Bike Crash - Again

[MarkU]

Had my second bike major crash in the last seven months. This time I was trying to get away from a neighbor's dog who got loose and piled into a mailbox at about 15mph. Gashed my right arm and wrist, destroyed the metal mailbox and cracked the wooden post. Fortunately I didn't hit my head this time and the bike came through okay. The neighbor's kid was there and saw it all happen. He grabbed the dog and ran inside with it and then wouldn't answer the door when I went up to try to talk to them. Called the county animal control and filed a report, but not much they can do.

I'm stiff and sore and to add insult to injury, my friends and family are telling me I shouldn't be doing this triathlon stuff at my age (53), with my "heart condition" and being on Coumadin.

Plus, I've got my third colonoscopy in the last 18 months coming up in a couple of weeks and have to do the Lovenox bridge thing again.

Just kind of down in the dumps right now.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Mark

 

[geebee]

Mark,

Sorry to hear of your accident - it's a shame people can't keep dogs under control and I hope something comes of your complaint.

Tell all the naysayers (sp?) that you are okay to do your triathlon. It is your decision and not theirs. If the doc says go for it then go for it. It is your life and you need to live it or why did you go through all the hassles of OHS?

Bummer about the colonoscopy. I hope things are smooth with that. It sure does seems like every negative thing comes at the same time.

Vent away - that is one of the reasons we are here.

 

[Ross]

Wow. I was going to joke about all these accidents, but this time, it was the dogs fault. Hard to joke about something like that. At least you didn't have to explain to an old man why you ran into the side of his mobile home and didn't knock if off its foundation!

Did I miss something or simply forget? What's with the scope that many times in this short period of time?

 

[MarkU]

Wow. I was going to joke about all these accidents, but this time, it was the dogs fault. Hard to joke about something like that. At least you didn't have to explain to an old man why you ran into the side of his mobile home and didn't knock if off its foundation!

Did I miss something or simply forget? What's with the scope that many times in this short period of time?

My "routine" colonoscopy last year (and a botched polypectomy) resulted in four days in the hospital and a second emergency colonoscopy to re-cauterize a spot that was bleeding. They found some additional 'bad' polyps during the second colonoscopy that they had missed the first time, but couldn't take them out because my INR was out of range.

For what should be obvious reasons, I've since switched gastroenternologists and the new guy now wants to go back in to get the bad guys out and see what else the first quack, er doc, might have missed.



Mark

 

[alex c.]

Mark, sorry to hear about your spill on the bike. I hope you recover soon and don't listen to what everyone tells you. I'm so pumped myself that I can now be able to start running and cycling. I have a lot of my family members telling me to not think about that stuff no more and to take it easy from now on because of my heart condition. WHAT?!!?! It just pisses me off and makes me want to do more.

Anyways, how did you recover from the gashes? Did you bleed more than usual and was it harder to stop?

 

[Granbonny]

Sorry to hear about your bike spill. My neighbor, who is an avid biker told me that dogs are the worse.. So, he puts his bike on the back of his car..travels to a rural paved road in the mountains to ride..where he knows, that there are no dogs.Do hope that you wear a bike helmet........Not to get away from your pain ect...but, don't you have leash laws?If so, I hope the owners dog will pay for the damage to the mailbox,ect...Take care...Bonnie

 

[kodi]

Sorry about the spill. Nothing like good old road rash to prove you've done it. About the triathlons, do all of them you want. I did my best ones between the ages of 48 and 55 and did my last one at the age of 63. I'm really trying to get back to doing them. I just had a visit with my first running/triathlon person and he did one a month ago, the week before he turned 78. There is no age limit, the limit is in the mind. I'm anxious to get back to running marathons again and my family thinks it's awesome that I even want to do any at all.

 

[Ross]

My "routine" colonoscopy last year (and a botched polypectomy) resulted in four days in the hospital and a second emergency colonoscopy to re-cauterize a spot that was bleeding. They found some additional 'bad' polyps during the second colonoscopy that they had missed the first time, but couldn't take them out because my INR was out of range.

For what should be obvious reasons, I've since switched gastroenternologists and the new guy now wants to go back in to get the bad guys out and see what else the first quack, er doc, might have missed.



Mark

Sorry Mark, wished you'd have had my buttman. Fingers are too big, but he's great with the scope. He took one out of me fully anticoagulated, which shocked me because we discussed if something were found, I'd go in for a bridge and then redo.

