VTR1000.ORG

Hiya Folks

I’ve been a crabbit and unsociable bugger lately, hence my spell of absence. But fancy a laugh?

Well, being an all-year biker the cauld weather hasn't been a problem but in the new year I twisted my knee awkwardly getting out of my new monster bean bag. Ballooning up like a grapefruit, I went to A&E and one MRI scan later, I was informed that that auld fitba injury that retired me some twelve years ago, misdiagnosed as cartilage wear’n’tear, was in fact the anterior cruciate ligament – completely missing! As a consequence, I was braced up, pretty immobile and testing my better half’s patience - Day 1: Do you need anything darling, Day 2: can I get you anything?, Day 3: NOW What do YOU WANT!?). Bless her. I was off the bike for some two months Two months of Dave TV and James May’s Top Toys – that gave me an idea of how I might spend the time until the surgeons decide to shave a bit off my hamstring and bolt it onto where the ACL should go. Can’t wait for that! 9 months of physio and I can get my boots out again. Yet I missed the Storm so badly and I needed another outlet. So while my knee returned to some kind of usefulness, I took up modelling.

Once the knee was strong enough and eager to get back in the saddle, I was on my way down to Brands Hatch to see my mate race in the Rookie 600 Supersport when en route, my ‘motorcyclist’ mates backed out (it was a bit nippy) and in sipping a coffee at my auld courier pals gaffe we had a quick search for a rare Rickman fairing for his NTV and we actually found one in Sandy in Beds. So instead of going to Brands, we told racer boy we’d see him at Snetterton and set off up the A1 to Sandy. And the weather turned real nasty. I’ve ridden in it all but these roads and in particular the conditions were really weird. But job done we got home safe. Well, sort of.

Next day, the right hand side of my face is paralyzed! Jings. Not a stroke, no case of Lymes, no horrible viruses but Bell’s Palsy (known in Korea/Far East as Wind Attack). It strikes without notice and it’s a proper frightener. One in ten it is permanent. What next!? See, you can’t really ride when you can’t blink one eye. I must have poked myself in the eye loads of times! You sound stupid speaking with half a mouth working and forget drinking beer other than from a straw! Anyone else had this? (Seventh cranial nerve swells and shuts down). Off the bike again!

The local (aka The Prescriptions Factory) pops me on steroids yet the new owner of that mint Ricky fairing (a former Nam medic no less) tells me, “Hey Face, forget that craap man and take the B complexes and liquid B12, eat lots of beans for the copper (horse and carting aplenty) and get back to eating Scotts Porrage Oats in the morning. And take red ginseng“. Michty me, my Elvis lip is slowly returning, I can blink, speak without sounding like I have a mouthful of sour ploom sweeties and I don’t look like I’ve just been battered. My modelling is coming on really well too. So well in fact that it was beginning to keep me off the roads. That and the price of fuel is going up like a rocket. And I'm told some rich arab is considering paying me a small fortune to do some stuff for him. If yer interested, the modelling:
http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.o ... asc-80.php
Not what you were expecting eh?

Things are on the up all round I guess. As are the temperatures and the engine, beautifully. I’ve miles to make up.

All the best

My wife's mums husband got it pretty bad. Was funny as wombles Had a right laugh taking the piss out of him.

Not a good start to the year at all that like. Hope everything sorts it's self out soon for ya

*Edit* Just had a look at the model stuff. Bloody brilliant that

Sorry to hear about your problems mate. Chris Walker had the same illness and he was back racing after a while. All the best.

Twinpotter wrote:
Next day, the right hand side of my face is paralyzed! Jings. Not a stroke, no case of Lymes, no horrible viruses but Bell’s Palsy (known in Korea/Far East as Wind Attack). It strikes without notice and it’s a proper frightener. One in ten it is permanent. What next!? See, you can’t really ride when you can’t blink one eye. I must have poked myself in the eye loads of times! You sound stupid speaking with half a mouth working and forget drinking beer other than from a straw! Anyone else had this? (Seventh cranial nerve swells and shuts down). Off the bike again!

horrible that is.... very annoying.
i once peeled a lemon and ate it like an apple, got like a twiddle in a nerve under my chin... dunno if that was related but same thing, woke up in the morning & it was like i'd had a stroke or summat, one eye wouldnt shut, had to tape it shut to sleep lol.
couldnt drink me beer, all on side dropped.
the steds... are they prednisolone or something?? thats what they gave me & it went after a few weeks.

then almost exactly a year later the other side did the same lol!
i was dreading the year after!
a terrible affliction and hope it clears up soon m8, leaves you really run down too.
apparently it can stay dormant for years as a virus in your lower jaw

Hi Twinpotter, good to see you back and glad to hear you're on the mend Not a good start to the year I know, but hopefully things will get better now

Chris.

Thanks for yer kind sentiments fellas. Appreciated.

Benny, you're right - Prednisolone it is, or Aciclovir in the presence of a dormant Herp Zoster virus (shingles). And BP causes a Dry or Wet eye, where you either don't tear or do so profusely (builds up in an unblinking eye) - the former increases one's susceptability to corneal infection and an increased liklihood of having to tape the eye shut at night. Thankfully I had the latter.

If I got this again, personally I'd not bother with the Pred and go for Accupuncture but I didn't catch it in time. I find it odd that of all the western case study dbases (incl NHS Lib) there are still no proven benefits in taking this steriod! However in Korea (where my better half is from) when done within 24-48 hours of onset they usually treat it in two to three Accu sessions - so common it is they apply an entirely different method of treatment with an improved prognosis in comparison to western ones.

I hope it doesn't return in ye mate, but if it does do take the liquid B's (great for the nerves esp. regeneration of any damaged ones) and with the exercises, it helps to avoid synkinesis. Er... I'd lay off the lemons.

OK, this is a bikers board so that's enough of the medical stuff.