Here are the latest updates from Janie, as well as Steve's boss, Tim:
Today (9/3) we went to both the orthopedic & plastic surgeon. The plastic surgeon said everything was healing great. He changed us to a tight ACE wrap bandage instead of loose. The upper leg is going to continue with Bacitracin and bandaging for another week. Then it will be slathered inn Cocoa Butter and no longer needs bandages. Steve can shower and is encouraged to wash both areas with anti-bacterial soap and use lots of Cocoa Butter for moisturizing. He can now allow his leg to be lowered to the floor (still without weight bearing). We return in 6 weeks for a follow-up appt.
The orthopedic surgeon wasn't as promising. He said Steve will need a bone graft surgery on the right leg in about 2 months. He won't be expected to put weight on this leg for many months to come. He released us to travel home to NC (we're leaving in the morning) and suggested we return to him in a month or get in touch with an ortho in Raleigh regarding the bone grafting. We've made no definite decision on this yet.
Packing up the computer until we're back at home! Yeah, we're both excited.
Janie
______________________________________________________
To all,
I spoke with Steve on Monday 9/7. He and Janie are glad to be home and are following the doctor's orders. Steve is getting around by wheelchair with no effort
and and is cleared to resume a regular diet. His weight has dropped to 158 lbs. which is somewhere close to his "High School" weight. Overall his spirits are good, but apprehensive awaiting the prognosis from the Raleigh orthopedist. He appreciates the calls and cards, and expects to engage more with work related issues as he heals.
Please call if you have any questions.
Tim
Hey Gang, it's been awhile since I've been able to sit behind a keyboard and type with two hands. We got permission last week to take the temp cast off the right arm and to use it as pain permits. You know the old joke " Doc it hurts when I do this" Docs answer " Don't do that". So here we are at home with a little more freedom including some short "hops" around the house on crutches. These are pretty limited right now since my strength way down due to the 30+ days on my butt in the hospital. Amazing how fast you loose strength and flexibly. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can get some strength back and hobble out to the shop to see what's left of the GSXR. They cut all my gear off including a brand new pair of Sidi Vortice boots, I know they are taught to do that kind of thing but when they cut along the same line of the zipper you have to wonder! We will be back in the Docs office in a month or so and get a little better reading on the bone graft. No need to worry about it until we get the word for sure but I'm thinking it's going to be the recommended path. I want to thank everyone for the cards, calls, well wishes, prayers and good karma you've sent my way. EVERYTHING has helped and is appreciated.
Just a short word on the accident itself. The best I can pull together is I passed a friend and then pulled on the brakes to slow up and fall in next to him. Apparently I pulled on too much front brake and endo'd the bike and since I was on the edge of the lane slid off the road and down the hillside through all the various trees, rock and other hard objects. Now the word of caution to all, if you mod your bike, make sure you check out all the performance changes. I had swapped the master and did not think it had equal power to the original, apparently it had enough!!!! Also my track bike is equipped with shorty CRG levers and the street bike with full length OEM levers. Apparently there is a huge difference in the leverage (duh). Bottom line is I messed up and came damn close to not being around to write this, thankfully my gear and helmet (HJC Carbon) held up and saved my butt for an untimely end. Janie has been an absolute saint during this whole deal and I can't imagine getting this far without her.
Hope you all have a safe and fun rally, see you guys in twisities in the future, even if I'm in a fiberglass cage!!!!
Steve,
it's good to hear from you brother. I've had prayers going up for your complete recovery and
I know you wont stop working until you do :biggrin:
Best regards to Janie, I know how tough all this must be on her as well as you.
are you accepting any visitors at home?
Frank
Steve, its great to hear from you after all you have been through. Im happy to hear you are still in good spirit as thats a big plus on your recovery. Listen to the docs and your wife and Im sure in time you will be your old self again. Thanks for the update and I hope your able to be good as new before too long..
Eric M
Hey Frank, yup the prayers and positive thoughts sure help. It's been a bit of a tough go, with more to come but we're gonna keep chipping away at it, hoping for a total recovery. :good:
TeeeeRoy stopped by this morning on his way to Chapel Hill to visit his Brother. It was good to see him and spend some hang time. We've had family in and out too, so I guess visiting hours are open for anyone who wants to stop by. I'm not much of a host, but the fridge and panty are in plan sight from the living room so I'd just invite folks to make themselves at home.
