The Accident

Until I have more strength to put together a more coherent tale, is is a brief description of my bike accident on Sat Sept 18, and a list of the injuries I sustained.

Briefly, I was riding 25 mph in a time trial, aerobar position on my bike at Ft Lewis. Base roads are closed, but there was a running event that day. A paramedic was parked in the road in a pickup. The pickup was not moving. I had my head down and … Bam … Hit pickup literally head on with my lower jaw. I think the cervical spine and throat stuff happened from severeneck  extension at that time.

I did not hit the upper part of my head, my helmet had no marks on it. I think all I hit was the lower jaw. I did not lose consciousness until the paramedics started to move me.

I was drowning from a mouth laceration, and stayed alert long enough to hoarsely tell the EMT to keep my “head down, hips up”, then my memory is gone.

Paramedic came back to see me, told me he thinks I saved my own life that way.

Injuries

Spinal cord contusion, causing weakness and parathesias in  C 4, 5, and 6 with loss of sensation and fine motor control especially in thumb, index and middle fingers, and weakness in small hand muscles. Hard to do stuff like write, type, surgery, … This is SLOWLY improving every day.

Neck trauma to larynx, pharynx, thyroid cartilage, with much swelling and deep bruising, necessitating a tracheotomy, and thus a feeding tube. Swallowing is still ineffective, so I now have a gastric feeding tube. No timetable for this resolution of the swallowing difficulties.

Multiple cervical spine fractures … Stable, but neck brace for six weeks. I can have collar removed for cleaning.

Mouth trauma … Displaced bone holding lower front teeth, loss of 8 teeth. This will require further work, including temporary plate,  jaw surgery and tooth implants by oral surgeon.

Bad laceration of entire lower lip extending into cheek. Significant blood loss from this. Lower lip muscles work, but area is still swollen and numb in places.

Multiple bruises and superficial abrasions, minor in nature, including laceration of left forefinger.

Small broken bone left wrist 3 mm. Radial styloid Fx. Not a significant issue. Wrist Brace only needed if I push hard with my hand.

I was hospitalized for two weeks, first week in ICU. I got home Oct 1st. Every day I improve, but the road ahead seems to get longer.