This past year, I experienced my first broken bone. I grew up as a swimmer, so I was never in a position to break bones with my hobbies. Apparently biking is a different story. I was on a long bike ride and about a mile from my house at the end of my ride, when my back wheel hit a pothole cover and I ended up breaking my right elbow.
Luckily, I didn’t need surgery or a cast – I was in a sling for six weeks. More people approached me and talked to me on a random basis than ever before when I was walking around town with my sling. I even had conversations about why I was in a sling in Spanish. The teenage boy speaking Spanish to me about it proceeded to tell me about how he hurt his knee playing soccer in Spanish. From the grocery store to the bus to being out at a bar, everyone wanted to know what happened and people were very helpful.
I joked with my friends that the sling was a man-magnet. This was especially true one night at Local 16, which to be fair is a pick-up spot in and of itself. I was there for a friend’s birthday and another friend’s celebration. I could barely take one step away from my friends without a new guy approaching to ask what happened and come chat. The sling was like an opener, I guess.
To be honest, it was an adjustment not wearing a sling anymore and being treated like a normal person. I was thrilled that my elbow was healed and I could resume my normal activities, but it really was an adjustment.
Has anyone else been in a sling or a cast and had similar experiences?
After the jump find Raz’s advice for purchasing a new bike. (more…)
