Thoughts and prayers for Joe Rice #23

It's goin as good as it can. I'm still at the rehabilitation/care clinic. I get the staples out of both legs this Sunday, the 24th. My first surgery is scheduled for Tuesday the 26th at 2pm on my left heel and bone on the top outside of my left foot. Then I'll more then likely stay at Akron General over night. I have an appointment with the doctor that did my legs and right foot for the 28th. Hopefully he'll tell me the deep bruise and small frature in the right foot are ok enough to bare weight and hopefully get to head home on crutches!! Two weeks from the 26th is when I'll get the second surgery on the left foot on the bone on top of the foot on the inside. This area has to be fused due to the extent of the damages. I will let you know any more information when I get it.
 
Joe,
Keep your head up. Good luck with your surgery tuesday. I don't know you but have been reading this thread. Sorry for your accident. I used to race many years ago, still ride now. I'm probably old enough to by your dad. My son's a nursing student. He is doing clinical rotations at Akron General now on tuesdays. I'll ask him to look you up if he's allowed to say hi. Do what the doctors say and you should come out fine. I had a busted up ankle when I was your age and it really doesn't bother me now. Maybe yours will do the same. Time will tell. Best Wishes,
Mike Hawkins
 
Thanks guys. And Mike. Tell him to look me up for sure. And as far as the riding again deal. If they didn't have to fuse that bone id more than likely ride again. But with losing side to side movement with it, and possibly having to get the foot and ankle fused together down the road, its not worth it. Especially cause all it'll take is a root or rut to catch my toe of the boot and my foot would explode.
 
I wanna give everyone an update. I had the first surgery on my left foot yesterday at 2pm. Everything went very well. I let them do a block on the back of my left knee before they did anything. It made a huge difference in handling the pain. Whet they do is actually keep the nerves soaked in a painkiller so my foot pretty much went numb. It lasts for 12-36 hours. So sleeping last night was no problem. My understanding is that they ended up putting a plate and screws on my heel and then the same on the top outside of my foot where I broke that bone. In two weeks when I come back, he'll fix the bones behind my toes straight across the top of my foot with plates and screws, and then he'll fuse the bone on the top inside of my foot. And I guess the way he was talking, the external fixator will stay on that foot for a while even after the second surgery. They guessed the surgery was going to take about three hours, and it actually took around five hours. I guess Dr. Grossman told my parents and fiancée that it is broke pretty bad, so that's why it took extra time.
 
Hope your not in too much pain after the block wears off. I had one for my shoulder surgery....it was great, until it wore off. Hopefully everything works out well for you, and heels up good.
 
Damn! I just watched the vid! I don't know ya Joe.... but you are definitely one crazy m-Fer bro!!! 'Specially on a stroker! I wish you'd have just dubbed tho!! haha! Hope you make a full recovery. Is this the same leap that somebody else broke both arms from not too long ago? I love riding bikes more than anything else, and I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't do it anymore-- so I definitely feel for ya. ---L*64
 
Well it's been quite a while. Figure I would give an update. The last surgery they did, when they did the nerve block, they had to rebuild the outside of my foot with plates and screws, plus rebuild my heel with plates and scews. The nerve block was nice, and I think they could have cut my foot off and I never would have known. What they didn't tell me was that when it wear off, the pains is excrutiating(sp?). Starting at 3 o'clock in the morning the nerve block wore off, and from here it was downhill fast. From 3am until 6pm I was in the worst pain of my life. It was worse than laying on the track for 45 minutes with both legs broke. I kid you not. Once they sent in the pain management team(at 6pm) they ended up getting me on stronger pain meds and getting it bearable. I ended up having to stay at the hospital two nights because of the pain. It felt like my foot was on fire! I ended up getting to come home July 6th. I got the ok to use crutches, but only 20 feet or less. Anything more than that, the Dr wants me to be in the wheelchair. Being home is an amazing feeling. I didn't realize how nice it was until I was away for almost a month(two days shy of a month to be exact). I haven't really done much since being home. Just trying to keep sane! With my amount of energy, and not being able to walk or do much for a month and a half now if getting pretty hard to deal with! I'm still very positive, and after watching the video 50+ times and pausing in different spots, i'm still very thankful I threw the bike away(first time I've ever thrown a bike away since I started riding at 3). This could have had a much worse outcome... I have a Dr's appointment at 8:45am today to see how everything is healing and to schedule my fourth and HOPEFULLY final surgery. Last time I met with Dr. Grossman(the foot and ankle specialist) he said he thinks the surgery will be next week, August 1st. During this surgery he will fuse the bone on the top inside of my left foot (this is what will do away with my side to side movement of my foot) and also remove the external fixator. I CAN'T WAIT and hope this is all still true. I fixator had been in since June 13th and after snagging on 100 different things, I'm ready for it to go! Also, the last estimate he had was that after the final surgery(hopefully Tuesday) it will be 3+ months until I'm allowed to start putting weight on my left foot/leg again. Like I said I still have a very positive attitude, and can't thanks everyone enough for their kind words, help and support. All of this is what makes recovery time quick and as painless as possible. I woke up early this morning(anxious for my dr's appointment) and decided to reread through this post. If I could take a day off of recovery for every time I busted up laughing, I would be back in my feet tomorrow! Everybodies reaction to the jump, and I guess me in general makes me laugh. Even though I won't be getting on a bike again, I will be remembered as that crazy guy. lol. I love the motocross family and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Sorry for writing a book on here, and I will give an update ASAP.
 
