G'day !!
Nothing much happening at the moment so this is an obvious time to give you all an update of where I'm at. I'm unsure of the best way to do this so I suppose I'll start from the top.
The Head - All is good, well I shouldn't really say that as the massive scar I have on the bonce has all but ruined my yet to be announced modelling career! Seriously, I have a scar the size of my fist on the right hand side of my head. 64 staples were holding it all together and the scar runs down the outside of my face right near the cheekbone. I still have a pretty sore head as it is quite a major fracture that is healing and chewing is still hard as the break went to the top of the jawbone area. I'm still having Psych assesments and damage to my brain still hasn't been ruled out but psychologically I feel as 'normal' as I've ever been !
The Clavicle - The poor old shoulder got a bit neglected in the first 2 weeks & I'm paying the price now..... I didn't sling it & even though I was in bed the whole time I tended to use it a bit, subsequently my healing time has blown out a few weeks and it's the major cause of any discomfort I have. My range of movement is quite low, possibly due to muscular damage but she won't be helping me punch out some ok lap times in the pool for a little while yet.
Femur - All is good here! My range of movement has the physio's scratching their heads and things are progressing well. Hydrotherapy is the only work I'm allowed to do and that is going well, although it is amazing how quick my core muscles have turned to stretchy rubber bands! The only issue with my hip is that I'm not allowed to weight bare on it for another 4 weeks. Yep - ZERO weight, what that means is I'm wheel chair bound until my next hip scan at the end of May. If I bare weight on it there is a 20% chance that the 'ball' of the femur where the break occurred may not rejoin to my Femur and become 'necrotic', which is basically a slow dieing process which will necessitate a hip replacement possibly 6 months down the track. The likelihood of this still remains for 5 years but the percentage lessens as time goes on.
The Rib - Hahahahaha, don't make me laugh, no pepper please as well coz sneezing hurts like hell ! Other than that all is good here.
Blood Clots - Bloody hell these were painful. I remember GSP saying they hurt a lot but i really didn't understand how a few 'small chunks of blood on your lungs' can be so debilitating. These were by far the most painful thing I experienced whilst in hospital. Talking was reduce to 1 word before taking a painful, stabbing knife like gasp of air to build up enough pressure for your next single word. You literally and quite painfully ran out of breath telling a story. The pain was confined to about 2 days then gradually to nothing after about 31/2 days. A few dramas unfolded during my initial dosing of Heparin (blood thinning agent delivered intravenously) where my Liver was metabolising the drug quicker then it had time to do its work. My dosage started off at 30ml's/hour but by the end was at what the doctor called 'an all time high' of 60ml's/hr. This way my Liver didn't have time to metabolise all the drug and some of it got through and did its job. I'm now on a drug called Warfarin which I'm taking 10mg dose. Since the origin of the clot was in my hip and post operative, it looks as though my stay on Warfarin could only be as little as 3 months, this as like the rest of my injuries are all subject to scans/xrays/mri's/tests etc. before being cleared.
So the rest ? Well I've lost 7 kg's. Weighing a stealthy 78kg on the day of the crash(IM race weight 10 days previously = 76.5kg) I now weigh a paltry 71kg. My legs look to be where I've lost the majority of my muscle mass. Jeez they look shockingly thin, just like match sticks. I have no fat around my waist and the smallest 6 pack ever on display. I think it looks like a 6 pack of those small Yakult fermented milk bottles.
The hair, well a buzz cut was the only option here. I'm now sporting a #2 all round but still have the beard fully intact. All my other road rash wounds that literally covered my whole right hand side from my upper back/shoulder to half way between my knee and ankle have all but gone and although there are a total of 5 deep gouges on the elbow, shoulder & hip area, all the rest has flaked off with what appears to be minimal scarring.
That's the latest on my injuries, and as always, my family, friends, WSTC, and the Tri world in general have been absolutely huge in their support for me. It has been an amazing experience and some of the efforts people have gone to have been inspiring and I am guilty of tearing up after some of them.
Thanks all, I'll see you soon.
Matty
This was taken 9 days after the crash. There's some pretty series heavy metal happening, that coupled with the dark rings under my eyes had Tilly & Tom calling me 'The Goth'........................
This one was taken 14 days after. I had the full lower half compression gear on as a blood clot had moved from my hip area into my lungs and these were put on as a bit of preventative maintenance. I only just realised looking at it that the right hand side of my head is still quite swollen.
Sporting one of the greatest comb-over hair styles in triathlon, my winter weight loss regime got off to a solid start. Meggie was suitably impressed about my dedication to the cause !!
Unfortunately the rest of the family thought the comb-over was a joke and I was ordered to get a buzz cut. And as for the weight loss regime, that has been scrapped in favour of an off season high fat full taste diet !!
Finally, here I am enjoying myself in the water for once ! It's a great feeling actually getting in the water and having a splash around (physio). Being confined to a wheelchair is not a lot of fun. Even worse than the normal disabled obstacles that are thrown at you in your normal daily tasks is the feeling of sitting around when I know I can physically move about without much pain. But, I know these 2 months are absolutely critical in that any weight bearing on my leg can have huge ramifications down the track and will increase my chances of a hip replacement. Having done a bit of my physio with a fella in his late 40's who has had a hip replacement, this is definitely not an option that I want to explore. So as much as I hate it, the wheelchair is my friend. 