 

[hensylee]

I have been wondrin where you are.

I am sorry that you had a run-in with a dog AND a mailbox. Hope your bruises heal soon and that your next trip to the table is a great improvement over the last time.

You are enjoying your life as it has become after surgery and we are entitled to do what we want. Right? Right. Keep on keepin on......

 

[Guest]

Just kind of down in the dumps right now.

Thanks for letting me vent.

*nods*

That is what friends are for, Mark.

Sorry that you are down in the dumps and have had another bike crash.

As for doing the triathlon, go for it. From my vantage point, I'd say that this recent incident ... along with your "heart condition" ... proves that you _should_ do it. Why? Look at all you have overcome so far.....

Good luck ... and I hope you feel better soon .



Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"Enough is enough, I can't take anymore" ... Alabama ... 'Can't Keep A Good Man Down'

 

[MarkU]

Anyways, how did you recover from the gashes? Did you bleed more than usual and was it harder to stop?

I had a couple of pretty good gashes on the top of my right wrist and forearm. They bled for a bit, but nothing too bad. I've always considered myself to be lucky not to bruise or bleed easily. FWIW, my INR was 2.9 when I checked it two days later.

Mark

 

[MarkU]

Sorry Mark, wished you'd have had my buttman. Fingers are too big, but he's great with the scope. He took one out of me fully anticoagulated, which shocked me because we discussed if something were found, I'd go in for a bridge and then redo.

I like the new guy I found - he's very knowledgable (and reasonable) about Coumadin management. He would like to have my INR around 1.8 for the colonoscopy, but is willing to defer to my cardiologist if that is a problem.

As you know, it's not the 'scope per se, it's the "prep" and the Lovenox bridge that turns the experience into an ordeal.

Mark

 

[MarkU]

*nods*

That is what friends are for, Mark.

You guys are the best.
Mark

 

[BillCobit]

Called the county animal control and filed a report, but not much they can do.

I'm stiff and sore and to add insult to injury, my friends and family are telling me I shouldn't be doing this triathlon stuff at my age (53), with my "heart condition" and being on Coumadin.

"Not much they can do" I hate those responses. THere should be plenty they can do, else why do taxpayers fund them? Frustrating.

And it sounds like time to disown the family and get some new friends

Hope you are feeling better soon, Mark.

 

[LLJ]

Oh please, don't listen to people who say you shouldn't do Tris at 53! If you hadn't a heart surgery they wouldn't be saying it. They would be calling you a stud! I have no less than 5 friends who are top level Triathletes over 50 and no one tells them to stop. They fall-we laugh and say oh well-unbend your bike! Now I know coumadin complicates things,but that's all. There are lots of people falling and racing and laughing and going forward with less and more physical conditions. All that matters is that you are safe and you WANT to do it.
Mark, good luck with your colonoscopy--Dogs and doctors can sometimes be such a pain!

Laura
LLJ

 

[tommy]

Hang in there, Mark, you old man I'm sure that the family worries about you. Their response is out of love. I get some of those vibes myself, but more from concern about the joints and running. They just don't feel the passion and the life-giving joy that comes from participating in these events. They just see the potential "costs".

I saw part of the TV special about Lance Armstrong and two other survivors running the NY Marathon. A cancer survivor and a war vet in a wheel chair - just 6 months from having his legs blown off in Iraq. Their passion and drive brought tears to my eyes. I suppose to some, (and maybe to me before AVR) it seems hokey to get so emotional and drawn in to the drama, but it truly is inspirational to hear their stories, see their passion, and to identify with them through our attempts and successes.

 

[afraidofsurgery]

do it anyway

do it anyway

Hi Mark,
Wish I had the time to train for a triathlon, I'd do it in a heartbeat! Sometimes I think when you hear people saying you 'shouldn't' do something it means you're on the right path...

Patty

 

[msiwik]

Glad to see your spirits have lifted

Glad to see your spirits have lifted

You guys are the best.
Mark

One of my favorite quotes in life comes from Lord of the Rings:

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

*****
Glad the group (i.e., our fellowship of the repaired hearts!) could lift your spirits. Mark

 

[Karlynn]

Very appropriate Mark - thank you for sharing it.

 

[MikeB]

Sorry to hear about the accident, hope you are feeling better each day. I will keep you in my prayers.