Tim Briers crashed

[christian]

This morning on our ride back from mount Kierra coming back along the highway Tim hit a piece of truck tyre at about 65km/h . He has lost some skin and at this early stage it looks like he has broken both collar bones. We will know more once they finish examining him.

[T-Bone]

Doesn't sound good at all. Hopefully the breaks aren't too complicated and he gets better soon.

[timyone]

far out! i hope hes ok!!

[NOOG]

We were descending on Mt Ousley road a bit over 60km/h on a very dirty shoulder. Tim hit a bit of retread and went over the bars.
He ended up in the middle of the left lane of traffic. Luckily, Christian was able to stop quickly and drag him onto the shoulder.
A really friendly truckie pulled over and diverted traffic for us (he later gave Anthony P-B and me a lift to Heathcote station with all 4 of our bikes) and a few other drivers-by stopped to help out, including an ambo officer on his way to work.

Anyway, Tim is now in Wollongong hospital as apparently they have a trauma dept. Christian and Tim's wife are with him now if anyone wants to get in contact. It looks like he may have broken both his shoulders/collarbones as this is where all the pain was coming from...he didn't even mention the pain of a HUUUUGE gash he had on his elbow.

[Hung]

scary stuff when you hear of a fellow cyclist involved in an accident

but Im glad he will have a speedie recovery

[jbcow]

Ouch - get well soon

[christian]

Tim has broken both his humeruses up near the shoulder. We are still waiting for the results of the CT scan about his neck, it may still be a while. He doesn't have any other broken bones. The gash in is left elbow is down to bone, not sure about the other elbow. He is still in a lot of pain but he is hanging in there. He is yet to see the orthopedic surgeon.

I'm about to leave the hospital so we may not get any updates until he gets home.

As for the condition of his bike, I had a quick look before heading to the hospital but john or Anthony will know more.

[wallman]

That's awful news. Best wishes Tim.

[NOOG]

Just got an update from Tim...

He's going to have surgery tomorrow morning and will have to stay in a rehab centre for a few weeks after that. As Christian posted, he's broken both his humeruses and dislocated them from his shoulder. His left elbow has also been fractured. CAT scans revealed no spinal or head damage. He thinks they'll allow him to be transferred to a Sydney Hospital after the surgery.

He's quite nervous about the surgery tomorrow and thanks everybody for their well wishes.

His bike, on the other hand, emerged from the accident unscathed except for a tiny scratch on the derailleur. Those Parlees must be built tough.

[Trouty]

That's aweful.....thanks for the update guys, seems like a long day for all of you also.

[Adrian E]

Hi Tim,
I'm very sorry to hear of your crash today. Wishing you strength during the surgery tommorrow and in your recovery over the oncoming weeks.
Adrian

[Simon Llewellyn]

Wow that doesn't sound good, but at least Tim is ok and sustained no spinal damage. I could feel the pain of the crash from over here in Vietnam reading about it!!

Please send mine & Jessica's well wishes or if you are reading this Tim hope you are going well & feeling abit better!!! Also good luck with the surgery it is a scary experience but well worthwhile.

Cheers Simon & Jessica.

[kiwiames]

My god thats awful. I felt a bit sick after reading it. I hope hes ok and surgery goes well in the morning. Best of Luck Tim.

[rhys]

Sickening news. I hope he heals properly and quickly.

[timyone]

far out about the surgery :s we willl all be thinking and praying for the surgery hey :S

[orphic]

Sounds terrible. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you Tim. My thoughts are with you.

[MarkL]

lt sounds very scarey!!

All the best for a full and speedy recovery Tim.

[mikesbytes]

Crikey I had heard second hand that Tim had injured his shoulder, but the real story is pretty dam scary.

Tim, if I had a magic wand, I'd wave it and make it go away.

[Stuart]

wishing Tim a speedy recovery and that the surgery goes well .... pity the RTA doesn't clean our roads of debris that could easily injure two wheeled road users, be they cyclists or motorcyclists

[geoffs]

Wishing Tim all the very best for recovery and I hope the operation goes well.
Horrible thing to happen.

[geoff m]

I'm having coffee with the Nowra velo Club following a race. They are shocked and know the road well. Get well Tim

[weiyun]

Very sorry to hear of this accident Tim. Good luck with the surgery and recovery. Feel free to contact me if you need any medically related information.

