Speedy recovery downtube42... Glad you and canklecat are still with us.... I was hit by a car couple of years ago, breaking my C1 in two places and suffering compression and nerve damage in 3 other vertebrae. Ended up paralyzed in one arm and working on recovery with the help of multiple surgeries.
I bought a cheap smart trainer and started "Zwift"ing about a month after the accident. I hated riding indoors before the injury, but I ride every day now (group rides, races, workouts)... For me, this was the single most helpful thing that helped me deal with the months of deterioration (atrophy and brain interpreting the short circuit from severed nerves as intense pain)- before the nerves feeding the shoulder and arms started to so show signs of recovery... Still not fully back, but finally able to ride road outdoors, mtb, and ski a bit again.
Please keep your spirits high. Several of my neuro and ortho surgeons told me that they've seen endurance athletes recover up to 50% faster given their base fitness, mental resolve (ability to withstand pain and achieve goals), and positive/go forward outlook.
Last edited by trad; 10-16-19 at 12:19 AM.