might be retiring

Recovery from a surgery really sucks, buddy. You'll probably never forget what you're going through right now. I hope you don't. It is a big part of your life now and will always be a big part of your personal history. That saying, "pain is just weakness leaving the body" is a bunch of crap. Pain just hurts, and exorcising weakness can be accomplished via other means.

It sounds like you've got a real passion for riding. Miles like you've travelled don't just happen without drive. It would make me feel better, for one, if you got back in the saddle. In a similar circumstance, I was afraid to wait for a year because I thought I would build fear within me over time. (by "similar circumstance", I don't mean that I required surgery; you're at a different level than me here, so I don't really know where you're at.) I went out and rode for very short periods and rebuilt my confidence over time.

Just know you have a vote of confidence here, for whatever that's worth. Whatever decision you make is the right one for you. Enjoy your life while you have it, regardless.

 

No offense, but I'd rather not ride for a year than ride one of those. One of those just might kill the love I have for riding.

 

better to kill your love for riding than yourself...

 

Hey don't hate on scooters, this guy knows what's up!



Seriously, I wouldn't mind one of those for shooting the breeze.

 

Maybe spend some time dirt/scramble/trial riding?
You will be dropping the bike daily,it`s part of it!
You will get to know what can happen ,maybe (is there gravel/dirt on the road ahead ect) because i just seen a tractor go past.
It will give you a feel of what 2 wheels can and cannot do.
Go on, get a dirt bike, spend some time on your ass then you will know what you can do without hitting concrete and cars!

 

Jaime, you are very fortunate that the injury to your T-9 (thoracic vertebra #9) was just a mild 'compression' fracture. Had you really crunched and blown out just T-9 and maybe its nearest neighbors, and damaged or severed your spinal cord in the region of T-9, you'd be in a wheelchair and you'd have no ability to voluntarily move your limbs nor feel sensations from your body below the level of the spinal cord injury.

In addition, you would've lost voluntary control of your bowels and bladder, so you'd be wearing a diaper as well as learning how to catheterize yourself in order to empty your bladder. Sex as you know it would also become a thing of the past, since you'd have no sensation down there, and those parts would no longer work.

The point here is that you got lucky, things could've been far worse, and if you were to prematurely apply too much stress to, or re-injure T-9 before it has had ample time to heal, you could really f*ck yourself up more.

Vertebral bones have a distinctly different anatomy and healing properties than 'long bones' which are rather like wooden sticks in terms of how they typically break and heal, which may require intra-operative orthopedic hardware such as plates and screws, as you now well know.

Vertebrae, on the other hand, are rather like a toothpick lattice work of delicate bony spicules encapsulated by a thin outer layer or shell of harder bone. When a vertebra is traumatically compressed it's outer bony shell is cracked, and the inner bony lattice work is crunched to some extent. (This is rather like stepping just a little too hard on a hard-boiled egg.)

Your T-9 compression fracture was mild enough that it didn't require surgical attempts to reconstruct and 're-inflate' T-9 with surgical injections of what amounts to synthetic bone material in order to stabilize the vertebra.

The point here is that you might do well to allow your spine ample time to fully heal, rather than 'cowboying up' and thinking that you're going to be ready for your next rodeo as soon as your Dr. says that you can take off the back brace. :crazy:

 

Red Rover, I just wanted to say thanx for all the info you posted, gives us all something to think about. I will keep it in mind the next time I get on the bike and head for the twisties. Life can change quickly

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully. Don't worry, I won't be cowboying up any time soon; it looks like I'll probably be taking a vacation from riding for at least a year to allow my fractured bones to heal as well as my bruised brain. After speaking with one of my docs, he recommended I not ride or do any activity (e.g.; roller coasters) that could affect my injured areas for at least a year. He says that an injury to an injury is bad news and that he's not sure of the extent of the damage to my brain, so we must err on the side of caution. Obviously, there was some damage since I lost consciousness and have what appears to be retrograde amnesia since I can't remember what happened before, during, and a bit after the accident.

