The Last Sensei: Broken Collarbone

Sorry for the extended absence. Sometimes you just don't have time to write about what's going on in your life because you can't use your right hand. That and I kind of forgot about my blog. I have so many things to write about, but I will fill you all in on my injury first. On September 30th I was biking in a Mountain Bike Relay. The format of this relay was 3 racers compete as a team to see who can make the most laps in 3 hours. It took place at Mt. Daisen, the same beautiful mountain I have climbed, skied, and adored during my time here. I was the beginner in the group and honestly, I hadn't been on a bike of any kind for over a year. I hadn't been mountain biking in years. We went and practiced the week before and everything went well, I was hitting the hills at full speed with no problems. I was really confident. On the day of the race however, there was a small typhoon. So it was raining the whole time. We started out great, my teammates were both experienced riders, so they were able to do multiple laps without a problem. I on the otherhand was not in riding shape and could only do one lap at a time. It was so tiring. After 2 and a half hours I had completed 2 laps and my two teammates had completed 10 laps. We were sitting in 2nd or 3rd place. I thought I was done for the day, but I had to complete one more lap, the last lap of the race....Before I took off I was reminded that we were in a position to be in the top 3. I took off and made the hard climb up the mountain. I was exhausted and covered from head to toe in mud, but I kept pushing. I got to the "fun" part of the course, or at least it was fun the first two times around. I was coming up on the first downhill spot and I was going full speed. All of a sudden I was sprayed in the face with mud. I couldn't see a thing. So imagine you are going full speed down a hill and you are surrounded by giant pine trees...Let's just say that I freaked out, panicked, lost my cool, got that feeling in your chest that means something bad is going to happen...and then I did the one thing that I had told myself not to do, I pulled on the brakes, hard, really hard. That stupid move sent me flying through the air like superman. I have a vivid memory of this moment. It all happened so fast, but I remember that feeling of helplessness. It is the same feeling I had two weeks before that when my buddies and I were cliff diving and I was attempting a running front flip and froze in the air and ended landing on my back, I think that hurt more than my broken bone...haha. It is probably one of the worst feelings ever. So there I am flying through the air, and I am blind because of the mud in my eyes when the impact occurs. For anyone who has been smacked in the head knows the sound, Boom! Then you experience a moment of complete darkness followed by some stars. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and I didn't have a concussion. I don't think my head could have taken another concussion. So there I was, laying in a puddle of mud, dazed and in pain. I turned over to stand up, but my right arm and shoulder were not working. So I rolled over to the other side and stood up. I immediately reached for my shoulder to examine the damage. I couldn't see it, but what I felt was disgusting. My collarbone was out of place, it felt like it was pointing to the sky...I shiver every time I recall that moment, the fall and the realization that I severely injured myself. After that I looked around for help, I was in the middle of the course in a forest on a mountain. Not the worst place to hurt yourself, but not the best. Immediate help was nowhere to be found. So I picked up the bike and started walking towards the finish line. Other racers began zooming past me and I was so dazed and in pain that I just kept walking without asking for help. I didn't want to slow them down..haha. After walking with the bike in extreme pain for about 7 minutes or so, someone stopped and asked me if I was OK. I didn't know the Japanese word for collarbone at the time (Sakotsu), so I said, "Yes, my should is DEFINITELY broken." He looked frightened and said he would get help. 5 minutes later a man in a little truck appeared. I got in the truck and he threw my bike in the back and then we took off down the mountain. Each bump sent a lightning bolt of pain through my shoulder. When we finally got back down, my teammates were waiting at the finish line for me with there backs to me. I said, "Hey Cian, I'm sorry I couldn't finish, I broke my collarbone." He turned around with a horrified look and yelled, "WHAT!" in his awesome Irish accent. After that we waited for the ambulance (free of charge!) and went to the hospital. I was still covered in mud, so the nurse spent about 10 mins cleaning me and getting me into some clean clothes that Cian's friend Ushi bought for me. They took the X-Rays and Dr. Okuno looks at me and starts to explain to me in Japanglish how I have to have surgery. I broke the bone in four different places and two bone fragments