Injury Reports

[ATXZJ]

7 minutes ago, throet said:

Not waiting on you guys dude - making sure my blood stays doubly thin with a Real Heavy as we speak! 

My man!

[The Tip]

Thanks for sharing. The more "real" stories that are told about symptoms of different things the better.

[AntonioGG]

So the lesson I took from this is that IPAs can help you survive an embolism. Glad you're home and enjoying a cold one. 🍻

I've also had to go to the ER 2x for what turned out to be spontaneous reflux triggered panic attacks.   Had the left arm burning pain and everything.  Now I don't wonder how the two things can get confused!

 

[June Bug]

Just a reminder that urgent care CLINICS (not ERs) are an excellent option when something mysterious is going on but you don't want to go to an ER.  You can't swing a (metaphorical) cat without hitting one in Austin these days.  Reasonable price, good docs (my experience so far).  Very little, if any, wait time, although I think they shut down around 10 or 11 at night.  Good way to screen with relatively minimal financial risk. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by June Bug

[fontarin]

I've found the Avery Ranch Urgent Care over next  to Deception to be good and reasonably priced.   I've been there more than I'd necessarily like!

[throet]

6 minutes ago, June Bug said:

Just a reminder that urgent care CLINICS (not ERs) are an excellent option when something mysterious is going on but you don't want to go to an ER.  You can't swing a (metaphorical) cat without hitting one in Austin these days.  Reasonable price, good docs (my experience so far).  Very little, if any, wait time, although I think they shut down around 10 or 11 at night.  Good way to screen with relatively minimal financial risk. 

That's a really good point, but I think some will be quick to redirect you to an ER if you are a 61yr old with chest pain. Probably something worth knowing in advance, i.e. which are equipped with at least an EKG and the ability to run the necessary labs to rule out the really nasty stuff, at least in cases like mine where I felt relatively OK. If you are relatively certain that something really bad like a PE or Heart Attack is happening, best bet is a hospital-based ER with ICU in close proximity.  

[June Bug]

On 2/6/2020 at 3:33 PM, throet said:

That's a really good point, but I think some will be quick to redirect you to an ER if you are a 61yr old with chest pain. Probably something worth knowing in advance, i.e. which are equipped with at least an EKG and the ability to run the necessary labs to rule out the really nasty stuff, at least in cases like mine where I felt relatively OK. If you are relatively certain that something really bad like a PE or Heart Attack is happening, best bet is a hospital-based ER with ICU in close proximity.  

Agree on all points!  Also, any older people presenting with chest pain are seen STAT. 

That said, when I still worked at UT, we'd walk over to the Posse East for lunch on Friday.   I stocked up at the salsa bar and by the end of the meal I didn't feel so good, and started shaking uncontrollably and felt awful.   None of us had a car (we'd walked) so someone called an ambulance from St. Davids, a few blocks away.  The ambulance guys were able to quickly do some kind of test and determine within a few minutes that I was not having a heart attack, while still parked curbside outside the Posse.  blood test?  I don't recall.  Turned out to be some type of incredibly fast acting food poisoning and a 3-block ambulance ride is ridiculously expensive.  

I did just recall a not-so-positive experience with urgent care at the CareNow urgent care center across from the Heart Hospital of Austin, by Central Market on North Lamar.  
Mr. June Bug had a laceration that needed stitches due to a tumble at Pace Bend.  By the time we were in Austin and decided to do something it was maybe 8 pm-ish.  We got to CareNow, everything was going well until the physician's assistant (no doc on staff) discovered that John had a slightly bruised area on his upper right side  from his tumble.  She stopped everything and said we had to go across the street to  the Heart Hospital because "chest!"  even though John had no pain or any type of worrisome symptoms, he just had a cut on his lower leg. 

 We did that and the ER doc and nurse at the Heart Hospital ER were furious with them (not us).  Apparently,  CareNow had been doing this often -- sending over patients to be treated at Heart Hospital who weren't emergencies or heart related at all. 

This led me to believe that CareNow was staffing un- or underqualified physicians assistants or nurse practitioners in the evening hours to save money. They charged people coming in the door but sent them to an ER for treatment, even though the situation was totally appropriate for what they advertised.  It was pretty damned sleazy. 

