Re: From: "wmharrison" <[email protected]> Let me start by saying I am a police officer from

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 11:27:26 +1000
Terryc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> If your likely vegetable existence was going to happen, I'd would have
> expected a few major broken bones and a few months of physio to recover.
> Even something like a neck brace to a few months would indicate there
> were serious forces going through your neck.
>

Speaking as someone who had a head injury from a motorcycle crash...
I'd not expect there to be any vegetable existence without at least
some time in hospital off with the fairies.

I spent a week there with a short term memory of about half an hour
and periods of complete confusion [1]. They let me out when I could
remember things at lunchtime that happened that morning.

So I won't believe "I might have been a vege" stories from people who
had no sign the grey jelly got so much as shaken. If you don't have
MRI or ultrasound showing contusions on the brain, then you weren't
in danger of more than forgetting if you had had breakfast.

Zebee
[1] my usual state is just mostly confused.

 

[PeteSig]

"Zebee Johnstone" wrote:
>
> So I won't believe "I might have been a vege" stories from people who
> had no sign the grey jelly got so much as shaken. If you don't have
> MRI or ultrasound showing contusions on the brain, then you weren't
> in danger of more than forgetting if you had had breakfast.

When I was about 14 years old, riding to school down a hill to the main
road, I passed a Form 1 kid, on the left. He was out wide, I assumed to turn
right, but then he cut left across me. I swerved to miss him, rode across
the footpath and collided head first into a big timber paling fence.
Helmets? That's what a notorcyclist wears - this was 1972!

I still have a crease in my forehead from that collision. Don't know what I
did but it is a definite lump - maybe I did fracure the scone? But I went
off to school after suitable castigating of said Form 1 boy. No ill effects,
no dizzyness, no confusion, no unconsciousness. Got on with the day, without
so much as a band-aid.

Today if someone did that they'd be saying "OH, thank god I had the helmet.
If I didn't I'd be a vegetable!" Compulsory helmets has distorted somewhat
our perceotions of just what the human body can endure.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 03:47:46 GMT
PeteSig <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I still have a crease in my forehead from that collision. Don't know what I
> did but it is a definite lump - maybe I did fracure the scone? But I went
> off to school after suitable castigating of said Form 1 boy. No ill effects,
> no dizzyness, no confusion, no unconsciousness. Got on with the day, without
> so much as a band-aid.

I used to fall off horses a lot. Most of the time my head never hit
the ground, a couple of times I was a bit dizzy and once I think I had
concussion.

Now that said some people do manage to get killed when the fall over and
smash their heads into a kerb. Many fall over and headbutt the gutter
and just get up looking silly of course.

Many years ago I was in the emergency room of RAH having dropped my
motorcycle and broken my arm. It was early on the Sunday of the
Adelaide Grand Prix weekend and the ER was full of DFO "Drunk and Fell
Over". Still ****** as parrots and sporting injuries from broken
bones to big cuts and a couple of head injuries. I think a sober
motorcyclist was a nice change of pace because the staff were very
nice indeed to me...

Zebee

 

[TimC]

On 2007-10-06, Zebee Johnstone (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 03:47:46 GMT
> PeteSig <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> I still have a crease in my forehead from that collision. Don't know what I
>> did but it is a definite lump - maybe I did fracure the scone? But I went
>> off to school after suitable castigating of said Form 1 boy. No ill effects,
>> no dizzyness, no confusion, no unconsciousness. Got on with the day, without
>> so much as a band-aid.

Kids bounce easier

> I used to fall off horses a lot. Most of the time my head never hit
> the ground, a couple of times I was a bit dizzy and once I think I had
> concussion.
>
> Now that said some people do manage to get killed when the fall over and
> smash their heads into a kerb. Many fall over and headbutt the gutter
> and just get up looking silly of course.
>
> Many years ago I was in the emergency room of RAH having dropped my
> motorcycle and broken my arm. It was early on the Sunday of the
> Adelaide Grand Prix weekend and the ER was full of DFO "Drunk and Fell
> Over". Still ****** as parrots and sporting injuries from broken
> bones to big cuts and a couple of head injuries. I think a sober
> motorcyclist was a nice change of pace because the staff were very
> nice indeed to me...

