I lost my virginity...and now I've got a horrible rash...what do I do now?

Hey all–

Made you look. Now that I have your attention.

I was at a local sprint tri this weekend and experienced my first real bike crash, DNF, broken Hed3, and first case of road rash all in oone incident (Momma always said go big or go home). Had a front tire blow out in a turn at 20mph. Used my shoulder, hip, hand, head/helmet, and side as a brake. Stopped really fast.

Bike is relatively ok. It is in the shop getting the once over and some tlc to be ready to ride as soon as I am.

Had to walk the bike the 2.5 miles back to T1…not fun in bike shoes/bare feet. The bonus was watching people’s reaction to the road rash. Funny thing was that friends had a worse reaction when I showed them the broken HED3. All along my right side (shoulder, arm, hip). Needless to say the first shower was pure ecstacy. Now that it is healing over and not raw anymore, should I be doing anything else to take care of it? Advice? Should I be putting ointment or something on it or keeping it free of any of that. Thanks in advance.

Tom

Race entry–FREE (volunteer race voucher)

HED3 front race wheel–$500

Bell x-ray helmet–$100

Bent bottle cage–$10

Smashed water bottle–$3

Road Rash–FREE

Having my nugget not as shattered as my helmet–PRICELESS (thank you Bell Helmets)

I really don’t see any point in the ointment.

I don’t thinkit has any effect whatsoever on carbon fiber. You can try it but I’d bet that wheel is toast.

Did you tru to use cream?

Is it on your testicles or scrotum? Is it red and itchy?

It might be shingles. The first sign is a sensation varying from a tingling feeling to a severe pain or a burning sensation on the skin, limited to the body area where the rash will appear. This can be anywhere, but it mostly occurs somewhere on the trunk (chest, abdomen, back).

Then, the virus infect the cortex and the sufferer start to post stupid things on the internet. The main problem is that there is no known cure - the first few posts usually passes within a few weeks - but treatment can minimise the duration, discomfort and complications. Therefore, it is best if you stop posting crap as soon as possible.

Glad to hear you didn’t break any bones. I had my first taste of road rash last year. A Google search turned-up the following, which seemed sensible and worked:

I offer the following advice: (i’m a trauma nurse with a year or so of working in the burn unit under my belt)

supplies:
0.9% sodium chloride solution (just mild salt water)
spray bottle
4" x 4" gauze pads
johnson & johnson Bioclusive dressing or Spenco 2nd skin or Tegaderm (I prefer tegaderm)
paper tape

To deal with fresh rash: Get your post-ride shower (ouch!), NOT scrubbing the abrasions. Then, use the spray bottle of sodium chloride solution to clean up the abrasions, only gently scrubbing with the gauze pad if absolutely needed to remove visible gravel, etc.
The rash needs to be CLEAN - if it’s not you’re going to have to grit your teeth and make it clean with the gauze and salt solution. Let the wound dry.
Place the semipermeable dressing (you can get it at walgreens…box says semipermeable) over the wound, drying the surrounding area and attaching the film with adhesive tape on dry skin. If you are using sheets too small to cover the wound, Tegaderm, for instance, will adhere to itself and can be shingled over the wound area. The dressing can remain in place for a week, but it might be better to change the dressing after a few days. (THE WOUND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRY OUT UNTIL IT HEALS!!!) For signs of infection or if you need a tetanus booster, see your doctor.

(signs of infection include but are not limited to: severe reddenss around the edges of the wound…it’s hot to the touch, swollen/painful to touch more so than usual road rash, green/yellow purulent drainage from wound)

You may find yourself sweating under the dressing when you work hard on subsequent rides. Using paper tape to secure the edges of the dressing will keep it from falling off, and you may find you want to replace the dressing if it is particularly wet.
A thought: if you find yourself in the ER because you have trashed more than some skin, you might want to get pushy with whomever is about to clean up your road rash, hoping to get the treatment outlined here.

…" Conventional treatment has consisted of cleansing the affected area with a mild soap and water or a mild antiseptic wash, such as hydrogen peroxide. This would then be followed with the application of antibiotic ointment along with a dry dressing. The problem with this approach lies in the fact that mechanical cleansing by scrubbing the wounds can produce increased trauma and a renewal of the inflammatory response. It has also been seen that the application of antiseptics, such as hydrogen peroxide or povidone-iodine (aka Betadine) , can actually cause harm to the tissue and interfere with function, which can further increase the injury and lengthen the healing process. Topical antimicrobials have been shown to be detrimental to fibroblasts and other cells needed for wound restoration.

In light of these findings, newer, improved methods for treating abrasions are recommended. The most advisable treatment for cleansing the wound is to flush it using a “pistol” syringe or bulb syringe containing a non-toxic surfactant, such as Shur-Clens (ConvaTec, Skillman, New Jersey) or a 0.9% sodium chloride solution, followed by the application of a hydrocolloid or semiocclusive hydrogel dressing.

A moist healing environment is provided by the dressing, which will promote cell migration, remove excess exudate, allow for gaseous exchange, and provide an impermeable barrier to bacteria and other contaminants. The moist environment provided by the proper dressing is important for optimal cell migration by preventing crust formation and allowing the wound to heal from the bottom as well as from the edges. Two basic options fulfill this requirement. One option is semipermeable film dressings, such as Bioclusive andTegaderm in combination with semiocclusive hydrogels such as Spenco 2nd Skin . These dressings are impermeable to water and bacteria but allow the exudate to evaporate.

