www.operationbrokenjoe.com

Doc said the skin graft surgery went excellent. Hopefully, I'm on a road to recovery now and be able to focus 100% on rehab once healed.

 

Great to hear Joe :up:

 

Joe, everyday will get better and better. And thanks to good folks like Randy and us WERA racers, we will support you as long as it takes!!!

Hey let's keep that cadaver skin for a souvenir! We will dry it out and have you sign it for the next raffle!!!

And a serious question: how are the ribs? I ask because mine that had 2 breaks and connects to the sternum still won't allow pressure to my chest. I guess I am saying it really takes time and at my age maybe I'm stuck with it! Glad you're a young man!

 

Dang, stomach shots and cadaver skin...???....You are one tough SOB Pomeroy!:up:

Glad to hear things are progressing tho.

See you guys at GNF.

 

Hearing a lot of positves on this thread. Stay with it Joe see you at the GNF

 

Morris,
The ribs still hurt, but not nearly as much as before. If I stay calm and breathe easy they almost have no pain. But, as soon as I start to breathe a little bit harder the pain creeps in. That said, I can sleep on either side and put some pressure on them. In reality, I have no choice and have to sleep in multiple positions so I don't get bed sores. I'm at the 4 month point from the crash and I guess they feel about right since I broke 16 of them.
Joe

 

While in surgery pre-op yesterday I guess I had a small flashback to Savannah and the operating room. For about 5 minutes I was really nervous and scared. I was able to shake those thoughts and relax before rolling in.

In post-op my nurse started asking about my injuries. After giving her the 1 minute summary overview, she was amazed I was as mobile as I was. I still have a long ways to go though. One comment I have made to Lisa several times is that it would be really nice to have just one day with no pain. I know that day will come, but it does get tiring living with nearly constant pain of some sort.

 

This will sound corny and all....but I cant wait to see Ol Joe with that big sheeet-eatin grin again!

Hang in there man.

 

jp,,your doing great I think,,as a kid I got 3rd degree burns on lower legs ,,many yrs later was on fire in top fuel car talk about a flashback..dammit !!!! it to passed...pulling for you and lisa your a lucky guy could always have been worst....talk to u soon...................steve

 

With that amount of injury I can surely see the scared and nervous thing happening. Hell even if I didn't go through that I'd be nervous.

Keep at it Joe. We are all here for ya.

 

I still have a few nagging pains but very manageable. You'll get there too. I'm approaching my 1 yr anniversary!!!

And I had a thought! I know when I went down I swore off motorcycles. Swore to anyone that would listen that I was done.

I lied!

If you ever have the itch again, AHRMA runs sidecars and I would be honored to be your monkey!!! This is only of course if your lower end isn't quite 100% which I sure it will be someday.
This would also be if you need a track, speed fix. The AHRMA sidecar dudes are a strange, cool bunch (just like the WERA vintage dudes).
I'm sure you've caught the Wayne Rainey kart stuff. May be an alternative til you're 100%.
If you get to this point in 6 months or whenever, lemme know and we'll find a sidecar. If the damn thing siezes and locks up, we'll just slide around pissed that we have to rebuild the SOB! We don't have to do the 110% must win thing. Just ride, be safe, and have fun.

 

^^^ This.... I saw and met some at the VMD. Strange bunch indeed but good good people. Oh and Crazy too. One car kept coming through turn 1 at Mid O on two wheels instead of 3.

I know right now that is the last thing you are thinkking of but look at it this way.. Eventually you will get better, look at Mark, and you need a goal. Hell if it's me I'd need to face it.

That is reaching high and a very lofty goal but in the end we know you can do it.

 

Joe, I want to share something with you since you have all this free time on your hands
That, and I'm sure you can always use a little conversation.

