My recovery from a broken wrist, first steemit post and roadtrips

Earlier this year (2017), I had a very fast and scary motorcycle crash that I walked away from with no apparent injuries except a bruise or two. Everything seemed okay at that point and I continued doing miles on the road and the racetrack.

Until September.

There was some pain, but as x-rays didn't show any broken bone, it was diagnoised as a tendon tear. Some rest for the hand was advised and I decided to give it that after the racing ended in September.

Two weeks of rest to the wrist showed no improvement. A second visit to the doctor and another round of X-rays showed no damage to any bones in the wrist. But the pain did not reduce, nor was there a diagnosis. However to make a proper diagnosis and for confirmation that no bone was broken, I underwent a MRI scan.

The scan showed me that the scaphoid bone, one of the four bones on which the wrist sits was fractured. Not just a hairline fracture, but it was split into two proper pieces.

A CT scan showed that the bone had started on the first stage of a process called avio-vascular necrosis. In simple words, it meant that the bone had started to die.

Scaphoid fractures are a bitch. Literally. They are notorious for not healing well, or not healing at all. The main problem is that the bone does not get enough blood supply in the first place, making healing a very long and unsure process. And they are quite common with sports athletes, especially those involved in motorsports.

I had a cast on my right hand for two weeks, to determine if the bone showed any inclination to grow after the wrist was immobilized. But zilch. No progress was recorded. The only way forward was to get it surgically fixed.

Now, I have a screw in the wrist to hold the two pieces of the bone together so they can achieve union, and my wrist has been immobilized for the last 8 weeks. What I would want to tell is not much about this fracture, but the effect it had on me and my psyche.

X ray shows a screw to fix the broken parts of the bone, and a wire to keep the muscle in place over the bone.

Being an outdoorsy person and having an injury that can limit most outdoor activities is a little difficult to handle. I mean, how would it feel like to realize that you would not be able to do most of the things you would usually do (for me, it is the gym, riding motorcycles and a little bit of hiking) for a couple of months.

One of my usual activities; exploring new roads on a motorcycle

At first look, it has a disastrous effect on the mind. Being used to doing stuff, and suddenly having to cope with not being able to do anything is a little too harsh and difficult for the mind to bear. But over time, the mind realises that it is not so bad as it was once. And this is where the real healing process starts, in my opinion.

I went through this cycle too, but I did not linger in that distraught state of mind for too long. I have always been very pragmatic and rational in my approach to things like this in my life. A couple of days had me being absolutely irritated and annoyed at the state of affairs with the hand. But within a week, the mind had accustomed to the discomfort. To look at the better side of things, I am glad I did not break anything nor suffer any other injury. At 120kmph, everything is magnified, and crashes take on scary proportions. I truly believe that I got away lightly. Thanks to my riding gear, I walked away in one piece.

To give myself encouragement and motivation to carry on with my usual day to day work, I started counting the days down. 10 weeks turned to 9, then 8, 7... and then to 1 week. The routine of everyday work tends to get a little too much to bear especially when you cannot do the stuff that puts your mind and thoughts into perspective. When you cannot do things on a Sunday that will make your Monday better, the whole week tends to be a drag.

I experienced this too, but quickly got over it by focusing my mind on other activities; I read a lot of books in the 6 weeks that I was relatively sedentary. 17 books, to be exact, including ones that I had on my reading list for a long time.

But the worst of life's problems are usually made bearable by good friends. They are the medicine. And a road trip with my buddy @bikernomad was the medicine I needed. We went on a weekend road trip on my bike, I sitting pillion and he doing the riding. He did promise that he would not exceed speeds of 100kmph, but we hardly rode below 130kph on most sections of the highway.

Well, some promises are meant to be broken...

Some photos from the roadtrip.

Above: Like a boss, broken wrist aside.

I have not written on Steemit for the last two months. I tried, but failed. Words did not flow as they used to and I did not like to read what I wrote. Writing was still not happening. I had ideas to write about. I had content. I realized that I had no inclination. This was not the dreaded writer's block, but more of a lack of interest in wanting to do anything because the hand.

Now I have two more days to go before I get the cast removed and I am able to start with physiotherapy sessions. The first few days may not be as I have imagined them to be, but I know that I can do the simple things that were such a chore in the first place; moving the mouse, typing, sketching and the like.

Riding bikes and lifting weights is a little more than a month or two away, but I will get there. Step by step. The first thing I need to focus on is to regain strength and movement in the wrist.

Once again, I realize patience is everything. I may not feel like I am making progress every day, but I realize that over the course of the month, all the little stretching and strengthening exercises will add up.

I have a little over 30-40 days to go before I aim to put the first kilometres on the bike, and start building myself up. Mentally and physically, the last 60 days saw a little bit of a downhill ride, but I am looking back to climbing to the ever elusive top of the mountain. I do not have a step by step plan to climb the mountain. I know what I need to do and that all I want to do is to keep moving uphill.