Now I know that falling off your bike is not something we want to dwell on, but sometimes things happen and important lessons can be learnt when they do. I have just come back from the USA riding with Jo where I fell from my bike whilst traversing a railroad crossing. The accident happened pretty quickly (travelling at 25+ mph) on a flat road in good weather. No one else was involved in the accident. I suffered a dislocated left shoulder and road rash from my foot to my shoulder. The road rash was made more severe due to the rail crossing area being made of concrete and not black top. That’s the gory bit over… now the lessons learned. • Travel Insurance: In the USA they want you to cover medical bills immediately, either by medical insurance or by credit card. After my accident Jo took me to the AGH ER in Ocean City, so didn’t need the ambulance service’s help. That saved me $1,000. Checking into the ER meant the completion of several declaration forms and proof of insurance/payment. Without proof of payment the ER room will treat you, but they will pursue you for costs at a later date. They prescribed: Xray - $1,500 – no bones broken CAT Scan - $1,500 – no head trauma Attending Physician - $1,000 They then recommended I immediately visit a consultant physician that cost a further $1,000 (2 visits, 1 to refer for an MRI the other to refer back to the ER to have the shoulder put back in place). MRI scan $1,500 – They diagnosed an posterior dislocation of the shoulder Back to the ER to have it reset and re Xrayed. $3,000 (Put under with the help of Michael Jackson drug…Attending physician, anesthetist and administering nurse) Total Cost of treatment over the 7 days - $9,500 Meds: And no I didn’t take them all Percocet (Oxycodone & Acetaminophen) - $40 for 40 Ibuprofen - $80 for 80 Vicodin - $40 for 40 Tramadol - $40 for 40 So in all it cost $9,700 to resolve the immediate problem in the USA. If the above didn’t hurt enough I trashed Helmet, bike bits, shorts and my watch The total bill settled by my insurance company was $10,870 less an $85 surplus. Medical bills were settled direct. Figures for the damaged items have been agreed for payment. Total cost of travel insurance was £84 for both of us for the year. • Wound Treatment: Road rash for those who have experienced it is really unpleasant and can become septic really quickly if not cared for properly. We were given Neosporen and non absorbent dressings/ACE bandages by the ER. These were good, but didn’t stop the bleeding and irritation. I have to redress a couple of times a day to manage them. A cycling buddy then recommended Curag tube bandages and DuoDerm with Neosporen. It’s a ‘second skin’ product prescribed for leg ulcer patients and heals the wound without scabbing. I had them on for 7 days and the results are amazing. No scar tissue and no itchiness. • Duo Derm Cost $20 for 10 patches of 10cm x 10 cm. • Curag Cost $5 per roll of 5m. The experience was one I don’t plan on repeating, but the care I received was good, albeit the dislocation was not resolved for 7 days. (Apparently posterior dislocations present in 2% of cases and are usually associated with electric shock - the train tracks weren’t live). So if you plan to ride your bike in the UK or overseas please ensure that you have adequate 3rd part cover, sufficient travel insurance and home/bike insurance. If I had hurt someone else in the USA I would have been liable for damages which would be huge. I use CTC and have 3rd party cover through my travel insurance. I cant guarantee Curag and Duo Derm are available everywhere, but I have 8 patches of Duo Derm left and 4m of Curag in case of emergency. :-) I will be ‘with sling’ for the next 3 weeks followed by more MRI scans and tests to see if any corrective measures need to be taken. Hopefully back on the bike by the end of Sept. In the meantime its Fox Cycling for me….
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:37:32 +0000
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