EKG pick ups are numerous and placed on my hairy chest, each backed with adhesive, leads are connected to the monitor, monitor runs recording heart electrical impulses. Digital data records heart performance. Approach is to learn of said organ. Avoidance is the depilation pain.

I know  what’s coming, Data has been recorded, leads removed, and there are all these stuck pick ups on my  chest hairs. The adhesive is well stuck to hairs. Shit, this is going to hurt. Some I was able to wiggle free, others I slipped scissors between the stretched hair and the pickup,.

That’s in ER where fussing is overcome by need for immediate results. This year I prolly have undergone the above 10 times. Something twisted in my mind is are the women sticking the pickups up to something? Would take data gathering to see.

So, a week ago I became a room and boarding patient at ST Charles. I was determined to be healed to be released a week ago Sat. I was told of complication symptoms and should any occur better scurry for medical eval. Friday, while weld repair to the box carrier was completed. While waiting I felt  lightheaded and weak, 2 symptoms. Plus I discovered a huge spread out bruise on the back of my thigh extending to my groin. Anxiety coursed my nerves. I called hot line and explained symptoms. Person on other end said she could not diagnosis over the phone but that I should let the ER sort my condition. Maybe later after  I had my third scheduled PT appointment, the previous 2 were cancelled because of my knee issue This PT is for my right shoulder that’s taken a turn for not being happy. I made the PT clinic 15 min early still feeling same. Sense of urgency is growing. I was given permission by staff to relocate to ER. I so need my shoulder worked on.

Drove to ER entrance, parked right out front door, and turned myself in. Short wait until I was wheelchaired to an exam room. I was swarmed by techs per defined roles. EKG pickups applied by a guy. My thought was he was a sadist, maybe jealous because I lacked manly chest hair. What thoughts. EKG fine. Then the blood takers. First one turns out to be a mountain biker and is friends with the nurse who worked on me last time. She was tasked with insert an IV needle in a vein. Left arm was chosen. A poke responds with a tight grimace. First one blew, as did second. She called for another nurse who has his reputation. He needed a second go. Blood was drawn and sent of for analysis. My turn for CT scan came and I was pushed in my bed thru the hallways. Driver said he helped me previous. Into CT. This time I was able to slide myself onto the platen, not the board. Contrast was injected thru the IV needle. Pushed back to room. Results back: EKG OK, Blood work showed hematocrits in line and no indication of heart damage, CT reveled no bleeding. My symptoms were not the cause of what had been determined. I was reassured that I was not bleeding. The knee swelling really has hardly decreased.

Thursday night the heater was turned on to respond to thermostat command. I woke chilled. I noticed red LEDs were flashing from the control panel and the heater was not working. Count of sequence of 4 to indicate problem. Made up statistic is 98% of previous failures were ignition lite failure that I am still learning clear code to do. 4: clear exhaust and intake pipes of blockage. Means slithering under the van for that cure. I wanted a paved surface rather than pumy dirt. While at the weld shop, next door is the garage that installed the regulator and earlier this heater, I asked permission to come by later to use their compressed air. Drove off for above experience. I called the shop from the hospital, still open. Pulled up. A pleasant and helpful wrench greeted me. I explained my intended tasks. He lifted rear of van, I rolled under on a crawler, then removed the 2 hoses and shook out: all but clean. The exhaust pipe had a tear right at heater port that might have interfered with back pressure. Helpful wrench cut hose back and reinstalled. I put the fuse back in to energize the heater. 4 flashes. We might have solved the cause of the lights but not the resolution. I twisted the control knobs how I thought would clear code, still flashing. Late Fri afternoon. I called Seattle shop where I bought it for info. Voice Mail. Next was a CO shop: Closed 4 mins before normal quitting time. No help till maybe Tues.

That night I fired up the catalytic infrared heater I anticipated igniting. It did. Its temperature control is high, med, or low with no feedback. I switched to low for nighttime which too warm. I couldn’t sleep. Finally I gave in to getting out of bred and googling the problem. Understand that excruciating pain was sent from my right leg during sanding up. Again, Approach Avoidance. I wanted to learn in spite of the pain to be incurred. I found a solution which required going outside the van to get at the fuse socket under the passenger’s seat, and drizzle was falling. Wait till daylight. I installed the fuse, 4 flashes. The clearing method is sequential twisting of the control knob within a time fence. Second try I cleared the flashes. I then switched on turn on sequence: Heat. Back to a more enjoyable heat.

Last night with the heater turned on and I was comfy I slept very well, the best least pain free night in 11 days. there is a sound sequence dung heater start. First is blower with it’s motor noise. Then a piezo spark to ignite the plumbed in propane. A whoosh sound indicates ignition and a green LED turns on on the control panel which is installed on the headboard. Sometimes the first spark doesn’t ignite that starts a system generated restart. I wait with fingers crossed for ignition. With new regulator success has been high on restart. When backup attempt fails the heater turns off the blower and pulses 1 red LED. Solution is proper turning sequence and time of control knob to clear code then switch to turn on.

While in bed this morning I put off getting up until the heater turned on. I heard the start sequence. First spark caught turning the LED green lasting a few seconds then turned off. Ignition failed as did back up. I sent the proper code that cleared fault then switched on, this time it caught as has every time needed so far today. The short of this heater is not high degree of confidence that it will fire every time.

I moved my anchorage to my owned 1 acre plot north of La Pine. Almost early fall coming on. Sitting inside van buttoned up against chill of 65 degrees. My right leg is resting on a stool.  So far today the pain is lessened.

Each of us have their own trials and tribulations. To me it is how we deal with and recover. I create my own solution. Mountain biking the States has been my solution. My knee injury has caused a reimaging of my solution as biking is many many days away. I can only walk short distances. My sister’s itinerary puts her in Victor, ID which is closer than Bozeman, MT. So far with the lack of reduction in swelling I will leave here then drive directly there. After that I haven’t figured as life is determined by knee healing. Summer’s gone and winter’s coming on.

