Had a Frightening Experience Today

[Herleman]

Well folks, I have to admit I'm thinking of parking the bike.

You may remember that I had a pretty good crash in January when I hit a dog.

My shoulder has healed and all has been going pretty well. About a month ago, I began to get some issues with control of my right hand. I'm scheduled from some nerve repairs to hopefully alleviate the problem.

I've been riding a bit, cautiously, 50 to 100 miles through the back roads to stay out of traffic.

TodayI was tooling along on my way home from the Helmet Shop for those of you that know Daytona, thats just about at the end of the Main Street bridge. I was turning right and without warning, my right arm and hand began to spasm uncontrollably. I pulled off the throttle and guided the bike around the corner, but when I put my foot down to stop, the bars were turned and I did a slow roll tipover to the right. I was moving about 2 mph so nothing was hurt (scratched the end of my tip-over bar), but my right hand was not usable for several minutes.

Fortunately, a couple of Harley guys were there in a second to pick up both me and the ST and get us out of traffic.

I sat on the side of the road till my nerves settled down and then feathered it home to Port Orange (about 18 miles). The bike is fine, I'm fine, but I'm scared silly. If that had happened at 60 mph, I could have had a major crash and hurt some people, me among 'em.

Right now, I'm still rattled. I don't know what is happening with my hand and arm. I think I've got to give it up til the surgery is over and see if it works. I really don't think I belong on the bike any more right now.

The simple issue is that this thing is unpredictable. It had not caused a problem for days, and in the pst, the problem had been like a sudden cramp -- it hurt for a second or two and then went back to normal. This time, it just went limp and I had no control at all.

Dammit. Life can be a bummer sometimes.

Can I still watch and make silly comments????

[ccryder]

Good to hear you were able to slow and only tip over. Before you make that decision to stop riding, forever, talk to your Dr. and see what he thinks about the spasm. If you have more surgery scheduled then maybe it would be better to hold off riding until then.

Oh yeah, keep posting, riding or not. Let us know what you find out.

Neil S.

[Louie Louie]

.
Can I still watch and make silly comments????
We sure hope so!!..Glad you are well and take it easy for a few days.

[BigTom]

Herleman

AARRGGHH. Not so good. Of course it could have been worse, but that had to be a scary deal.

Man, I think the parking idea might be best until the problem is known to be cured. I think standard medical advice might be something like "six months after your last event". That is just a bummer. Way bum.

Of course you are welcome. You are an STrider, even if your bike is parked....This place is way more about a state of mind than a condition of the body.

[RibsST1300]

You can make fun of me! Everone else does! Stay off the bike till you see the Doc. Maybe you can be a forum moderator! Kind of a Light Duty sort of deal till you can ride gain!

[forgitaboutut]

:eek: That SOUNDS scary!
I hope this heals!
If not you could always try a Trike!;)

[CrashTestDanny]

Man, I have so been there. I would park the bike while exploring the cause of your spasm and the options for preventing them in the future. I spent the last several riding months of 2006 not riding because of spasms in my shoulder - a little physical therapy fixed me right up. Get better soon!

[Raven]

+1 on taking it easy 'til the nerve stuff gets figured out. That experience would scare the heck out of anyone and thinking twice about riding is definitely smart.

If the spasms are limited to the hand, chances are your docs can fix you right up. Worse case, one can always set up your controls so you don't need your right hand to operate the throttle.

Meanwhile, we'll keep our fingers crossed for you!

[John Anthony]

Make that +2. Taking a break, getting things sorted our physically, as well as making sure your mind is 100% there sounds like a good plan of attack. If subconsciously your apprehensive or uncomfortable, in my experience, you're likely to see it reflected physically.

Good luck! And your posts are always welcome.

John

[gene]

John jump in the other honda and do some visiting up north while you heal !! Lisa and I look forward to seeing you weather you on the bike or in the SUV. Be patient and let your body have some time to heal. You could do a truck tour of a lot of STOC events while you heal and meet all the guys you have been encouraging !! After CampStOc I think a truck there would be good to have around to bring in all the needed food these guys go thru. See you when you get up here to visit your daughter

[STill Fiddlin]

Definitely take your time. Pinched or damaged nerves can take a long time to heal or otherwise get used to. Don't rush it, for your own sake!

