Monday 2 February 2009

Snow can be fun, right?

Like Amy and Ali, I had all the best intentions of getting out in the snow and having miles of fun. And I did, I covered approx 10 miles on my bike.

Then things went a little wrong. Or should that be, more than a little wrong.
Turning into my road (which never gets gritted, although the entry to it usually does), I saw a car fish-tailing as it tried to turn out of the road and sliding a little on the snow.
Unfortunately i couldn't get out of the way in time and got side-swiped by it as it grazed past my leg. It shit me up so much that I promptly fell off my bike and landed with a huge thud in the snow.

The driver thought he'd killed me (bless, it wasn't even his fault) as I just lay there unable to move for about 5 minutes, letting the cold snow chill the area where I was really hurting. After he freaked out for a while I managed to get up (not sure how), persuade him that I was OK, hobbled to my flat door and crawled up the stairs - no way I was getting my bike clothes cut off me by anyone.

Rang for an ambulance after struggling to get out of bike clothes (pain was horrendously intense & I have a stupidly high pain threshold), got told one would be on it's way; then got a call back to be told it'd been cancelled as I'd quite clearly managed to get inside so can't be that badly injured. I repeated my high pain threshold, but this pain was bringing me to tears it was that bad etc etc, and was told to rest for 24 hrs then see if I needed to get to hospital.

I decided to go against their decision and got to MRI by taxi (bloody excruciating), was seen by a doc as a car had been involved, had x-rays and found that I had been quite badly injured and that I should've been brought in by ambulance as I fractured a section of my pelvis. OUCH!!!

Been allowed home and have to go back to the fracture clinic on Friday to see how long it'll take to heal. I'm writing to the Ambulance Trust as they could have endangered my life by declining me the help.

Sadly, it means that my century challenge for several months is over. I won't be racing in the MCC Track Championship, Cheshire Cat or several other events I had planned. Boo hoo. Still, I'm alive. I'm just very battered and bruised and never felt pain like it!

Sigh......

8 comments:

  1. Oh no Anna. I hope you recover quickly.

    Cycling on the roads in the snow isn't a good idea.

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  2. Ouch! All sounds very nasty. Get better soon.

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  3. Ouch! All sounds very nasty. Get better soon.

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  4. The roads were all clear, just mine wasn't - I live on an unadopted road so it never gets winter treatment or repaired unless myself and the two garages pay for it.

    It's extremely sore, but as its a stable fracture then it's a case of rest until ortho guys say I can get back on the bike.

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  5. Just rest?
    And there I was waiting to find out how they go about putting your pelvis in plaster.

    Keep us updated with how you are.
    xxx

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  6. I hope the pelvis heals quickly! Sorry you'll be missing riding for awhile, but take the time to rest and heal completely!

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  7. Hello again Anna,
    As a former volunteer firefighter/emt I can appreciate your concern for your riding clothes. I have seen stoic bikers(motor bikes) with broken legs grit their teeth at the pain of the break and then cry at the sight of a paramedic cutting off his or her favourite riding leathers. Hope you get well soon, love your blog. Paul Glover

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  8. Thanks Paul.

    I was like that when I had my tibial plateau sheared through several years ago too - I refused point blank to go to the hospital until I'd crawled upstairs to put shorts on instead of having my trackies cut off me!! Despite the police telling me I had to go immediately!

    I'm getting better slowly but surely.

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