The excellent urgent care folks I've gone to are at Tech Ridge, just south of the big HEB at Parmer and I 35.  I just checked and they are now...wait for it...a CareNow facility.  I think this is the third owner since I first went there  a bit over a year ago.  

[AustinBike]

Just left the surgeon's office this morning. I have a hernia, which first appeared last year after a greenbelt ride and became painful halfway through last week's R&I. Surgery scheduled for St. Pat's day (no Guinness for me 😞 ).

Basically it is all done with robotics now and it is luckily a 1 hour outpatient surgery at this point. Should be back on a bike in 2 weeks and back on trails in less than 4 weeks. If you are suffering from this, don't ignore it, it's pretty much a slam dunk to fix these days.

Anyone need to borrow a bike for a month 😉 

[throet]

30 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Just left the surgeon's office this morning. I have a hernia, which first appeared last year after a greenbelt ride and became painful halfway through last week's R&I. Surgery scheduled for St. Pat's day (no Guinness for me 😞 ).

Basically it is all done with robotics now and it is luckily a 1 hour outpatient surgery at this point. Should be back on a bike in 2 weeks and back on trails in less than 4 weeks. If you are suffering from this, don't ignore it, it's pretty much a slam dunk to fix these days.

Anyone need to borrow a bike for a month 😉 

Good luck with that! I had my first hernia repair in 1976 after flunking my Army entrance exam. It required a 3 inch incision and delayed my getting into the service by around 3 months. I had the other side repaired just a few years ago and it was much like what you describe.

Hopefully you're talking about loaning out your backup bike. Wouldn't want to let that new Occam out of your sight for too long 😉.  

[AustinBike]

No, the theory is that if people ride my Occam, people will buy an Occam. That increases the probability of having more spare parts available in the market. I'm selfish that way. 

But it is actually my singlespeed that will go the longest without riding. While the incidents happened on a full suspension, I am guessing that the SS did the most damage over time. Doc described it as a wear and tear injury, not a specific incident. The SS will have to remain a Walnut-only bike for a while.

[AntonioGG]

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

But it is actually my singlespeed that will go the longest without riding. While the incidents happened on a full suspension, I am guessing that the SS did the most damage over time.

Note to self:  don't ride 42x16 on Ladera Norte

[AustinBike]

Note to self, don’t ride with me 😉

been taking it easy but the doc said that I don’t need to ease up that much, so if the trails ever dry out this weekend I may try to hit the greenbelt. but staying on the full squishy for now. 

[notyal]

7 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Note to self, don’t ride with me 😉

been taking it easy but the doc said that I don’t need to ease up that much, so if the trails ever dry out this weekend I may try to hit the greenbelt. but staying on the full squishy for now. 

Gotta hand it to you, you've got guts...even if they are trying to force themselves out of your body. 

[AustinBike]

Based on not having ridden spider mountain yet, maybe I will have him put some bigger balls in for me while he is down there. 

[throet]

Finally got all of initial follow-up completed on my DVT/PE from a month ago. Both the clots in my lung and leg have been completely absorbed with no residual effects. They're also considering the clotting to have been provoked, which means that it was caused by some set of circumstances vs. an underlying disease condition. Hard to say exactly what caused it, but I'm guessing a combination of my body staying in a clotting sort of mood after massive hemorrhaging from my leg injury, subsequent surgery and related immobility, and 2 plane trips that had me sitting still for way longer than I should have been. All that's left to do is finish the 6 month regimen of anti-coagulants. Hate getting sucked into the whole high-cost, designer drug BS that is such a big part of our healthcare mess, but hey, suppose somebody has to pay for all of those Eliquis commercials. 

I've also learned that there are some misperceptions about the dangers of blood thinners. Yes they make it much more difficult to stop the bleeding, but if I happened to get a laceration while taking them, I'd survive. The greatest danger would be something like head trauma that caused an internal brain bleed. I'm not going to wait until Aug to start riding again; so figure I'll get back out on some of the easy stuff where the likelihood of internal trauma is low. However, if you spot a guy with a medical alert bracelet lying by the side of the trail looking all blue and shit, please just call my wife, whose number is displayed on my lock screen. 

