailing after that. He has large bruising and blood clots in his posterior, sprained ankle and a very numb leg which the doctor things is from hitting the handle bar. I think he spent about 3-5 days in the hospital, but was back for the first day again (relapse back to the hospital) this week. He is in good spirits but still sore.

I guess the moral of the story is the "ground is hard", and even on a bicycle you can get hurt. Gotta be safe , but you need to enjoy :grin:

Posplayr.

[Craiger]

Hey, no biggie, dude. It's cool.

Dang....that's tough about your friend! We could be standing still and end up in the hospital. Hope he recovers quick.

[MikeG]

Hope your recovery goes smoothly. We had a 22 yr old kid on a bicycle die the other day in Chicago; a driver opend a parked car door into his path and he was tossed under a passing car. It doesn't take much!

[bonanzadave]

Hope your recovery goes smoothly. We had a 22 yr old kid on a bicycle die the other day in Chicago; a driver opend a parked car door into his path and he was tossed under a passing car. It doesn't take much!

That sux. Happens every day all over the world. My sister in laws brother was on his bicycle along side of a big dump truck with a big dump truck trailer in tow. Just sitting at a stop light. The light turned green and as the truck and the bike started to pull away he somehow got sucked under the trailer tires........with his head...............20 ton trailer.................

[Craiger]

Oh my gosh! That's terrible.

A friend here at work who's son was riding his bicycle, was struck by a car that ran a red light. He's paralized from the neck down, now.

[tkent02]

And a big rock can fall on your head, too.
Live, ride, enjoy.

Hey Craiger, very happy you did not get hurt worse, the neck part is scary. Hope things get better soon.

I'm wondering, how sharp was that corner?
Could you have made it at that speed on a smaller lighter bike?
Could someone more experienced have done OK at that speed on your bike?
How about this, could you have done better on your bike if you had spent all morning carving up a twisty road someplace, knew exactly how far you could lean over in a turn before scraping pegs, pipes, or the tires would start to slide?

Not meaning to cause any grief, practice in a safe environment goes a long way to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Especially on the bigger bikes that can get going so very fast so very quickly.

I think practice on a track day is not mentioned enough around here.

[Craiger]

Hey Craiger, very happy you did not get hurt worse, the neck part is scary. Hope things get better soon.

Thanks tkent02. I'll answer your questions as best I can.

I'm wondering, how sharp was that corner?

I'd have to go back and see as memory of the turn isn't too good, but evidently too sharp for my level of experience at the speed I entered. That's why I'm kicking myself. I know better.

*edit* Here's the ramp. The arrow is right about where I hit the ditch. It might have been up a little further in, I don't know. I just know it was in the smaller radius somewhere. It's possible my mind wondered and my attention was taken off the road....just losing myself in the long sweeping ramp. If so, it's another reminder that I need more focus. *end of edit*

Could you have made it at that speed on a smaller lighter bike?

It's possible, but cornering is something I need to practice. It's been several years since I've ridden and I'm rusty. One thing is for sure, now that I think about it, my eyes were focused on the ditch when I rounded the corner....and that's exactly where I ended up.

Could someone more experienced have done OK at that speed on your bike?

Probably....depending on their reaction time. It surprised me. I was not expecting the smaller radius. Being unfamiliar with the ramp is the part I've beat myself up over. Like cresting a hill without knowing which direction the road is going, I should have entered with caution.

How about this, could you have done better on your bike if you had spent all morning carving up a twisty road someplace, knew exactly how far you could lean over in a turn before scraping pegs, pipes, or the tires would start to slide?

Yeah, I think so. I need to practice.

Not meaning to cause any grief, practice in a safe environment goes a long way to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Especially on the bigger bikes that can get going so very fast so very quickly.

I think practice on a track day is not mentioned enough around here.

That's great advice and I very much appreciate it. No grief taken. Constructive criticism can only make us better.