Roncada

[zcookie49]

Anyone else hear an update on Stephan Roncada? Last I heard was that he was rushed to an intensive care unit at the hospital and was staying there... (per RacerX article)
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Lookin around on Transworld MX, there was a story in early Dec 04 that said that he has a back condition and had become addicted to pain killers......
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Did he OD on pain killers? or is he in a detox???

 

[Lonewolf]

I am curious myself, I have been trying to dig up some info. but really haven't came up with much. I was at ronronmx.com looking for info. but nothing new has been posted. I hope he is ok thought, he is one of my favorite racers.

 

[kmccune]

Any News?

 

[yz400fer69]

I heard that he was addicted to Percosets, which made him lazy and was causing him to not trail so he and his team agreed it would be best to take the year off... That came from a somewhat reliable source so I do not know exactly how much truth that really holds. But I do know for a fact that since the outdoor season he has gained like 65 lbs....

Dave

 

[kmccune]

Thanks for the input, I hope he kicks it, he one of my favorite riders.

 

[Tony Williams]

I broke my right foot on Jan 1, 2005, and they tried to give me that drug. It absolutely knocked me out, and I still felt some pain, so I quit taking them altogether.

Now, I have one plate, three pins, and five screws in my foot.

And no drugs!

 

[Rcannon]

Tony, if you took the drug long enough, you get to the point where it does not do much. The crap is for occasional use only. After a few weeks a person cannot even get up in the morning without a couple to get them going.

At the peak of my , uh, well....experiment...yea thats it......I was up to 30 per day. I was miserable without them. I was eating them like candy. Thats an understatement. Life was impossible without them. Even after stopping (5 days of hell!) it took months to get my energy back. My heart goes out to RonRon. I became addicted for virtually nothing. I can inagine having to ride a motorcycle in pain or giving up huge amounts of money.

 

[Lonewolf]

We just got the latest issues of RacerX and Transworld in at work and there are articles in each magazine about Roncoda. They go into detail about his back pain, addiction, depression, etc...but they are not up to date, by the looks of things they were written some time in December and said that he would be racing the west coast SX.

I don't know what it is like to have a drug addiction but I know what it is like to have problems with depression, I have been dealing with it off and on over the years. Hopefully RonRon can fight through these difficult times.

 

[oldguy]

It is really unfortunate when the addiction comes from a medical reason. I have no sympathy for a guy that decides to use drugs recreationally and gets hooked but Roncada's case is entirely different.
I have had 3 surguries in the past 2 years (1 knee reconstruction, another knee surgury due to complications on the first and a colon resection) and a collarbone break which will not heal. Each time when leaving the hospital I was given large amounts of pain killers/ narcotics to use as I saw fit. After the first knee surgury I started using them at night so I could get comfortable in bed and sleep. After 3 nights I just didn't feel right and stopped using them. I had some pain but was able to feel like myself again. I can see from this brief exposure how under Roncada's circumstances it would be easy to get hooked. You have to ride to earn a living but riding hurts so you take the pills next thing you know 1 pill doesn't work so good so you take 2 and so on down the hill.
I hope he can kick it and return to riding and if/ when he does I will stand and applaud him even tho I have never really been a fan of him.

 

[dante]

some one on the list here saw him at the test track... and he was only doing two or three fast laps and then resting... He's really out of shape, but these guys have that work ethic that got them to the pros in the first place... He'll be back into form soon I think... He needs to not ride let his body rest, get off the pain meds, he'll be fine... Why do Dr.'s keep perscribing this crap to people? Don't they go "Hmm your taking quite a bit now" or do these guys "Dr. Shop" and just go to different Dr's for the same reason to get more drugs or what...

 

[Clingman]

Did anyone ever say when he actually started using percocets?

 

[nephron]

Why do Dr.'s keep perscribing this crap to people? Don't they go "Hmm your taking quite a bit now" or do these guys "Dr. Shop" and just go to different Dr's for the same reason to get more drugs or what...

Most people don't get addicted to them, but it's actually quite hard to figure out who is becoming an addict, and who's not. You don't want to undertreat the pain, or accuse them of being some druggie scumbag....etc., but when they're shopping or really hooked, it's usually obvious.

RCannon--how'd you get 30 a day? Where were you going? 900 tabs a month is a little obvious to most docs. ;)

This same thing happened to Christian Peter, a defensive lineman? for Nebraska, and later Carolina Panthers. 2 led to 30 led to 60...Then he went to morphine and oxycontin, then dilaudid, now he's a Crack and Heroin addict. He hurts all the time, everywhere--a thing in the chronic pain circles known as a sort of hypersensitivity syndrome, where even touching your skin or hair hurts. I saw this on Gumbel's HBO show.

There's people that can take that stuff ad infin itum and never get psychologically addicted...like cancer patients. And then there's Peter, who had the hugest euphoria from 2 percocets and 'wanted to feel like that all the time'. Basically genetics--whether or not the drug will provide euphoria or just make you not 'feel like yourself' (Oldguy). RCannon will tell you he wasn't taking it because it eliminated all his pain--it's what it does to your mind. Euphoria. Sense of well-being. Excitement. Feeling good about yourself. Extra kick, etc.

 

[dante]

it's so strange when straight minded people get mixed up with perscription drugs, and then illegal drugs, or abuse the perscription or whatever... I guess it sort of shows that addiction is actually a disease, in that people who did'nt have a desire to do drugs for fun and then did them for medicial reasons became addicted and could'nt quit... Like Rush Limbaugh, or like that football player straighten him up some and I'm sure he'd go "what am I doing, I'd rather be playing pro football than trying to score some crack on some street corner"... It's crazy to think about it like that... Millions of dollars, living the dream, to deciding on crack and the streets instead... That is a sickness, that's a disease... No choice there clearly, the decision to clean up should be an easy one... Maybe roncada can do something positive with his addiction...