[4fun]

22 minutes ago, throet said:

Finally got all of initial follow-up completed on my DVT/PE from a month ago. Both the clots in my lung and leg have been completely absorbed with no residual effects. They're also considering the clotting to have been provoked, which means that it was caused by some set of circumstances vs. an underlying disease condition. Hard to say exactly what caused it, but I'm guessing a combination of my body staying in a clotting sort of mood after massive hemorrhaging from my leg injury, subsequent surgery and related immobility, and 2 plane trips that had me sitting still for way longer than I should have been. All that's left to do is finish the 6 month regimen of anti-coagulants. Hate getting sucked into the whole high-cost, designer drug BS that is such a big part of our healthcare mess, but hey, suppose somebody has to pay for all of those Eliquis commercials. 

I've also learned that there are some misperceptions about the dangers of blood thinners. Yes they make it much more difficult to stop the bleeding, but if I happened to get a laceration while taking them, I'd survive. The greatest danger would be something like head trauma that caused an internal brain bleed. I'm not going to wait until Aug to start riding again; so figure I'll get back out on some of the easy stuff where the likelihood of internal trauma is low. However, if you spot a guy with a medical alert bracelet lying by the side of the trail looking all blue and shit, please just call my wife, whose number is displayed on my lock screen. 

I’ll at least give it the good old college try to revive you prior to the call to the mrs😁

[AntonioGG]

35 minutes ago, throet said:

Finally got all of initial follow-up completed on my DVT/PE from a month ago. Both the clots in my lung and leg have been completely absorbed with no residual effects. They're also considering the clotting to have been provoked, which means that it was caused by some set of circumstances vs. an underlying disease condition. Hard to say exactly what caused it, but I'm guessing a combination of my body staying in a clotting sort of mood after massive hemorrhaging from my leg injury, subsequent surgery and related immobility, and 2 plane trips that had me sitting still for way longer than I should have been. All that's left to do is finish the 6 month regimen of anti-coagulants. Hate getting sucked into the whole high-cost, designer drug BS that is such a big part of our healthcare mess, but hey, suppose somebody has to pay for all of those Eliquis commercials. 

I've also learned that there are some misperceptions about the dangers of blood thinners. Yes they make it much more difficult to stop the bleeding, but if I happened to get a laceration while taking them, I'd survive. The greatest danger would be something like head trauma that caused an internal brain bleed. I'm not going to wait until Aug to start riding again; so figure I'll get back out on some of the easy stuff where the likelihood of internal trauma is low. However, if you spot a guy with a medical alert bracelet lying by the side of the trail looking all blue and shit, please just call my wife, whose number is displayed on my lock screen. 

I'm paranoid about long flights.  Even though I'm pretty fit, I wear compression socks for longer flights, and do calf raises through the flight.  I read something a while back about athletes being at a higher risk after flying to an event, doing a hard race, then sitting still for 4-5 hours in their cramped plane seat.  

[AustinBike]

12 hours ago, throet said:

Finally got all of initial follow-up completed on my DVT/PE from a month ago. Both the clots in my lung and leg have been completely absorbed with no residual effects. They're also considering the clotting to have been provoked, which means that it was caused by some set of circumstances vs. an underlying disease condition. Hard to say exactly what caused it, but I'm guessing a combination of my body staying in a clotting sort of mood after massive hemorrhaging from my leg injury, subsequent surgery and related immobility, and 2 plane trips that had me sitting still for way longer than I should have been. All that's left to do is finish the 6 month regimen of anti-coagulants. Hate getting sucked into the whole high-cost, designer drug BS that is such a big part of our healthcare mess, but hey, suppose somebody has to pay for all of those Eliquis commercials. 

I've also learned that there are some misperceptions about the dangers of blood thinners. Yes they make it much more difficult to stop the bleeding, but if I happened to get a laceration while taking them, I'd survive. The greatest danger would be something like head trauma that caused an internal brain bleed. I'm not going to wait until Aug to start riding again; so figure I'll get back out on some of the easy stuff where the likelihood of internal trauma is low. However, if you spot a guy with a medical alert bracelet lying by the side of the trail looking all blue and shit, please just call my wife, whose number is displayed on my lock screen. 

Yeah, you have to live. Getting out and riding slowly/safely and walking things that you normally ride is better than sitting on the couch.

[AustinBike]

11 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I'm paranoid about long flights.  Even though I'm pretty fit, I wear compression socks for longer flights, and do calf raises through the flight.  I read something a while back about athletes being at a higher risk after flying to an event, doing a hard race, then sitting still for 4-5 hours in their cramped plane seat.  