[Camilla]

We were all thinking of you at coffee this morning Tim, hoping that the surgery is going well. My best wishes to you, and best of luck - also to Danni. Sounds like the two of you are in for a difficult period. Here's hoping it goes as well as possible.

[christian]

I just got an update from Dani.

Surgery took 7 hours but seems to have gone well. They did both shoulders and the fractured elbow and cleaned both elbows out. No need for a blood transfusion. He spent the night in recovery and is now back in the ward but still pretty zonked out. They say he is recovering well. Fitness helps a lot. Haven't spoken to the surgeon yet so we'll know more when that happens. Thank the club guys for all their support. Tim's been reading the messages when he can.

[PeterOS]

Tim,
So Sorry, I can't imagine what your going through with both shoulders out of action. Hope you recover soon.

[mikesbytes]

I just got an update from Dani.

Hey Tim, sounds like you are in good hands. This is a big step in the path to recovery.

[orphic]

Glad to hear surgery went well. Thinking of you and Danni lots, Tim. Hope you are keeping in good spirits.

[timyone]

hey is it true Tim will be staying in rehab for ages? if so where? can we visit? (does he want us visiting )

[christian]

I'm yet to get any information on when or if he is going to be moved to a Sydney Hospital. We were told he would need to be in hospital for up to a week, but that was before the surgery. As more information arrives I'll be sure to post it up as I'm sure others will as well. He'll be back on here posting before you know it.

[lindsay]

Hi Tim - very glad to hear your surgery went well, here's to a speedy recovery. Cheers - Lindsay

[Michael Chidgey]

I just got an update from Dani.

Good luck with the recovery Tim. Glad the surgery went well.

[christian]

Latest update.

Spoke to the surgeon today. He said the operation went well but the beak in the right shoulder is pretty serious so there are risks it won't heal properly. We'll just have to wait and see. We're looking into a transfer to Sydney but it could take some time to organise.

[williamd]

Tim

Hope all goes well with your recovery.

[mikesbytes]

Hey Tim, figured you need a bit of a sing song to cheer you up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CNKzvoFha4

[Dani]

Hi guys, it’s Tim's wife, Dani. Thought I'd post an update. Wanted to post some photos too, but can't quite work out how to do it in the short time I have this morning. Any tips?

Tim is doing pretty well, all things considered. They've got him doing basic physio exercises. He can (slowly) bend each arm at the elbow with close to full range of motion, and they've got him doing 10 reps of that each hour. He can also let the arms hang down from the shoulder and make small pendulum movements, but that will be the extent of his shoulder physio for at least the first 3 weeks or so.

He's off the morphine and onto oral pain medication, and can get out of bed and walk a short distance, sit in a chair for a while, stuff like that which makes the days less monotonous.

I've been reading him your messages and he really appreciates them, as do I.

cheers,
Dani

[mikesbytes]

Wow, thanks for the update Dani.

Hey Tim, off the morphine, that's great progress. keep the physio going.

Dani, I'll PM you on the photos

[Lizanne]

Great to hear Tim can start doing physio. the recovery must be going really well. Keep it up and hope to see you back on the bike

[Simon Llewellyn]

Hey Tim,

That's fantastic news! Sounds like you'll out and about in no time.

Cheers Simon & Jessica

[mikesbytes]

Dani has sent thru these photos for publication in this thread

My heart goes out to you Tim

[christian]

We should have taken some photos at the scene of the crash, his elbows look so much better now, you can't see any bone. Did he know these photos were getting taken? I don't think the jersey is repairable.

[timyone]

noooo off the morphine!! thats always the saddest part of an injury

Far out man nice scars!! looks painful though!!

[tedrobin]

Ooh, that looks absolutely awful. You'd never looked fitter nor more chipper than when I saw you outside Mick Mazza's at 6.30 last Saturday morning. I really hope that the rehab goes well.

[othy]

At home now, using dads iPad. Very sore. Thanks for the well wishes. If anyone would like to visit im free this weekend. Pm for address.

Tim.

[shrubb face]

I might drop over on sunday and say hello, send me a pm.

[mikesbytes]

Mark L and I visited Othy this morning and he is thrilled to have visitors.

I was impressed with his positive attitude towards making himself better, Tim's got Attitude.

Didn't realise that Tim wasn't on FB, so Tim this is the video I posted for you when you were in hospital

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIj-6fr2SlI

[Trouty]

Get better soon Timmy.

[timyone]

hey Tim are you up for weekday visits? me and james Fowler should come past

[othy]

Anthony is coming over tonight if you want to join him. Not sure what time. 6.30 is probably best as I get tired. Currently at north shore getting scans for ortho.