[Byron]

You are part of the family so no need to even ask that question.

Your decision to take a break from riding until after the surgery is only prudent. No sense possibly getting hurt or hurting anyone else in the short term when corrective surgery hopefully will let you ride again in the long run.

[OlDrifter]

Oh yeah. I'd be parking that thing till you get things sorted out. Glad you were OK!

STeve- Waiting for your stupid comments! :D

[Tarheel_Rider]

Dammit. Life can be a bummer sometimes.



Ain't that the truth, but it is what it is and we go on from there. Best wishes as you sort through this.

[Mellow]

Nerves are tricky.. I'd have to say... if it were me, I'd probably cool it for a while until I could get something done and then KNOW that I have control of myself before taking control of a bike.

Don't worry, no matter how long it takes, motorcycles will still be around when you get everything fixed and you're ready to ride... I wouldn't give up on riding just yet especially if you get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of it but if you are riding in a constant state of fear that you will loose control.. you've mentally set yourself up for failure even before another spasm.

We all care about you here. Chill, get yourself fixed and then you'll come back with the confidence it takes to enjoy this hobby fully.

Keep us updated as I'm sure someone else here will benefit from what you're enduring and will learn from this.

[Coop]

What everyone else said John. You're part of the family, keep us posted how your recovery is progressing and don't even dream of dropping out of sight. You know we could send Chris "Hurricane" Mixon down there to look for you. LOL!!

[motomac]

I don't know what would happen if I were in your shoes John. I would probably go absolutely bonkers if I couldn't ride a motorcycle. I can knit, but I ain't ready to sit around and do that all day. Hope you find a solution and soon.

[Sink]

Get fixed up and get back on your bike ASAP! We are all pullin for you. The trike idea is an option if things don't work out. Still out in the air.... That Can-Am looks like a BLAST!!!

[UNTMatt]

First, get yourself 100%, we'll pray for you.

Second, +3 on your decision to park the bike until you're back to riding condition.

Third, we all want you to stick around. Your input is valuable to all the members.

God speed your full recovery.

[UNTMatt]

Nerves are tricky...

Take it from Joe, Herleman. I know no other person that can disconnect his head and carry it in his top box. :eek:

[Grumpy-one]

Just a comment here. I had a GW that I rode over 35K miles in three years. One day I found out I had a brain tumor. Got the operation to get t removed and everything was fine, . . . except I lost my balance. I could not ride my GW. I would ride along thinking that I was turning and was not. I would turn and think I need to turn more. Darn near run of the road a few times before I said it was time to sell it rather than hurting me or someone else. Here it is 10 years later and I have a 05 ST. I have no problems anymore and once again enjoy riding. Moral of this story, “Don’t hurt anyone or your self. Stop riding until you are ready” Your body does amazing things but you have to give it time. Be safe so you can enjoy riding later!:biker:

[Computer Nerd]

Aw man!

I'm so sorry to hear that. That has to be really rough.

I hope it can get sorted out, and I'm glad you are ok!

[Skywriter]

Hey John...


I am NOT a practitioner of any sort...

BUT... After getting a little tapper in the rear-end by a mini-van in April.... I have spent some quality time with my chiropractor... fixed my sore lower back right up!

Mayhaps there is some physical/alignment issue remaining from your January bike accident?!?

Justa thought....

Prayers up for your healing...

[BamaRider]

Until I found out what happened and why, I'd park the bike, and might even use caution driving. I know it sucks, but the prudent thing to do.

[Tom B.]

Unbelievable!:hat1:

So many great people and so much great support! I don't think I could add a single thing except to keep rooting for you!!! Prayers forthcoming!!:mcrider:

[ParkerBill]

Hey John, I'm sure sorry to hear about this. I would agree, the prudent thing to do is stay off the bike until you are confident the problem has been fixed. It sure sounds scary to have something like that happen, but at least you are already in the process of trying to get it fixed.

Let me know if you need any help--I'm not that far from you up here in Palm Coast. I mean that sincerely!

Keep us posted on your situation, please.