Well it looks as if the September 1st ride was my last one for awhile. The following weekend we took the grandkids up to visit with us the inlaws. Then I had some work training with two of my men in Richmond, Virginia. The following week brought the end of my riding for the year.
On September 19th I was sitting in me office working on the typical Friday and took a phone call from a customer. The call was to remove some storm damaged metal roofing from a building near the Monroe High School football stadium. Until the hanging metal was removed the schol could not have it's football game due to the possibility of it falling on someone.
I called some of my guys but they were all really busy so I decided to take the call myself and just go do it. I did!
I cut the metal from top to bottom and went to push it off the side to the ground. As I pushed I noticed that the metal was hung up on an abandoned phone wire. The school maintenence guy said to go ahead and let it break because it didn't work and needed to come down anyway.
I pushed aforward on the metal and as I did I felt a snap n my right arm. It was extremely painful and also had a lot of constant burning. I knew I had hurt or tore something in my arm but had no idea how bad it was.
The school maintenence guy asked if I needed help getting down and I told him not until I was finished with the job.
I got the metal off the roof and screwed down the edges. After that I removed my safety equipment and he helped me take down my ladder and put it on my truck.
I then drove myself to the hospitol while calling Vicki and my ofice on the way.
The ER Doctor said it was a torn bicep and told me to go to and Orthopedic Doctor.
I called Dr. Kremcheck on Monday and he got me in on Wednesday. He set up an MRI for Thursday with an appointment with him right after. He confirmed what was a torn becep muscle. The bicep muscle forks out into two branches. The long head and the short head. I tore the long one that attaches to the back of the forearm.

He scheduled surgery for Tuesday.

Tuesday morning Vicki and I got up and headed for the surgery center. When we got there Doc Kremcheck asked if she wanted to observe the surgery and she said yes. COOL! I would have if it weren't me.
A 45 minute procedure, he opened up my upper arm just above the right albow. Reached in and pulled out the bicep muscle. He sewed down both sides in very tight stitches and left two long strings hang off of the end.
He then made an incision on the back of my forearm and pulled the muscle strings through it. He made a grove in the bone and two small holes. The strings were put through the wholes and the muscle was tucked into the grove. He then closed it up and put me in an arm brace which would soon become my new best friend.
I woke up in recovery and the pain was at a 8-9 on a 1-10 scale. Let's just say it hurt like hell.
After a while were could go home and we did. Vicki has done a great job of helping me out wih everything since i'm kind of temporarily handicaped.
Physical therepy started the day after and oh I wasn't ready for that. They told me to take a pain pill before I went. Know I know why. Actually that was the last time I took a pain pill and my pain was at zero within three days after surgery. The only things I really felt for a while were muscle spasms which they gave me meds for. Those have even stopped now.

It's been a week and a half and things are going well and I am learning to do things left handed some of which are very challenging I might add.

I have to wear this brace on my arm 24/7 for about a month or two. I even sleep in it. I'm not really allowed to drive or go to work for awhile the Doc says. He said I could start to drive in about 2 weeks to a month and go back to work on light duty in about 4-6 months.
Well after being off of work for one day after surgery I went stir crazy and drove myself to work the next day.
I have to be extremely careful in everything I do since this surgery could be messed up with a single fall or incedent and we get no second chance to fix it.
It's a long recovery pricess that wil take about 9 months to ayear to get back to strength and forthe muscle to attach to the bone enough to do anything.

Yesterday Vicki and I went on a bike trip with the rideohio.org gang. It was her first motorcycle trip to drive....... HER CAR that is. So I guess you could say I rode in the bitch seat for the first time.
The group met at the Big Muskee in Reinersville, Ohio for a group picture then to the River Queen Tavern for lunch and some social time.
She drove the routes we would have ridden had we been on the bike and while it was beautiful out and the curves would have been awsome it was kind of depressing for me. I wanted to be on the bike so bad. This really sucks!
We did have an awsome time with everyone and met a few new faces as well. What an awsome group of people we have found.

Doctor Kremcheck said it would probably be about the first of May before i could get back on the bike and ride however i would probably have to wear the brace for a while when I do.
What a wierd tan that's going to be next summer!

That's all I have for now but I will post up a group picture from the Big Muskie trip.