[mikesbytes]

Lizanne and I visited Tim on Sunday morning, you could see the improvement over a week. A long way to go though.

The bizarre thing is the sheer lack of damage to his bike. There is a scratch on the right hood, a scratch on the rear derailleur and some minor damage to the seat. Excuse my crap phone camera photos. Click for biggies

[othy]

Bilateral broken humerus's by othyb, on Flickr

Update time.
No more bandages or slings. Still can't move my arms much. Pain is well reduced, and I'm only taking some Panadeine Forte as required, which is basically just before bed. I can even sleep on my side for a small amount of time.

Doctor is very happy with how the bones have been placed in the sockets, and my current rate of healing. I still have another 4 weeks until a MRI and I find out if I have Avascular necrosis.

I have physio exercises that I do religiously 3 times a day. Light weights (and I'm talking 250g) that I do once a day. I also attend Hydrotherapy 3 times a week, which has helped enormously, if not just for the time spent buoyant.

[weiyun]

Sounds good Tim. Best of luck in your continuing recovery.

[mikesbytes]

Mate those pins look like some sort of Si-Fi creature sucking your blood. 250gms weights, that makes you a cheap shout at the moment as you can only handle middies.

Avascular necrosis. Never heard of it, but looking at the link, doesn't sound good, hope you don't have it.

Great on the progress, keep it up Tim

[othy]

Avascular necrosis. Never heard of it, but looking at the link, doesn't sound good, hope you don't have it.

Well doctors told me initially that I have a 90% chance of having it in both shoulders. But they really don't know what to expect as my injury is pretty rare and often not in my demographic. Still trying to be positive but I won't be shocked if it is an issue.

[simon.sharwood]

All the best Tim. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Maybe XKCD can help:

[Lizanne]

good to hear from you Tim, i was thinking about you and wondering how the healing was going.
Keep up the physio excercises and we'll all see you back on the bike soon.

[mikesbytes]

Great to see the improvement in you Tim. Drop a photo on the forum when you get on the trainer

[othy]

Big day tomorrow. Got to be in the hospital at 6.45am for my MRI, from which they can tell if the bones have died. Won't find out until the afternoon when I visit the surgeon. Be nice to finally have an answer either way, its been a stressful 3 month wait (amongst other things). Not a lot I can do to change the outcome though.

[NOOG]

Wow...that's got to be an intense wait.
My thoughts will be with you.

[timyone]

far out man, i hope things go well!

[shrubb face]

Good luck.

[mikesbytes]

All the best Tim, I've got my fingers crossed for you

[tedrobin]

Yes, I've got my fingers crossed for you too. I hope that some good news has been delivered by now.

By the way, I loved that cartoon, Simon. It put on paper a gnawing feeling I've always had.

[othy]

And the result is....undetermined. Too much metal in my shoulders, so the MRI image was rubbish. Now need to have monthly xrays to monitor for bone deterioration.

[mikesbytes]

Bummer, you can only hold your breath for so long mate

[NOOG]

How frustrating!!!

[Trouty]

oh well Timmy, more time for rest and relaxtion. Make the most of it.

[NOOG]

Any news Tim?

[othy]

Not much to report. Still just plugging away at my physio exercises and hydrotherapy. Currently bench pressing jars of pasta sauce (about 500g), along with a few other movements with them. Movement and strength is coming back but very slowly, I reckon it will be 6 months before I'm good and a bit more until I reach my full potential.

Next set of x-rays and ortho appointment is either this week or next, which will be the first comparison done to check for any degradation in the bones.

Work has been very busy, I'm finding it easier to concentrate in the last month, so I've been feeling much more productive (and in turn, getting more tasks..). Perhaps I'm sleeping a bit better too.

There have been some glorious sunny mornings over the last few weeks and its been sad walking to the train on them. Can't say I miss getting up in the cold at 5am to go riding.

I've been hoping to drop down the track, maybe this week.

[timyone]

bench press hey! that reminds me that we should do one of those gylette sports performer version bench press comps! where you do a percentage of your weight as many times as possible then compete.. Are you allowed to do some thing like that if we edit your weight?

[othy]

Long update time...

I had my first x-ray checkup at the end of May, and it was found that my left shoulder is most likely suffering from necrosis. Somewhat speculative as the x-rays can't completely confirm it until the structure of the bone starts to deteriorate and by that point its too late for further treatment. I was given a referral to an Endocrinologist to see about a therapy that they use for osteoporosis patients that may prevent the necrosis from progressing.

