Quick updates…

1. Met the second orthopaedic surgeon and he confirmed what the first one said. That it is a grade 2 LCl tear and treating it with a knee brace is adequate. He thinks it should be fully healed by the first week of August. He said I was very lucky and had just barely escaped surgery. I’m also walking and almost completely functional in the knee area now. Physiotherapy is ongoing as well.

2. Hands are healing although still a bit restrictive. I slammed a car door on the left hand yesterday and saw stars. My wrist has been hurting ever since, even after a good night’s sleep, so I’m going to go see the hand surgeon a bit earlier than scheduled. One of the pins has also partially come out, probably from the stress of driving and such.

On my way home today, I was stopped at a green light, waiting for all the oncoming traffic to go past before I turned left, and the last two vehicles were two motorycles. As the first of them started to go past, he turned his head to look at me, and in his narrowed eyes I saw the same wariness and vulnerability I’ve had everytime I’ve passed an unpredictable left-turning vehicle. Just for a moment I saw myself in him, and realized how much I’m missing.

The good news is that I’m on the mend and able to drive, restoring a huge portion of normalcy back to my life. But life seems so much hollower. I had my whole summer planned out, and now I’ve got nothing but week upon week of therapy and doctor’s appointments to look forward to as my hands and leg slowly heal and I am deemed fit again to get back onto my two wheels.

It could have been worse, I know, but it’s bad enough at times.

Surgeries…

The word is in. I tore the LCL in my right knee and need to get surgery. My right hand will likely need surgery too.

The damage…

I seem to have a boxers thumb, oh a boxer’s fracture on one hand and a skiers thumb on the other hand, neither of which are very painful but a little…seem to get in the way when I’m typing. Other than that, hobbling into work with a really badly injured knee and two bandaged hands, I looked like the poster child of why your mum told you never to ride a motorcycle ever.

I’m coping – The weekend wasn’t that good. I did get my hair done on Saturday which was nice – life never feels too bad when you’re having a good hair day. Went out to a barbecue at my manager’s manager’s house which was really nice. Made me wish I was a Microsoft millionaire too, although I’m glad I have simple needs so it wasn’t too bad.

Sunday was just pretty much sit around, try to watch all the TV shows I could. Didn’t do a whole lot, didn’t change out of my jammies. Glad that day was over! Today I’m back to work, looking forward to another gruelling week of pretending to be OK when I’m not. But just gettting through, it beats staying at home and getting bored to death.

I got the MRI done on Saturday so the doctor should probably get back to me about it this week. I’m really hoping it’s good news. as the knee’s still swollen, the swelling doesn’t seem to have gone down at all and it seems to be hurting more than it did last week. So, good to see what comes of it. I’d like to say this crash was an educational experience but I don’t know, I just want it to be over and want to get back on my bike. Bike’s going to cost less than 60 dollars to fix which is, I guess, a little bit of good news. So the bikes going to be fixed a lot earlier than I am. I wish it were the other way round. The weather’s good which sucks because I don’t want it to be good, I want it to be rainy and gloomy and really crappy to match my mood but that’s never how it works out, is it? Hope I don’t sound like too much of an idiot on this voice post. Most of you, I hope, can understand what I’m saying and hopefully someone will transcribe it. That’s all I got. I better go now.

Memorial Day photos…

After the previous two gloomy posts, here’s a more cheery one. Photos from my 4 day Memorial Day weekend to the Pacific Ocean and along Columbia River. I cannot do the long writeup I intended on account of fractured finger, but photos under the cut!

My route was roughly:

Day 1: Bellevue -> Centralia -> Elma -> Aberdeen -> Pacific Beach -> Copalis Beach
Day 2: Copalis Beach -> Cosmopolis -> Astoria
Day 3: Astoria -> Longview (via Hwy 4) -> Castle Rock -> Mt. St. Helen’s -> Toledo -> Morton
Day 4: Morton -> Elbe -> Parkland -> Bellevue

Overall only a little over 600 miles and change (including seven Destination Highways). I was sick most of Saturday and Sunday so I couldn’t ride as much as I had hoped to.

Just a week ago… those were happy times…

All loaded up and just starting out.

The SV in Astoria. For some reason i really like this photo.

Astoria coffeehouse

Astoria Bridge in the background

On the Destination Highway from Seaview to Longvew along the Columbia river

View from the top of the Mt. St. Helen’s ride

The green room of the St. Helen’s manorhouse where I slept. (reputed to be haunted. Full story here.)

Okay so it’s a little immature. :P

The weekend was replete with twisties. :)

The rest of the pictures can be found here.