OlderThanMe Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Late last week I had the rubber bands taken off of the 12 or so rubber bands that were holding my jaws tightly together. This morning I went to the surgeon and got the sleepy juice to remove the metal bars that were tied to me teeth with 24 guage wires. I think I had either 10 or 12 teeth with the wires wrapped around them. I woke up at home and was walking with help from my mom and brother to the front door. I don't remember being awake at the doctors office or getting in the honda. I am getting over the soreness from the teeth being tied together and can chew really good. For those of you that missed the story I was away at college and riding my mountain bike to barnes and noble to go buy the book "maximum boost" by corky bell. Anyway I was about 300 feet from the store and had just passed over a main intersection and was going downhill. I had just shifted into high gear and stood up on the pedal. At about 20mph the chain decided to come off the front gear and the bike naied the curb and I went straight down the bike lane. It felt like I popped my jaw out of place when I hit the ground (while wearing my helmet that never got scratched) because it was stuck open. I grabbed my jaw with both hands and pushed it forward into place. It popped into what I thought was it's socket but it just got moved into where it should have been. The traffic was also just coming through the intersection so I was really close to a lot of cars driving by. An off-duty firefighter, nurse, and another student from my college stopped by. The other college student stayed with me the 6+ hours in the hospital which was nice. When I was sitting on the curb I started to white out and about 5 people were asking me what hurt and other things and I could not think. It just got to where I could only see white and not do anyhting. I could only hear what people were saying but I could not respond until I laid on my back and started to clear everything up. This morning I went to the surgeon and got these bars removed. I have not been able to properly chew food since before October 6th. After I had my arch bars installed in my mouth and stayed at school for a week of classes I decided that I could not continue my classes with my ailments. I was only able to eat 700 calories a day worth of ensure and apple sauce. I also ate a bit of baby food with a LOT of salt mixed in. This is in my dorm room a few days after my surgery. I had this huge Jay Leno chin from the 2" wide gash that ripped a flap of flesh open. I had only 10 stitches on my chin and it is really good now. The reason my upper lip is so messed up and not my nose is because my jaw broke and got pushed back so my lip hit the ground. I messed up the skin on the palm of my hands pretty good too. That actually hurt worse than my jaw. I startd out on October 6th at about 160 pounds...I got down to 141 pounds before I got my jaw opened back up and I have gained a few pounds back. Anyway everything is out of my mouth and the three breaks are healing pretty good. I had three main breaks and the front had a BUNCH! of smaller breaks. Another thing... I had not showered much in the few days before this pic...Not fun with open wounds. EEWWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 and what do you do with a jaw wired together? you go out in the cold garage and start polishing a cylinder head... and then to look at my flywheel and know something is up...I find out that SPEC sent the wrong flywheel...240mm flywheel with a 225mm clutch. Only 700 miles on both so I am just going to get a better clutch to match... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john kosmatka Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Man those bike accidents can be pretty nasty. One of my buddies had a similar incident early this year at school too. Just didn't break his jaw, broke most of his front teeth and put them through his tongue and lip. Good luck on the recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 Thanks! I did not lose any teeth but some of mine on the bottom near the middle where one of the full breaks is have shifted and turned a little bit. Orthodontics..again. I also had to withdraw from school for the semester and a bunch of my courses (calc1, chemistry1, and engineering orientation) aren't offered next semester so I will be behind in a bunch of courses. Bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Good to hear the healing is proceeding well! I had a serious one when I was a little younger than you, broke an axle, got tossed from a 10-speed while pushing as fast as I could push it. I ended up with fractures to the skull, eye orbit, fingers, 5 toes on one foot, a couple ribs, and a ruptured spleen. The worst part by FAR was the road rash. I was forced into showering occasionally, or I honestly wouldn't have. That being said, I think the thought of destroying a jaw like you did bothers me worse than what I went through. Enjoy some home cooking and time with the Z, school wont be going anywhere:icon12: tannji Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big-phil Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 few, good luck. I'm getting a video together just for you buddy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003z Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 At least you are recovering nicely! I still may need your help if I get around to getting the motor back together before you go back to school! Its been one thing after another. Couldn't fix my crank, so I just got another, and ordered new bearings, which won't be here