I booked him in for mid this month as he was on leave, but was willing to see me his first day back. In the mean time I had blood tests for a bunch of things and a Bone Density scan in preparation for the appointment to speed everything along.

Had the appointment and discussed the medication, its side effects and treatment and was booked in last Wednesday to receive it. Was required to take some large doses of Vitamin D on a weekly basis to help with the treatment. The drug used is a bisphosphonate called Zoledronic acid. It requires 1 infusion now and another in 6 weeks time, followed by xrays after that to see if anything has changed.

On Wednesday last week I had my first treatment. Apparently they're all done on this day so it was me and a group of ladies, all of which old enough to be my grandmother, waiting for our turn. The drug is given over a 15 minute infusion through a drip. It was all pretty straight forward and no immediate effects.

I went to work afterwards and was fine for the rest of the day. The side effects kicked in that evening and it wasn't particularly pleasant. It felt like a flu but no coughing/runny nose. Just ached all over and had a headache. Felt really tired, lethargic, and weak. Stayed like that for two days, which I barely left the bed. My shoulders got very sore, but this could be from lying in bed for prolonged lengths. I brightened up a bit on the weekend and I think I'm now better, but suffering a little from fatigue. Shoulders aren't sore anymore (seem to return to normal levels) and I'm moving around more.

Hopefully the drug is doing some good. Its somewhat experimental but weighing up the risks and the possibly positive outcome I think its worthwhile trying. It was pretty expensive too considering its a off script usage from medicare, and therefore all out of pocket.

[wallman]

Hang in there Tim! Thinking of you.

[orphic]

Yeah hang in there Tim, you're one tough cookie! I definitely would have made the decision to try the treatment too, I think in those kind of situations you really need to feel like you are doing everything you possibly can to aid in recovery or prevention.

[JM]

Tim - hang in there - hoping for the best for you and that the treatment outcomes are all good

[timyone]

far out man :S

[Trouty]

yep hang in there Tim. It's winter and it's not that pleasant riding in the cold anyway...

[PeterOS]

Stay positive Tim and all will work out.

[weiyun]

Mum is about to go onto the same therapy and it's good to know that the bisphosphonate is having an effect on you. A response often means it's doing something "worthwhile" on the body rather than one of those poof-and-nothing-happens drug. It's positive from my perspective. And as long as your jaws are still hanging, it's all good!

Best and keep us posted!

[othy]

trainer by othyb, on Flickr

[shrubb face]

My god, hairy legs !

Good to see your back on the trainer, riding one handed as well.

[Lizanne]

yay!!! congrats!!!!

[timyone]

you seem to have a book under your wheel, that is upside down..

[othy]

you seem to have a book under your wheel, that is upside down..

Yeah, its propping up my front wheel. Angle is too steep otherwise.

[othy]

Update:

I've had two sessions of Aclasta treatment, and have just been back to the endocrinologist today for a follow up. Appears my xrays are good and there has been no collapse of the humeral head(s), so the drug has done it's job so far. Specialist said if the humeral head were to collapse there would be evidence of it by this stage. Booked in for a bone scan (spect) on Monday to see if blood flow has restored. If it has then things are looking good. Will find out more when I see the endocrinologist and orthopedic surgeon early next month.

Movement wise, I've gone a little backwards as I've just spent a month in New York and surrounds, and did very little (none) physio exercises on the holiday. Lost about 5-10 degrees of lift on each arm, but it seems to be coming back again. Still more strength work to do. Not in much pain at all, only when at the limits of my movement ability. Not sure if range of movement is going to get much better overall but I can live with what I've got.

[NOOG]

Sounds like good news Tim! Great to hear from you...I missed you last time you came down to the track. You'll have to make your celebrity appearances more frequent.

[othy]

Sounds like good news Tim! Great to hear from you...I missed you last time you came down to the track. You'll have to make your celebrity appearances more frequent.

Yeah, going to the track in winter is hard enough when you actually get to ride. Been meaning to come down soon, just need a night, I do Pilates on Monday and wife has car for softball training on Wednesdays.
Are you recovered and riding again?

[mikesbytes]

Tim, that is truly excellent

[NOOG]

Are you recovered and riding again?

yeah, I'm all better and trying to get some form back.

