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#26
Beicwyr Hapus
Just caught this thread. Terrible injury but you seem to be doing marvelously on the recovery, clearly all those miles and climbs are now paying off.
I had a QTR operation a few years back so I know how knee damage and the subsequent rehab sucks and I am impressed by your progress.
With just 17 days to go to RAAM I hope everything continues to go really well. As part of a team effort how much riding will you be doing each day?
p.s. even more impressed by the lack of profanities after you fell. The air was blue after my fall.
I had a QTR operation a few years back so I know how knee damage and the subsequent rehab sucks and I am impressed by your progress.
With just 17 days to go to RAAM I hope everything continues to go really well. As part of a team effort how much riding will you be doing each day?
p.s. even more impressed by the lack of profanities after you fell. The air was blue after my fall.
Last edited by Gerryattrick; 05-25-18 at 04:24 PM.
#27
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Just caught this thread. Terrible injury but you seem to be doing marvelously on the recovery, clearly all those miles and climbs are now paying off.
I had a QTR operation a few years back so I know how knee damage and the subsequent rehab sucks and I am impressed by your progress.
With just 17 days to go to RAAM I hope everything continues to go really well. As part of a team effort how much riding will you be doing each day?
p.s. even more impressed by the lack of profanities after you fell. The air was blue after my fall.
I had a QTR operation a few years back so I know how knee damage and the subsequent rehab sucks and I am impressed by your progress.
With just 17 days to go to RAAM I hope everything continues to go really well. As part of a team effort how much riding will you be doing each day?
p.s. even more impressed by the lack of profanities after you fell. The air was blue after my fall.
Yep ... RAAM is just around the corner. We're going to be doing 30 minute pulls in 2 teams 4 hours each. So I'll be riding 30, resting 30, riding 30, resting 30, riding 30, resting 30, riding 30, resting 30, then resting 4 hours. That should work pretty well, while letting us get some sleep.
More good news today. For the first time in 2 months, I rode my bike! I put some double sided pedals on it (flat on one side, SPD on the other) and took it with me to the Eastern Sierra for a tryout. I've been spinning intervals for the last 2-3 weeks with some decent resistance,so I thought I would be in decent shape to ride.
It went amazingly well. I was able to make good speed on flat ground, so I decided to try a short (~1 mile) climb of about 7%. I had to spin (I usually love to stand up), but it went fine. No pain at all in the knee. Cardio wise,I felt pretty good, even at 7000 feet. Even walking is going really well, Almost all the pain and stiffness I feel is in the ankle, which apparently atrophied for lack of use. The conclusions from the shakedown cruise?
1. The hardest part is the first 5 feet.
2. No issues clipping in and out.
3. Reasonable hills aren't a problem,so long as I spin.
4. Post ride, no soreness, and walking felt more natural.
5. A bike makes a decent crutch. lol
Tomorrow, I head down to Bishop for a significant ride of maybe 50 miles. I'm not going to push it too hard ... just enjoy myself. It's supposed to be warm and sunny. And from now until the RAAM, I'll be riding to work again, to get myself back into shape. I think I can do this!
And by the way ...I dunno if the quick healing was because of dumb luck, a skilled surgeon, or being in decent shape to begin with, but in any case, am really grateful for my good fortune . Maybe all that cottage cheese and broccoli was worth it.
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Last edited by Biker395; 05-27-18 at 01:21 AM.
#28
Beicwyr Hapus
Is there any way of monitoring the progress of your team online through RAAM?
Last edited by Gerryattrick; 05-27-18 at 04:35 AM.
#29
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I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to recovery programmes, currently just going into my third bikeless month following spinal surgery, and that really is brilliant recovery progress, I'm really pleased for you.
Is there any way of monitoring the progress of your team online through RAAM?
Is there any way of monitoring the progress of your team online through RAAM?
I did about 45 miles and 1200 feet today. No issues again. And it is getting easier to get on and off the bike. This might just actually work!
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#30
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Great progress!!
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#32
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So last weekend was the Eastern Sierra Double. That is my favorite ride in the world, but even I wouldn't push things that far so soon. Instead, I decided to volunteer for the double and do some shorter rides with friends. It went really well!
