What have you done and how long will you be off for? Feel free to moan and be grumpy about it.

I’ll start.

I found out two weeks ago, 30 mins before what was supposed to be a quick and simple operation. That I had been riding around for 5 months (including Snowdon) with a broken leg. I fell over on my first day skiing ever and thought I had sprained my ankle so carried on for the week, a couple of months passed and I went to the GP who referred me for some physio to strengthen the muscles in my ankle. At this point and all along I have been in pain but have been able to ride at a decent standard, as I said above I walked up Snowdon and rode down Rangers with it.

So I did the physio for a month or so and he starts to think a fragment of bone or cartilage has chipped off and is in the joint. So I went to see an ankle specialist who thinks the same and wants to operate on it. He says I will be off the bike for a bit but can start doing impact sports after 6 weeks ie proper MTBing and jogging etc. I think fine I can handle that bit of gentle riding after 3 weeks and I will be fine.

So he sends me for an MRI to be sure and books me in for the operation 2 days after that. He comes and tells me just before the op that I had broke my leg and a cyst that has grown in it, this has been the cause of the pain. He tells me I wont be able to put any weight on my foot for 5 weeks and after 3 months I can get on an exercise bike. But I wont be able to do impact sports for 5 months! In my head within 3 minutes my total recovery time has gone from 6 weeks to 5 months.

I’m sat here at work feeling properly sorry for myself, I cant even get myself a drink, it takes 10 minutes to get to the toilet (as it is downstairs) where I have to sit down to pee as it is difficult to take aim while balancing on one foot. I’m two weeks in now and feel like a prisoner in-between work and home. I am so used to spending time outside no matter what the weather I’m starting to go coco-loco staring at 4 walls all the time.

This is like looking into my head at the moment.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehmbkknFneQ[/video]

Anyway enough of my sob story tell me yours.

Broken left wrist at the moment. Feeling more sorry for myself each day and getting increasingly bored. Riding is just impossible. I’m at a loss for something to do so junk food and films I’d never watch seem to be the order of things at the moment.

I’m not feeling so sorry for myself now.

I’ve got a 7-9 day gap between selling my old bike and new bike arriving.

Postponed an op that will have me out for a month cos of work though

Buggered back, so not the end of the world, but enough to have kept me off bikes for 4 weeks. Boo!

I broke my femur on March 12th, it took 12 weeks to knit back together. I’m now fully weight bearing & doing physio. It feels like forever since I broke it & at the moment I’m not sure when I’ll be back on the bike. I’m hoping August, but it could be later in the year than that… luckily we’ve not had a summer to miss out on.

I’ve done loads of reading, watching movies (lovefilm instant was a god send) & playing games.

Then –

Now –

Knee Tendons/ ligaments buggerd at the moment so that sucks big time.

You made a good job of that PrinceJohn. Looks bloody painful.

My story was pretty horrible but I’m feeling really positive at the moment.

I’ve been out of action since February with an infection in my hip joint. They removed the ball from the socket to get rid of the infection and I’ve been without a hip since April. The infection has cleared now and I’m getting my energy back and starting exercising.

I’ve been surprised at how my upper body strength has improved since starting weights and using crutches. My hands have toughened up and I can now ‘walk’ for about an hour on crutches. Shopping trips with a backpack are great and trips to the local Costa to read the paper are a great way to while away the days. I’ve got two weeks before they put the new hip in but I’m not actually that fussed as I’m getting about pretty well. Only bummer is I can’t drive (or ride!)

My advice is – just get out there – its just another challenge!

Damaged my rotator cuff last Oct in an innocuous little off, so off my bike for a few months during which time my asthma deteriorated. Then just after Christmas managed to pick up a full blown deep rooted chest infection; lots of drugs later managed to get the infection under control.

However since then Feb asthma has not been under control, cough, cold aches and pains only adding to generally feeling unwell, lots more drugs.

As my asthma peak flow is still poor I had another asthma review last week which un-covered a ‘dead spot’ in my right lower lung, so today a full chest x-ray

On the up side all of my bikes are in pristine condition as I have lavished hours of tender loving care on them. 🙂

Morzine crash
Dans crash

My OTB at 1:07 ended with a broken collarbone and wrist. Had an operation to plate the collarbone last Wednesday. Sitting at home off work for 2 months getting very bored. I’m contemplating setting up a turbotrainer in the garage to keep my legs moving.

Still, TdF, Olympics, SA test series – not all bad!!

December had a funny feeling in my heart.

January diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. But it only happens very infrequently.

April, tested for Brugada Syndrome (condition associated with sudden cardiac death). Don’t have that.

Now waiting to be tested for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (another sudden cardiac death syndrome). With luck I don’t have that, but it’s going to be ages before I find out.

Worst thing is, I feel fine and all I want to do is ride a bike. Fed up.

I was out for 7 months last year with a slipped disc. I passed the time by building a new bike (granted it shouldn’t take that long). Mrs Daz even took pity on me and relaxed the ‘one in one out rule’ in the hope that it would cheer me up.

