Recovery

Recovery is a slow and painful process- tedious is a word that often comes to mind for me. I've mentioned my frustrations with the "system" of healthcare, so I won't get into that again (and hopefully not in the future too).

Sitting on the couch with my laptop desk/ stand is getting old fast. Sitting at the kitchen table though just hurts too much. So the couch it is. Answering the many, many emails that have gotten backed up during this month- so if you've sent me an email and have not gotten a response yet, please don't feel neglected because you've got lots of company. The typing situation is still really painful. I can use my thumb better but having the cast on weakened my forearm/ wrist and it wears out fast and I get massive cramps/ spasms after a little while. Plus I can't straighten the right arm yet, due to all the "soft tissue damage" in the elbow.

The knee feels a lot better, most of the time, but does still hurt. Looking forward to being able to get an MRI of the knee to determine what's going on. My ortho suspects some possible tears in the meniscus of the knee joint. The brace should be ready to come off in about 8 weeks. Hopefully the meniscus can heal on the same time schedule as the bones. I'm really itching to start some therapy and get my leg back- the muscle atrophy is bumming me out.

At least all of me is atrophying; since the accident, I've lost about 20 pounds- though some of it is coming back. Before the accident I weighed around 205lbs and last week in the hospital I weighed as little as 184 (with all the hardware on). So now I can see my ribs again and I'm beginning to have the classic cyclist build- the upper body of a 12yr old girl. The old power discrepancy between my right and left legs will get fixed now too- I doubt my right leg will ever be as overpowering again. This will change my Kilo start strategy... for sure.

I'm currently on such a massive dose of blood thinners and anti-coagulants that I've been instructed to be very careful when shaving... WTF? Dang! I'm in danger shaving? Needless to say, I've been growing a shaggy beard that makes me look like a homeless bike dork. Not to mention the first hair on my legs since just after my daughter was born 7 years ago- I started shaving my legs when I was 12 (and didn't have any hair on my legs anyway) and have only let the hair grow a few times since then. I feel like a Wooly Mammoth! Plus I need a haircut! I'm feeling a little over-sensitive on the whole hair subject right now...

Seeing my General Practitioner today. Hopefully I'll be getting some good news so I can return to work soon. I'm feeling better all the time, but the clots are a big concern still, as are the 3 fractured vertebrae in my neck. I won't be able to drive, but may be able to carpool with a co-worker. I miss the outside world... a bit. Plus, soon our sample bikes for the Fall catalog/ Interbike will start showing up and that's always a very special time for me; there is almost nothing quite like seeing your "ideas" turn into real hardgoods. Those first sample arrivals make me feel like a kid on Christmas day... only a lot bigger and dorkier. So hopefully I get the ok to sit on my ass all day in the office, instead of sitting on my ass all day at home. Beginning to learn that flying overseas could be potentially deadly for me now too; long flights are very bad for causing blood clots and I'm now a member of the "high risk" club. Yeah me! I might have to start wearing special compression garments when I fly and have to get up frequently to exercise and keep the blood flowing. Since I have a really hard time sleeping on planes, this might not be such a bad thing. Maybe.

BUT... I'm planning to get better and get back on a bike and get back to the office to keep working with my product manager (Waynebow) to create a bigger, better and way more badderest line of bikes.

Health is a state of mind sometimes and I am working on staying very healthy... promise.

Tim