LuckyStar 64: I believe he broke his arm(s) on the second double, beore the small tunnel. And trust me, I'm 25, started riding when I was 3 and racing since I was 4. Giving up riding is going to be one of the hardest things I will have to do in my life. But like Meister said before, there aren't too many people that have been lifeflighted 3 times. I'd be crazy to push for a fourth. And in all honesty, if it wasn't for the fusing of the bone in my foot and losing side to side "sweeping" motion, i'm pretty sure I'd be on a bike again asap. But like I said before, it's not worth it to risk the movement of my foot and ankle completely.
 
glad your keeping a positive attitude.. hope everything works out well for you. see you sat. as well.
 
Thank you guys very much. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody there! And YZ125: Wanna make that bet into a donation? ;-) I bet you I don't. The risk of having to get my foot and ankle fused together down the road without any other outside risk is enough of a reason not to ride again. Let alone if I did ride, even if nothing happened, and I never injured it again, just riding in general would increase this risk down the road. At 25 years old, I shouldn't have to worry about the risk of having a permanent "club foot".
 
Great News!!

At my doctors appointment today, I was informed that after my final surgery (within the next two weeks), I would be allowed to start putting weight on my foot within 6-8 weeks. His original time estimate of starting to put weight on the left foot/leg was 3 months. This is AMAZING news to me. After already being off of my feet for a month and a half, and as you all know constantly going 110mph, the less time off of my feet the better! I am curently waiting on a phone call from the doctors office to find out when they can fit this surgery in. I told the doctor as soon as poossible, so I will let you guys know when the date is.
 
Great news Joe, you've been on one hell of a RIDE....sadly the wrong kind. I wish you well and totally understand the "done with the bike" thing...I've had a few doctors tell me I could have problems later in life stemming from injuries so I know what your thinking. Yours however is much worse and life should be long and enjoyable....I still ride but have lost the "fire" that the young bucks have still...just remember you went out as a BAD ASS DUDE!

Also, PM me your address as I can't make the benefit Sunday and would like to send you some money to help with all your expenses, etc...wish I could do more but I'm sure right now anything helps.
 
Thank you loneranger171. I really appreciate it. As for the ride I've been on, it's definitely been a long rough one. And I still think one of the biggest struggles I'm going to have is giving up riding. But on the plus side, at least I got a chance to meet loneranger171 and bs with him a bit before the accident happened. And yeah this would probably be considered going out with a bang. Lol.
 
Joe Rice said:
Thank you loneranger171. I really appreciate it. As for the ride I've been on, it's definitely been a long rough one. And I still think one of the biggest struggles I'm going to have is giving up riding. But on the plus side, at least I got a chance to meet loneranger171 and bs with him a bit before the accident happened. And yeah this would probably be considered going out with a bang. Lol.
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Not trying to tell ya how to live or anything, but if it were me, I would completely get away from it. I would sell it all,and never go back to a track. Thats only way I could see myself actually quitting. I dont think i could even keep a jersey. Otherwise, I would be in tempted. Im talking posters, stickers, everything, dvds. But thats just me.
 
I'd probably have to start mainlining heroin. How do you stop racing and separate yourself from it completely? I mean there's no 3 step program for that. It has to be equivalent to insanity.
 
BriarcliffMx said:
Not trying to tell ya how to live or anything, but if it were me, I would completely get away from it. I would sell it all,and never go back to a track. Thats only way I could see myself actually quitting. I dont think i could even keep a jersey. Otherwise, I would be in tempted. Im talking posters, stickers, everything, dvds. But thats just me.
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X2 .... its the only way. Dont even watch mx/sx on tv. Ask your friends to stop talking about it with you. Once you start feeling pretty good physically the itch will start to creep in. Try and get into another adrenaline sport. Drag racing or something. Its tough....
 
As for getting away from it completely, I think this would actually do more damage to me than good. I've met alot of awesome people from the tracks over the last 20+ years. Bikes and riding/racing will always be a part of my life. But knowing that I have a risk as big as not walking right again, will be a reminder of why i'm not getting on a bike again. As for the itch goes, you're right, it'll definitely be there. But the risk could be big and life long. In my eyes, not even close to worth it. I have done more spectating in the last 5+ years than I have riding and racing, and I've grown to enjoy it. At first I couldn't be at a track unless I was riding, but I've grown to still enjoy it. As far as getting my adrenaline fix, I'm definitely going to have to get into something. When I was in the rehab center for three weeks, I had to meet with a counselor about it. So something will be in the works for me, but I wanna make sure it's something that my legs and feet are gonna be protected. I'm kind of leaning towards a dune buggy, and down the road, I would love to street legalize a rzr. But that's a ways down the road. Right now I've got my eyes set on one thing, getting on my two feet again.
 
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