Broke a bone..... So what?

[Dantilla]

Something I admire about the Pelicans- As a general rule, a bunch of achievers, with a positive outlook on life, hang out here.

Well, I kinda impressed myself.

Took a nasty spill off the mountain bike a few weeks ago, which we briefly discussed here:
http://http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/561910-training-wheels-off-too-soon.html

Just a week before I was to go mountain biking in Vail.

Now I could either stay home and whine, or still go to Colorado and have so much fun I forget that I'm injured. I went, and had a great time. The other guys rode bikes as planned, and I went hiking all over the hills. Temp in the mid 70's, no humidity, visability unlimited. Couldn't be better.

I guess not many people expect to see someone with a cast high on the mountain. So many people asked what happened, we got tired of telling the truth, and came up with some alternate stories-

-The Cougar attack
-Battling frostbite (Trekking in the Himalayas when the Gortex shell ripped open when it was 40 below)
-Fell off the Gondola
-Arm wrestling tournament (I lost in the first round)
-Karate class (went from six bricks to ten too soon)
-My ex-wife bit me...

Funny observation- Anybody in Vail with a cast, crutches, brace, sling, yada yada looks very athletic- Very different from home, where it's usually a rolly-polly grandma who tripped over her cat.

Good reasons to have your arm in a cast:

-Great conversation starter. So many people ask what happened, and so many want to tell their story of formerly-broken bones.

-Lots of sympathy. Suprised me how people want to open doors, offer their seat (My legs work fine, lady!)

-A built-in excuse. Everybody understands if things take a little longer than expected. Lots of offers for assistance.

-My wife doesn't expect much around home. She saw me take the garbage out from under the kitchen sink with one hand, and said "Don't do that! I'll take care of it. Why don't you go sit down, and I'll bring you a cup of coffee". (This is different!)

-Continual amusement. Since I buggered up the left hand, and I'm left handed, all kinds of everyday things I've never thought about have become minor challenges to figure out. All you righties- Try brushing your teeth tonight left-handed!

While it's always a bummer to break a bone, this has been an interesting experience.

I have no more pain, and the Doc says it's progressing as expected.

Life is good. Even when typing with one hand.

[rattlsnak]

You obviously didnt break your 'wiping' arm....

That's a life changing event...

[craigster59]

So, Lefty. Post a picture of your signature signed with the right hand. No wonder I couldn't pass those checks..

[bell]

I know I'm poking chance here......
But......
I've never broken a bone, fingers and toes don't count, along with dislocations......
Which is really suprising being I spent the better part of my life taking unneccasary risks flying through the air on a bmx bike, racing 3 wheelers through densly wooded forests, and generally being a careless risk taking persona.......
Does road rash count for anything? I have many scars to prove.....some events even layed me up for weeks......
Then there's the giant "7" scar on my head which required 50+ stitches........
I've ofter thought of the bruce willis movie "unbreakable"......maybe I should stay home tomorrow LOL

[vash]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

You obviously didnt break your 'wiping' arm....

That's a life changing event...

this is soooo true. funny but true. when i put my right hand into a table saw..i would use half a roll of TP...hahahhah. (thinking back..i should have gone in with nitrile gloves on)

[slodave]

I'm with Bell, never busted a bone, not even fingers or toes. I have broken my nose and my collar bone is no longer connected to my shoulder bone on the right side.

I just figured it's not possible for my bones to break.

[AFC-911]

Hahaha! I love your fake stories!

When I broke my collarbone, the girls at the restaurant I worked with at the time used to say that I broke it during a wild orgy in the bathroom.

[sammyg2]

Up until about 6 years ago I used to tell folks that I had never broke a bone in my life. Caint say that no more.

Back around 1983 I was riding dirt bikes along the fire trails in the hills east of Riverside.
Well, I did a flying trapeze act.
I was convinced I had broke my foot. The guys I was with convinced me otherwise, pansy, wimp etc.

I kept riding but kept crashing. Shock. Beer helped.
Never missed any work but I had a nasty limp for about a month or so, not being able to put any weight on my left heel.
It got better.

About 6 years ago I was having problems that seemed like bone spurs at the achilles so I went to a pedo-doctor.
She was looking at the x-ray and said something like, "who the heck set that break?" I said, "what break?"