[Stuart]

Good to hear the positive prognosis Tim .. when you come back to riding, I may even see you briefly in the slower bunches

[othy]

Good to hear the positive prognosis Tim .. when you come back to riding, I may even see you briefly in the slower bunches

Might be more than briefly, I've done nothing but eat out and drink for months.

[T-Bone]

It sounds like the healing is progressing well. It's very good to hear!

Your range of movement should slowly come back with increased activity and strength, though it will also depend on whether any thing else is causing a restriction, just keep up those physio exercises!!

[Simon Llewellyn]

We've missed you at the track recently Tim. You must be getting closer to being able to ride on a trainer?!

[othy]

We've missed you at the track recently Tim. You must be getting closer to being able to ride on a trainer?!

I can ride a trainer, I just need to get the motivation and routine back in order. Hard when I don't have a clear timeframe for when I can ride again. Hoping the bone scan results are positive because I think that should mean riding in mid November.

I'll come visit the track tonight, my wife has no training on.

[mikesbytes]

Hi Tim, I'd like to catch up with you, but I can't make it to the track tonight. I'll send you an email

[Trouty]

Great to see things are looking up Timmy!

[williamd]

Tim
Good to hear things are getting better.

[othy]

It was good to visit the track last week. I'll try to get down more often.

I had my bone scan with spect today. Only have the preliminary word from the radiologist but it looks like blood supply has been restored to the humeral heads. This means the bones are doing well and I've probably avoided necrosis. Will get confirmation once he writes his report and I see my specialists early next month.

The bone scan machine is actually scarier then an MRI. First they inject you with a radioactive isotope that seeks out the bones, then you lay on an MRI like machine but it has these large plates that lower down until they almost touch your nose. I felt like I was going to be squished. As someone who writes software for a living, and knowing that someones software was controlling the movement of these plates, it did not fill me with confidence. You get to go through this twice, each lasting about 45 minutes. Once when the injection is done and then a couple of hours later once its made its way into the bones. Anyway, it's cool technology. Apparently the material has a half-life of 6 hours and gets shipped from Lucas heights each morning. I have not experienced any spider-man like side effects yet.

[NOOG]

That's great news!!!

[othy]

That's great news!!!

Yep, I'm trying not to get too excited. Hopefully next month will be the last specialist visits for a while!

[MarkL]

Great news indeed!!!

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk

[othy]

Exactly 10 months to the day since my accident, I've done my first ride. I've been meaning to do it at the track to pace myself but between everything else I have on and the rain, its been weeks with no action.

So this morning I decided to ride to work. It's only 11kms, how bad could it be? Well first I had to find all my gear, which seems to have been spread through the entire apartment. I still fit into my bib knicks (very stretchy..), but the jerseys seem to be a problem. Luckily, I have my original XL DHBC jersey from back in my bigger days. I don't quite fill it out, but I've put in a good effort.

It started out a bit shaky with remembering how to clip in (no stacks!) but it all came back pretty quick. Position on the bike felt good, but very weak still through the shoulders. It was a little disappointing riding a route that I have done so many times to work - it really showed just how slow I was going. When I got the bike path, I decided to see how using my drink bottle would go. This did not turn out well. I can't use my right hand, unless I use an underhand reverse style bottle technique, my elbows just don't go out and high enough to pour the drink. I also had trouble staying in a straight line while attempting this maneuver, but I feel I should work it out eventually. Still some improvement to be made in this area.

I think I was overtaken by every cyclist who saw me. Really liked the new additions to the Lilyfield Road area - new shared bridge means no longer using the U-turn under the old bridge - certainly what I felt was one of the more dangerous areas of my commute. Also the new double width lane was excellent for what I remember being a short steep climb in ~53x19 that had become a long slow climb in 39x25. Getting out of the saddle felt a little wobbly - just not used to balancing like that through my arms. I was going to see 39x25 a lot - next at Anzac Bridge. I did my very best to look like I was going slow on purpose, but really, I was grinding away trying not to lose last nights dinner. I actually had to stop on the other side in the shade for a little while to regain my composure. I don't think the extra 14 kgs I was carrying up hill helped much, and most of it wasn't in my backpack.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful and thankfully mostly down hill or flat. I got to work feeling ok. The arms are doing well, but are feeling a little worn out - at least I didn't have any trouble on the bike with them. I don't think I can extend the ride length much further at this point - took me an hour to do what used to be a 30 minute commute. Will build up to it, I doubt it will take long before I'm back in form.