There’s no photo accompanying this post. No one was around to snap one when I fell off my bike yesterday in my own driveway at Treasure Island and landed hard on my right shoulder. The result: several ugly abrasions and a separated ACL. The latter means the ligaments that connect the top of the shoulder blade (acromion) and the clavicle (collarbone) are injured. Fortunately, no surgery is needed. But it still hurts like Hell.
For the record, I got back on the bike and completed my ride although I certainly didn’t disclose that to the medical staff at Harrison Belfair Urgent Care in Belfair, Washington, or the dear friend who drove me there and stayed with me for the four hours it took to get diagnosed, disinfected, and injected with Tetanus shot.
After thousands of rides, dismounting a bike should be as safe for me as getting off a counter stool. It is assuming I remember to concentrate. Yesterday I didn’t. I pitched forward and hit the ground shoulder first with my full weight behind me and my now useless feet tangled in the pedals. (BTW falling on the shoulder is the leading cause of an ACL separation.) My ultrasafe Bontrager helmet with its WaveCel technology wasn’t tested. I almost wish I had landed on my head.
My body’s response to serious injuries has always been similar. First intense pain. Then measured breathing followed by a self-inventory of what’s bruised, strained, bloody, or possibly broken. Next, the optimistic reaction that “maybe this won’t be so bad.” Finally, complete relaxation while the pain starts to subside and I decide how soon I can get up. I have never cried out for help, not even during an accident with a chainsaw when I was in my twenties.
I got good service at Harrison Belfair Urgent Care although the afternoon dragged and you have to wonder if they would step up the pace if they were swamped. They weren’t. On a slow Sunday in August there were no walk-ins from boating accidents, lawnmower mishaps, shootings, or other summer-related injuries.
Without a staff of specialists on hand, the neatest thing they did was send the X-rays to a radiologist at a remote facility to check for broken bones and torn ligaments. When that report came back negative, the Nurse Practitioner on duty was able to make her diagnosis and advise me what to do over the next few weeks to help the healing process. To cover herself, she recommended that I see an orthopedist. She also fitted me with a cloth sling to help keep my shoulder stable.
Her instructions were basic (ice, limited activity, and Ibuprofen/Tylenol as needed). Nothing complicated. That’s fine with me. So far the hardest thing has been changing my T-shirt. That and skipping my daily bike ride.
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