Subject: My Motorcycle Accident
From: tale@dd.org (David C Lawrence)
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1999 23:46:24 -0400 (EDT)

I had a followup orthopedic appointment where the doctor said
everything seems to be healing very well, and that I do not have any
evidence of some of the bone problems common to people with similar
injuries.

The left leg is still paralyzed and having significant parathesis
(the burning pain that sometimes spikes up to intense levels).
However, as noted above, the pain is reason for optimism, because it
indicates the nerve was not completely severed, and is thus much more
likely to eventually heal itself.

My physical therapy has been progressing at a healthy clip.  I am now
able to use a walker to go distances up to about forty feet or so, but
I need help to get standing in it.  Since all my balance has to be on
the paralyzed and nearly insensate leg, it is a challenge to get my
leg under me where it needs to be.  I am happy that the leg can now
bend up to 40 degrees at the knee, whereas just four days ago it could
not even bend 5 degrees.  The edema (swelling) is largely, but not
entirely, gone, and once the gash closes up I should be able to start
some swimming pool therapy.

One of the more interesting things about this injury is the various
reactions I hear from people when they are told it is a motorcycling
accident.  It is extremely common to hear things like, "So, you won't
be riding _them_ again, will you?" or other remarks disdainful of
motorcycling (especially from most, though notably not all, nurses).
It is a socially incorrect way of getting hurt, as evidenced when
someone just tonight approached me and asked with an (odd) smile,
"Skiing accident?"  When I replied it was a motorcycle accident, her
demeanor visibly changed to the negative.  I think I may start telling
people a variety of different stories in an attempt to measure the
scale of socially acceptable vs unacceptable ways of getting hurt.  I
imagine it would stack up something like this, from most acceptable to
least:

   1 pedestrian hit by reckless driver
   2 fell off a ladder painting my house
   3 skiing
   4 auto accident
   5 snowboarding
   6 motorcycle riding
   7 driving drunk

I suspect the gap between #4 and #5 is much greater than the gap
between #6 and #7 on my fictitious scale.

My wife is very upset with me for having voiced the opinion that I
want to ride again.  I'm letting the issue rest for now, because
fighting about it would not be helpful to my recovery.  Eventually this
will have to play itself out, though, and I hope that I can come up
with a win-win scenario for both us.  At the moment such a solution is
escaping me.