Being told you'll never ride again....

Originally Posted by Phatty

How would being told something like that affect your life?

Of course it would affect me seeing as biking is my main hobby at the moment. However if stopping riding meant that my health related quality
of life was to get better, then I'd more than welcome it. I wouldn't resent it. There are plenty of hobbies in this world and I'm sure I'd be able to find something else I'd like to do.

[Sirc]

Originally Posted by Reaperman

If I was told I couldn't ride again as it would end me I'd simply go buy a bike lift and just mod my bikes. Buy a bike, mod it to how I or someone else wants it then sell. Rinse and repeat.

Do you remember that converted Monster 900 that came up for sale? the bike was a low mileage beauty in Red harnessed up to a third wheel on a platform modified to take a wheelchair with all the controls duplicated across with some converted to hand actuation. I think it was the son who was selling it but the price reflected the amount spent on the conversion and he was loathe to split it up.

Firstly, sorry to learn of your news.

Like others have mentioned, you would find somthing else to fill the gap. Your health is the most important thing, even though you will most likely feel that you don't care as riding your bike means the world to you.

I had to face being told the same thing by a doctor when I tore my cruciate knee ligaments. I played football every week, loved skateboarding in my teens and someday wanted to go skiing, but destroying my knee put an end to all that. Pretty much anything that puts too much strain on my knee is out of the question.

So after months of coming to terms with my future, I discovered other things that I love and still do to this day and I feel very happy and fulfilled. The same will happen to you... its not the end of the world.

It's all to easy to say "you'll find something else", unfortunately it is my life. I spend all my money and spare time on car, bike and van parts. Virtually every evening I'm on the garage working on one of them, and every weekend I'm either in there again, or away at a
Show, or a track, or off to pick up some more parts. Even if I'm stuck at home like I am now it's either watching motorsport, reading car and bike mags or books or on the Internet on forums or eBay looking for more stuff!

If I had to give it up, which is looking increasingly the only way I can be without pain them I'm literally giving up my whole life.

I don't want to sound patronising ( I'm seriously not as have chronic pain daily and believe me it's miserable )

have they offered you "pain management" at your hospital
I'm not going to say woohoo it will cure you but it can help with the amount of pain your in and they have a wealth of things to offer .

Things that maybe you would never try and things that some would scoff at and stuff
yes your get your pain relief but your also often offered other things and therapy that won't cure you but can significantly reduce pain or help with the way you deal with pain..

I know Thirdway sugested meditation..
Firstly I know most men if offered such things would say I'm not trying any of that rubbish!!! Maybe that's not for you .. My friend is very sick after a botched operation ( poor lady and they washed their hands of it saying you knew the risks )
she was really angry for years fed up being in agony, quality of life was crap , couldn't work after just completing her teacher training.

She after years of being drugged up to the eyeball .
She was sent to pain management .
It has not cured her but she can do more and cope more
she gets her pain relief reviewed , but also she is able to tap in to lots of other things .

She was offered hypnotherapy .. She was none to happy but was told give it a go.
It's helped her to switch off the pain.

She's back doing some stuff she loves , met a chap who understands she has good and bad days!

Her life and pain levels are not perfect but much improved by the hospitals pain mAnagement team using a holistic and medical approach.

I understand your frustration.. I've been too sick this year to ride about and it's killing me. Now I can't see well I'm not allowed to drive or work.
I'm pretty scared myself as wake up and think I'm a bit better today but it's more like I know my house and keyboad on my phone!!
I went out a moment ago and signs And number plates forget it!!

It's scary .. I've tripped over a few times

but ask if you have a dept that does that.. Go with an open mind .
It won't cure you but it could very well prolong your bike riding and mechcanics
never say never .. Or can't .. There's often a way .
I hope you get help ..

Just a thought, don't suppose a trike conversion could be a compromise? Never actually ridden one myself so I don't know if it would work, but with the steering being done entirely using the bars I'd imagine it being a little easier on your back while still having the bike feeling...could be completely wrong though, guess Gary would be the best one to comment on that

Originally Posted by Phatty

I'm literally giving up my whole life.

It can seem as if that is true. Your identity seems wrapped up in it, but you are not that. It's just a wake up call telling you to get your head out from under the bonnet because you are missing something important.

Originally Posted by He11cat

I understand your frustration.. I've been too sick this year to ride about and it's killing me. Now I can't see well I'm not allowed to drive or work.
I'm pretty scared myself as wake up and think I'm a bit better today but it's more like I know my house and keyboad on my phone!!
I went out a moment ago and signs And number plates forget it!!

It's scary .. I've tripped over a few times

It must be frightening. I have some rare eye thing that causes my vision to develop a large, blurred central spot. It takes a few weeks for it to return to something like normality. The thoughts that went through my mind the first time it happened were far worse than the experience. Hang in there.

[J.P]

Sorry to hear that you're in so much pain and it's stopping you doing what you love most.
But from the sound of it it's such a big part of your life you'll find a way to keep at least the bits you can get involved with, even if that means not actually riding again.
There are plenty of inspirational people out there that overcome their problems, it's just a matter of finding the right way to do it.