I can never imagine all the pain you've gone through and everything you're dealing with. The short of my story, if it helps any... eight years and eleven days ago I had an IED (roadside bomb) triggered on me in the middle-east which ensued a fire fight. Spent nine months in and out of Naval hospitals in Virginia. I'm good! Every day that my eyes open is another blessing and I am a fortunate individual.
The cons:
I've had a headache every day since, bad migraines two to four times a week (give or take).
Can't sleep worth a darn, and when I do I toss a lot because no matter what position I'm in, I hurt.
I worry about how much longer the physical work I do my body will allow me.
I have flashbacks of events and I scare easily a lot of times. Although I may not show it my heart literally hurts from the things that catch me off guard. I have no control over it. The sounds and rumbles of the trains (two set of tracks) right behind the garage I work at scare the tar out of me even when I know they're coming.

Now for the motorcycle racing part... I had never raced or done a track day. I remember sitting in Ed Bargy's class at Tally Aug'10 telling him "I don't know if I can do this because everything scares me and I have a lot of things in my body that hurt but I sure will do my best and give it a try". Every time I put the helmet on my head I hurt and sometimes the pressures we build up in our bodies while racing make my head hurt worse. And sometimes when I come off the track and get off the bike I feel like I can't walk and the thought of pulling the helmet back off my head sucks! Then I take a deep breathe, focus and continue on with what I'm driven to do.

There's much more but point being we push onwards and make something of ourselves, no matter what the obstacle(s). We have motivation, inclination and drive. No one in life will tell us "we cant" at anything. So much opportunity in life and I'm not going to miss any of it. I don't believe you will either.

We can talk more in depth later. You have a lot of support here. You're not alone.

Charlie, apologies for not getting back to you. Been pretty swamped here at work and trying to get bikes ready for a last minute run at the endurance round next weekend at RA. I'll get those questions answered ASAP.

 

Joe got this thread linked to the 'unofficial' AHRMA forum http:/www.vintagebikeracing.com.
Lot of those guys know you as the 2-stroke fast guy and I am sure many didn't know of your situation. They're a good bunch that crazily like the old stuff, as you know from having banged fairings over there.
All the best today!!!

 

Thanks guys. I've been off-line for the past couple of days to due to a horrible allergic reaction to the meds they gave me in surgery. My eyes were almost swollen shut. I'm a bit better today, enough to get back on-line anyways. But, as Randy said you wake up in the morning and give it your best effort each day.

 

Latest update is the therapist is feeling muscle contraction in my hip flexure area. I can't see movement but if the muscles are firing its something else to build from. I also start hand control driving certification training next week. I can't wait to regain some independence and be able to drive again. I'll be adding hand controls to my Mazda Miata. The chair fits in the passenger seat once broken down. At least I'll have something fun to drive. I wonder if SCCA has a hand control autocross class???

 

Thats great Joe!:up:....it will have to be an UNBELIEVABLE relief to get your mobility back.

I know some things I took for granted I no longer do, just based on knowing you sir.:up:

Hey man, to flip things around alittle bit for you, heres a good story:

Couple saturday's ago, welded up a cart for motors and was painting it hanging from a tree. Dean Middleton calls, he's on his way over...cool...I hang up,... and get stung by something....I swatted it and kept painting...started to feel woozy...jeesh, only had 2 beers, maybe its the paint, better go sit down....

I made it to a chair in my shop, and passed out....went into anaflactic shock...Dean showed up about 20 minutes later...found me with no pulse, body temp of 93....I was out for 1.5 hours...couple days in the hospital.

Weird part,a few weeks before, I was weedeating and stirred up some yellow Jackets, got stung 8 times....no problem....this tiome, Ialmost bought the farm.

With your incident and mine....I'm thinking alittle differently here lately.

Hang in there Joe...see ya at GNF.

 

Dang Charlie, that is really scary. Glad you are still with us.

I have a super long ways to go. I can't show anyone movement but there are some muscles firing. So, I can only try to make them stronger.

 

Geez, Charlie, that was close. As some comdedian once said, "I had a near life experience." You should be buying lottery tickets or going to Atlantic City.

Hang tough, Joe. Some of us don't post up often, but you are very much in our thoughts and prayers.

Good memories of the cookout up on the hill overlooking Barber last GNF. Grilling by the light of Steve's scooter because we had been booted from the paddock. Good food, great company, lots of laughs. I remember thinking, don't take this weekend for granted; such times in this life are be appreciated.

 

go joe!