I showed up at the $sniversity nurse 8 weeks ago when I was in
Melbourne, sporting a badly grazed knee. She asked me in that tone of
voice whether I had been wearing a helmet, and said "oh good" when I
replied in the affirmative.

Didn't pick up for several days that I had also done my wrist in, but
once the other pains started subsiding, it showed up. I still can't
lift up heavy dichroics with my left hand, 8 weeks later. Getting
less painful to open doors though.

--
TimC
> aibohphobia, n., The fear of palindromes
And here I thought it was the fear of robotic Japanese dogs.
-- Tom "Tom" Harrington

 

[Shane Stanley]

In article <[email protected]>,
Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:

> If you don't have
> MRI or ultrasound showing contusions on the brain, then you weren't
> in danger of more than forgetting if you had had breakfast.

The recent research done on footballers in the US suggests things might
not be that simple. I forget the specifics, but it basically said that
more than a couple of cases of concussion dramatically increased the
risk of problems later.

--
Shane Stanley

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:46:57 +1000
Shane Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> If you don't have
>> MRI or ultrasound showing contusions on the brain, then you weren't
>> in danger of more than forgetting if you had had breakfast.
>
> The recent research done on footballers in the US suggests things might
> not be that simple. I forget the specifics, but it basically said that
> more than a couple of cases of concussion dramatically increased the
> risk of problems later.

I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.

Compared to the number of times a soccer player heads the ball or a
helmeted gridiron player slams his head into something.

Zebee

 

[Shane Stanley]

In article <[email protected]>,
Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:

> I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.

The suggestion was that the threshold may be lower than previously
thought.

> Compared to the number of times a soccer player heads the ball or a
> helmeted gridiron player slams his head into something.

Apparently the average life expectance of a US NFL player is 55.

--
Shane Stanley

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:00:34 +1000
Shane Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.
>
> The suggestion was that the threshold may be lower than previously
> thought.

But not for single hits, as I understand it, it was multiple hits
resulting in concussion. The "helmet saved my life" stories don't
ever seem to mention concussion. The tellers seem to just get up and
wow at a broken lid.

Zebee

 

[Aeek]

On 6 Oct 2007 11:10:08 GMT, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:

>In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:00:34 +1000
>Shane Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.
>>
>> The suggestion was that the threshold may be lower than previously
>> thought.
>
>But not for single hits, as I understand it, it was multiple hits
>resulting in concussion. The "helmet saved my life" stories don't
>ever seem to mention concussion. The tellers seem to just get up and
>wow at a broken lid.
>
>Zebee

3 times for me, the first was without a helmet before they were
required. Both helmets looked untouched but I replaced them anyway.
OTOH I adjust my helmets for comfort, a consequence of being compelled
to wear one. If I chose to wear one for my protection maybe then it
would be a priority.

 

[TimC]

On 2007-10-06, Zebee Johnstone (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:00:34 +1000
> Shane Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.
>>
>> The suggestion was that the threshold may be lower than previously
>> thought.
>
> But not for single hits, as I understand it, it was multiple hits
> resulting in concussion. The "helmet saved my life" stories don't
> ever seem to mention concussion. The tellers seem to just get up and
> wow at a broken lid.

Except for a touring friend of myself (and PeteSig) who did have the
concussion out in the middle of nowhere.

--
TimC
I bet the human brain is a kludge.
-- Marvin Minsky

 

[TimC]

On 2007-10-06, Zebee Johnstone (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:00:34 +1000
> Shane Stanley <[email protected]> wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I dunno how many times a given cyclist is going to hit their heads.
>>
>> The suggestion was that the threshold may be lower than previously
>> thought.
>
> But not for single hits, as I understand it, it was multiple hits
> resulting in concussion. The "helmet saved my life" stories don't
> ever seem to mention concussion. The tellers seem to just get up and
> wow at a broken lid.

Except for a touring friend of myself (and PeteSig) who did have the
concussion out in the middle of nowhere.

--
TimC
I bet the human brain is a kludge.
-- Marvin Minsky