Update on

[suecanada]

Sure Justin..I'm well enough that you can take the mickey out of me now!!! Laughing doesn't hurt anymore and you know what they say about laughter being good medicine!!
It has now been 11 weeks since the mishap. Therapy on my shoulder has started and I am waiting to see if the last xray showed that bone had formed around the broken clavicle. If it has then I start lifting weights!! The clavicle will never be straight again and will be a lump and my throttle arm reach might be shorter but not too short!! So far the therapist has been working on my balance, neck and leg stamina..the latter is good as the legs were never injured. Only sitting around for 2 months has probably diminished muscle mass.

So, maybe I won't be pitching in the big leagues in the future but I am making great progress and can almost get my arm raised up to beside my ear on the right side. [smiley=clap.gif] Luckily, the left side was never affected so I can see the good standard I am after! Still a bit stiff in the neck which would make the shoulder check more challenging. So all in all, I have every confidence that I'll be ready...whether Derek is ready is another question but he knows I have the passion but I think he'd rather I didn't ride the Prairies for awhile or at least go with someone. The fact is that I will be making changes to my riding habits to try my best to avoid fatigue and where there is monotonous landscapes I will be ever vigilant about stopping and hydrating (drinking stimulating whatever even if I am not thirsty in cooler weather). Do not ride 9 days in a row which is what I did without taking a day or 2 OFF completely to do something else for a change. Lots of things to think about to be safer. I hope my experience will save someone else from doing something similar.

LRB is with a good mechanic right this very minute and thus I should have every confidence in him to go travelling and riding next Spring and summer. I will plan on going to Johnson City, TN next July. Maybe my brother Rich will come all the way from Cape Breton to join me on the way there. Be great to meet up with nhmaf coming from NH on Tillie. Wouldn't that be something at the National...2 LSs in henna red arriving the same time! Love to join Rich on the way back to Cape Breton too. So about 8 to 9 thousand miles for LRB next year. We'll see.
The only glitch I can possibly foresee is if my brain doesn't clear completely. It has made progress from feeling like I have had 4 drinks on an empty stomach to 1 drink now! So a lot better but still I don't feel completely "in the scene". :-/

Again, my thanks go out to each and every one of you!! And I am thinking about were the flag should go next...any ideas

[Justin B.]

Sue, good to hear you are starting to see progress, it must be a good attitude booster.  It's nice that you can comfortably laugh, now, I remember it sometimes making me feel good.  It's so much fun to have friends go out of their way to make you laugh with cracked ribs, seems I remember it feeling like being stabbed with a hot ice-pick...

[Melena]

 [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif]  [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif]

 [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

All together now, along with the chorus line:

YaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAY Sue!  

So glad to year that you are doing so well.  You have a great attitude and that sure helps, I know.  Like that one card I sent you said, take some time to just put your feet up and take care of yourself for awhile.  You deserve it.  

[steve hawkins]

Sue,

Even after my little mishap, I must remember that there is always someone worse off than myself.  I did not have to look far.  But you might have too, as your accident was far more serious!

However, I am glad to hear that you are on the road to recovery and are making postive plans to get back in the saddle.  All credit to you.

Look forward to hearing about your first ride on LRB in the spring.

Cheers

Steve H

[bananapanties]

Sue

You've given me a lot to think about, and I'm so glad to hear that someone in that scale of accident is doing so well.  Congrats and happy recovery.

Annie

[suecanada]

Hi, Annie and everyone..I've been thinking again... ::)I would say that there is a macro and a micro way of thinking about the reasons my accident occurred. The macro view is the 9 straight days of travelling without a good day or two break doing something different. Added to this macro is the travelling and visiting involved with attending the National rally. Travelling east (back home) also has one losing an hour or hours that takes away from sleep time maybe. It takes it outta ya..all this change and unfamiliarity even if you feel you are having lots of fun.  
The MICRO: that's the not drinking because I'm not thirsty because it's cool out; the monotonous flat landscape insidiously dulling the minds concentration; the lack of stimulus that usually comes from the traffic around us and curves in the road, farmers in their fields..anything interesting going on; not realizing I am making dumb decisions like what route to take and missing the right turnoff; not catching on that I am getting down on both the landscape and the people.. .not overly happy. It's the feelings and actions on the day of and immediately prior to the accident.

Just thinkin' away here....

[Altritter]

Not yet back on a bike again, and I note from another thread that you're already thinking about buying another LS !!! Amazing!

Congratulations on your recovery. I've been following the story, and I'm delighted that you're doing so well.

Keep it up. Best wishes,

John

[not-so-fast-ed]

Sue, I told you before your spill that you are amazing!    

