Sep 26, 2008 10:05 PM GMT
In May of 2008 I was on a training ride for AidsLifeCycle (which raises money for the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic in Los Angeles). It was extremely warm that day and our ride was from Santa Monica to San Pedro and back, a distance of about 100 miles.
It was a very tough ride, not only because of the heat but I also hadn't done that many smaller rides. After all, I've done Ironman and I can handle a long ride.
I got two very intense dizzy spells during the day but still continued riding. As we neared mile 80 I was feeling pretty good. We'd done all the heavy hill work and I was taking it easy, not feeling the need to push myself as I did earlier in the day.
I was taking a mental inventory of how I was feeling: I just had something to eat, felt not terribly tired, not thirsty...BAM!
The next thing I knew I was on my back in an ambulance asking what had happened. The paramedic said, "that's the sixth time you've asked me that and I putting that on the chart."
A week later I had the operation to fix my broken radius. We determined it was most likely due to dehydration.
In the subsequent weeks, I felt pretty good, my arm was healing nicely and I was getting really frustrated I couldn't work out. I decided to do some push ups and pull ups under the mistaken belief my arm had healed well enough.
Later, at the doctor's office, I could see the plate in my arm was offset and a screw out of place.
I had a second operation, now with a bone graft and a larger plate. I'll be more patient this time!
I must note, however, the Ironman (injury free) was far and away more painful than my broken arm!
The total bill against the insurance company has been more than $100,000. I can see how people can easily become bankrupted through medical expenses.
It was a very tough ride, not only because of the heat but I also hadn't done that many smaller rides. After all, I've done Ironman and I can handle a long ride.
I got two very intense dizzy spells during the day but still continued riding. As we neared mile 80 I was feeling pretty good. We'd done all the heavy hill work and I was taking it easy, not feeling the need to push myself as I did earlier in the day.
I was taking a mental inventory of how I was feeling: I just had something to eat, felt not terribly tired, not thirsty...BAM!
The next thing I knew I was on my back in an ambulance asking what had happened. The paramedic said, "that's the sixth time you've asked me that and I putting that on the chart."
A week later I had the operation to fix my broken radius. We determined it was most likely due to dehydration.
In the subsequent weeks, I felt pretty good, my arm was healing nicely and I was getting really frustrated I couldn't work out. I decided to do some push ups and pull ups under the mistaken belief my arm had healed well enough.
Later, at the doctor's office, I could see the plate in my arm was offset and a screw out of place.
I had a second operation, now with a bone graft and a larger plate. I'll be more patient this time!
I must note, however, the Ironman (injury free) was far and away more painful than my broken arm!
The total bill against the insurance company has been more than $100,000. I can see how people can easily become bankrupted through medical expenses.