Put both of the dirt bikes up for sale since I haven't been able to ride them for a couple years with the tennis elbow and I will be off bikes for probably another year with the leg soooooo, no sense in them sitting 'round collecting (more) dust. Sold the GSXR-750 track bike last week for the same reason. Haven't looked at the GSXR-1000 yet but it will probably be parted out if the frame is bent. Not sure but more than likely it is.
Steve
heal well, steve, and keep up with the positive.
Steve,
Great to see you on the board! And glad to hear the recovery is progressing as best as possible.
Bill T. was kind enough to send me updates on your condition, etc. Let me know what you need, especially if its anything up here at HQ.
Hope to see ya soon.
Good to see to see you posting Steve.
Thanks Guys, it's nice to be sitting up and to almost have full use of both hands. Now if we can just get this leg thing to heal overnight we'll be in business :dance2:
Steve C.
Steve,
thats good news, keep your spirits up you will ride again.
take it easy and time will heal all wounds.
you are in my thoughts and prayers.
I have been there myself.
Steve, glad to see you making your own "Conklin Update". heal up fast bud.
So your up and atem are you... Glad to hear from your ole ass.... well you know i've felt some of your pain but thankfully not that damn much. Keep the good spirits up at least your here to talk about it....... Don't forget old men heal slow DAMHIK....
Thanks again guys, it's pretty amazing that I survived the trip down the hillside through all the rocks and trees, one of the guys said just a little more to one side and I wouldn't have made it, or if I did survive it would be one of those Evil K. broken bone count deals. I hear you Henry on the slow to heal. I've been lucky so far, no infections and all the closed breaks are healing nicely.
Great to see you back home Steve!!! :good2: Relax as best as you can and heal well. When you get mobile again you'll probably have time off (hopefully paid medical leave) to work on your FI FJ project! ;) We received all (or most) of your updates here...you have been in my (and most others I'm sure) thoughts and prayers! Keep your chin up - and I hope to see you at an ECR next year!
Hey Marsh, thanks for the well wishes and the continued support on Janies web site :good:, I think it's helped sales a bunch compare to that POS I have cobbled together.
Not sure if I will be working on the FJ EFI or not, depends on what the boss lady says about me riding again. Right now she's not crazy about the idea and I can't say I blame her. So there may be a a monster motored FJ for sale in the future. We will just have to wait and see how the recovery goes and if her feelings change.
Steve C.
Quote from: Steve C. on September 14, 2009, 07:35:31 PM
Thanks again guys, it's pretty amazing that I survived the trip down the hillside through all the rocks and trees, one of the guys said just a little more to one side and I wouldn't have made it, or if I did survive it would be one of those Evil K. broken bone count deals. I hear you Henry on the slow to heal. I've been lucky so far, no infections and all the closed breaks are healing nicely.
Wow, reading that almost makes me feel lucky. I'm a little further down the road to recovery, but it's nice to see you actually writing on your own. Take care and heed the doctor's advice. Don't rush it, we'll wait.
DavidR.
Not sure if I will be working on the FJ EFI or not, depends on what the boss lady says about me riding again. Right now she's not crazy about the idea and I can't say I blame her.
Steve C.
[/quote]
Steve,
that is a decision to be made at a later time after you are healed up enough to ride again. you will need to climb back on the horse just for your own sake of mind. even if you just borrow a friends bike and go around the block.
if you don't it will eat at your soul.
you are gonna have a case of the yips anyway.
After my highside dismount , riding again was in question as well.
good friends and a supportive wife make all the difference.
So, you can't get on a bike for a year or so coz of your sore leg and you won't be able to go up the stairs too well either.
Guess this means the main bedroom is spare for while, huh?
Good.
I'll come and stay for a while, keep you company.
Still got all them big arse cats?
Quote from: Klavdy on September 15, 2009, 04:47:24 PM
So, you can't get on a bike for a year or so coz of your sore leg and you won't be able to go up the stairs too well either.
Guess this means the main bedroom is spare for while, huh?
Good.
I'll come and stay for a while, keep you company.
Still got all them big arse cats?
