Monday, January 05, 2015

Banged up means something different in the US

I went to bed grateful last night. I crashed my bike going 20-25 mph yesterday when I hit a wood bridge that was wet and moldy - like ice on a bicycle. The wheels slid out from under me and I landed on the concrete on the other side. My 2 layer bike shorts were shredded. My right leg had 3 scrapes about palm-sized. The worst wound on my knee was bleeding pretty bad. I landed hard on my right arm with my long sleeve shirt and right glove shredded but they held up protecting from road rash. My shoulder is in all sorts of pain. But, I was grateful.


I was thankful. I was okay enough to walk/ride slowly home. I was close enough to home that my wife would meet me with supplies nearby. I stayed awake and alert the whole time. Those were all reasons to be grateful to God immediately - but as the day progressed my gratitude grew. I was thankful for civilization progress and where we live in the United States. Heather was able to get the supplies to care for my wounds with ease. In half the countries in the world, these sort of wounds - just bumps and scrapes can result in infections, lost limbs, and even death. When I was showering and cleaning my scrapes I thought about how nice it was to not worry about the water having infectious bacteria. I had the means to care for this without worry.

I slept as well as anyone could hope after an accident like that. I slept so well because I was not worried about my health but instead could trust In God. He put me in a place where we had the products, information (thanks internet), and care needed here in the United States. I will be alright.

Here are some of the best things I could read on treating road rash:
Nursing Center
Wound and Scar infographic
Bike Radar

The Bike gloves I had were Novara, REI's house brand. They held up beautifully with not a scratch on my hand.