Doored at Pililla KM 55; happy that it was not serious - no fractures, no dislocation

Wheels of Happiness

I rode last Thursday planning to go up to Bugarin (80 km , 40 x 2).  However,  this post met an accident -  was doored.  A ranger that had just parked left door suddenly opened, and I travelling at about 20 kph

slammed at the suddenly opened door.   My right bar hit the door, which caused me to swivel.  Fortunately I still stood upright, did not crash.   The right hood was sheared off, the rear wheel was misaligned.  Which was fixed by loosening and tightening the QR.  However the rubber hood was a total loss.  I was able to get it back but probably fell by the way side.

All the driver was able to do was to beg for forgiveness and scratch his head.  No offer to have my wounds treated (there slight bleeding at the left shin) or compensation.

I was still able to bike up to Bugarin in heavy gears.  (Big chainrin)  There was  slight pain, and I requested that I be fetched in Morong.  However there was no reply as the vehicle was on scheduled service.

I was finally fetched at Cardona after a long wait.  The people in the house did not want me to strain my legs for fear of hairline fracture (which has happened to wifey)

I was able to get x ray of my two legs early today  (there was none yesterday being a holiday) and got the results at 3 pm today.

No fracture or dislocatin.  Thanks the Lord.

May we request motorists not to suddenly open their door when they park along highways.  Look at their rear view mirror first.  

For cyclist, maintain a 1 to 1.5 meter from parked about to park vehicles.     Or else you too may get doored.  

Had a grain of sand operated on yesterday at a high end MM hospital

Wheels of Happiness

One year after the accident happened in Pagbilao Quezon, in February when we climbed Bitukang Manok, after much prodding and plenty of failed scheduling I got the cyst on my elbow removed by a popular surgeon.  Surprise surprise, he charged me on ony P100.00 as PF for the operation.  He was a  MBAH student of the undersigned in 2006 and he said he learned much from my class on entreprepreneurship.

Thank you Doctor for the almost free procedure.

He did the procedure at about noontime yesterday and assisted by a Dr. resident  in surgery from CDO.

Thank you the Doctor, the hospital staff who assisted me and my two daughters who accompanied me to the hospital and gave me moral support

The culprit was a grain of sand about 4 mm across (or gravel) that was encapsulated (my body acted like an oyster who was getting rid of an irritant by coating the same with mother of pearl  The wound, the rash was not thoroughly cleaned, hence the  cyst..   

Next problem to be removed is the soreness of the left shoulder which was fractured.   Some say there is an adhesion and it feels some stiffness if I rotate the same counter clockwise,

We shall overcome  

Advice to bikers smokers for faster bone healing

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
July 20, 2018

                                    Smoking  slows down healing, there  may be infection
                                       or non healing.

This write up is a fair advice to  fellow kapadyaks who are smokers.And we have a number of them. I had a conversation over the phone with a kapadyak who had broken bone injury while on the way home, at was travelling slowly.

The first thing the orthopedic  surgeons asked him before operating on him to repair his fracture was whether he smoked. Fortunately he is a non smoker. So they  operated on him. Otherwise, if he were a smoker, they wouldnt for two reasons:   1. The  operation would fail (the bones would not heal)   2.  The healing would take longer.   They are likely more to experience non union, infection and more pain than non smokers
How smoking affects healing of bones

Some explanations being advanced:

1. Nicotine occludes the arteries and capillaries that supply oxygen and nutrients to the bones, thus leading to
    non union and slow healing process

2.  Nicotine neutralizes the blood's netrophils the body's defenders hence the possibility of more infections

3. Nicotine causes the growth of cartilage to overwhelm the healing process, preventing bone growthcccc

Since we are all exposed to the possibility of  having a crash and/or a fracture, it is important that we do not smoke because the bone healing might not take place, or could take long.

So this is a fair warning to all kapadyak who smoke:  either quit biking where  you are exposed to bone breakage risk, or quit smoking if you want to continue biking.

Smokers broken bone take 62% more time to heal (or even not at all?)