I’m afraid this formula would work with anything, not just Segways, but let me tell you how it got to damage my back and left me in hospital for 5 days with instructions for complete bed rest for another 10 days. This, hopefully, will have a lesson to others so they too do injure themselves on these machines.
When my friend Sofyan sent a couple of Segways for the 24th bloggers’ meeting at my house, no one was happier to receive them than the kids and myself! They were delivered, and quick instructions were given which I duly translated to Arif who was as anxious as I was in just getting on and having fun! After the guy left, I slowly took Arif through the steps which he mastered almost immediately, so much so in fact, that he also taught his sisters as well. They were having a lot of fun in the garden that I was worried about my lawn; them crisscrossing the grass left marks then which have since disappeared, thankfully.
I didn’t of course get a chance to use one until the next morning, which you all know about and I survived that incident and never thought much of it.
Arif and I then went to the beach and into the village, to the cold store and various places near by. We were both getting quite confident in using those machines. But to me, just being confident is not enough.. I’ve got to be arrogantly confident in using this thing!
So I refused to get off it when stepping down into the garden or stepping up onto the path from the lawn, a rise/drop of about 3 inches; not much, I know, but the procedure I think is to get off the machine, put it into the climb/descent mode by lightly pressing on the mode button, and then use the steering switch to actually get the motors to assist you in dragging the Segway up or pushing it gently down. I just went haring off into the garden’s length and breadth without another thought, and as this forcible maneuver worked on several occasions, my arrogance increased.
I left both machines in Arif’s capable hands as I was side-tracked, but not before dissing him about him having to have confidence and follow in MY footsteps and not be a woos in actually doing things properly! He wouldn’t listen and told me that he’d do it his own way. Fair enough.
I got distracted from those fun machines for a while… until the time that I was informed that they were being picked up on Sunday morning around 7.30AM. As I was leaving the house, fully dressed and ready for work at 6AM, I thought I’d just take them both out of the house where they were charging, and put them at the front door so they could be easily picked up. While doing that, I decide to take one around the garden – and in my full Arab dress! – for “one last time.”
Without another thought, I got on, went haring off on it in the garden, the thobe stuck to me, the ghutra (head-dress) flapping behind me like a flag in wind and the feeling was thrilling! I went up on the path to get to the other side of the garden to have a look at my nursery and plants until at 6:15 I thought that I had had enough play and now it’s time to get to work.
I, of course, was going to force the Segway onto the path from the garden, again. But it wouldn’t do it this time. The drop distance on that side of the garden is slightly higher, and the grass wetter! I wouldn’t give up so I leaned forward a bit more, the wheels were turning but finding no purchase. I thought I had better back off before I break it, so I pulled back a bit…. and that’s when I knew that something pretty horrible was about to happen.
(all conjecture now as all of the following happening in probably less than a couple of seconds)
All I remember is that I pulled back slightly, the machine suddenly whipped back, I lost my balance, the Segway turned 180-degrees and slapped me very hard on the pavement. Actually, the smack was the small of my back meeting the edge of the raised red-bricked path. I have never experienced pain such as that in my life. Nor will I ever wish even my deadliest enemy to have such pain either.
I don’t know how long I was lying prostrate as I was, completely unable to breathe. But when I was able to draw a shallow breath, that came out as a very painful grunt which Frances thankfully heard while she was all the way back in the kitchen. She came rushing out and saw me lying like that and she freaked, but all credit to her took control of the situation rather quickly. She insisted that I do not move and that she would be calling an ambulance. I told her not to bother, even though I was in tremendous pain, something in my mind told me to test to see if my toes and legs still worked. They did, thank God, and that was enough for me (stupidly, I know and I will never do this again) to try to get up.
The pain came back in full force, but I somehow managed to use both Frances and the maid as crutches until I reached my study downstairs and laid on the sofa. I told Frances to take the kids to school, then come and attend to me.
She came back an hour later to find me completely drenched in sweat, and the pain has not diminished at all. She got me in her car and we drove to the closest hospital around which was the International Hospital in Jidd Haffs.
The emergency doctor checked me out and suggested that as I suspected, since I can move my feet, legs and toes, there doesn’t seem to be any damage to the spinal nerves. That made me extremely happy of course, but then he told me that as I can actually move and have moved off the accident site, that he doesn’t even suspect that there is a fracture anywhere, but they will have to do x-rays to make sure. In either case, due to the pain, they had to admit me for observation and further tests. I didn’t mind as long as they made the pain go away.
