My accident - Warning: Graphic images attached

[Sloeber]

Howdy all,

On Tuesday of this week I suffered a slight set back. I'm already on the road to recovery so no concern is needed, but I figured I could share this little tidbit with my CIMA crew.

I was cycling with some friends on Tuesday afternoon when a rogue gust of wind came from west to east (it was blowing south-north all day), caught me entirely off guard (was actually riding no hands at the time while I made adjustments on my gear) and knocked me off balance. I was able to drop back down to my handlebars in time to save myself from nailing the curb, but as I corrected to steer away from the curb my front tire went into loose gravel and in an instant I was down.

I was knocked unconscious, but thanks to the quick actions of my fellow riders (former CIMA member 'epon' amongst them) I was whisked away in an ambulance in under 5 minutes. My first memory after the impact was me arguing with the doctor for more morphine (LOL!).

End result is 3 broken ribs, one of which punctured my lung and collapsed it to 80%. I also broke my collar bone (interesting sidenote: I have never broken a bone until Tuesday), have one killer concussion, and 9 staples in my head (another first for me). Clearly a helmet was not being worn, something I naturally highly advise against. Although X-rays showed nothing wrong with my shoulder, there has been a rather strange clicking for the past couple days when I allow movement in that shoulder.

Ultimately the broken bones will heal and my headaches will fade and vision return, but the collapsed lung has some lingering concern. The condition, called Pneumothorax, has the possibilty of ending my scuba diving forever. Obviously a collapsed lung and a scuba diver mix like oil and water.

As some of you had already heard, I was to begin selling off my aquarium with the intent of leaving for Thailand come October 9 and commense in my endeavors as a scuba instructor. Obviously those plans, although not shelved entirely, are certainly on hold and in doubt. My first step is to obtain a radiological evaluation to determine if I'm actually trapping air or not. In theory the lung should heal itself and any trapped air could/should be absorbed into the body but the radiological evaluation will be needed to confirm this after a few months of healing and (hopeful) absorbtion. After that a Spiral CT Scan will be required to determine just how much risk I'm placing myself into. Possible result from making one more dive to depth is death by various different means, so this is obviously not something to shrug off and jump in. Ughf.

Anyway, onto the photos. Examples 1 & 2 on why you should be wearing a helmet while rding a bike -

The staples...

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs442.snc3/25396_1428221790786_1390064591_1154273_1614957_n.jpg

And the road rash...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs462.ash1/25396_1428222070793_1390064591_1154274_4350963_n.jpg

I wonder how long my face traveled along the asphalt :lolspin: FWIW I was riding about 20mph when I dropped.

[keto]

Oh man that sucks,, hope this does not bouch up your future plans , Best of luck to you ..

[syrinx]

All the best man- Those bicycles are dangerous! I also doubt this will hamper your plans- I had a similar issue, and I was back to smoking crack in no time!

[fragboy94]

Srry to hear tht hope u heal up fast

[Sloeber]

I had a similar issue, and I was back to smoking crack in no time!

Now is not the time to make me laugh my friend - its hurts way too much!

[cwegescheide]

I've broken my colar bone 3 times from various bike accidents over the years. Its more of an inconvenience than anything. That gash on your head is something else.. There is no excuse for not wearing a helmet. I was lucky the first time i broke my colar bone when I hit a telephone pole after a guy crashed in front of me. I had several nail dents in my helmet which otherwise would have been in my head. You were pretty lucky.

[llewoh05]

Ouch, god speed to a full recovery. Next time wear your gear. That's why they designed it.

[matt the fiddler]

if you do make a full recovery to the dive master.. just think of the stories you can tell to non suspecting open water wannabes about what shark or giant squid gave you them marks

[Sloeber]

:lol:

[Vitaly]

Great to see you back online Schultz...and glad to see that you are becoming an enthusiastic poster boy for bicycle helmet safety.

As you go forward, keep you mind that you suffered a traumatic pneumothorax; which needs to be kept in a separate context than the other types.

Remember our talk about keeping "ahead of your pain" during the next month or two while you recover.

Let me know if you need me to pop over your place.

[David MC Lee]

You still in the hospital? Let me know I will stop by.

[johnike]

Holy crap! Heal up fast. I got my face bashed by the ledge of my fishtank stand last December. Mrs. Ike told me I was falling asleep, and should come to bed. OK, hon, I'll be right up. 5 minutes later, I'm laying in a pool of blood on the concrete in front of the tank. The old leaning back sleeping on a barstool trick I like to call it. Hope everything turns out for you. Me, it was only my head!

[logan 12]

Wow that sucks. Best of luck to u on a full recovery.

[BrianD]

Henry, I hope you heel quickly and your long-term plans are not affected. Of course, I don't know if Thailand would be my pick of places to go in the near future.

[HCO]

Sloeber, don't worry, two years ago I had a Pneumothorax and I can still swim and run as if nothing had happened, within a month you'll be fine, trust me!
Feel better!

[billsreef]

Ouch! Here's to a speedy and full recovery with a return to diving.

[Blakeup295]

o man that looks painfull! hope there giving u tons of pain meds! thats allways fun haha. and hope u luck to all your plans.

[Sloeber]

I've been watching it closely. It is mostly contained to Bangkok and hasn't spread into any of the touristy locations or scuba areas, yet. Even still, I have (had?) a back-up plan of the Phillippines. I only need 60 days and I'll be off somewhere else anyway.

Henry, I hope you heel quickly and your long-term plans are not affected. Of course, I don't know if Thailand would be my pick of places to go in the near future.

