I'm Back On The Injured Reserve List Again

After being off my motorcycles for seven months in 2020 and then being able to ride again for seven months, I'm back on the injured reserve list again. A week ago today I had a second elbow surgery stemming from my bicycle crash in January of 2020. As many forum members admonished me back then, "pedal bikes are the tool of the devil". Fortunately this surgery wasn't to repair a smashed elbow but to remove the plate and screws that have been in there for over a year. This is the hardware I've been toting around. I'm thinking about making the blue plate into a bracelet. And my motorcycles are getting a "break" again.





My surgeon also made the decision to do an ulnar nerve transposition to move my ulnar nerve to a place where it's not being squished (yes, a technical medical term). Things just have not been healing right in that department. I am hopeful that this second time around my healing will be both quick and complete.

Fortunately this time I didn't also have a broken pelvis which has certainly made the whole surgery prep (and recovery) process easier. Unfortunately I forgot that Mr. Sandi would not be allowed into the surgery center and was required to drop me off and pick me up on the doorstep because of Covid. I know both my surgeon and anesthesiologist, though, so that was comforting.



Round # 2....déjà vu



My surgeon said it was ok to have one drink the evening of my surgery even with having taken some pain meds that day. Thank goodness as I consider alcohol itself a pain med. And my anesthesiologist actually recommended a nip of Red Breast...but instructed Mr. Sandi to cut me off at two. (For the record, I only had one.)



And I'm back on the apple fritters like I was after my crash. Mr. Sandi went to Amy's Donuts and stocked up. He may have gone a bit overboard, though, because he came home with two dozen! I'm trying to ration them out this time around. These pastries are definitely good "medicine".



CAUTION! Avert your eyes for this next photo if you get queasy easily. It made me queasy...and it's my arm.

My surgeon instructed me to remove the copious wrappings two days after surgery, leaving on the bandages that covered my incision. The best thing about getting that stuff off my arm was being able to take a shower! As gross as it looks, it certainly looks far better than a year ago after my first surgery.



I had my first pre-op follow-up on Friday and everything looks good and as it should. I have another appointment with my surgeon tomorrow morning to have the sutures removed. I'll ask him all the questions I've been a bit hesitant to ask him including the most important one: WHEN CAN I START RIDING MY MOTORCYCLES AGAIN??? Not that I'm impatient. When I am able to start riding again, my forum buddies will be among the first to know.

 

Thanks, TEZ. Yes, the plate bracelet would be a good visual for story telling opportunities. And over more than two...or four....drinks!

Yep, with this 2nd surgery being scheduled in advance and not dealing with a broken pelvis on top of a broken elbow like last time, I was able to get some things squared away before being one-armed again. Like shaving my legs and armpits, clipping my finger and toenails, giving my hair an extra good washing, and laying in a hefty supply of fritters. All that important stuff.

 

Excellent point on the weight savings, Dave! Yet again it goes to show that there's always a silver lining in there somewhere. But, yes, those fritters . At least time time around I can go outdoors and walk them off. And so far I've not had one every single morning like I did a year ago. Back then, the fritter (well, and my evening cocktail) was truly the highlight of my day.

 

Thanks for the recovery well wishes, Dougie! Hmmm, those are some creative ideas for the plate. The bottle opener idea might be the most useful over time (and bottles of beer). But I'm not so sure the plate would be hefty enough to be a kick stand even for a bicycle! How big do you think my elbow is, anyway?! I asked Mr. Sandi that same question because when he saw the plate he said he thought it would be much bigger. Another friend who saw the plate said he thought it would be much smaller. For scale, here it is compared to my hand. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that it's titanium.

 

That may be the best suggestion yet for that plate's future, andy!

 

Thanks, Martine! I shall definitely ogle bike mags and go through route maps while I'm recuperating! Especially route maps of our planned MC trip at the end of June up through northern AZ, NM, CO, and the southern corner of UT. That trip is a definite "carrot" for me to anticipate through the healing process. My surgeon assures me I'll be fit and ready to ride well before then. I'm confident he's right but still a bit nervous after this past year going how it did.

I'm not sure I'd find anything more in those accessories catalogues, though. I've pretty much done everything to my bikes that I've wanted to do. But pouring over parts & accessories catalogs is exactly what I did through my first layoff. I bought a bike in May that I was unable to ride until September (a H-D Street Glide Special) but in the meantime it was great fun deciding on all my mods which I had done before I ever rode the bike one mile! It was kind of like the old Sears "Wish Book" that always came out before Christmas if you remember that.

The other way I stayed connected to bikes and riding last time--and will again this time--was to spend time on this forum ogling members' motorcycles and reading their ride reports and bantering with forum friends about bikes and other topics. So please, post away, Martine!

 

@steve lovatt
Now I'm eagerly awaiting your awesome bike reviews more than ever, Steve, so I can do a bit of vicarious riding through your words!