I thought I’d taken my kickings for 2020. As my mam reminded me, I’ve already had the plague and been sacked this year. It’s only two days left until the symbolically optimistic fresh new start of 2021. Ha!
The last two days it’s finally turned cold. Snow that hasn’t fully melted away, rain, and sub zero overnight. Yesterday I had 04.00 start and that was quite bracing, riding through frozen snow ridges and tiptoeing over ice patches. Today was worse. The ground was a sheet of ice. I normally hop on my pushbike right outside our door, today I pushed it out and across the road before starting. The wheels were slipping out as I was pushing. In hindsight I should have sacked it off then. Asked Wendy for a lift, or walked in.
I gingerly started pedaling in, got about 300 yards and the front end slipped out. Somehow, in the second before I slammed into the ground, I had the presence of mind to decide to do a tuck and roll. Usually forearm, shoulder, hip. It was too late to get my hand down so I just went on to my shoulder. Huge mistake. I landed it completely wrong (normally there would be forward momentum, this time the movement was straight down) and the corner of my shoulder took the full impact.
Wow, did that ever hurt!
Some guy walking his dog came up to see if I was alright. I was really struggling to understand him, my brain was so absorbed with the pain.
After a minute or two I realised I wouldn’t be going in to work so pushed my bike back home.
Luckily Wendy was starting later today so was still at home. I took my coat and T-shirt off to see if there was any damage. That was enough to have me shouting out with the pain. I rang the agency and told them, then Wendy took me to the hospital. They thought it was dislocated at first, which had me quite hopeful, but then the xrays came back and they said it was a fractured clavicle. I thought a fracture was like a crack in the bone, not a break, so while I was waiting to get transferred to the right department for treatment I rang the agency and told them I probably wouldn’t be coming in tomorrow. That was a tad optimistic, as it turns out.
The breaks department showed me the xray. Clearly snapped. Super. They gave me a sling, some cocodomol, and an appointment with an outpatient doctor in a week. The nurse asked what my job was, I said “lorry driver”, “Well, you wont be driving any lorries for a while.” How long? 6 weeks.
Well, isn’t that wizard.
I’m an agency driver, so no sick pay. I can’t return to running, and I don’t know if I’m even going to be able to train on my indoors bike. AND I’M HAVING TO TYPE LEFT HANDED! The pain just keeps on coming.
Talking of, that’s one good thing. If I don’t move it, it’s not too bad. I’ve had one of usual headaches most of today and that hurt more. However, I took the sling off to try and adjust it. Oh yes, it’s broke alright. That made me sweat!
It’s annoying though. The irony of a lifetime of crashing motorbikes, coming off at 70mph and pushing it home etc, then breaking my shoulder falling off a pushbike at 2mph was not lost on me. Nor the fact that had this happened 3 months ago I would be taking the next 6 weeks off on full pay. We are where we are, but if you wanted to look at it as a series of unfortunate events it wouldn’t be hard.
On the bright side, the NHS were fantastic. You appreciate what you’ve always taken for granted when it’s about to be taken from you. And the pain is really mild until you move it. I’ve never broken anything before, but everyone seems to think I should be in agony. Happy not to be, thank you very much. And because it’s so hard to type left handed, this is going to be mercifully brief. You’re welcome.
I was making great gains on my bike training, but by the time I get to write about it I fear it will be lost.
Ho hum.
Rest, heal, come back stronger.
Right, I’m out of here.
Stay safe, people.
Buck.
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