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Forward Thoughts July 23, 2006

Posted by riverbrady in : Medical, Tri thoughts , add a comment

Sitting here, thinking about Ironman Coeur d’Alene while watching Lake Placid (and a TexasIron athlete just cross the line for her first time)…

It’s the middle of the season, I haven’t been able to really train for the past 3-5 months, and I just got out of surgery 4 days ago. It’s because of that last aspect that I can’t help but be positive in thinking about the upcoming rest of the season and ramp into next year.

It’s difficult to describe the particular type of pain I’ve dealt with over the past 4 months, or more importantly, the feeling of it not being there, and the pain being improved even immediately after surgery (and not due to the vicodin).

Right now, things seem fairly clear and simple:

Of course, right now, that last one seems the most important. Right now, I’d simply like to know how I could do in an Ironman race with consistent training and a lack of injuries, as I’ve had both during Florida and this year.

Right now, I simply look forward to a gentle ramp up again. I’ve already started back into upper body weights, and will start into lower body when my PT allows it. I’ve about 90 degrees of range in my knee right now, and once I hit 100 degrees I’ll be able to start spinning on the bike.

Right now I just want to get back out there…  :)

Surgery Update July 20, 2006

Posted by riverbrady in : Medical , 2 comments

The surgery went very well. The anesthesiologist said it took about 45 seconds for them to drop me, and a couple minutes to wake me back up, so I remember looking around the OR and thinking “nifty”, and then being back in recovery. I never knew that intravenous anesthesia worked so fast. When I had my hand surgery they simply had my entire arm numbed up and had enough meds running through me to keep me on the brink of being out, but not completely under.

It turns out that the plica was ok. The fat pad itself was a lot more inflamed than we thought, which accounts for the extra pain and the wide area of pain around the patella that I’ve been experiencing. The actual surgery only took 16 minutes, with about an hour time-frame from prep to recovery room and about 3 1/2 hours in the hospital with paperwork and all. I’m amused that I went into prep at 2:22 and hit the car to go home at 4:44.

They took pictures and video during the procedure. For anyone who’s interested, they’re at http://riverbrady.fotki.com under the “Races” –> “Crashes and Surgery” folder. No blood, just the inside of the knee joint: couple bones, ligaments/tendons, and the fat pad. I also have a compression stocking on my right leg to help dissuade blood clots. I’ll have to get some pictures up, but for now picture me in red shorts, a white stocking going to my thigh on my right foot, and my left knee wrapped for about 10 inches above and below.

I’m actually walking again, pretty much painlessly while I’m on my drugs. Though, when I’m doing more than a bit of wandering around my apartment I’ve got a pair of crutches for assisted walking. PT exercises every hour, but after my hand surgery where they had me doing the same time-frame, and the quick recovery, I’m not about to deviate. The first night actually went well. Fell asleep about 12. Woke up at 2 and 5:30, almost unnoticeable pain. I’m just on 1 vicodin every 4-6 hours rather than two. I’m surprisingly awake, though I’m sure I’ll start to get into my slightly drowsy/mostly awake cycle that I was in yesterday evening.

Hmmm, think I could finish Vineman in a couple weeks? I still have my entry. :p (kidding!)

The End of Waiting July 19, 2006

Posted by riverbrady in : Medical , 1 comment so far

…and into surgery I go. Finally.

Surgery, Thoughts, and Starting Anew July 16, 2006

Posted by riverbrady in : Training, Medical , 5 comments

A little over a week ago I got back from a vacation visiting my family in Oregon. The next day I headed in to see my doctor and physical therapist. My knee had started to go quickly downhill in the two weeks prior, and after discussing things, we all decided that all that was left was surgery, something I had thought about a lot over vacation and come to accept before I got back.

I go in this wednesday, the 19th. It’s a fairly simply orthoscopic surgery and I’ll be in and out in 5-6 hours. I’m allowed to walk as soon as I can stand to put weight on my leg…there’s no required period on crutches. Total recovery time averages about six weeks.

At this point, I’m just anxious to finish it. My bike wreck was back in mid february. I started to have running issues in early March, and my training for the past month or two has been close to nonexistent. I have given myself something to work towards. As I missed out on Vineman this year, Ironman #2 will be Coeur d’Alene 2007.

Yesterday I started a new adaptation phase in the weight room. As I’m allowed I’ll be adding spinning and swimming back in, and eventually running. The general plan is to start building now focusing a bit more on road races over the winter months. I hadn’t realized how much my running has gone downhill, and that I haven’t actually run a road race since Sept 2002.

I’ve also made a few changes to my bike. Most noticably, a new fit and a 12-27 in the back to replace the 12-23 I used to have, which will make spinning hills a bit easier as I’ve always had a 39/54 on front.

Apparently during this time I haven’t been the best to live with, or around, as things go. The common joke among my friends and Luisa here is that I’ve resembled The Injured Iron Psycho Beast. The only exception is that instead of fits of rage, I have my fits of depression about not being able to do anything.

It will be nice to be active again :)