[Sloeber]

Swimming and running are not exactly the same as 100 feet of depth, but I appreciate the response regardless ;)


Sloeber, don't worry, two years ago I had a Pneumothorax and I can still swim and run as if nothing had happened, within a month you'll be fine, trust me!
Feel better!

[HCO]

It's ok, but I meant competitive swimming :wildone:

[Vitaly]

Did you get discharged with a incentive spirometer (that plastic box thing with the tube)...are they wanting you to use it during the next week weeks to maintain your lung function?

[BrianD]

Henry, one of my partners has a son in Thailand right now (he and his wife are missionairies). They live on the outskirts of Bangkok, and evidently most of the protests are centered around one area. Supposedly they are relatively safe right now.

If you go to the Phillipines, you can see Alittletank or Horge.

[Sloeber]

Yeah... I made it into a bong. It's getting much more use now - and still serving the same purpose! OK, just joking, but I find that "tool" rather annoying. Truthfully, I haven't used it once, but I am taking deep breaths regularly. Deep breathing isn't a problem provided the meds are administered regularly.

Did you get discharged with a incentive spirometer (that plastic box thing with the tube)...are they wanting you to use it during the next week weeks to maintain your lung function?

[Sloeber]

Yeah, and the small islands off the coast like Phi Phi and Koh Tao and Phuket are seeing virtually zero residual effect from it. Much the same Roatan and Utila were during the Honduran political saga.

Do I know Alittletank? It doesn't sound familar. Is Horge still around? I haven't seen him i years but I don;t venture outside the CIMA forum much. Which island is he from? The Phillippines are 1,107 islands (last time I counted ;) ). I'm looking into Puerto Galera.


Henry, one of my partners has a son in Thailand right now (he and his wife are missionairies). They live on the outskirts of Bangkok, and evidently most of the protests are centered around one area. Supposedly they are relatively safe right now.

If you go to the Phillipines, you can see Alittletank or Horge.

[Wolverine]

Henry, I don't have much to add. Good luck for a speedy recovery.

[BrianD]

Yeah, and the small islands off the coast like Phi Phi and Koh Tao and Phuket are seeing virtually zero residual effect from it. Much the same Roatan and Utila were during the Honduran political saga.

Do I know Alittletank? It doesn't sound familar. Is Horge still around? I haven't seen him i years but I don;t venture outside the CIMA forum much. Which island is he from? The Phillippines are 1,107 islands (last time I counted ;) ). I'm looking into Puerto Galera.

Alittletank has been a member here since the AL days. I thought you might know him. He lives in Oahu (military guy) and was recently deployed to the Phillipines. He trains soldiers on survival skills.

I haven't seen Horge around for years. Last I knew, he was on the Reef Tank.

[newreefer2]

WoW, what an example of both why we need to wear helmets and why we should never take any day for granted. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Who would think a simple bike ride could result in so much pain.
I hope you heal quickly. If one person starts wearing a helmet you have made a great contribution by sharing.

[medic29]

Wow Henry, that sucks! Your pneumo should not hamper you permanently, although diving for the next several months to possibly a year may be altered somewhat until that tissue has a chance to heal. Also remember bones generically heal in 6-12 weeks, but are not considered totally healed for almost 2 years.

Let me know if you need anything and I can stop by.

[frank arriaga]

Have a speedy recovery.

[Sloeber]

Wow Henry, that sucks! Your pneumo should not hamper you permanently, although diving for the next several months to possibly a year may be altered somewhat until that tissue has a chance to heal. Also remember bones generically heal in 6-12 weeks, but are not considered totally healed for almost 2 years.

Let me know if you need anything and I can stop by.

I get varying opinions on this Rick. I've been working closely with Duke University and DAN on this since my injury. Most everyone agrees with an absolute minimum 6 months out of the water just for beginners. That pretty much eats up any local summer diving I had planned, as well as eleminates my planned date of departure. After the 6 months its not so simple as saying "you should be fine." However iroinic, that's nearly word-for-word as listed in the "Medical Book of Diving." Emphasis on "should be." I'll copy/paste the text for you once I get home. If it wasn't describing my situation I'd be laughing at how vague and non-commital the medical diagnosis is.

For now all I can do is wait the 6 months then begin testing.

[Sloeber]

I'm sorry I had the wrong reference listed above Rick. The book is "Diving Medicine" by Alfred Bove. In it he states the following:

"Tramatic pneumothoraces caused by isolated injury to the chest wall should not pose any risk to the diver (so far so good, right?); however (uh-oh), most tramatic pneumothoraces are associated with underlying lung injury as well (mine was obviously). If the injury was severe enough to lead to radiographic changes (mine was), it could have led to areas of air trapping (it did). As a result, many authorities think that such persons should be advised not to dive, although extensive diagnostic and hyperbaric chamber testing might define those at greatest risk."

So basically they are saying it shouldn't be a problem, but many people will tell you not to do it, and only testing will determine your risk.

Perhaps above and beyond that, I can't get insured to dive again with insurance until I do some testing in this regard. As a recreational diver it is foolish to dive without insurance. An emergency medical flight from Roatan to Miami will run into the 10's of thousands and that's before treatment. As a professional it is mandatory to carry insurance both on yourself and liability.

So, yeah, I can dive again if I want to, but I won't be insured. And basically if I can't get insured, I can't teach. The only way I can get insured is to wait 6 months then do some hyperbaric testing and a spiral ct scan. :thumbdown

[medic29]

uggg!!!

[mangobusa83]

wow I crashed my motorcycle into the back of a toyota goin 60 mph and came out better than you (dont take that the wrong way) but luckily I always wear my gear. Hope you heal up good and right...take care of that shoulder...mine still gives me some trouble here and there