 

[dirt bike dave]

Not sure about addiction being a disease. However, I do know chronic pain can make people do things they would not otherwise do. After a few weeks of constant pain, little or no sleep, fears of our career being ruined, etc...any one of us could lose our ability to think clearly and behave rationally.

Best wishes to RonRon for getting through this.
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[Rcannon]

You are right on about what yoru saying.

It was not that tough to get 30 per day. I dont want to share the exact details. Folks wrapped up in this dont need any helpful hints! Obviously, sometimes you run out and have to find substitute chemicals, but mostly, they are available.

Dr. Shopping, friends, internet. They all work hand in hand to feed a habit like this. Near the end the feeling is not there anymore. You take them to feel normal.

 

[zcookie49]

Yeah, but the articles in Racer X and Transworld were BEFORE the latest event before New Years Eve..He had already been in a rehab. In those articles, he mentioned that while being addicted, he was in a depression and was contemplating suicide several times...
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The lastest news flash beforfe newyears eve said he was rushed to the ER and stayed there, no updates since... I hope he didnt try to commit suicide or OD'd on the pills.....
Hopefully he can get it all back together.

 

[Chili]

I haven't got my new RacerX yet but someone mentioned on another board that in the RonRon article there is an editor's side note that he tried to take his life by overdosing just before New Years. Obviously his health is priority #1 but it also appears conditioning may be an issue if he returns as reports are he has gained substantial weight.

 

[nephron]

This guy Peter looks like an 8th grade school girl now. Can't even recognize it's him.

or like that football player straighten him up some and I'm sure he'd go "what am I doing, I'd rather be playing pro football than trying to score some crack on some street corner"... It's crazy to think about it like that... Millions of dollars, living the dream, to deciding on crack and the streets instead...

He was in rehab during the taping. I think he'd been in rehab around 20 times--all with relapses, obviously. So he knows it's stupid. These guys and gals lose their coping and defense skills to drugs, and it probably really is a lot harder for them than others? I don't know. No one does. The brain is a damn powerful thing. Don't piss the amygdala off, damnit.

 

[oldguy]

In the Transworld artical at the end was a note that just a week before the 1st Anaheim race he attempted suicide by overdose.
Hope he recovers both mentally and physically he has a long road to go

 

[Rcannon]

I will wait to hear from Ron Ron as to the suicide attempt. Sometimes when your wrapped up in this monster it is almost as if the drugs "just end up" in your system. It was dammed easy to take 30 or 40 without thinking about it. Then you forget and add alcohol......bad news!

I know it sounds odd for anyoen who has not gone through it. The whole cycle is insanity.

Best wishes to him. A person can get a grip on it an dhave a decent life.

 

[Chili]

This was posted over at ronronmx by someone named Carlie, based on the gist of the post I would guess she is RonRon's girlfriend.

Hi guys
First of, I would like everyone to know that I really think it is a load of crap that Transworld decided to let the world know about Stephane's personal problems. They never asked or let Stephane know that they were going to do that. We found out that they put it in the issue from the post you guys made. I guess they were not happy enough with the extremly personal interview he gave them a few months back. I read the topic that you guys started about the suicide attempt and I just want to say thank you again to everyone that has supported him. You guys really are helping him through this. Also, I want to say that anyone who judges Stephane has no idea what kind of pain he has been though, both physically and mentally this past year. I know that some people also think that since he is a pro and that he has "everything" that he should be happy. Well, anyone that thinks that has never heard the phrase "money can't buy happiness" because trust me, it doesn't. Also, no one, except other top riders can understand the pressure the have from their teams, and themselves. There are so many things that people just don't understand about the situation. I think some of you realize that though and that is why you have chosen just to support Steph without knowing all of the details.

I know you all want to know how he is progressing though. He is doing well. He has dropped alot of weight and is now around 188-190. I saw in a magazine the other day a picture of Steph with a caption about how he must have eaten too much creme brule (sp?) while he was in France. It was pathetic. Steph gained so much weight in France because of the drugs they were giving him to detox off of vicodin, one in particular was called respirdal which is know to have weight gain as a side effect. I guess that magazine just likes to kick people when they are down. Anyway, back to Steph. He is working with a friend to re strenghen his back and also seeing a therapist to help him deal with anxiety and pressure. We went to the race tonight and everyone was suprised to see how well he looks. He has been reading all of your guys supportive posts and has recieved lots well wishing cards and letters that you guys sent to the shop. Thats all for now guys.

 

[marcusgunby]

Thats bad what they did-as long as they get the story and sales then nothing else matters.

 

[2smoke]

Thats journalism Marcus....public figure...makes him a target....its not ethical but its not against the law.

Those who have never wrestled with such problems are quick to judge Those who have show far more empathy. We are not gods....we should not judge. We should just all hope that he slays the dragon.

 

[jake949]

come on ron-ron you can do it we want you back for nats.

 

[nephron]

Ronron must have been really down the tubes, because Risperidal/risperidone is an antipsychotic and used in psychotic and delusional depressions...maybe he's bipolar? One of the things I've noticed is that in his worst, he runs top 10. In his best, he's 'bar to bar' with Bubba. Very much consistent with an insanely talented guy with a mood disorder. Remember the EBV ("mono") thing (with Stephane)? Remember what I said about it? Basically that it doesn't exist in the form that all these guys are getting diagnosed as having, and that doctors just draw EBV titers, misinterpret them, and then use that as a copout diagnosis for fatigue that they can't sort out. Most of it is depression.

He's one cool guy. I remember around the time RC nailed his knee at Hangtown, I for some reason emailed him and he responded more than once. I thought that was awesome. I won't say what we were talking about. ;)