By now, I’m sure most of you have heard that I suffered a season-ending injury. One that, had I used better judgment, could have been avoided. So, instead of participating in the New York Swing of the Bassmaster Elite Series, I’m dealing with the consequences – which have been costly.
The final two events, Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence River, are places where I tend to excel. And having to watch my fellow Elites slay giant smallmouth on these two watersheds is almost unbearable.
I love New York. And I love chasing smallmouth. It’s the part of our schedule that I look forward to most. This time, however, I’ll be watching from the sidelines with all of you … benched due to a careless injury.
A woman’s intuition
After the Lake St. Clair event in Detroit, I trailered my rig to Syracuse, then flew home for the break. Our oldest son was recently married and moving into his new home, and in an attempt to gather some of his belongings, I tried to move his antiquated, 70-inch flat screen TV.
Resting chest high atop a large dresser, I asked my wife Kim to help me lower it to the ground. When she realized it was too heavy, she advised we wait for some help. Like a fool, I ignored her and tried to lift it myself.
With my left hand on top and right hand below, I slid it off the dresser, only to realize I couldn’t support its weight. And stupidly, I tried to save it from crashing to the ground. While trying to break its fall, I felt a snap in my right elbow and a simultaneous jolt of pain throughout my upper body. I had never experienced that level of pain before, and I knew I was in trouble.
If I had only listened to my wife, I’d still be fishing the tour.
Medical measures
As the pain gradually eased, I noticed a large lump in my upper arm with a cavity below. The sight of it was sickening and grotesque. My bicep had torn free at the elbow and knotted itself at the top of my arm, like a tennis ball.
Realizing the severity, I immediately called our family doctor, who referred me to a nearby orthopedic center. The following morning I met with Dr. Harrison Mahon, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related injuries.
As soon as he saw my arm, he knew the extent of the damage. He said it was a complete separation of the bicep tendon from bone. Complicating things was how severely it had recoiled in my upper arm.
The options he gave me were sobering. Either let it heal without surgery and chance a 50 percent loss of arm strength with compromised mobility, or have corrective surgery with four months of rehab.
Because I was still able to use my arm to some degree, I asked if we could postpone the surgery until after the final two Elite events. His response was crushing. He said he needed to perform the surgery as soon as possible, and that waiting that long would dramatically decrease the chances for success.
Contemplating the two options, I chose the surgery, which meant canceling the remainder of my season.
That afternoon they took X-rays, the next morning an MRI — both of which confirmed Dr. Mahon’s evaluation. He then scheduled me for surgery, which happened on the first practice day of the Champlain event.
In recovery
Now that the surgery is complete, I’m home recovering and wondering what the future holds.
My arm is wrapped in a splint-like cast designed to restrict movement. Although annoying, the only real discomfort occurs at night while trying to sleep, or when I rotate my wrist in certain directions. Otherwise, the pain is very manageable.
Yesterday I met with my physical therapist, Joyce Shahboz. Some of you may recall her as a finalist on American Ninja Warrior. I liked her from the start. And talk about high energy; that woman has it! She’s just the type of motivator I’ll need to get back to full strength.
Next, I’ll be fitted with an adjustable brace — at which point I can travel back to New York to recover my rig. While there, I plan to attend the St. Lawrence River event and provide some commentary on Bass LIVE Mix. I hope you’ll be watching.
After that, it’s a long drive back to Florida and more physical therapy. If all goes well, I should be good to go when the Elite Series starts up again next year.
Until then, I’d like to thank all who called or sent messages of encouragement. My family, friends, followers and sponsors; I appreciate you more than you know. And I look forward to representing all of you when the tour resumes next February.
Thank you!