Yeah, when I used to do 12-14 hour flights to Asia I spent a lot of time up and walking around the cabin. Never wore the compression socks but drink a lot of water. That also forces you to get up more often 😉

[Txduc]

7 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Yeah, when I used to do 12-14 hour flights to Asia I spent a lot of time up and walking around the cabin. Never wore the compression socks but drink a lot of water. That also forces you to get up more often 😉

Same thing here I take those flights 4-5 times a year.  No compression socks but walk/stretch, hydrate (no alcohol) and baby aspirin. and always an aisle seat so I can get up whenever I want.

[Chief]

12 hours ago, throet said:

I've also learned that there are some misperceptions about the dangers of blood thinners. Yes they make it much more difficult to stop the bleeding, but if I happened to get a laceration while taking them, I'd survive. The greatest danger would be something like head trauma that caused an internal brain bleed. I'm not going to wait until Aug to start riding again; so figure I'll get back out on some of the easy stuff where the likelihood of internal trauma is low. However, if you spot a guy with a medical alert bracelet lying by the side of the trail looking all blue and shit, please just call my wife, whose number is displayed on my lock screen. 

One of my neighbors was on blood thinners after a heart attack. About three or four years ago I came home from work on New Years eve and there was a bunch of cop cars and an ambulance at my neighbors house, I assumed he had another heart attack. I find out later that he was on a ladder with a pole saw trimming tree branches. The ladder slipped and twisted he fell about fifteen feet landing on a flagstone patio hitting his head that caused bleeding around his brain, due to the blood thinners they couldn't get the bleeding under control and he died. He was the same age as me very eye opening experience. Go easy out there and and remember most traumatic bicycle head injuries occur at less than fifteen miles an hour.

[TheX]

The brain bleeding and injury my wife suffered a couple months ago were scary because of the blood thinners she was taking. She's not allowed to be on them anymore. Thankfully, the heart surgery she has coming up in three weeks should resolve the issue that caused he to be taking them. 

 

Brain injuries are no joke, they can be devastating..and blood thinners can make them a LOT worse.

[throet]

13 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I'm paranoid about long flights.  Even though I'm pretty fit, I wear compression socks for longer flights, and do calf raises through the flight.  I read something a while back about athletes being at a higher risk after flying to an event, doing a hard race, then sitting still for 4-5 hours in their cramped plane seat.  

 

1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

Yeah, when I used to do 12-14 hour flights to Asia I spent a lot of time up and walking around the cabin. Never wore the compression socks but drink a lot of water. That also forces you to get up more often 😉

Do you know if it the sitting alone that causes concern, or does the pressurization of the cabin compound things? I know that sitting in general is bad for you and I'm really glad that my employer provides motorized desks that raise and lower with the push of a button. I try to move around as well throughout the day but I distinctly remember on those separate trips (Dec & Jan) sitting incredibly still for the duration of the 8 separate flights (2 roundtrips each with connector flights to reach final destination). Something else that was different with each of those flights is that my arrival and destination flights were on back-to-back days, i.e. one night stays. Sounds like maybe I set myself up with a recipe for disaster, especially when considering the period of immobility after my injury in July. 

[Cafeend]

Hey man.. glad you are doing better though. I promise I'll grab your bike if I find you dead on the trail my friend.
But seriously .. glad you are on the road to recovery and doing what you love to do

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[AustinBike]

1 hour ago, throet said:

 

Do you know if it the sitting alone that causes concern, or does the pressurization of the cabin compound things? I know that sitting in general is bad for you and I'm really glad that my employer provides motorized desks that raise and lower with the push of a button. I try to move around as well throughout the day but I distinctly remember on those separate trips (Dec & Jan) sitting incredibly still for the duration of the 8 separate flights (2 roundtrips each with connector flights to reach final destination). Something else that was different with each of those flights is that my arrival and destination flights were on back-to-back days, i.e. one night stays. Sounds like maybe I set myself up with a recipe for disaster, especially when considering the period of immobility after my injury in July. 

I have no idea. I know my father in law had blood clots but he is about as sedentary as you can get. 

When I travel I try to spend as much transit time in buses, subways and walking. All of this is to keep blood flowing and offset all of the calories that I consume. Taxis and rental cars are a bad thing in my mind if I can help it.