Week 25: A Bike Adventure Surprise

One of the hardest parts about this blog is trying to add enough detail so you can enjoy the unique experiences I'm having abroad, without sacrificing a ton of my personal privacy. But, I decided to share this part of my experience because I feel like it might provide value to other travelers.

On Sunday, Alex and I went for a bike ride. He planned everything out perfectly, even finding a bike rental place that was open during the off-season. The ride went through parts of the coastal countryside of Split, to a small town along the coast. We took a pathway that cuts through a valley along a creek. Our bike rental place had recommended a restaurant along the river, so this was our destination. On the way there, we were on a somewhat narrow pathway that was raised above a creek. In the middle of the pathway, there was a staircase, which I got off my bike to walk around on the way to the restaurant. We had great food and enjoyed petting the local cats before heading back home for the day.

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On the way back, I tried to push my limits and navigate around the staircase on my bike. I went too slow on the turn and fell down the five steps into the creek. There are parts of me that of course thought it was hilarious - here I was, sopping wet, in the countryside of Croatia. But, once I had a little adrenaline cry and shake off, I stood up and my ankle was in really intense pain.

We ended up biking back to the rental place and then from the rental place walking home, and my ankle felt manageable. It was only getting better, in my opinion. I got home and immediately "RICE"'d my ankle, hoping to wake up to a simple sprain. When I woke up, my ankle was a little ballooned and hard to walk on, so I decided to go to urgent care to get an x-ray and check-up from a doctor.

Going into urgent care is the standard practice as a foreigner. I had not been to the ER or urgent care for a few years, but I was expecting a crowded room and long wait time. I ended up waiting for just 15 minutes, before seeing a doctor, who ordered x-rays, took the x-rays, and then diagnosed me with a hairline fracture within one hour. He recommended a plaster cast - standard in Croatia (instead of a soft cast or splint) - and I was sent to the orthopedic surgeon to get a cast.

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I was grateful to have Remote Year staff available. The co-working space is right across from the hospital, and they went to buy me crutches and pain killers. They made sure I got home ok, where Alex greeted me and helped me into the apartment. This whole ordeal took less than 2 hours. Even though I already knew my visit would be less expensive than in the United States, this visit also cost less than 200EUR.

The following day, I had a check-up at a different office with an orthopedic surgeon for my circulation. Everything was fine, so I continued my week in a cast, and hunkering down in the apartment to work. I started a few new shows on Netflix, ordered food via Wolt, and attempted to submit a claim to our travel insurance.

Obviously this injury is a bit of a buzzkill to my travels, but I have to say, I am so grateful to have this happen in Europe. Especially as we are traveling to different locations in Europe, I am set to manage this injury within EU hospitals. Not the mention the fact that everyone in Croatia has been helpful and kind to me - strangers have gone so far as to literally lift me over curbs and stairs when I could not manage on my crutches.