until the 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john kosmatka Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Sucks having to withdraw, but its better than struggling trying to keep up with the material. What are you majoring in? I'm going for mechanical engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I also had to withdraw from school for the semester and a bunch of my courses (calc1, chemistry1, and engineering orientation) aren't offered next semester so I will be behind in a bunch of courses. Bummer. Behind? Please... Life is more than the 4 or 5 years you'll spend in school. Take it easy and stop trying to get "ahead" of everyone else. Your pace in life just took a little minor detour and you'll be back in the game soon enough. Your life is much longer than college (hopefully) so stay away from mountain bikes There were people that I went to college with that had strange things happen to them. One girl was shot by a guy robbing her parents store. Another dropped out for a while due to serious food poisoning. Another guy had a car battery explode in his face. Nothing like that happened to most of the people in school or to me either, thank God, but I did have a motorcycle accident years later. Accidents of the two wheel kind are painful. Recover quickly. Recover fully. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 Tannji: I thank theLord that I went straight down the bike lane. If I had hit the curb I would have bounced into traffic and who knows what could have happened. I have been having soo much good food at home. I had some good italian food the other night and it was by far the richest food since I wrecked Big-phil: Thanks buddy! Just what I need! 2003z: Mike, I will be around until mid-late January so we still have plenty of time before I go back to school to put your motor back in. john kosmatka: HAHA! I am also majoring in ME...The day I withdrew was the day for my first miterm and I was 1.5 weeks behind in homework. OUCH! I tried to stay for a week after my parents left but on 700 calories a day I had constant headaches never had enough food. The cafeteria did not want to help me out either. During the week they would carry soup but not on the weekends. DavyZ...this may actually work out better for me in some way. My girl isn't going to college until this fall semester and my program is a 4.5 year program so we should graduate near the same time. There was a reason for my crash but I guess I don't know what that is yet. Thanks guys for your support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 that brings TEARS to my eyes thinking about the PAIN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Chicks love guys with scars!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 OTM, I had to withdraw from college due to a triple ankle fracture that required a permanent plate installation. Set me back about two years, but now it's cool. So far I'm not a human barameter like some of the old timers I know, but I'm sure the day is coming...damn skateboard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 Grumpy: thanks. Most of the time I did not feel much pain. I think the worst pain was the nurse guy cleaning the asphalt out of my hands and chin. Mike: verytech-z: ouch.. I thought they were going to have to put plates on my jaw because the left side of my lower jaw could move around with my tongue. I had seen a surgery on TV years ago where a girl shattered her jaw and they had to cut her cheek open to mount plates to her jaw. That is exactly what did not want. I think I'll stick to cars for the road and keep my mountain bike for the trails where it belongs (after I repair it with a new set of gears and gear levers). I'll get a nice full-face mountain biking helmet as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Ive got several steel pins in my left ankle and left knee, bad back they can,t operate on,and enought scars to make you cry.........NONE of it from working on CARS, but by the time your 59 you see alot of stupid moves made by other guys and hopefully learn from thier stupid mistakes thats why I keep posting things about useing 4-6 12 ton jack stands to support your car,on LEVEL concrete plus roll around jacks while under cars and making sure youve got a 300% -500% PLUS safety margin in the strength rating on lifts and hoists , minimum, of 2000lb rated engine stands, having several large fire extingishers, ETC. Ive seen too many guys get screwed up big time useing cheap flimsy support tools or getting stupid thinking they don,t need safety supports etc. you better concider the results if something FAILS without warning and make arangements for a second line of defence on your butt getting crushed, burnt, electrically zapped or sliced even then YOUR going to eventually screw up so be prepared with a LARGE WELL THOUGHT THRU FIRST AID KIT,PERCOCET, and a CELL PHONE, PLUS a good understanding of where the local emergency room is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I have had a couple of major bikee wrecks, but I always managed to tuck my head in and roll. Thankfully I never did a face plant. The worse wreck is where I tumbled over a dog at about 30 mph. Had some major big-phill type bruises for 3 or 4 weeks following that one. Even bruised my dick. In some respects the survival skills riding a bicycle are the same as the skills needed to survive on a motor cycle. You alway have to be anticipating an accident and be thinking about your "outs". Sounds like you are on the road to recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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