Two Years Living On Two Wheels...And Counting

[Judoka]

So I was working one night and picked up a heavy tote when suddenly I felt a sharp burning pain in my hand! It only lasted for a moment and then just "felt funny" afterwards. I kept doing by job but had a strange sensation in my hand. What was really weird was that my fingers seemed to keep hitting the sides of the totes and they felt like they were kind of "flopping around". When break time came I removed my gloves and looked at my hand. Sure enough! My first two fingers were just flopping when I moved my wrist. In short, I had ruptured the tendons in my first two fingers and had torn the third finger! This meant, ( after an inquisition from Hell intended to find fault in my actions as to dismiss any responsibility) that I was about to be put on Work Comp.
Work Comp may be intended to help qualified injured workers sustain themselves until they are treated, healed and are able to return to work but the actuality of being placed on Work Comp may vary a bit in the its effect depending upon laws in place where the incident has happened. In my particular case, I was in for a long and drawn out walk with poverty!
It was this walk which forced me to make some desperate decisions and resort to some very creative means of "survival"! This is my journey so far.....

 

[Judoka]

While I was waiting to be seen by various medical providers and specialists a lot of time was passing. One provider would send a referral for another specialist, which would then need to be approved by the Work Comp administrator and then they would need to schedule a visit with a provider in their network. This took months! Eventually, almost A YEAR had passed before I was sent to a surgeon who was able to repair my tendons! When I finally met with that provider I was informed that it was too late to repair the ruptured tendons. I would need a Tendon Transfer!
This meant that the surgeon would need to remove a piece of tendon from somewhere in my body to replace those tendons my hand. It was proposed that a tendon from my foot be used; and then it was possibly a tendon from my wrist be used.
What eventually unfolded was a pretty tricky surgery by one of the best Hand Surgeons in the world. For his work I am grateful!

 

[Judoka]

However....
There was one little problem. A staple was left in my hand and that staple eventually caused an additional rupture of a tendon!

This was the beginning of my journey into poverty living on a motorcycle.

 

[Judoka]

In the year plus leading up to the first surgery I had been stripped of my car and my credit cards and eventually my home as I was unable to pay for those things on the very limited compensation I would receive. Like it or not, I was going to have to move into my car!

Luckily, like many on this forum, I had a fairly well equipped Expedition Rig!

 

[Judoka]

This rig met my needs of shelter and was useful to get me to my medical appointments and rehabilitation. It was not really a bad way to have to live.

 

[Judoka]

 

[Judoka]

As you can see I managed. I had a fridge, a toilet a bed and a shower if I did not want to swim in the lake. It was not a bad way of life.

 

[Judoka]

I was just living the best life I could.

Until......

 

[Judoka]

Now I won't go into too many details here but it basically comes down to this...
The surgery was done and rehab was suddenly cut short on a Tuesday (When the previous Friday the therapist told me I needed another three weeks of therapy and was going to send the assessment to Work Comp) and I was "released from care". That same day I was approached by Law Enforcement informing me that I was to vacate the Walmart parking lot.
I could see it clearly. The games were about to begin. Keep the person broke and cut off any compensation immediately so that they will settle the case quickly and for as little as possible!

(This is my opinion based upon my personal experience in the state where this happened to me personally. If anyone else has a different experience or impression, I am not here to argue the point!)

 

[Judoka]

The result of these events was simple. I had to find a way to survive on no money with a hand which was still injured and unusable. I needed to find a place I could just....exist with no money!


The answer came in the conversation I had with the cop who had told me I needed to leave. He had told me how much he liked my truck and gave me his card. A little conversation and brief negotiation and the Suburban was sold!

 

[Judoka]

My plan was simple. I needed to get a vehicle that could get me across the country and get me to the desert where I could camp out in a tent and survive while I fought Work Comp to get my hand repaired right! The money from selling the Suburban and parting out the mods I had put on her would have to be enough to make that happen!

 

[Judoka]

So the search was on. I knew that the most likely way to accomplish this was either getting a donkey or buying a motorcycle! The donkey would be too slow and stubborn. The main issue with the motorcycle was that I no longer had a motorcycle endorsement. I had promised the Judge back in 2013 that I would not ever ride on two wheels again. Long story but it may have been alleged that I was clocked doing 106 mph in a 35 mph zone and I may or may not have gotten a free ride downtown with matching bracelets.

If I was going to have to go back on my promise I was going to do it in style on a bike I knew would get me there! So..... I found this bike just 120 miles away.

 

[Judoka]

They say, "If you're gonna dance with the Devil, you might as well lead!" so I grabbed this bike and figured I would either figure out how to ride again or die trying!

I picked this bike up very cheap! It came with two helmets and two jackets, "His and Hers" of course. I hitchhiked the 100 plus miles to where the bike was and met the guy and his wife at a Starbucks. When I went to look at the bike I noticed that the "Hers" jacket was WAY smaller than his wife could wear! I could only imagine why he was so stressed to sell the bike so... I offered to pay $500 less than he was asking! He turned to look at her, paused and then looked towards the ground and quietly agreed. I got a GREAT deal on this bike!

 

[Moyshe Kapoyer]

Sorry that you have been delt such a raw deal, but you seem to be able to pull through and survive. Hopefully you soon get the resolution that you seek.

 

[Judoka]

I appreciate the sentiment Moyshe! it has been a journey for sure. There are a lot of miles behind me since this all began. I will try to keep the story flowing if you would like to follow along I would love to share how such a crappy situation brought me something I never knew I needed.