Modern Vespa

What is the anticipatory guidance?

When will you be able to bear weight with your left leg?

Are you doing only isometric exercises right now?

I'll post more in a few weeks once we know more. TBH the swelling has to come down before they can fully access the damage. My left leg is comparatively much thicker than my right with all the fluid build up. My understand is gravity drains it down from my knee and it ends at my toes which are pretty black (I know gross eh?) . I can put weight on it as the fibula is not the real weight bearing bone but I can't really walk on it well or do stairs etc without one foot at a time as I use my right leg for the weight bearing. I can flex my knee but really feel the pull like it's a tight elastic band. The fluid pocket on my knee is down to the size of I guess small orange which is an improvement and I just used the Cryo cuff for the first time and it helped.

The professional opinion is it's pretty nasty but will get better over time as long as I stick to the PT. I'm hoping to be back on a Vespa in less than 3 weeks. The real challenge is going to be getting off and popping it on the centre stand. I need to be able to put enough weight on my left leg while my right pushes down on the stand. I'm a stubborn shit though so imagine I'll find a way. I HATE not riding as it's my release and damn it it just makes me happy.

Yeah I have a few exercise from PT. Mostly flexing and pointing my toes, raising my leg etc. I remember most of them from my hockey injury and those things haven't changed much over the years.

Hi Guys new poster - forum reader for about a year.

Harbinger - sorry to read about your accident. Be super-careful when you get back on. Im dealing with a torn meniscus and a lot of fluid / swelling too. While not an ACL injury, putting weight on my left leg, to use my right to push down on the center stand is OK 9 times out of 10, then all of a sudden, the knee locks up on me when I do it. So again, be careful!

Thanks and welcome aboard AntB. Good time for your first post . Don't worry I will be careful and wait to find out the full extend of the damage.

Sorry to hear about your damage as well. Not much fun, is it? However we do heal with enough time, care and effort.

Thanks for the welcome. Yep its not much fun. Worst bit is the inactivity coupled with lockdown = Where did that extra weight come from??!?? Seriously though, as you say we heal. I've been wearing a flexible neoprene support just while on the Vespa. Enough to give flexibility and a little support when stopping, engaging the center stand. Not great but flexibility and at least a little support. Heal well. Ride safe!

Welcome, AntB, and Hi from a fellow Jersey Shore Vespiista. Glad to hear you're on the mend as well. (Lot of this going around, eh?)

Hi - thanks! Just a few miles up the road from Asbury. Great place to have Vespas!

A little update. The injury is starting to get better and I have more mobility. It is however going to be a long road to recovery according to my physiotherapist. Still it will get better and I will get back on the road.

In other news the PTSD has kicked in. I don't know if it just took time or the constant pain I've been in for weeks added to it but it's very real and TBH pretty annoying. I keep reliving the accident through in my mind , always in slow motion and the worst part is I can hear the crunch of impact and metal in my mind. It also sort of grinds my gears that the Uber driver that didn't bother with mirrors or a blind spot check has probably only had to deal with a bumper repair and some paperwork. I'm the one living through a little bit of hell. Again I don't hate the guy and we all make mistakes but...

The mountains of paperwork also drag you down as you answer the same questions over and over again. It starts to feel like you are being punished for doing nothing wrong and yeah I know life isn't fair but it feels like insult is being added to injury. The worst part? Now I think I'm afraid to ride... Oh I will and as soon as it's safe for me to do so but I don't like this feeling. I used to pretty fearless and now not so much...

The rep called from the small office we actually get it though and my wife has been with for over 20 years. She was really professional and understanding and let me share my feelings with here. So now it looks like I'll be getting psychological help on top of the physiotherapy. Oh I know part of that is evaluating how "real" it is and that's the same reason you use one of their physiotherapists . Again all because too many people try and play the system.I have to imagine a year plus of living with Covid and the lockdown here in the big city add to everything and this is just on top of that. So I suppose I can use a little help and to get back on the horse that threw me.

All in all yeah still it " could have been worse " . Also could have been better as I was not really aware bad the damage actually is to my leg and knee. Everyone was right and the pain did get worse before it better. Finally backing off a bit but still there all the time with the occasional shot of pain in leg. My nerves apparently took a good hit and that's part of the pain. This coming Monday I have an appointment regarding the pain management and will look to step it down in strength or change meds. I can't take less of the main PK as it's distributed via a time release patch. I'll still be hurting but should be OK with less if it means I can feel more "with it" which currently I do not.

Not sure who'd still reading this but it might help someone one day after a crash to know that it's normal to go through a range of emotions and feelings. Plus armour does work and denim does not do a good job even on a scooter ride a mile from home just going to market on a Saturday morning. I'll be more careful but knowing me I will probably do the exact same ride on a Vespa to the same market on a Saturday morning wearing regular jeans. I'm always a pretty vigilant rider wen it comes to technique but I will be even more careful going forward.