were detached. I went home and attempted to sleep. I usually sleep on my right shoulder or on my stomach and now I had to sleep on my back. I spent many nights struggling to sleep the first week. In Japan they are very cautious. I had to go to the hospital a whole day before my surgery. So I arrive at the hospital on Tuesday October 2nd. I ended up just sitting there, reading my book for a couple of hours. Then the fun started. They came and got me and said that I needed a shower, I hadn't showered for 3 days, so I was on board. I told them that I could do it myself, but they insisted that they give me a sponge bath. My friends and I joked that the nurses probably drew straws or played rock, paper, scissors to see who would get to bath me...haha. They treat foreigners once every blue moon, so I thought they would treat me like a king. They did sometimes, but for the most part they ignored me...haha. So back to the sponge bath. I walk into the bathing area and the nurse said get naked. I paused and said, everything? The nurse responded with, "Are you embarrassed?" I was, but decided to just go with it and dropped my boxers. I then sat on a bucket while she cleaned me. Now you would think that she would be careful around the injured shoulder, but she went to town and scrubbed my shoulder. I made an animalistic sound and she apoligized. I mean, how do you not see the football sized bruise on my shoulder?!?! It ended up being an interesting experience. One I hope not to have again anytime soon. I went to bed or tried to and had dreams of the crash..It is one of those experiences that play over and over in your head and then they end up in your dreams. I woke up and was starving, but of course I couldn't eat. I sat around until 1pm when they began to prep me for surgery. They put me on a gurney. Right before I was going to go into the operating room I had to piss. I was all hooked up to an IV, so this was a headache for the nurses. They rolled their eyes and told me to they would hold the IV while I relieved myself. So picture this, one nurse is holding my IV, the other one is talking with her, and there I am in a hospital gown pissing with an IV in my arm. While I was working up the courage to piss in front of two women they were having an interesting conversation about me in Japanese. I had been speaking Japanese for two days at the hospital and yet they still acted like I was just another dumb mute foreigner. They were discussing my "long" nose (big), my blonde hair, my height, and my white skin. They did say that I looked like an actor, so that was a nice compliment. After finishing, I was wheeled into the operating room. For those of you who have never had surgery, it feels like you are going to be the subject of some weird science experiment. The metal walls, the 6 people surrounding wearing masks, the lighting, the strange instruments lined up next to you, it all adds up to an overwhelming feeling. I like to act like I am tough, but that was a scary moment. You can't help but think, what if something goes wrong? what if I'm given too much anesthesia. Luckily they soon put you under and you sink into an foggy abyss. The surgery took about 2 hours, longer than expected because he had a hard time drilling one of the bone fragments back into place. I woke up and had an oxygen mask on my face. I hate those things. They make you mouth and throat all dry and you are not allowed to drink any water for a couple of hours. My boss and the school district's super intendant were there when I woke up. I apparently talked to them and the doctor in Japanese for about 20 minutes before falling back asleep. I vaguely remember this, it was such a surreal experience. I wake up and people are asking me all these questions in Japanese and I am responding in Japanese naturally like it was not a big deal. Looking back on that makes me laugh, I wish I had a video of those 20 minutes. I was all drugged up and yet I was carrying on multiple conversations in Japanese. I had to spend another 24 hours in the hospital. I read and was uncomfortable for most the time, but I also dozed in and out of sleep the whole time. Every time I asked one of the nurses for help they would roll their eyes at me like I was a hobo or something. I just wanted some water from time to time and they acted like it was a big inconvience for them. I only rang the help bell 4 times in 24 hours. I think that is pretty good. I tried eating breakfast the next morning and immediately felt sick. My body does not agree with anesthesia. I puked up the little water I had in my stomach and then dry heaved for about 20 minutes. I began to sweat profusely and asked the nurse to turn on the air conditioner. She said that was not allowed and she handed me a towel. Talk about service!haha. I ended up going 2 days without eating, I have never felt so weak in my whole life. I finally returned home on October 4th. I was so relieved to be out of that furnace of a hospital. I now have a plate and 7 screws inside me. That was my surgery experience. Below are some pics.