Oh man, lock up the sheep! :shout:
Steve,
It is good to see you posting for yourself! I'm just sorry it took me so long to get to this thread. I just know that 'couch-potato' kitty you have will just love having you home and sitting around, now doesn't he?
You were missed at the rally.
If/when Jeff or I are up in that neck of the woods, we'll give you a heads up and stop in.
NancyK
Steve I do not get over here much but it is so good to see you home and a little mobil. I really do hope that you keep riding but really can understand that feelings that all are having right now. Get well and I hope to talk soon.
Denis
..... Hi Steve, That is one thing in life, and riding a >> Suzuki<< just kidding. When you get up in the morning, and you leave the house, you near know, if you are going to return the same way.
Glad you are doing better,.... Riding or not, I and many others, I'm sure. hope you stay on this site, Knowing you have a great deal of knowledge with bikes.
Get well Soon
I've been slacking lately and haven't been on the PC for fun much, just trying to stay caught up with work as much as possible without being able to travel or even get into the office. A laptop with a VPN connection, cellphone with a spare battery and headset is the extent of my office these days.
Lets see, Klavdy fortunately for me we have a one story ranch style house so there are no steps to deal with, at least once you're inside there are no steps to deal with but come on by, there are plenty of chores that need to be done and we pay three squares a day plus a place to flop.
Mark, I've been working on the GSXR as therapy, I've got all the bad stuff off, and working on getting some of the new stuff on, ebay has been the source for most everything and I've scored some great price vs new. Still not sure about the riding again part. We will have to cross that bridge sometime in the future.
Nancy, sorry I missed seeing everyone at the rally, but I was on a morphine drip at the time, soooooo I wouldn't have been much company anyway. All the cats are bonded to Janie except our older female Savannah, she's mine but doesn't have the best indoor manners. You guys are welcome to stop by if you are crazy enough to leave the warm florida weather for the cold NC winter (soon).
Denis, I was supposed to be out your way last month but of course that didn't happen. It'll be awhile before I'm back in the weekly travel mode. Ya the whole riding thing is up in the air and the level of recovery and the level of tolerance Janie has will dictate the future two wheeled activity.
Jeff, just saw your post as I was hitting send. You are right about not know what's going to happen next in life. Just have to roll with the punches as best you can.
Here's the med update, Gary Mastro is going to post it on the Yahoo Group for me:
The update is..............our latest visit to the ortho doc on the 7th here in Raleigh revealed the plates in the right leg are holding the bones in good alignment but there is still a significant gap between the ends of the tibia at the fracture site. There isn't much use in waiting another 30-45 days to see if things improve so we have elected to have bone graft surgery on the 20th. We discussed using my bone vs synthetic and due to a number of factors the decision was made to go with the my bone, taken from the hip. I will have another surgery site to deal with but a clinically better chance for a good fusion/healing process. It will take 3 or so months to heal and a couple of years before things settle down due to all the trauma. The biggest question is how much movement will I have in the ankle and therefore what level of athletic activity will I be able to participate in down the line.
I was wearing all my gear, Joe Rocket Speedmaster Jacket and Pants (360 zip), Held Phantom gloves, Sidi Vortice boots and HJC Carbon helmet and I still got beat up pretty good. Plenty of bruises but no rash anywhere. All the other breaks are healed so if it wasn't for right leg I would be back to normal, whatever normal is these days!!!! I might have come out slightly better with my race suit on due to the extra padding and built in back protector so my suggestion to everyone is wear your gear!!!!
Steve C.
Ranch style house huh?
Hmmm, means you got livestock, right?
O.K, I'll come and see you next May.
Quote from: Klavdy on October 09, 2009, 09:42:40 PM
Ranch style house huh?
Hmmm, means you got livestock, right?
O.K, I'll come and see you next May.
Don't get your hopes up, I'm pretty sure they don't have any sheep. :rofl2:
Randy T
Indy
Steve,
working on a bike is great therapy and your spirits sound in good shape, sorry to hear you need a bone graft, thats gonna suck. Just a little more down time than you wanted i'll bet. keep your chin up and get a little better every day.
Hang in there Steve,
I been praying for ya brother
KOokaloo!