Day 1: We did the June Lake Loop. 74 miles and about 4500 feet of climbing. No issues on the bike with the knee at all, but oy ... my arse is not used to being in a seat for hours at a time. By the end, I was more than ready to quit.
Day 2: Volunteered at the first rest stop in the morning, saw a lot of friends (yay!) then did about a 65 mile ride from our home to the top of the Rock Creek climb (someone said it was the highest paved road in California at 10.250 feet or so). The bottom 2 miles are also somewhat steep, so that involved a lot of spinning. I'm using an asymmetrical pedal stroke (harder pushing on good leg) to keep down the pressure on the injured knee. Again, I'm not as fast as I would be if I could stand and pedals, but there were no problems during or after the ride. Interestingly, the knee actually feels better after a ride than before (endorphins?), so I was able to go up and down stairs without the crutches. At this point, I am using them mostly when I need to go longer distances.
Day 3: Easy 15 mile spin with maybe 1000 feet of climbing.
Soooo ... so far, so good. I can ride good distances at good speeds, I can almost stand on the pedals, I'm able to walk up stairs and hobble short distances without the crutches. We'll see what the doc says on the 12th.
Here's a pix of us at the top of Oh! Ridge with a view of June Lake.
Enjoying the view of June Lake from Oh! Ridge
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#34
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Weight Bearing As Tolerated (WBAT): There is no limitation on the amount of weight you can place through the surgical/injured leg. You may place as much weight through the leg as tolerated, to your comfort. Placing weight through the leg is important for preventing the leg muscles from weakening.
I'm not pushing anything to the point of pain ... I'm stopping short of that point. Of course, we'll see what the doc says.
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#35
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I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to recovery programmes, currently just going into my third bikeless month following spinal surgery, and that really is brilliant recovery progress, I'm really pleased for you.
Is there any way of monitoring the progress of your team online through RAAM?
Is there any way of monitoring the progress of your team online through RAAM?
OK ... here is a link to our team: RAAM
And where you can monitor the RAAM:
RAAM Facebook - Race Across America
RAW Facebook - Race Across the West
Instagram - @RaceAcrossAmerica
Twitter - @RAAMraces
Live Tracking - https://raceacrossamerica.org/live-tracking.html
Media Website - https://www.ultraracenews.org/
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#36
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#37
Beicwyr Hapus
Been following the RAAM tracking. Great going, especially with all the climbing so far. Looks like you've had a great recovery following your fall.
#38
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It's been awesome! We had a fun thunderstormy night in the dust bowl.
#39
Beicwyr Hapus
Never been to the mid-west, but have flown over it several times.
It looks quite flat and a bit different to the first part of your ride. Should be a cakewalk from here on.....
It looks quite flat and a bit different to the first part of your ride. Should be a cakewalk from here on.....
#40
Beicwyr Hapus
#41
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Guess I never really summarized how the broken knee went after the RAAM, so here goes.
First the RAAM:
Great stuff. If you ever get a chance ... do it. If I ever mention that I would like to do RAAM solo, please talk me out of it. After seeing what it did to those at the finish, I really don't want to abuse my body to that extent. Chapeau to those who can do it, but for me? Nah. I'd do it again on a 4 person team or even a 2 person team, though.
The worst part? Rain. We got a lot of it, and I hate riding rain. The toughest parts of the RAAM was getting woken up at 4AM, because you have to put on your wet kit, and go outside and ride in the dark and in the rain for the next 4 hours. The best parts (for me) were the mountain climbs of the West.
Oh, and some of the riders. There was a team of 4 tandems with blind stokers. Can you imagine that? Or the guy with diabetes who rode across with his monitor and insulin pump. Can you imagine trying to manage your food intake under those circumstances? Or the guy who rode for MS. The photographer at the finishing ceremony (an ex RAAM rider) has MS, and at this point it is difficult for him to walk around. Taking pictures exhausted him. But when the guy that rode for MS was up on stage, he went up and hugged him. That brought tears to my eyes.
The busted knee:
I was actually still using crutches the morning before the race. I could walk short distances (a block or so), but longer than that got difficult. It wasn't so much the knee as it was that the muscles in my foot and calf had atrophied a lot (cuz I really was a good boy and stayed off of it).
