By MATTHEW HOLT
This can be a private story about this weblog’s writer (me!) nevertheless it has simply sufficient well being care stuff to maintain it related!
This yr I lastly acquired invited on the annual mountain bike journey run by my buddy JB and his ex Taiwan/Hong Kong buddies. I’ve really been working towards and coaching many of the summer time and arrived fairly assured despite the fact that I knew it might be robust. This version is in Provence in France.
After which…..2 hours in on the primary day it seems I used to be too assured…
Again in 2002 I smashed my knee snowboarding right into a tree. After I advised him my dad stated ” You foolish twit”
I really was a foolish twit this time too. I used to be on a brand new bike (a rental) that was really far more superior than my regular one and had a function I had barely practiced with (a drop seat) that requires a brand new approach. It had rained closely the day earlier than so it was moist (& residing in California I’ve very restricted expertise mountain biking within the rain), and I used to be behind the pack as my chain had come off. (There was a information sweeping the rear who mounted it for me). So after I acquired to the primary difficult down hill slope I didn’t do the wise factor of stopping & strolling to the underside to test it or do what 75% of the group did and walked their bike down it, I simply thought, “I can try this’ and plunged down it. Not fairly positive precisely why I fell however I went over the bars barely to the proper (fortunately missed a tree) & hit the bottom on the downslope onerous on my proper facet. In any sport any one among new gear, new atmosphere, new approach means it is best to err on the facet of warning and I had all 3, but simply went for it! Very dangerous resolution!
After I acquired up I assumed I had simply badly winded myself. The information helped me again on the bike & I rode on. For the subsequent 5 miles or so he helped push me up the steeper bits of a climb (he had an eBike). I really did a barely much less difficult however nonetheless robust downslope part & a buddy gave me an enormous dose of Tylenol on the subsequent cease level. I really crashed once more after that (slipped on a moist rock) however landed okay on my elbow which was padded (as have been my knees however not my torso) and solely had some slight scratches however I made it to lunch feeling sore however OK.
After lunch I acquired misplaced and ended in the back of the pack once more however the subsequent 10 miles have been a gentle climb on a fireplace street/jeep path & a pleasant path by a forest however nothing too robust. I then acquired misplaced (once more!) and ended up going by a village lacking the steep downhill I used to be trying ahead to. The day was 30 miles and about 3,000ft of climbing–so not nothing!
After an evening of beer, painkillers & nice French meals, I really slept OK & assumed it was a bruise. I acquired up & cycled off with the pack the subsequent morning, missed one other flip (you have to be sensing a sample right here!) & was near the sweep information in the back of the pack when about 5 miles in we acquired on some good single monitor that went up and down. At this level each time I needed to pedal intensely to go up a brief slope or each time I hit a root or a rock, it actually damage.
That single monitor ended with a vicious rocky downhill that I walked (and I came upon so did most everybody). After I acquired to the drinks break (about 8 miles in) I advised the guides I used to be in an excessive amount of ache to go on. Because it occurred one other rider within the group (73 years outdated!) had crashed and hit a wall and had a deep wound in his arm. So he was being taken to hospital. I stated I’d go alongside to take a look at the French well being system and I’d attempt once more tomorrow.
We began at a pharmacy the place the pinnacle pharmacist advised the information that my fellow rider’s wound def wanted hospital remedy & we went to an area Clinique (mini non-public hospital) which had a small pressing care division. The med asst (who was additionally the receptionist) advised us the wait was 2 hours & the information requested him if I might get an x-ray whereas we waited. Sure we might.
We went over to radiology depth the place my wait was about 45 minutes. We have been advised the fee could be lower than 100 euros. I went in to the Xray room, adopted the charming rad tech’s directions to jam myself this manner and that towards the machine & was out in 5 minutes. 20 minutes later we acquired the invoice (52 Euros) and the x-ray on movie.
The image is the results of my go to to the French hospital system. Whereas I’m eager on learning different well being programs, I wasn’t aspiring to take such a private look…
Then we went again to pressing care. The med asst had cleaned up my fellow rider’s wound. The physician stated no want for stitches for him. Then he cleaned up my minor elbow wound from that second fall. Then the physician got here in. He squeezed my ribs and talked in quick French with the information. Then stated to me that he would discover the place it damage & he did.
Then we left the examination room to his workplace the place he had the x-ray on his laptop & confirmed me the rib that was damaged (c9).
He printed out a paper prescription (no eRX so far as I can inform) for tramadol, acetaminophen & naproxen. By the best way solely Tramadol of that lot is prescription within the US. He then distributed nice French medical recommendation. “Don’t bike for 4-6 weeks, as a result of in case you fall once more you’ll puncture your lung. As an alternative benefit from the wine of Provence!” He then acquired out a bank card machine & charged me one other €52.
So for you well being care nerds that’s €104 for x-rays, prognosis and session. We went again to the pharmacy to select up the medication. They solely had 2 of the three so I used to be really ready to make use of the identical paper Rx to get extra of the identical medication plus the lacking one the subsequent day at a distinct pharmacy–despite the fact that I advised the second pharmacy I had crammed the remainder the day prior to this. Whole value was €15 which I assume is much like US as they have been generic despite the fact that they weren’t OTC. There didn’t appear to be any digital hyperlink between pharmacies (Marvel what would have occurred if I’d been prescribed opiates?)
Anyway again to the poor affected person….
Regardless of the wine & the medication I assume the bruises had began to return by as that night time was very very grim (plenty of ache, barely any sleep, getting everybody else to hold my baggage, get stuff off the ground as i couldn’t bend over, and so on). So no biking and after that I rode within the help van, working towards my appalling French with one other information and going to supermarkets every day as we purchased the meals for lunch and the wine & beer for the night (25 outdated males drink loads!). As an alternative of burning fats driving 30 miles a day I undoubtedly placed on weight this week!
Every week later I’m nonetheless noticing the ache however I can sleep. I can carry my very own baggage and the muscle spasms that got here out of nowhere appear to have calmed down. It nonetheless hurts a bit after I cough or snort too onerous. So I’m attempting to keep away from COVID-19 (acquired my bivalent booster 2 weeks in the past) and anybody too humorous!
After I get again to the US I can be investigating these on the spot inflating jackets that horse riders put on and see if anybody has a mountain biking equal!