Frank
G'day Steve
It's the first time I've logged in for ages so I've only just caught up on your current state of health. Life can be a bugger at times. I'm back on my bike after almost a year after my puny little "climbing accident" so I can imagine you're possibly suffering a lot more than I was. If nothing else, a major accident makes you realise how fragile the body is and how long it takes to mend at our age. I still don't have full strength in the ligaments I tore and the metal plate irritates the hell out of my leg especially when I jamb my bike boot on and zip it up. I have no doubt that you will get back on a bike of some sort.
Listen to Janey - Mrs Ned still tells me I should give up riding after the orthoped told her about the consequences of bike accidents! The trouble is now I have a newbie to look after in the form of my younger daughter's man who has just bought himself a Hyosung GT250R to learn on. I have already imparted to him the need to ride to his abilities and not try to emulate someone else's speed.
Hope you have good insurance - I was lucky to have my full pay via sick leave entitlement that I haven't used for years and ACC benefits and all surgery etc was paid for by ACC.
Best wishes
Ned
p.s. If Klavdy is visiting you may want to shift any sheep to higher ground or get a very big dog to guard them...
Well folks I went back to work on November 16th at my office in Raleigh. I had been telecommuting from Virginia and then from home in NC trying to get back up to speed after 6 weeks flat on my back most of the time. Had bone graft surgery to repair the non union of the right tibia and fibula on October 20th at Wake Med by Dr. Tim Harris (great guy, hope you never need his services) using the traditional method of harvesting bone from the hip. Most painful damn thing I've ever been through in my life and that includes breaking the right leg twice. The TI plates are still in place and holding everything in alignment. Everything has healed on the outside but we still have another 6 weeks to go before I can put full weight on the right leg, right now I am limited to 50 percent. Which means I can take a normal shower etc. :yahoo:. Doesn't seem like much but just being able to stand on my own is a major victory. Starting PT (again) on the 29th which should be pretty painful given the limited range of motion in my right ankle. Probably not going to get all of it back even with the PT but hopefully I will walk without a cane once things are healed. I've been tinkering with the GSXR on the weekends and have it running again thanks to Janie's help and some serious scrounging on ebay. Got it fired up a couple of weeks ago with just the headers in place, damn is that thing loud!!!!! Got a set of KR Tuned CF cans and SS Y and Mid Pipes from Hotbodies on closeout which was basically less than the cost of a new Y pipe and one Yoshi CF can to fix the old system. Also got new set of FZ-1 bars and right side control pod. Just trying to figure out what paint scheme to do on the bodywork and she'll be back on the road. Not sure it I'm going to be back on the road, that remains to be seen. I did make sure to get a set of shorty CRG levers for the 1000 so now it's just like the 750 track bike. Hopefully that will eliminate me flipping it over forward in the future (if I do ride). Just to recap the get off, apparently (I don't remember a thing) I passed a buddy of mine on his Buell and then decided to slow down and get back in behind him. Don't know if I was distracted or what but I pulled on too much front brake and did a mega stoppie and then some. The guys said I looked like Superman flying through the air. The only thing I can figure is the 1000 has OEM long arsed levers and the 750 track bike has CRG shorties. I was use to some pretty serious braking on the 750 and could modulate the pressure to just have the back tire skimming the track up at VIR coming into T-1, 7 and 14. Guess I just grabbed too hard/quick on those long levers and over she went. Probably would have been less beat up if I hadn't gone to one side and down the hillside though all the rocks and trees etc.
Thanks for checking in Steve,
i hope the rest of your recovery is speedy and complete!
Merry Christmas and happy new year brother!
Frank
Yes, thanks for the update. Glad to hear you're recovering well.
Hope you and your family have a merry Christmas. :)
Steve,
Glad to hear of the improvements. I'm sure mending the bike the bike helps mend the soul while the body mends too.
R/
Chris
don't know you,but wish you good recoverey.It's 10years down the track I would not wish on my enemy.There are medications-god bless the tablets.
Good to hear from you Steve, and good to hear you are on the mend.
Fred
Best of British old chap.
You'll be right as rain in no time
Steve good to hear the latest news.Take your time, hope you make a full recovery....
Happy Holidays......
Eric M
Steve,
It's so good to see your continuing reports. I know the bone grafting thing is the pits, but it's behind you now and everything is on it's way up. You and Janie and kitties have a wonderful holiday and continue healing up.
NancyK