Keep at it.  The road to recovery may be longer than we'd wish, but the milestones are often things like you considering another LS and being able to scratch your ear with your "bad" hand.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and Rob.  We need you two.  You give us perspective as we go about our lives bitching about the simple small stuff that tends to bog us down from day to day.  (I've got a trans oil leak...  Boo Hoo)

You, Rob, and Melena, are our heros!

I mean really...  

Best,

(still) far from quick, Ed

[SCJJR65]

Hey, Sue!

Just read your "update" and am so glad to hear you are on track to getting back on the open road by next riding season!  I intend on being at the next MOA rally in Johnson City next summer and will look forward to seeing you there!  (I'm hoping to somehow sweet-talk Pattimarie into going with me, even if it's following me in her car!)  

[montmil]

Good on ya, Sue!  Keep moving forward.   Monte

[suecanada]

Thanks so much everyone and Ed...a question....being a hero is very flattering but sometimes I wonder if I am a bit crazy to want back into something that almost finished me off! Is thinking screwy and being full of nonsensical bravado good or nuts? I know my Derek would like me to stop riding. It's the passion part that has us by the short hairs it would seem. When have you been happier on a daily basis as when it's a beautiful morning and you just start off on your ride to wherever. There are no aches and sore butt yet..man, it's glorious and I often just punch the air in pure joy! Is it fair to our significant others? I figure at least get the affairs in good order which they should be anyway. A person without a passion for something would be pretty dull I figure. But no person may be worse..I dunno!? Are we being selfish a bit?? This monologue should not be construed as caving in because I will ride again..guess I am a bit selfish :-/ :-?

[not-so-fast-ed]

Yes it's healthy to be a bit selfish.  Gotta mix in a little "some for me" with the "let's do it for them".

You go, girl!

 

Ed

[Semper Gumby]

Hi Sue,

Glad to see you have an action plan.  Purpose always helps you find the way.  Hydrating and eating are sooo important.  On my 50cc ride from Jacksonville to San Diego,  every time I stopped I ate and drank something even if I was sick to my stomach.  Fortunately the 50cc was only two days long.  After that I took a day off doing nothing but eating and resting.  Then I rode one day on and one day off for four days.  Then I started hitting the asphalt for real doing 3 days in a row with two 1000 miles days at the beginning.  The middle of my trip west was broken up by a week off fishing at 6000 to 7000 feet elevation up in Beaverhead county Montana.  Then I rode two long days to get to Colorado Springs via Provo Utah.  In the beginning of day one I broke my right foot when I put the bike on its side crossing a not so dry wash. (It looked dry.)  I then got to Colorado Springs after dark on day two and took another day off.  Then I road broken foot and all two 1200 mile days from Colorado Springs to Atlanta GA.  Those two days were the hardest.  Being out on the praire rolling over those slow hills under a brilliant sun is numbing.  Its almost like you can feel the sun burning through the helmet.  I broke this up by stopping in places like Monument Kansas to look at the new "Ghost" towns.  

On the prarie in eastern Colorado and Kansas there is no place to hide.  I don't know how I did it but I was able to keep my brain in the game and keep my Situational Awareness by keeping track of trivial things like miles left in the tank to the next stop or avoiding cracks in the road, listning to the bike, keeping my target speed.  Stupid stuff but it seemed to work.  Nothing took me by suprise and I arrived home safe (by the grace of God).

I am contemplating another trip this time up to Prudhoe Bay and then to Key West in June/July 2009.  Your accident and the reasons for it are on my mind.  I will be paying close attension to you words.

I thank God you are still with us.

Sincerely,

[drewboid]

Sue,
It is a passion and as such you need to do what makes you happy. Danger is there - so you dress appropriately and try not to do stupid things.  My fiance has also been bitten by the BMW bug - three broken toes, numerous dropped bikes, and a mild concussion in the three years she has been riding and she loves to ride more than ever.  Next year we hope to take a track school course to improve our skills and get even more out of the ride.

When the good lord calls (may it be many many years from now) it doesn't matter if you are sitting on the couch bored out of your skull watching TV or doing what gives you joy. For me, I'll take joy every time.

[msbuck]

Sue,

Glad to hear you are on the mend physically and emotionally, mentally as well.  It does take some time to work through all the 'stuff' in your head that comes with a mishap.  Clarity will come more and more.  You will find a compromise that works for both you and Derek.  If he's supportive of you (as it seems he is) he will certainly support, if not understand, the happiness/fullfullment you get from riding.  

It's good to think these things through and come up with ways to make riding safer.  I do believe there is danger everywhere and I agree with drewboid ...

When the good lord calls (may it be many many years from now) it doesn't matter if you are sitting on the couch bored out of your skull watching TV or doing what gives you joy. For me, I'll take joy every time.