Repair Work: The Rider (Part I)

If only the repair of the rider was as simple and as painless as the repair of the bike.

But unfortunately, that's not the case.  Rider recovery - both physical and emotional - has been and will continue to be a process.

Speaking purely of my physical recovery, by all accounts I'm doing extremely well.  The plastic surgeon has commented on this several times.  My husband has even referred to me as a "time lapse photograph":  every time he looks at me, I look better and better and more like my old self.  Even I, my worst critic, can see significant improvement and a light at the end of the tunnel.

I started out in pretty rough shape.  As I detailed in my "Hard Fall" post, I landed face first on pavement with absolutely no warning while biking 15 mph.  For my own reference, here's an inventory of the damage done in that split second:

• I split my upper lip vertically all the way through, halfway up to my nose.  
• Four of my previously perfect top teeth were lost or chipped:  I lost a top front tooth, root and all. I also chipped three more and knocked one out of place. 
• I had significant road rash and cuts on my chin and upper lip. More road rash also appeared on my right cheek, with cuts on my nose and neck. 
• My neck and jaw were stiff and painful.  A few days later this pain extended itself to every bone and muscle in my body.
• The swelling in my jaw joints prevented me from being able to open my mouth.  It later led to painful earaches. 
• My right wrist and the knuckles on my right hand were swollen and blue. 
• I had bruises and road burns through my riding pants on the left side of both knees.   

Well that's a sucky list.  But again, I know it could be much, much worse.  Plus, the body has amazing healing abilities and I'm doing so much better now.

My repair work began at Lawrence General Hospital, where I found myself in the capable hands of Dr. Drew Remignanti.  Although there was no plastic surgeon on hand that night, he had consulted with one by phone and stitched me up with the skill and perfection that you would only find with an ER doctor who has been doing this for 30 years.  I'm seeing a top Boston plastic surgeon and he has told me I got very lucky getting this ER doctor that night and I that I should write him and thank him. (That has always been my plan but I'm waiting until I have a good "after" picture to send him.)

Two oddities exist with me being paired with Dr. Drew that night:  First off, his name.  The only other adult "Drew" I know is also my favorite riding buddy.  Second, I later learned that this doctor also graduated from my alma mater, Dartmouth College, ten years earlier.  Little did I know at the time that a fellow member of the Dartmouth family had come to my aid.  What a fortuitous paring.

More repair work was done by our dentist and good friend, Peter Eliopoulos.  Peter actually drove up to the ER to see me, prompting Dr. Drew to remark that he's never seen a dentist ever come to the ER in his 30 years practicing.  Although Peter couldn't do any treatment there, he was able to review my X rays and my jaw and let me know that fortunately, I was still in occlusion (this is a good thing).  My jaw was still aligned and he could fix everything else.

Peter's presence had a huge calming effect on me and I can't thank him enough.  My dental repair will be a process but I'm in very capable hands and know I will wind up with more perfect looking teeth than I had before my accident. Here's a link to Peter's office if you live in the Boston area and are ever looking for a good dentist.

All other repair work has been accomplished by the passage of time.  My aches and pains are gone. My scrapes and burns have been healing  My stitches are out with no evidence yet of a scar. The only thing that remains are two red and sore patches on my face - one over my lip and one on my chin.  They still occasionally burn and sting, like today, so it's been a process.  I've been told the redness should be gone in the next several weeks.  I want my old face back but I know I have to be patient and let time heal me.

People have asked me about the pain I've experienced. It's hard to describe. I know I have an extremely high tolerance for physical pain, based on past experiences.  But I also have to say that in instances of serious trauma, the body seems to have a way of capping how much pain you can feel at any one time.  It also seems to slow down your mind, so that when you have multiple injuries, as I did, your attention is only able to focus on one thing at a time, prioritizing the rest in some predetermined or innate order.  This really helped prevent me from having a complete breakdown when I first saw my face in a mirror at the ER.

I have such a new appreciation for the human body - my body - after this event.  I'm blessed with unbreakable bones in my face and neck and wrist.  And the skin I inherited from my Polish and Canadian ancestors has wonderful healing properties.

This, I'm very thankful for.  I just want my old face back now.  But I know I have to be patient and let time heal me.