On Sat. April 16, I set out on an 18 mile bike/5K run brick. One mile into the bike I realized I had forgotten my wallet and cellphone. Oh, well I was going to be on a well-traveled route, so I went on my way.
At the bike turn-around, I was stopped by a guy in a pickup truck asking for directions. I gave him some and then got back on my way. Shortly thereafter, on a narrow country lane, I was beset by a German Shepherd mix dog who seemed to want a piece of my leg awful bad. After shouting at him was unsuccessful, I tried to squirt some water at him. I lost my grip on the water bottle, and shortly thereafter control of my bike. I don’t know what caused it, but I did an endo right on top of my head. When I came to, I was staring into my right armpit and thinking my shoulder must be dislocated. I called for help, and some soon showed up in the form of neighbors and workers in the area. They called 911 and my wife for me.
I had feeling and control of all my extremities, so I figured I was going to be okay. At one point I even got up on one shoulder, but feeling a lot of pain in my neck, I soon laid back down. Some EMS-types arrived and put me on a backboard with a neck brace. The county animal control also showed up and asked if I wanted to press charges, to which I emphatically replied yes. When the ambulance arrived, I asked them to take me to our small, local hospital instead of a larger one further away. After being X-rayed and CAT-scanned, I was sent home with a soft cervical collar, some pain meds, and a diagnosis of a strained neck.
After passing a very uncomfortable night on the La-Z-Boy, and doing quite a bit of moving around as well, my wife got a call about 10:30 the next morning from the ER. Apparently, a radiologist had read my X-rays that morning and noticed some fractures. They advised my wife to get me to lay down ASAP and wait for an ambulance they were sending to take me to a different hospital. Upon arrival at that hosptial, after further diagnostics, I was informed I had a burst fracture of C1 in four places and a fracture of C2 in one place (the odontoid process being broken off). They called it the “Christopher Reeves break.” The next day I was placed in a halo. Four bolts in the skull for at least 12 weeks. However, the halo was not reducing the C2 fracture well, so I was released with a date to come back for surgery.
On Friday, Apr. 29, I had successful surgery to place a screw from the bottom of C2 up into the odontoid process. Today, Saturday, I came home. This week I will start telecommuting to work, and may go back in to the office the week after that, assuming I can arrange a ride with someone.
When, if ever, I will get back on a bike, I don’t know. This experience has probably been worse on my wife and kids than me–I just don’t know if I can go out on my bike with my family that worried about me again. What I do know is that I thank God for saving me from death or paralysis and for giving me the wife, family, friends, and job that I have and for giving doctors the ability to do what they do. Everyone has been great and it almost overcomes me at times to read the cards and letters of support I have recieved.
You all take care, be thankful for your health, your loved ones and friends, wear your helmets, and if you believe, I would appreciate prayers for my continued healing.
God Bless–Brian