And to slightly hi-jack the thread ....

Originally Posted by Rally

In total well over 20 broken bones, one with a excited woman!

that's a story we've love to hear

I also herniated my disc 3 years ago, went through 9 months of hell, the pain was so bad that every morning around 4am I would be woken up by it in total agony. I'd pop my meds just so I could go to the toilet.

I was advised to stop riding as well, but 3 years later I'm still riding. I'm still in the gym doing almost everything I used to do.

I took the advice of the surgeon with a pinch of salt and spent time rehabing my injury and cleaning up my diet and generally strengthening my body to cope with the damage I sustained.

It was hard and I was very depressed for a long time but in the end there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Good luch

[jerry]

In 1990 i was told I would never walk again , never be able to have sex again and would **** thru a tube for the rest of my life , spent a year in a wheelchair and another year on crutches and then got on a Yamaha XS1100 , since then I have ridden many bikes , worked, had lots of sex and another daughter and peeed normally , I do get pain in my hips and pelvis , knees etc and sometimes I cant do things I want but it passes and I wont give up easy.

Lots of positive talk and stories of not giving in to injuries on this thread and that's great to read.
I had a MIR scan a couple of months back and got a very sh ity report back about the wear and damage to my back. lucky for me my doctor told me the score and that i need to live for now not give in to it while i can still do most the things i want.
So for now that's what i am doing fitting higher bars on the monnie and looking to do as much as poss for as long as poss.
I know i will have to change things in the future but that's hopefully a long way away.

I have been having back issues most of my adult life. Finally had the MRI scan early last year and diagnosed the burst disc.

I see an osteopath once a fortnight and also fortnightly physiotherapy sessions. I have to do stretches and excercises which take up at least 1:30 every single day.

Even though I'm careful what I lift the slightest thing can set it off and I'm back to square one and laid out on the sofa for a week.

[gary tompkins]

After loosing my left leg (below knee) in an RTA in 1983, the doctors/surgeons tried to tell me my biking career was finished. An opinion that was obviously also held by the DVLA at that time, as they promptly withdrew my licence when informed of the amputation. It took 11 months of healing and reabilitation, including learning to walk with a prosthetic limb, before I managed to return to work full time. During that time I learnt to drive an automatic car, and passed my driving test so I could get mobile again. I subsequently took a second motorcycle test in 1985 with a modified gear change, and regained my suspended class B licence. I've been riding bikes and more recently trikes pretty much continuously since then. I also re-took my driving test in 1991 (manual transmission) to give me an unrestricted car licence, as I was in the process of building a kit car with a standard stick shift.

The hospital offered very little positive encouragement to me as a 19 year old amputee. I didn't really get much help, advice or councelling until I became a patient at the Kent limb centre in Gillingham. I would have gone insane if it were not for the support of my family and biking friends, and my total conviction that I would eventually be able to return to 2 wheels.

I got heavily involved with the NABD (Disabled bikers charity) in the late 90's, and met hundreds of bikers far more disabled than me. Paraplegics, double amputees etc.. and all had managed to return to biking/triking with a little help and control adaptions. It just goes to show there's no need to quit riding unless you really have no viable option.

Originally Posted by gary tompkins

After loosing my left leg (below knee) in an RTA in 1983, the doctors/surgeons tried to tell me my biking career was finished. An opinion that was obviously also held by the DVLA at that time, as they promptly withdrew my licence when informed of the amputation. It took 11 months of healing and reabilitation, including learning to walk with a prosthetic limb, before I managed to return to work full time. During that time I learnt to drive an automatic car, and passed my driving test so I could get mobile again. I subsequently took a second motorcycle test in 1985 with a modified gear change, and regained my suspended class B licence. I've been riding bikes and more recently trikes pretty much continuously since then. I also re-took my driving test in 1991 (manual transmission) to give me an unrestricted car licence, as I was in the process of building a kit car with a standard stick shift.

The hospital offered very little positive encouragement to me as a 19 year old amputee. I didn't really get much help, advice or councelling until I became a patient at the Kent limb centre in Gillingham. I would have gone insane if it were not for the support of my family and biking friends, and my total conviction that I would eventually be able to return to 2 wheels.

I got heavily involved with the NABD (Disabled bikers charity) in the late 90's, and met hundreds of bikers far more disabled than me. Paraplegics, double amputees etc.. and all had managed to return to biking/triking with a little help and control adaptions. It just goes to show there's no need to quit riding unless you really have no viable option.

Having known Gary for more years than I care to remember, I can say he is an inspiration to us all and it only goes to show what you can achieve even in the most extreme of circumstances. For most people loosing a leg would possibly mean the end of 'normal' life, but shear guts and determination haven't stopped Gary from doing anything, in fact I'd say the reverse is true. I'd known him for a few years even before I realised he was an amputee (rather embarrassingly for me), such is his ability to just get on with life. I've also had the privilege to meet some of the NABD guys and it's truly amazing what can be done, even in the most difficult of situations. So I guess the moral of the story is don't give up Paul, grit and determination can conquer anything (apart from the taxman that is).


(Sorry to embarrass you Gary... )