Recovering From a Hit and Run Motorcycle Wreck, Reflecting at the End of Motorcycle Awareness Month

    On November 25th, 2022 my life was changed, for the 2nd time, by a driver's decision to not look before they pulled into traffic. Maybe they did look, and didn't judge where my motorcycle was, or didn't see me, because the Infiniti's windows were too darkly tinted.

    I completed physical Therapy on April 10th. I started on February 16. It was painful. I am permanently limited in my range of motion, and in my ability to do things like carry with my right shoulder. I can no longer put any type of strap over my right shoulder. No backpacks, no carrying bags, nothing. Because I have a steel plate along my right clavicle.

 

    My scapula is still broken. It will take another 3-6 months to heal. If I lift anything more than 10 pounds, I get a back ache, and it triggers a migraine. That means I have a constant back ache and and regularly dealing with migraine, because life consists of doing things including lifting objects. Most objects, including my service dog, weigh more than 10 pounds.

    I walk with a cane, because of my previous motorcycle accidents, and because of my Hypermobile EDS. I use my right arm to use my cane. This causes pain, but I've learned to accept it.

     I started riding again. I was medically approved to begin riding again on March 10, and began riding to my Physical Therapy (and other appointments) on March 13th. My motorcycle is my primary source of transportation. As part of my physical therapy, I rebuilt my motorcycle. It was painful, and time consuming. I had one arm, my left arm, to use for all of the manual labor work. Reupholstering the seat was probably the hardest part.

    I am prone to allodynia. I am autistic and suffer chronic migraine. That combination means I already had hypersensitive skin, and that hypersensitive skin is further sensitized every time I have a migraine event.The surgery scar and surrounding tissue is a mix of numb, itching, and burning. The prognosis is that most of the itching and burning will subside, but I'll have a patch of numbness surrounded by itching and burning for the rest of my life.

   

 

 

 

 

    I ride everywhere, again. I replaced my helmet, have gotten a carrier for my service dog, and will not stop riding.

 

 

 

 

    The surgeries, physical therapy, and convalescence time kept me out of work, income, for 6 months, so far. As a hit and run, I had to make a claim on my insurance. Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten my uninsured/underinsured increased when the accident happened. So, I'm sitting on over $100,000 in medical debt, with $75,000 in insurance.

 

    During this last month, May of 2023 (Motorcycle Awareness Month) I have almost been hit no less than 40 times. From vehicles pulling out in front of me to vehicles changing lanes when I'm occupying the lane. It is always a risk, when you ride. It would be nice if drivers at least CHECKED the lane before they tried to occupy it.