The x-rays showed a fracture of course. Which gave my treating doctor (Dr. Sami Gouda, neuro-surgeon and specialist in back-bone injuries) more tests to order: MRI, bone-densitometry and more specific x-rays. These had good news and bad news:
The bad news: 3 vertebrae were compressed (crushed more like, judging by my feeling) with one of them being cracked. There is also hematoma (internal bleeding) around the area. That meant that they have to decide whether to operate and how much intrusion needed to be done. In any case I have had to stay in hospital for at least 4 days, and follow that by complete bed-rest for another 10 – 14 days.
The good news: no operation necessary. But plenty of painkillers. Recovery time is 6 months at a minimum if I follow their instructions: lose a lot of weight, the backbone is designed to support 70kgs, rather than the 113kgs I’ve been subjecting it to; no gardening for the duration, no bending, no carrying of any weights during those times, and never sit for more than 20 minutes without getting up and moving and/or stretching.
The other good news is that in the fall somehow I did not hit my head on the pavement, nor did I break my arms, legs or any other bones (except the backbone that is) which was extremely surprising. A friend of mine had almost the same accident a while ago and he still has the marks of surgeries on his arm where he broke his bones from the top of the arm to the wrist in several places. He has 8 bolts in there still!
The scary news: had the vertebra moved just 3 millimeters more, it would have impinged on the nerve and I would have suffered complete paralysis.
I was lucky, very very lucky and thank God for that and my lucky stars.
The lesson to learn from all of this of course is not to be cocky, don’t get over-confident because if you do then you will be inviting bad things – of your own doing most probably – to happen to you.
Now I’m paying for this by having to stay in bed, and have to do all of my meetings, business, blogging, etc from bed, at a time which I had hoped that I would be out jumping from one electioneering tent to another to support the Just Bahraini campaign.
Would I get on a Segway again? I don’t think so. I don’t trust myself on one. Is it the Segway’s fault? I don’t know, there seems to be a lot of sites on the internet against the Segway with people sharing their Segway injury experiences, all of which are not minor.
In any case, I would urge anyone who does want to try one or own one, to get proper protection, proper training and always follow the instructions. As the label on the machine itself says: This machine can kill!
I guess this lesson learnt won’t un-learnt for a very long time to come.
To knock this lesson home, I will never forget Arif’s smirk when he visited me on the first day in hospital while he pointed at me and said matter of factly: I told you so!
Comments
I hope you make a full recovery, and you become a healthier person after this freak accident.
Human body is more fraigle then we think in some areas. I learned that in Taekwondo. Simple movments can do alot. Just as single cell micro orginasims can knock you out (with all your complex cell magintude) making you rise over 40 degrees.
Take it easy, 7imdillah 3ala alsalama
Ma’ etchoof Shaar
fi 3edwanuk inshalla.
Mahmood
So sorry to hear about your back injury I can sympathize and feel your pain.
One word of advice from one bad back to another. Cut down on the caffeine intake. I was impressed and surprised at how much difference there was on my level of pain when I cut out the caffeine.
Keep your head up!
cerebralwaste
omg!!! i hope you make a complete recovery….ouch!!
p.s. listen to Arif…he follows instruction!!!
Matshoof shar Mahmood,tikbar witakhed gairha.
You forgot one other bad news …………. the INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL BILL .
Get well soon! Injuries take time to heal so
rest is always best.
Salaams.
Adel, as in a car I NEVER screw around with breaks and steering, in health I never screw around with insurance, so even if I have to starve, I won’t miss a payment!
So thanks go to BUPA, they happily footed the bill! :yes:
Mahmood ! OMG! Im glad that you are OKAY.. so what happend? you get the surgery then? I hope every thing is fine… and im more glad that you wherent alone in the house and that Francis was there to help you ! say hi to her for me please…
take care
Lorena
Blimey, Mahmood. It’s terrifying how an accident that occurs in a split second can be catastrophic. I try not to think of such things when I’m downhilling or sailing, otherwise I’d never do either.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear that you will recover though I’m sad to hear that it will take so long and that you won’t be able to work on your beloved garden for a long time.
aww… sorry to hear about that.. =|
wishing you a speedy recovery..
tc!
I hope you get well soon.
Dang Mahmood!
Spinal injuries… yikes! I dont know what to say. The docs said you’ll be ok, so what the hell. Plus, you’ll have to lose weight now so thats good! 🙂
-Ibn
Welcome back :yes:
That which doesn’t kill you makes you wiser – at least that’s the theory……
Alf hamdela 3la slamtek .. Don’t kill me but honestly I couldn’t stop laughing while reading your story.. I mean, the first safety rule Mahmood how you thought of trying it while you are wearing “Thob” and “Gutra”?? 😆
I can’t imagine how you looked like =D
We are thinking about you Mahmood and hope that you feel much better very soon. It was so good to talk to you again the other day. Take care.
Mahmood, Mahmood, Mahmood…
Back injuries are no fun; well any injury.
