throet

Darn when the doc said he was giving me Norco I was already planning to hit their website to browse the latest models.

Yep all good. The procedure was completed in an hour with no need for grafting a new tendon. Unfortunately it's still a brutal recovery though and probably not something I can ever be 100% after. The one hamstring that stayed on the hip nearly ripped in half at the muscle/tendon junction, which will mean a lot of scar tissue forming where there should be muscle. Will probably be susceptible to cramping once I return to full activity and the reattached tendon on the other muscles will likely be at greater risk for coming off again. I think that would be more of a risk for sprinters, basketball players, football players, etc but welcome feedback from anybody who's had a serious hamstring injury and returned to mountain biking.

Home resting comfortably with loving wife, which is a reminder of what's truly important in life. Surgeon told her that the procedure went according to plan. Really got to think about the details with these things. The one question I had was how the hell am I going to be able to sit on a toilet? Surgeon said good call out and had the nurse arrange for my wife to pick up an apparatus that attaches to the toilet, raising the seat 4.5 inches with upright handles on the side. Haha can't wait to try it. Thanks all for the well wishes and good humor. A real must for getting through these things.

Well sure..... guess I could have ended up dead or permanently disabled.

I'll look into that. Thanks

Thanks. Surgery is tomorrow morning.

Better solution!

I will say this about tires. The thought of casting new tires aside or giving them away was never fathomable for me because I just couldn't come to grips with the waste. Last week I had a brand-new Magic Mary 2.6 and Nobby Nic 2.6 in my garage waiting to be mounted on my long-travel bike for Spider Mountain. Instead I reasoned that I should at least get one experience at Spider Mountain with the stock Bonty XR4 Team Issue tires that came on the bike because they were still relatively new. Suppose I shouldn't blame that decision on the predicament I face now, thousands in medical expenses and 6-month recovery time, but I'm fairly certain that big ol' Mary would have hooked up on that loose turn and possibly prevented me from washing out. Moral of story - tires matter when it comes to your safety.

Just as amazing!

Seems there was a sighting in Leander not too long ago that was actually captured on an apartment complex security camera. As intriguing of a species they are, I have no interest in seeing one close up.

I can tell you that the staff I encountered while getting carted off the mountain appeared well schooled and well equipped. They could have placed me on a stretcher had I not informed them I could limp up to the jeep trail on my own. They went through the concussion protocol even though I kept reminding them that I didn't crash, which I suppose is arguable since I didn't intentionally dismount my bike either. Gracefully landing on my feet after washing out ended up being my undoing, as a tuck and roll would have at least kept my hamstring intact. They also offered to arrange transport to a medical facility, which I suspect would be Seton Highland Lakes between Burrnet and Marble Falls. While they didn't take my keys away, they urged me not to attempt transporting myself and had me sign a release form, which I suppose had some additional language beyond the release I had already signed upon entrance to the park.

Oh joy - just in time for next summer 😀

I asked the ortho about this because the ED doctor had said the same thing. You can see from my MRI report that the muscle only retracted a few centimeters. The ortho said is actually less common for them to ball up but that it does happen. The good news for me is that the tendon will be right underneath where they make the incision and they won't have to go digging for it. Maybe it's because technically the tendon didn't tear - it just peeled off the bone. That "flash of light" reference is interesting. I've broken bones, tore ligaments, had major lacerations, etc, but this is the first injury I've had where that "flash" sensation just overcame me. When I first felt the pop, I immediately started assessing my situation and how I would get off the mountain. Just as suddenly though, I was overcome with that flash of light, lightheadedness, and nausea. My thought process immediately shifted to "I'm f*cked" as I lowered myself to the ground.

Bummer! As suspected, hamstring tendon is detached. Good news is that it came off the bone clean and will be easy to anchor it back on surgically. Long road to recovery ahead unfortunately.

The MRI went well I guess but I won't know the results until tomorrow. I'm trying to be optimistic but it's really hard. The doc put me on crutches yesterday and told me I really should not be bearing any weight on the leg. I did really heavy icing for the first 48 hours but there is still a massive amount of swelling 5 days post injury. Also turning purple now.