Seriously though, you just need to find something else to do. Computer games are a great time filler if you’re that way inclined, failing that use the time to do something you never have time for, reading books, learning something new (either work related or not), or doing all the boring physio exercises that you’ve no doubt been given.

One word of warning though, be careful that whatever it is you do isn’t more interesting than biking. I knackered my shoulder about 8 years ago rock climbing which was my main obsession at the time. I started biking much more while it healed, and now I’ve barely been climbing since 🙂

This thread is doing a good job of making me feel more positive. Some of you guys seem to have really been through it.

I have been given a PS3 so I am spending time on that at every opportunity, killing Nazis is really helping.

I have plans to strip and rebuild both bikes as soon as I can walk and stand comfortably. I was thinking about getting my Enduro powdercoated but have changed my mind on that and am now thinking about getting my BMX looking tidy for when I can get down to the track again.

I’d rather like the idea of a broken ankle with months off. It’s something fixable, whereas electrical problems with the heart are rarely fixable and more likely have to be managed (in the case of ARVC, that means giving up exercise and having a defibrillator fitted due to the risk of sudden death).

I sincerely hope this cardiologist is just being cautious….

Cracked off the lump of bone on my humerus where the rotator cuff muscle joins the bone. Was told 6 weeks before I could ride again. At 6 and 1/2 weeks was told at least another 4 weeks. Half way through that now and start physio next week. I’m miserable.

OMITN I completely agree with you (simple) broken bones are a relatively easy fix. I’m also pretty lucky that this is the first time I have had anything properly wrong with me that has kept me from doing things.

Yup… Been out of hospital a week now having had my Gall Bladder removed.

Can’t drive or do **** all for a couple of weeks.

It’s doing my head in. 😐

OTB 10 days ago and still painful to lift right arm and still can not kneel. However scabs are falling off knees encouraging mobility. Shoulder a pain specially at night, but range of motion is getting back towards normal. should be able to hold the handlebars on the mtb soon :o)

One week before my alps trip, I bugger my back. Locked facet joint in my lumbar spine. I’ve spent the last two weeks moping around the house, but I am not actually too bad, as I know I will be back on the bike fairly soon. The only upside is that the weather is cack so I’m not missing out on dry dusty trails.

Alps trip in July/August to cheer me up 😀

Cripps you lot, some injurys there.
Suddenly I feel a whole lot better.

I’m off my bike from the weekend. Simply a case of getting too wet and cold and ending up with a stupid stiff lower back and very sore shoulders with a hint of trapped nerve. Bit of a lightweight really don’t you think.. but it’s enough for me to laugh at my bike as I do the ironing..

You made a good job of that PrinceJohn. Looks bloody painful.

Since then I re-aligned my pain thresholds significantly. At the time I was wondering just quite how much pain it takes to pass out cos I really couldn’t handle any more.
Even being completely doped up I screamed my head off every time they moved me on or off trolleys.

I felt really sorry for anyone waiting for a CT scan, the morning before they operated on me they took me for a scan & when they moved me from the trolley to the scanner I screamed the room down. Those in the waiting room were probably put off a little!

Knocked off road bike last October, broke right humerus and smashed humerus head( ball of the ball and socket joint)
2 operations since, now need shoulder replacement surgery.
Shoulder replacements only last around 10 years, with only a couple of revisions possible so a fused shoulder joint may happen in the future
I can still ride the road bike at the moment with a lot of pain, no mtb at the moment
Still waiting for the claim to be sorted, not been paid since November, had my 6 months of SSP, now on ESA off £71 a week so money is a bit tight!

Had acl reconstruction 12 weeks, been told by the physio to stay off the bike for at least another month or so. Luckily my bikes locked in my mates garage otherwise I reckon I could have been out riding by now.
I reckon my bike must think I’m ignoring it by now though

Broke my wrist ( radius 6 ” plate, ulna distal fracture 2 pins, two metacarpals , 2 fingers and associated cuts and bruises , 12 hr op etc etc) in late march , been back on the road bike 3 -4 weeks but still no offroad , seems a long time but being patient and looking forward to getting back at it, bummer as it has taken me years to get to the level I was at before the accident and I’m in my forties so recovery was always going to be a long process,

Keep your chin up and enjoy the rest period 😉

Knee Tendonitis. I’m slowly going mad.

Tonsillitis. In bed with fever for four days.
Got some drugs from the doc and the first dose made me vomit. Second dose is due in an hour….

came off the bike at the weekend and slammed myself against a nice rocky bit of hill. Fortunately no fractures but I’ve got loads of cuts and bruises, an elbow twice the size it should be, a shoulder that doesn’t go above 100 degrees very easily and a nice big bruise in my quads muscle that will stop the bike legs working for a good while.