Al Hamdul’illah, you escaped with you have. I suppose I will have to take my place in line to tell you this, but do take care of yourself!
:yes: This reminds me of my overly confident snowmobile ride, oh how good I thought I was right up to flying over a road with great speed, and landing in a deep ditch with snowmobile parts and me ending up all over the place, ouch, pain,a cracked rib and a very bruised ego. =(
Mahmood, this this your blog so you go first: I wish you a quick and complete recovery. You have had a narrow escape and I hope you get well soon.
But I would like to extend my best wishes to your wife and kids.
Frances, I hope you read this blog as well, as you have my support as well for the next couple of weeks. I know your hubby is suffering physically, but you have to face him every day now for the next couple of weeks: lying on the couch and feeling sorry for himself. And that for something he did to himself. And on top of that: he has to lose weight! Show me a man who is in a good mood when he is slimming and I believe in unicorns. So you have my sympathy and I am sure you will do everything in your power to get him on his feet as soon as humanely possible.
All the best to the whole family! Get Well Soon!
Joop
Glad things stopped at that, although what you’ve been through is not easy. Get well and take care. ( and a second radiology opinion).
لا عدمناك
تكبر Ùˆ تنسى بوعارÙÂ.. يعطيك العاÙÂية
Well it couldn’t have been worse, Mahmood — you might have broken your fingers, and then you wouldn’t have been able to blog!!!javascript:moreSmiliesAappendSmiley(‘=P’)
=P
Speedy recover, etc etc etc —
Jay
that should be ‘it could have been worse’ — and how did the javascript smiley code get in there?
سلامات Ù…ØÂمود
Wish you speedy recovery inshallah.
I believe that everything happens for a reason, whether for good or bad, and its amazing how you’ve recovered il-himdilla.. Hope you recover soon mahmood 🙂
how much do you weigh anyway? There should be a weight limit on these machines! you need a TRUCK to ride not segways!… I’m kidding!…3ala al salamaah.
thanks again all,
MR you’re getting me worried! but it is a good idea and I shall pursue it soon;
Kate, again thanks for your support and friendship;
Joop, unicorns DO – in fact – exist, come to our house and you’ll see a couple frolicking in the garden all the time 😆
Ibn, that’s the word I was looking for! thanks. sometimes minds go blank…
Raed, you could be right. I don’t know if there are such weight limits on these things so it is something worth checking out.
the worst of it – this experience that is – is that there is no “regular” sleep/awake time. I’m in bed anyway so I find myself dozing/waking without recourse to time-of-day. very unsettling…
Get well soon
and keep blogging
Mahmood,
You left a place while you were attending treatment. Sorry this happened. Accidents happen however much careful one is, and you cannot say you were not one. If you could, you’d better have/generate an element of self-blaim to do. Only you can assess this matter right.
More important is that soon, in sha allah, you will grow past the intitial shook. With the passage of time the whole experience would turn out to be a kidding memory. Knowing from your blog something your tendencies, especially an apparent tendency to overcome, skies will be clear real soon. For now though, do not worry if it might hard to so imagine.
Just keep in mind the healing notion that the sooner and the clearer you can visualise that day, the more effective you are at the work of paving the way to full recovery and early return to normalcy. Good luck Mahmood.
Keep up the good work.
Best of all.
You sound good… glad to see you’re out of the hospital and getting better. Take care of yourself.
I’m glad that Frances is there w/ you… and glad that she found you. Us women are really good in difficult situations, huh?! :yes:
tooners you got that right! and thanks for taking the time to visit with your husband and for the lovely plants.
Mahmood,
Glad you’re out of hospital! At least that means you’re well on your way to recovering!!! 🙂
Next, I feel for your wife! My mum has some back problems, and since then I have to run around making sure she doesn’t do silly things like carrying heavy items, sitting too long, etc etc. Seriously, parents are like children when it comes to this!
And I suspect men are even worse… no offense to you personally Mahmood! 😉
Get better!
salamtik 7abibi
Get Well Soon, Mr Mahmood !
OMG! that sounds terrible! glad you are still in one piece & hope you feel better soon. enjoy the TLC….poor Frankie!
C’mon! I bet it must have been an experience to remember. It’s good to try out different things. But health is important blogfather. Get well soon!
( Damn! You should have taken a picture like you always do!)
Cheers!
This is very upseting to hear that you will be out of action for the next six months. I just hope that you dont be a fool and do as ur told or else the 6 months will turn into years of pain and health issues. I wish you a speedy recovery and maybe you will find a new hobby that will take over gardening for a while.
Arif’s choice of words and timing was just perfect.
الØÂمد لله على السلامة يا أبو عارÙÂ
Men are just big boys! Why is it that you never listen to us women? (imagine me now shaking my finger at you!)