Blood collects under the skin. AKA bruise.

All the what ifs. Last week on my last ride for may days to come I planned on a less strenuous ride by foregoing the demanding 10 min climb up the tie from Swampy to Ridge that would give me the enjoyable descent. I chose the easier ride taking Swampy South which in many places was nothing more than unconfined sand boxes. On that slight right turn in deep sand the front wheel stalled pitching me over the right bar, must have hit that bike part on the inside of my right leg and drove my right shoulder into 2 cut back logs on trail edge. Once I finished explicatives uttering I picked myself up and went thru damage assessment learning that other than several open wounds the structures were in tact allowing me to ride out. Back at the van I lifted the bike onto the rack which tested the shoulder which lessened fear that I damaged it more. Fri I see PT Dave who has worked on this shoulder several times in the past I will learn its health. The right knee showed no skin trauma but it started swelling and swelling. I drove to The Center to see an ortho at clinic that provides same day exam. Knee was ballooned. DR examined knee functionality reporting it is sound. He said it was a hematoma. I stood up to leave but the pain was too great. He said I should check into the hospital for observation. Their staff wheel chaired me to the ER which was several sidewalks away.

Into the ER. Waited my turn to be seen. Wheeled into an exam room. Because I take an anticoagulant concern was lack of clotting. Hematoma is arterial bleeding. Blood draw needed to learn of hematocrit level which its level would indicate amount of bleeding. I was dehydrated which flattens my veins and the many valves in my arm adversely affect the insertion of the IV plumbing. Took her 3 pokes to finally get the needle in. Hematocrit level was low. They flushed me with a reversal agent to counteract the Xarelto. Then admitted me into the hospital. The staff pushing my bed were faster than the speed of my fall. 5th floor private room. I accepted several small doses of vicadin(?). I was offered even stronger which I refused. Yes I was in great pain, right up there level wise as previously lacerated kidney. In bed I could not establish a pain free position. Then like every 6 hours a phlebotomist would draw blood, every drawer was different, some had better success hitting a vein. My arms are black and blue from all the pokes. In short while the hematocrit level leveled off and started climbing indicating bleeding had stopped. I was put back on the anticoagulant while blood was monitored. Body performed such that I earned release on Sat noon. My van with my bike on the back had remained in the parking lot for 3 nights. Sat I hobbled over to parking lot, empty of all but my van with bike still on.

The dots are measurement points for standard measuring swelling. Knee is wrapped from toe to mid thigh.

Today I was seen by PA Whitney. She said many days will pass before body reabsorbs the dead blood.

I am taking Tylenol every 6 hours for pain that takes the edge off. Walking is best described as a shuffle. pain, pain ,pain.

To slide out of bed I lead with right leg, which has no movement because of the wrap, When I put weight on it the pain sensors activate, buzzer stuck on until I can swing the good leg off bed to take weight off left. Just constant pain.

So, I’m still here in Bend recuperating. Some days heavy smoke blankets here. I will be meeting my sister in Bozeman in Sept. I will be reinventing my life style until I can bend my knee. What’s bad is I can’t walk.

Crazy: I had a PT appointment for my right shoulder from a load I placed on it resulting in relocating something. Time was 4:40. PM. I was in the ortho waiting room which is other side of wall from PT clinic. I called the clinic reporting my status, I hoped that I could be knee seem then over to PT. Darn, ortho DR occurred at PT time. I called to let them know. I was told an opening the next day which I took. Then I was admitted. I called the PT clinic leaving an afterhours voice mail cancelling it, I checked with clinic yesterday about appointment this Fri to see if I was still in the good person status. Yes.

Yesterday I scored a follow up ortho exam because of the pain and increased swelling. DR said he is happy with the present condition.

A CT scan of my head revealed no bleeding which could happen as a result of hitting my head. My knee hurt so badly I could not help the tech slide onto the table so they slid me over on a board. Next was CT of knee with and without contrast. The tech hooked the contrast plumbing to the left arm inserted plumbing then tested it for flow. Ouch, would not go in. I was wheeled back to ER where another tech painfully inserted needle in my right arm. Back to CT lab, another slide onto the table. This time my vein allowed full force contrast flow. Artery bleeding was observed. Both my forearms show results of all the blood draws.

So no biking blogs. I might post snippets along the way. Stories will different.

I did loose an amount of blood as determined by low level of hematocrit and hemoglobin. Several times a day  blood was drawn and analyzed, results showed halting of the slide and up turn in the blood components. The phlebotomists records of hitting a flowing vein for draw was well below 100%, results were many extra needle stabs, several were drawn like 3AM. I didn’t sleep well nor ate enough calories. I was well taken care of. This morning I earned privilege to walk the hallways unaccompanied for 62 mins. At times parts of my bare butt were open. 2 staff people pulled me over for adjustment. I did not receive 1 compliment. As I walked I greeted many staff, became recognized. Home care is combination of icing, elevation, and wrapping. I am able to sort of walk freely, the knee does not want to bend very far. My right arm seems to be just bruised as I have range of motion but less strength. Tomorrow morning raising my bed will tell the tale. Knee is still grossly swollen caused by broken blood vessels, a hematoma aka bruise. Today when I walked back to my van, which was parked in front of ortho building, it was the only rig in the parking lot and my bike was still attached. And the fridge was still running on propane. I stopped at gas station I use for tank refill: 5.5 gallons. Empty is 5.6.

I have a shoulder PT session this Fri, Labor Day weekend. My earliest departure form Bend would be on Tues, where I go will depend upon smoke and fires, I don’t imagine riding between now and then.