The irony of it is that I’m a physio and I’m back to work tomorrow 🙂

me……. nothing too exciting though…..cracked a rib (again) but this time caused soft tissue damage to the intercostal muscles and it fu@£$%g hurts….drugged up to the eyeballs and cant face the bike……found solace in cake 🙁

Dark side crash last September – found semi-conscious in road by driver. Shoulder seperation, haematoma, plenty of scabs, I have no memory of accident or where it happened. Operation beginning of April involving metal work. Further procedure a month later due to shoulder becoming frozen. Intensive and painful physio with acupuncture.

Back on the bike a week ago – ding a linging along cycle paths trying to get some confidence back. Am smiling again and that’s the main thing.

Get well all!

3 screws in my foot by talisker707, on Flickr

Landed badly playing on some DJ’s about 4 weeks ago and ended up with a lisfranc dislocation/fracture of my foot.
Still got another 2 weeks to go in a non-weight bearing cast then if all is looking good when it’s next x-rayed I’ll be into a moon-boot for another 6 weeks and gradually introducing more weight.

Another op at 6 months to remove the screws,
Fair chance I’ll suffer with pain in my foot for a long long time (years) and I may need to have another op at some point to fuse the joint.

Worst thing is I’m in NZ and it’s just at the start of the ski season

Cinnamon girl – how come it took sooooo long between the original accident & the operation?

Been ‘off’ the bike for three years now… Had a meniscus tear in one knee, then the same in the other knee six months later. Had both repaired, but the left was never ‘right’. Managed to get back on the bike and start training late last year, but am now four weeks post surgery following scar tissue removal on the right.

Biking is out for at least another month.

<shrugs shoulders, sighs…>

Ah well, I’m breathing!

after reading all this feeling a lot better myself, broke my ankle in les deux alpes on sat so 45 days with no weight on the right leg bored stupid already and 43 days to go. Gotta have another xray in 7 days to make sure all is healing right otherwise plate it is.

On the plus side its all gonna heal well so in the grand scheme of thins a small blip. After the embarasement of not being able to speak french I decided to use this time to a least start to learn for next years alpes trip.

Broke collarbone on Sunday off to clinic today for proper assessment. Seems pretty minor compared to some you lot. Resting in bed so cats glad of company.

Cinnamon girl – how come it took sooooo long between the original accident & the operation?

Having been on the waiting list for 6 months, I contacted my GP surgery to ask them to find out. Apparently there was a huge backlog and it would be several months minimum before op could be done. Meanwhile, pain was getting worse, partly due to an untreated broken collar bone from years ago.

Ended up borrowing money to go private. Subsequently wrote an official letter of complaint and they admitted it wasn’t good enough and yes they had gone over the maximum waiting time.

The NHS might have been brilliant at patching me up but failed miserably thereafter.

Having been on the waiting list for 6 months, I contacted my GP surgery to ask them to find out. Apparently there was a huge backlog and it would be several months minimum before op could be done. Meanwhile, pain was getting worse, partly due to an untreated broken collar bone from years ago.

Ended up borrowing money to go private. Subsequently wrote an official letter of complaint and they admitted it wasn’t good enough and yes they had gone over the maximum waiting time.

The NHS might have been brilliant at patching me up but failed miserably thereafter.

That is proper shocking & even tho they’ve admitted it’s not good enough where does that leave you? Still out of pocket to get yourself sorted.

How do you manage to sleep when you can’t get comfortable no matter what you do?

My frustration with not being able to do anything is exaggerated by my lack of sleep. It’s not good.

In the last 2 weeks have just got back on a bike after a 5 year ( yes you read it right ) layoff. Many moons ago I had a fairly big off in Howarth in which I broke collarbone, an arm, a leg in 2 places, 4 ribs & 3 small cracks in vertebre. Initially after doing as my doc said and taking healing time I started riding again but fairly quickly was having loads of pain in left knee. had usual referal to specialist by GP who took xray & pronounced I had the onset of rheumatoid arthritis brought on by the earlier injury & my days cycling had ended.
Many tablets & physio sessions later I moved house still in loads of pain so asked new GP for a review, was surprised when told they had a joint specialist in the surgery so I was sent straight to see him. 10 minutes of pulling/prodding & many expletives later I was told I did not have arthritis but instead had extensive ligament damage. 8 months in a knee brace & I can cycle without pain again but have been told I will need an op to fix it properly

Last 6 months with a back injury, only been able to ride my road bike 😥

1 day out of hospital from an Achilles op. No weight bearing allowed on that foot – annoyingly my other leg and shoulder are a bit buggered from previous ops – so crutches are going to be fun.
I’m reflective on the better human qualities of most of the NHS folk – but amazed by their burden of paper work – seems to be always being chased up because of over complexity – through the last 11 years I keep meeting nurses ‘redesigning forms’ to use instead of the new million dollar IT system that lost another patient.

Hopefully I’ll be walking in 6 weeks – bathing some time before 🙂

Q:- Is there always, on every ward, one badly shuffling nurse that needs a hip replacement more than the ‘patient opposite’ ?