Who is going to take care of that agrden now?
Please follow instructions this time, south beach diet for you, and baby your back! Ask Sean to share his back operations stories with you when he gets there.
Patty
Patty, the irony is I was thinking of firing the gardener and doing everything myself! Frances has put me off it and now I am thankful that I didn’t got through with that… so gardening for the mean time is going to be the design side for me, rather than the operation and Roy will take care of the physical labour. That’s the worst part of this experience… not being able to get dirty myself in the garden!
Dear Mahmood
Very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery
Johnster
ما تشو٠شر يا بو عارÙÂ. انشاء الله تقوم بالسلامة
نواÙÂ
Shrek, I dont think Segways were desinged to take your body weight! :grinnod:
Mahmood,
Cockiness is also my worst enemy! I’ve had far too many painful experiences, and still haven’t learnt my lesson. My first memory of a cocky injury was when i was about 10! I was a little boy, in fact well quite a large one, showing off my “power” in the playground.
Advice to 10 year olds, never try and pick up something far too heavy or your back will make a little clicking noise and you won’t be able to get out of a chair for a few days!
10 years later, after having my arm reconstructed and losing loss of my hand for over a year for no fault of my own, my latest cocky injury came about. Being as clever as i am, I decided to try and race my friend who was driving his car, while i was driving my dirt bike. After jumping over 1 or 2 speed bumps on an empty road i decided it was time to turn round and go home. I waited for my friend to catch up (he’d slowed down on the bumps) said bye and lifted the front wheel as far off the ground as it would go. “Perfect,” I think.
I next decided i should spin the back end right round. I had to of course, being who i am, burn out the back tyre whilst making a 180 degree turn. Everything went perfectly until I hit the kerb and landed on my face! I thank my lucky stars that I was wearing safety gear and nothing more serious than a few cuts and bruises happened.
This is actually my first visit to your site after reading about the controversy surrounding it in the GDN. I must admit that i never really understood why people blog until i read yours! Keep up the good work, as I’m looking forward to more reading! 8)
My best wishes go out to your quick and full recovery, hope you get well soon! Hopefully you won’t have to hear another “I told you so,” for a very long time!
thanks Nick, brother-in-cockiness! 8)
My goodness me, you were lucky to escape a horrible injury! Someone up there must be looking out for you.
It’s amazing how often these seemingly harmless activities (from which you might expect to receive the odd bump or bruise) can sometimes turn into a matter of life or death.
Get well soon!!!
mahmood,
just logged on after a while away! i am so sorry to hear about your accident, and so releived that you are ok!
good luck with the back .. hopefully, you will take it easy and allow it to heal slowly … sometimes god watches over us in mysterious ways ..
feel better soon inshallah ..
Yikes! I’m so sorry this happened to you Mahmood, and very glad that you were spared that additional 3mm. I’m in Mumbai right now, and will take your cautionary experience to heart and resist the attempt to try driving a car here.
I wish you a full and thorough recovery.
Jared
I am supprised you didnt blam the government or Shk Khalifa for this.
الله ما يطق إب عصى
Get well soon
Ouch! I can’t imagine how much pain you must have experienced! Hope you feel better soon and keep of those segaways and stop the overconfidentness LOL. Anyway wish you all the best and hop you feel better soon. =O =( :no:
Thanks Aloooi!
Oh MY Goodness !!!
after reading the subject I was SO DAMN SURE that there is gonna be a new launch of diet products here in Bahrain which you have tried and they actually WORK!!!, for a minute there I was feeling that there is gonna be a snapshot or something in the details and I will definitely buy it once I get out of my office…….coz if they worked on YOU they should be able to perform a miracle on ME 🙂
(hay nothing personal just trin 2 b funny)
but then came Segway…and ….falling off and …hurting.. things got fishy making me read the complete article (rally bad expreience here)
I said to myself DAMN….. I wont get a day off but this process of weight reduction requires fourteen =D not to mention lots & lots of pain inclusive with bleeding (chances are there), disablility, immobility for four days(maybe more) and if a person is not as lucky as you are PARALYSIS !!! and last but not least(definetly) COST OF TREATMENT
Anyways …. Best of Luck dear Mahmood with your Injury
get well soon
n may Allah almighty give you health
Best Regards
Mohammad Adnan
😆 thanks Mohammad!
I have had the exact same experience with 4 broken ribbs in Pismo Beach CA. The left drive wheel grazed a stump remnent on a sidewalk and hurled me to the ground violently, landing on top of me afterwood.
I did enjoy the journey up to that point and am not sure if more warnings should be put out to the public. The surgeon at the hospital said back injures are somewhat comon from them.
Glad that you’ve made a recovery Kit. I can tell you that after more than a year, my back still suffers sometimes.