Another option is the use of hydrocolloid dressings. These also offer a hospitable healing environment but differ from the semiocclusive hydrogels by absorbing the exudate rather than allowing for evaporation. In addition, the hydrocolloid dressing can remain in place for up to 7 days after being applied as can be done with the semipermiable films."

Examples of hydrocolloidal dressings are Duoderm and Cutinova (but you might need to get them from the hospital…they’re pricy)

Make friends with antibiotic ointment. Neosporin is one brand but the generics work as well. I usually keep the wound covered for a couple days. Put the ointment on the bandage to keep it from sticking. Change it several time each day. If it sticks and won’t pull off easily, carefully cut away the non-stuck part and soak the remaining part until it can be removed. If it starts feeling warm around it or if it starts to swell up, seek medical attention.

Disclaimer: No medical training here, learned a lot of this from in-line skating

Try Second Skin or one of those related products from the pharmacy. My wife fell off of her bike a couple of weeks ago and kept those patches on the really nasty road rash on her shoulder and upper arm. Apparently it releases some sort of gel that reacts with the collagen that your body secretes to keep the wound moist and prevent scabbing and scarring. I never would have to thought to try that stuff, but now her injury looks a million times better than some of my past war injuries, all of which were far less serious than her fall.

Check all the carbon fibre on your bike.

Impacts destroy carbon…

Put some 'Tussin on it…

Brett

I second the generic equivalent of Neosporin recommendation. Also, try to keep it covered for the first couple days; it really speeds the healing.

Bell helmets has a crash replacement policy… for I think 25 dollars they will replace a helmet with the comporable helmet…

I learned this one out first hand… simiar incident except my front wheel was not so pricy.

HED may have a similair deal… not 25 dollars of course.

Some people develop a reaction to NEOPSORIN (or triple antibiotic ointment.) Try POLYSPORIN (double antibiotic oint) instead. Or use the gel pads. Don’t let it dry out, either way. And, do make sure you clean out the dirt and gravel as it will cause a tatoo, and increase the risk of infection.

surprised that no one has mentioned Tegaderm. it’s a clear dressing that goes over the wound, and stays there for a few days. should be available in a pharmacy or large grocery store.

Tegaderm was mentioned in the long post,This stuff is a god send,great stuff
.

OnThaCouch,

Sorry to hear of your unfortunate crash. Glad to hear you were not seriously injured.

I’m sure you already consider yourself lucky in that it could have been much worse.

I’m envious of how inexpensive your crash was to repair the damage. One of seven deadly sins, I know.

I lost my virginity this summer too.

My crash taco-ed the front wheel, approx $100.00. Bent the top tube and the down tube near the head tube on a Serotta frame. About $600.00 before paint job. Repainting: $300.00 - $500.00 depending on choices. Was originally most expensive paint option offered. Originally took the bike in to have the fork evaluated as fit for continued riding. Bike mechanic said, “see that paint blister on your down tube? It means its toast! Oh, your top tube is toast too!” I just got sick to my stomach.

Now if the fork is okay, this is the best case senario. It has a Serotta F1 fork. I loved that fork, but they no longer make it. The closest fork to it is the Serotta F2 fork, but it has a 1 1/8" steerer, not a 1" steerer. If the fork is junk (I suspected that the forces involved at impact probably were great enough to bend the steel steerer, if they damaged the frame so extensively), then because they no longer offer the F1 fork with a 1" steerer, I will have to convert from a 1" head tube to a 1 1/8" head tube to duplicate the ride quality of the F1 fork that was on it before by going to the F2 fork. Not really that much more expensive on the frame repair side. But! New fork $575.00. Paint new fork $100.00. New headset CK $140.00. New stem $80.00. Now we’re talking real money!

New frame and fork almost $3,000.00.

Any Serotta owners would be wise to check out the no-fault crash protection coverage offerred by their Serotta Owners Club. Worst case senario for level two Owners Club member is $250.00. Even if frame and fork are not repairable and Serotta decides to replace with new.

Crashing is no fun. It hurts and it can be very expensive.

I hate crashing.

Best wishes for safe future rides and races!

did u see this?

http://www.velonews.com/tour2004/carmicha/articles/6506.0.html

That’s what we get for trying to mimic those tour riders!

I also went down on Sunday, during our club’s summer metric. I must have learned something since my big bang-up of '02, since I didn’t break, dislocate, or tear anything this time. Crashed in almost the exact same way as last time, and landed on the same shoulder.

Along the lines of Tegaderm, etc. I found some gel coated pads, called MoreSkin, in our soccer team’s first aid kit. Neat stuff but impossible to find locally, and quite expensive via the internet.

I’ve been coating the area with triple antibotic ointment and covering with the MoreSkin (over the worst sections), then taping big gauze pads over the top to hold everything in place. I’ll probably switch to the Tegaderm when I run out of my current supply.

in addition to good advice above…keep the wounds from getting sunburnt, could lead to bad scarring and higher potential of skin cancer there.