History

I mention it in passing because it was a turning point for me. It's not the big deal that it once was, it just changed my life radically and ultimately for the better. So, what was this bike wreck that I mention from time to time? I deleted the blog after the drama and legal crap came to an end. I just didn't want to "dwell" anymore. Here's the story:

in 2006 I was an avid road cyclist (I still am... I just don't get out much, LOL) logging in well over 100 miles per week. Cycling for me was like breathing.   In April my Dad was diagnosed with metastasized lung cancer at the age of 80. He was a disconnected, stressed, angry human whom I did not have a loving, wonderful relationship with. The only way I could show support that "might" register with him, and an ideal way for me to "deal" with his illness ~ was to ride. So I rode a lot, logging in 600+ miles per month.  In May I signed up for Lance Armstrong's cancer awareness entity, the "LiveSTRONG Challenge".   I was to ride 60 miles on a tandem with my daughter, in Philadelphia, PA.   We raised the money and off we went... where we had a ride ending crash 10 miles in. ... Uh NO! That's not "the crash". That was a road bump. No one was hurt, just one cycling shoe died, a couple of abraded knees... and some wounded pride. We had a good time anyway.

2007 came and Dad was still with us.   Since he was all about fitness I signed up to do the LiveSTRONG challenge in Philadelphia that August. I was to ride 100 miles on Dad's behalf.    July came and Dad lost his battle with cancer on Friday, July 20th.   I contemplated canning my LiveSTRONG ride.   After all, Dad was dead and I lost weeks of training miles in those final weeks.    My mentor cheered me out of quitting.     ....Thank you, Marc!

August 26th, 2007 arrived and I was amongst thousands of cyclists and completed my very first 100 mile ride in one day (my ODO registered 109 miles).... with Lance Armstrong!   It was amazing and a real high point for me. The ride was difficult, challenging, joyous, moving, heartfelt, lonely, exhausting and exhilarating all that the same time.   My reward of pizza and beer never tasted so good!    I did it.    I was elated.    That was on a Sunday.

Tuesday morning, the 28th, we were home again and ready to hit the road for a little loosening up. I was tired, but ot exhnausted and needed to get out get out and get my legs spinning. It was a lovely morning! I remember it well. Crystal clear morning and a pleasant stillness with a taste of autumn just barely there. My husband Steve, and I were about 10 miles out when we came upon a rarely traveled road known for its steep decent followed by an equally (very) steep assent. I was feeling fit, so off we went. As we began the decent, I feel in behind Steve in a draft formation. Suddenly, from behind large bushes to our right a LARGE dog came charging out at my husband who was picking up speed and pulling away rapidly.   The dog had not seen me, so I drifted silently away from him to the left to avoid him all together, giving me a chance to floor it and ghost past him before being caught.

It was a good plan, but it didn't work out that way. As I was picking up speed, the dog saw me and immediately changed course my direction. I spun up, but he caught me with his whole body slamming my rear wheel at full speed. That makes for some incredible things to happen, none of which involves staying upright ~ although I sure did give it a try! But, no.... the rear of the bike came up like a catapult and slammed me face first into the pavement. I wasn't doing anything near "speedy" (this was a "recovery ride" after all...)  ... maybe 15 miles an hour and gaining rapidly on the hill.   I hit the ground face first (yes, I had a helmet), slid along like a rag doll and when I came to a stop my only thought was, "You're hurt. Don't move." LOL, ...no problem.    I lost consciousness.    Steve saw the whole event in his rear view mirror.   I simply can't imagine the horror of thinking you've just watched your best friend die.

I woke up in time for my ride to the hospital.    I could feel my teeth with my tongue.  They were all there.  My back was killing me.  I couldn't feel the right side of my face.... but I didn't care about that. Sometimes numb is good.

During the ride, I had had my hands over the brake hoods, as I do almost "always" for emergency braking. Where my hands went during the crash is unknown, but I'm thinking my thumbs got caught up on brake levers, snapping a tendon on one thumb, and injuring the other quite severly. Tendons take forever to heal, by the way.    The wrist of my left hand was mangled.   I couldn't write for months afterwards.  I enjoy writing and am glad to say that I exercise that skill daily once again.  Zip lock baggies are torture for hand problems as are many types of lids, I was handicapped in the literal sense.  I have regained about 80%.  This weakness is part of what led me to TTouch.
This was taken in the ER about 90 minutes after the accident (that's road grime on my face, mostly). My hands haven't swollen yet.   I haven't even noticed they're hurt and wont till the next day.   The abrasions on my hands were through my cycling gloves. The blood from my eye is from a gnarly gash left by my cycling glasses ~ which saved my eye!   Seriously, the lens of that eyepiece was abraded all to bits from the road.   The pinch/gash is from the impact. Tofusi gave me a free replacement pair of glasses. My cheek on the near side is depressed, crushed/broken all around the edge; like a plate with a hole punched in. My chin is nasty (covered), it took a lot of abrasion along the road.  All that's left there now is a purple spot.

My favorite jersey was toast. My new road bike was dead. The rear wheel was pretzeled from the dogs' impact, the frame bent. My dear husband got me a new Specialized carbon fiber frame with shock-absorbing inserts (for my hands) and killer nice DuraAce components and wheels.  It is SWEET!  Now I just need my nerve!

A week after the wreck, when swelling had subsided, I had my face put back together with a titanium plate to hold it all together.   I had the option of having the plate removed later.... no thank you... it's still there. A few months and two doctors later,  I had my hand surgically repaired  on April fools day 2008!    I said it was a good day to get my hand back.   Since I could no longer "do" my hair while recovering from the surgery, I donated 10" to Locks-of-Love.

During recovery I spent a huge amount of time typing on the computer to regain some hand strength and it was during this transitional period that I heard of TTouch.   Adding to the attraction was my little Jazz pup who was facing a full hip replacement at a tender age.

2010 I "finally!" got myself to attend a TTouch workshop which happened to be given by our dearest Linda, the founder.   I was hooked.   The rest is what it is!

So there you go.   Now you know.

TTouch therapy has done a lot of good for my face and doing TTouch is as helpful for the receiver as it is for me and my hands.   I can mostly feel my affected teeth now and I still get infrequent sensations, or "tickles" along the right side of my face - meaning the nerves are busy.    This was an area that was nearly *dead numb* for months post accident.  It's also a great improvement from the first sensations which registered as acute pain and was truly horrible!   I'll take weird little tingles anytime over that experience. 

As horrid as the experience seems, I can only compound it with the footnote of it being my 5th significant head injury in life.  You know, the first one was really quite bad enough.  I sure didn't intend to make a collection of this sort of thing.  Let this be the end of that adventure.


Heart Hugs