Anyone else use an external Fixation Device for a thumb rest?

“How did you get hurt, may I ask?”

Yeah, I dropped the Road Glide on the FL Turnpike heading home from the Phill Peterson’s Poker Run to Key West. Lake came down for that run, but wasn’t riding with me on the ride back to the farm.

It was the accident that made another of my life stories. Might as well throw it in as well. It’ll be a repeat for legacy FDPers.

I crush my left hand and broke my femur. Before they air lifted me to an Orlando hospital, next time I’m taking a Taxi, they had to do a field set on the proven femur, I can now laugh in the face of women speaking to the pain of child birth.

After a night of surgery, I woke and my wife was their, came up from Homestead, the first thing I did was snap that picture of my left arm. Latter that evening the hand surgeon stopped by to see how I was doing, he liked working at night, he said less distractions. He then told me the damage to my hand was extensive, I looked at Debbie and Oh God, I may have to learn the harmonic, as a lame joke. The Dr. Looked pretty sad when he asked if I was a musician. I said since I was 8. He described the extent of my injury, he was seriously sad, telling me I would never play again. He continues to stop by and talk. One evening he mentioned that my surgery showed him some other damage and the beginning of carpal tunnel and he would be willing to go in and do a bit more work, though it would not be enough to play the guitar again. I agreed, it was free, who wouldn’t turn down free surgery “o)

I had appointments with him every couple of weeks, he’d take X-rays of the hand to check on healing. He was very persistant in trying to convince me I’d never play again. I heard, I knew he believed it but it has been such a large part of my life and my identity that I never considered his opinion as truth.

All through rehab, broken femur, I had appointments with Dr. Green, not much they could do with the shattered wrist being all pinned together a frozen with titanium rods. 

Six or so weeks later I had my last appointment with him, I was still limping a bit but working on that. He literally unscrewed the Fixation hardware, no pain killer, that’s when I asked him if it was paid for, he said yeah, I said wrap it up. He asked I told him, thumb rest. He just kind of shook his head, I said I know, I know I’ll never play again. I didn’t believe it. I was waiting for, well I don’t what for, it’s always been about timing. At this point about 4 months or so has passed, I was doing stuff around the house and simple projects the hand was different and stiff but I was using it.

A buddy stopped by, a piano player friend with catastrophic stage fright, I was explaining how acoustic bass guitars were not exactly viable in an acoustic setting. To show him I pulled out the old fretless guild B-50. With out even a thought or consideration I played Come Together at the octave E I was about two minutes into the tune when it occurred to me that I’d never play again. I started slowly playing maybe 15 minutes a day, I wanted to go slow and steady but I never felt pain and everything I used to play I still could. I actually never had a problem. 

About this time my buddy from Miami Albert Castiglia called. He had a gig in Gainesville, asked me how the hand was coming. I told him it was good. He asked if I could play, yep not problem. So I meet up with him at the High Dive in Gainesville FL. He had me sit in. This is 4 months after the crash. I sent this link to the Dr. Office and thanked him for a job well done.