Honestly, I am a little scared to get back in the saddle, although I know that when the year's up I'll be ready (If I'm cleared to ride). I see other riders as I commute in my car and I feel scared for them. I see guys lane splitting and driving unsafely and I think to myself how dangerous that is. When I return to riding it will be with more awareness and knowledge of how bad things can turn out if I am not careful. I definitely understand how bad it could have been and the thought of possibly becoming paralyzed as a result of a motorcycle crash sends chills down my spine (thankfully). As I have said before, this crash and the resulting injuries have helped to put things into perspective. Motorcycling can be very dangerous and we can't allow ourselves to become too confident in our skills. We must always realize how vulnerable and fragile we are and ride accordingly.

Once again, thanks for all the replies.

 

hey jaime,

so sad to hear about the accident but i'm glad you're ok. we all face crossroads in life and here's my story:

16 years ago, i had a terrible low side that ended with my bike(vfr400r) beneath a dump truck and me almost being run over by it. it took me 16 years pondering about wherether to ride again or not and finally decided to ride again last year. the years of absence made me gain so much more knowledge about riding but lacked road time. i understand the risk of motorcycling but refuse to let it contain my passion to be on the road once again.

take your time and think about your future but i wont be surprised to see you one day on the road once again, just like me.

 

My $.02 (CDN). I'm 61 years old and I have been riding on and off since 1964 and for purely financial reasons graduated up the cc ladder starting off with a '64 50cc Suzuiki two stroke. The only other bikes on the road in those days besides small Japanese bikes, were 650 Triumphs and of course Harleys. In the interim I have owned a 500cc, a 750, and 1100 and now the VFR. To me there is no finer motorcycle on the road than the VFR.

I'm an advocate of the best teachers being saddle time and training. I also support the start off small and work your way up method of developing good riding habits. I have had my share of get-offs but none, so far, by the grace of whomever, that have resulted in the kind of injuries that you have had to experience. But that could happen tomorrow as we all know. My riding varies between city, freeway and most frequently, now because of where I live, country. Each has it's distinct sets of riding demands. As does each type of motorcycle demand a distinct set of riding skills.
I also know the pain in having to give up on a passion. I used to fly, as a hobby, small, single-engine, land aircraft - Cessna 172's mostly. I loved it but because a) it's an awfully expensive hobby and b) the weather determines when and if you can fly I had to finally just give it up. Flying like motorcycling also requires that you fly as frequently as you are able to or the skills get rusty. In my part of the world the bike has to hibernate at least for a part of the year and I supplement that time with reading and re-reading the good materials you have described and supplement these with video.
Everyday poses risks to one's life. Not everybody will arrive home alive from work/school or whatever occupies your days tonight. There are some worthy risks in life and for me motorcycling is mine. For others it's horseback riding, base jumping, skiing, bicycling, playing guitar, flying small single-engined airplanes, etc., etc. Only you can determine if the inherent risks (and there are many) in riding a motorcycle are acceptable to you. Good luck with your decison and let us know what you decide.

 

My advice is a little different in a few ways. Have been riding since the age of 4. 30+ years dirt bike racing along with 20 years on-road. Attended 2 superbike schools and have the love of riding running thru me with an endless passion. Took roughly 10 years off to get my young married life off to a good start. That was the longest 10 years going without a bike. Never thought about hanging it up, ever. Hell, sold my last bike to pay for a security fence for my little 10 lb. dog. Anyways, after picking up my dream bike that I followed as a young rider (2006 VFR), my smile from ear to ear could not be removed for a week. I've owned over 20+ bikes of various sizes and speeds.

Take some time off, say at least 1-2 years. Let your body heal up properly. In time you will decide inside yourself, if motorcycles are your passion for life. Sorry, almost everybody goes down in a crash. I had my 1st crash at a high speed last year. 80+ and I got right back up. Was wearing FULL GEAR and that definately saved my life. It was my fault for not recognizing the situation at hand. Too much front brake while squarely on top of one of those tar snakes we call them. Rubber sealer that at 90 degrees is extremely pliable. Should have been more in-tune to the area and the inconsistent road conditions. That is enough on that subject.

Everybody is giving you their story and their views to help you decide on riding in the future. Most of us have been riding for more than a few years, and we have the riding bug clearly implanted in our asses. I won't stop riding until my wife beats me off of the bike with a stick. Then I will just get back on because I'm wearing my gear.

Take some time and think about all of our advice and see if you still have the love of riding inside. If not, you still have your health. Heal up and find another hobby/thing to concentrate on. You may come back to riding. You still have many years to come. They will always be making motorcycles.