Hey Harbinger,

I've been following the news of your awful accident since your initial post. Only now getting around to posting a reply. So glad to hear that you are on the mend, despite the bumps and hiccups along the way.

I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that you are dealing with the "after effects". Speaking to a team of professionals (physiological and psychological) is the absolute right approach. Regardless of whether it could have been worse or not, your body's response to the trauma is an objective reality, and treating its various quirks, whether that be via pain management or anxiety management, is important and commendable.

As you know we both happen to live in the 6ix. If you need anything at all, including a lift to the clinic, don't hesitate to reach out.

Probably doesn't seem so right now, but that fear of collision causing extra caution will be a good thing once you get back out there. I also have a habit of really enjoying the ride and getting complacent in my comfort level, but one thing I will never do is take for granted anyone around me. I know you weren't doing that and the crash wasn't your fault in any way. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is one thing I try to always keep in mind when I feel myself getting into that complacent mode is to expect everyone around me to try to hit me, and plan for it. This brings me back into a safer riding style.

But as you know from this thread.. the unexpected happens when you "least expect" it. Perfect example, yesterday I was flying down my favorite industrial deserted back road going way too fast cause there is never anyone on that road, when a damn cargo van pops out a side street from the left without stopping and turns left to go same direction. But he was trying to park on the wrong side of road on sidewalk in front of his factory, so he clearly didn't look right in my direction as he rolled into the road and turned left on wrong side of road. Took me by surprise and almost caused me to skid out. Thankfully nothing worse cause he was trying to park on the wrong side of road. If he was wasn't just parking, he would have creamed me as he would have pulled fully into my lane and I would have driven straight into him full speed. That was not something I could have planned for because: a. thats the only time I've ever seen a car pull out of that side road (my faulty assumption), b. he wasn't obeying traffic laws and was actively driving on the wrong side of road (his faulty driving).

Even got it on video 11m44s in this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAVq-kWluaI&t=694s

That's where the proper attire comes in. I really need to get some protective jeans as I keep holding off on it for some reason. This thread and that guy yesterday put a finer point on doing it now!

This whole thing is an inspiration to me after I recently broke my hip. Do you have significant other to help you along?

I must say, this brings back some scary memories for me when I was involved in a serious car crash (as a passenger) in 1972. Everything you describe involving PTSD applied to me then, and likely still has a latent effect, to the point that I've chosen not to drive a car (can't recall just how many driver's tests I failed over the years after that). I never felt that anxiety riding a motorcycle or scooter, though, which wigged out both my parents and friends. It does sound like you're taking care of things properly, and I'm betting the anxiety will fade soon enough, although traces of it might linger for a bit. Ah, the Isle of Staten: Can't get from home to NYC without passing through (unless I have a perverse need to cross the George Washington Bridge...mind you, I've loved that bridge since childhood, but damn that off-ramp-bingo on the Manhattan side...). I only hit the local roads/streets to get to my dentist, but yeah, I understand those occasional treacherous drivers. (And, yeah, get some armored jeans...they look and wear lots better than they used to.)

P.S. Love the sound of your ride in that vid!

Swiss likes to keep the engine revved up! When it goes down the gear it does so by making him scream .... Wow!
Great!
I hope the Harbinger does the same for himself ... always ahead at the top of the revs.

Thanks man and I may take you up on the ride offer! I'm hoping just once and to go see Lou and pick up my new Vespa. For medical appts and physiotherapy it's not so bad. I live at Front and Portland in King West. So just a quick ride on the 501 streetcar to Western and 504 to PT on Adelaide on the east side. My GP ironically is in Brookfield Place (hockey hall of fame bldg) almost right across from where I got hit. I should here from the psychiatrist today and they specialize in PTSD after a bad accident. I bet they are getting busy now as everybody is already on edge after the year we just had. Yeah my wife is doing what she can. We have no car though and she's insanely busy with work and we can't find good people to hire for the accounting services portion of our company. We have one ritual though.. I'm usually too sore by the evening to eat a full dinner so she brings me down a bowl of blueberries and some juice and put it on my bedside table. Then in the master bath she leave she some dinner which I usually wind up eating while reading the news on my iPhone at about 3 am in there. In a week or so I should be able to get upstairs overnight for a better dining experience!

Harbinger, PTSD is real and not easy to get over. I also suffered from rerunning getting hit on my bike a couple years ago. I usually don't let my thoughts get the best of me but I just couldn't shut it off for a while. I eventually got over it. I'm hopeful you will too. I didn't get nearly as hurt as you did tho and perhaps that's also working against you. Keep reassuring yourself that you'll get better. You will.