Turns out I broke the heel bone completely off right where it necks down to the narrowest part and it eventually fused together higher up, about 1/4" higher. the pedo-doc asked if i had any back problems, yep. Surgery in 1985.
Any knee problems? Yep, one surgery in 1998 and I'm due to get the other cut on one of these days. She said that figures.

She had me walk on this silly paper stuff to check the gait, she said it was really bad.

She said she could fix it but I wouldn't be able to walk on it for 6 months.
Nope, it ain't that bad. Too old to start a restoration project.

[myamoto1]

Originally Posted by bell

I know I'm poking chance here......
But......
I've never broken a bone, fingers and toes don't count, along with dislocations......
Which is really suprising being I spent the better part of my life taking unneccasary risks flying through the air on a bmx bike, racing 3 wheelers through densly wooded forests, and generally being a careless risk taking persona.......
Does road rash count for anything? I have many scars to prove.....some events even layed me up for weeks......
Then there's the giant "7" scar on my head which required 50+ stitches........
I've ofter thought of the bruce willis movie "unbreakable"......maybe I should stay home tomorrow LOL

You might be surprised... I thought I had never broken a bone before, until I shattered my wrist. Docs said I had broken it at least twice before. That was only one wrist - god knows what else I broke and never knew it.

[flatbutt]

Broke my shin in a rugby match many years ago. Did that ever hurt! I feel...no felt your pain Dantilla.

[syncroid]

Great story!
I have broken some bones that are not meant to be broken and didn't even know it till much later in life.
When I was in high school I was diving through an inner tube floating in a pool...I missed. The impact was like diving into a sand box head first from about ten feet up. I could feel nothing and sunk to the bottom of the pool. (temporary paralysis) If it was not for my dad wondering why it was so quite all of a sudden, I would have died there. He jumped in and pulled me out. (carefully) He was a doctor. He slapped me in one of those foam neck braces and said "You'll be fine son". I continued playing football even though it hurt like %$^$^%. He kept saying it was normal to be a little sore for awhile. Like for a YEAR dad!

Fast forward about thirty years.
I get a full skeletal Xray for one reason or another.... Doc comes up to me and says "So, when did you break your neck? Me, "Whaaaaat?!?

[Superman]

If I ever got a big cut on my face that required stitches, I would forever report it as a "dueling scar."

Sympathy is fun. I wonder where I can get my arm casted.

So Dan.......does this mean I might be able to beat you at autocross? Worth a try.......

[Superman]

Hey, I've got one for you guys. I once broke a shoulder blade. Yup, a scapula. I've never heard of anyone else doing this.

[Superman]

You know who we should recruit for this discussion? johnco.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

You obviously didnt break your 'wiping' arm....

That's a life changing event...

Woah! Never thought of that... Yikes!

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by Superman

So Dan.......does this mean I might be able to beat you at autocross?

Ummmm....... No.

At least I hope not. I did finally drive the 911 the other day just to pick up my daughter from school (She loves to be seen getting into the 5-point harnesses by her friends).

Putzing to and from school was fine. Not sure I'm going to autocross yet. I may show up at the next event with my helmet and offer instruction from the right seat.

I also flew the airplane for the first time yesterday. I managed to get up in the air, and back into the hangar just fine.

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by Superman

Hey, I've got one for you guys. I once broke a shoulder blade. Yup, a scapula. I've never heard of anyone else doing this.

now you have. I just did that a few months ago..

[daepp]

Worked out all summer with the wrestling team at school. First week of real practice as a freshman he was thrown. He's 170 lbs and tried to break his fall with his arm rather than roll. He broke both bones in his left arm instead...


Cell phone pic of the xray after they tried to set it - unsuccessful. Both bones were past the other ends. The doc got one close but the other still overlapped the other end of the bone. So surgery and pins.


After shot with pins




Back at school already and doing good. But kind of a disaster to wrestling season this year.

[GH85Carrera]

I hope he is right handed.

[nynor]

heh. i had my cheekbone pinned, once. i also have a permanently broken fibula and an intramedial rod in my tibia. i broke a metacarpal working on my buddies 944, the top of my hand has a slight indentation.

the pinned cheekbone was fun, however, because the dr. put a cork over the protruding end out of the side of my face. good times.