I also was afraid to get back on the bike for a bit. Since then I've become quite cautious and set boundaries for my riding life to keep me out of trouble: I don't ride in the rain if I can help it, avoid rush hours, try to ride when others aren't out. Superbowl Sunday is the best riding day of the year before and during the game. I never ride after football games because you know there are a few people that have imbibed a bit too much.

My BIL is a 75 yo physician that also runs an addition facility, still see hospitalized patients daily, has a couple other side medical businesses, wrote a couple mental health books, runs a horse farm and vineyard. He still suffers PTSD from being chased thru the jungles in SE Asia by a dozen adversaries with machetes and guns. He's never been able to shake it. My PTSD was nothing in comparison.

Give me a call if you want to shoot-the-breeze about it. It might help. 408-757-7173 (California). Please take care. Miguel

Thanks Miguel , between you and the other it's good to know I'm not alone in this. Tomorrow I have my Ural being towed up to the dealer for the seasonal tire swap and a few other things. In a week when I get it back I hope to be out on it. An easier start to getting back on a bike for me plus it's a heel shift and has floorboard on the left side. No worries about feet down at stops or the centre stand either.

I very well may call you this weekend and that's appreciated. PT today was ok and my therapist said things are looking much better and in another month or so once the fracture is healed I should be in good shape.

So it's been a few weeks so I figure time for an update.

I'm doing a lot better, the fracture is healing well and my PT says things are looking good as far as my recovery goes. I still have a fair amount of swelling and bruising on my knee plus my leg can hurt though now primarily at night. The hematoma is also much smaller and a portion of it gone now. Still means I'm usually conked out by 9 pm but way better than before.

The PTSD is better but still there. I have talked to a psychologist and that helped and they provided some good tips and an outlet. Yesterday was my first day out on a bike (Ural) . I can ride for shorter stints but need to wear the leg splint when not on the bike. I had to head to a Drs Appt in the burbs and with Covid-19 here no way was I taking a streetcar, subway then bus. Plus 1.5 hours on transit or 30 on the bike. I was nervous on the freeway portion getting there but settled in. The ride back I took the side roads and I loved it! A beautiful sunny spring day and it reminded me how important being on a bike is to my psyche.

I'm going to be in PT probably until this fall. Interesting thing I learnt was while a few of Drs didn't lie to me they did not really tell me how bad it was. I saw the MD specialist I've been seeing for years and he laughed a bit about it. They don't want to freak patients out I guess so they treat it properly but prefer you not panicked. Looking back at pictures it is a little stomach churning... I won't post any of those here. I should have known based on the PK's I was given. You literally have to return the patches before the pharmacy will give you more so kinda creepy.Those I have now stepped down and that helps me feel more normal.

Thanks to everyone for the support and well wishes. We really are a great community and you have helped me through this.

Good to see your progress. It takes time, for both the physical and psychological. It was 28 years ago and idiot kid in a pickup truck left turned me. I had physical therapy for the physical part, but no discussion back then of the psychological. When I was done with the PT, I still had to wear a wrist brace for several years. A constant reminder.

We moved away from that area 15 years ago. When we lived there, and I would ride past that intersection, I always got a twinge in my stomach. The last three summers, we have returned to that area (the Black Hills) because the riding is so good. Even now, when I ride through that intersection, it brings back the memories.

Before that accident, I was indestructible. Or, so I thought. My riding has been more deliberate since then - not fearful, but certainly more aware. When I see the potential for a "left turner," I cover the brakes and ease off the throttle. Since your accident, I got a good pair of riding jeans, with kevlar in some areas and knee and hip armor.

Over the past two years, I lost some riding time due to recuperating from "old age" stuff (a hip replacement and prostate cancer surgery)... I am well aware that there is a "best if used by" date, so I am going to enjoy all the riding I can. Getting back on a bike after that accident in 1993 was tentative, and the thoughts of all the pain and rehab swirled in my head. You do get beyond it if you still have the desire to ride. It is a process. Wishing you all the best as you work through that process.

Late reply, sorry to hear about the accident Harbinger.


Had similar accident on a bicycle yrs ago. Ended up less injured, nothing broken, but was still basically unable to walk for 3 months if my memory is correct.

Hope your feeling better soon.

Good to hear you're on the mend Harbinger!

Haven't seen you on here in a while man. Hope you're doing okay.

From what I gather he realised that there was more to life than MV and felt the need to step back.

I wish him well in whatever he is doing now. It was a bad accident he was involved in and he talked a fair bit about the effects of PTSD he was suffering from. He was (is) a very active member on here and that's why we probably notice his absence. I hope he checks in sometime soon to give us all an update.

How did that work out for you Bill?

It's a bit like Herpes if you like metaphors.