But by the end of the race, crutches were completely unnecessary. Whatever residual weakness I had had completely disappeared. One funny scene was getting on the plane to fly home. I asked the TSA guy what I should do with the crutch while going through the scanner:
Him: "Can you walk without it?"
Me: "I just rode a bike across the country without it."
Him: "You should have flown."
My kinda guy. lol
So anyway ... the RAAM went well. As I prefer climbing to descending a lot of the time, I took some of the longer climbs myself, and especially some of the steeper ones in West Virginia. And no problems at all with it. As a matter of fact, I recommend RAAM to anyone as the best PT to recover from a broken knee joint ... nah ... I wouldn't go that far. lol
Epilogue: I have the option of taking out the hardware or leaving it in. If I take it out this year, the cost will be free (as I have maxed my deductible), so I'm inclined to take it out.
Here we are at the finish!
First the RAAM:
Great stuff. If you ever get a chance ... do it. If I ever mention that I would like to do RAAM solo, please talk me out of it. After seeing what it did to those at the finish, I really don't want to abuse my body to that extent. Chapeau to those who can do it, but for me? Nah. I'd do it again on a 4 person team or even a 2 person team, though.
The worst part? Rain. We got a lot of it, and I hate riding rain. The toughest parts of the RAAM was getting woken up at 4AM, because you have to put on your wet kit, and go outside and ride in the dark and in the rain for the next 4 hours. The best parts (for me) were the mountain climbs of the West.
Oh, and some of the riders. There was a team of 4 tandems with blind stokers. Can you imagine that? Or the guy with diabetes who rode across with his monitor and insulin pump. Can you imagine trying to manage your food intake under those circumstances? Or the guy who rode for MS. The photographer at the finishing ceremony (an ex RAAM rider) has MS, and at this point it is difficult for him to walk around. Taking pictures exhausted him. But when the guy that rode for MS was up on stage, he went up and hugged him. That brought tears to my eyes.
The busted knee:
I was actually still using crutches the morning before the race. I could walk short distances (a block or so), but longer than that got difficult. It wasn't so much the knee as it was that the muscles in my foot and calf had atrophied a lot (cuz I really was a good boy and stayed off of it).
But by the end of the race, crutches were completely unnecessary. Whatever residual weakness I had had completely disappeared. One funny scene was getting on the plane to fly home. I asked the TSA guy what I should do with the crutch while going through the scanner:
Him: "Can you walk without it?"
Me: "I just rode a bike across the country without it."
Him: "You should have flown."
My kinda guy. lol
So anyway ... the RAAM went well. As I prefer climbing to descending a lot of the time, I took some of the longer climbs myself, and especially some of the steeper ones in West Virginia. And no problems at all with it. As a matter of fact, I recommend RAAM to anyone as the best PT to recover from a broken knee joint ... nah ... I wouldn't go that far. lol
Epilogue: I have the option of taking out the hardware or leaving it in. If I take it out this year, the cost will be free (as I have maxed my deductible), so I'm inclined to take it out.
Here we are at the finish!
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Last edited by Biker395; 10-23-18 at 12:21 PM.
#42
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Great photo.
I completely missed your knee injury. My goodness. I’m thinking cycling is very therapeutic and your knee improvement over the course of RAAM is another great example and just more proof. I bet most folks would have opted out of the ride after that but as my friends say “ you ain’t normal!”.
I’m thinking I might enjoy climbing more than descending once I get back on the bike as well. I really don’t want to hit the asphalt like that again. Descending on wet roads will probably really make me even more nervous. Come to think about it, maybe I need to look into investing in a road bike with disc brakes. I already have a road wheel set I just bought for the gravel bike. Hmmmmmm...
Glad your healing well. Kind of a toss up on removal but if you’re like me I’d rather not have the hardware if it’s not essential. Is there much recovery after removal?
I completely missed your knee injury. My goodness. I’m thinking cycling is very therapeutic and your knee improvement over the course of RAAM is another great example and just more proof. I bet most folks would have opted out of the ride after that but as my friends say “ you ain’t normal!”.
I’m thinking I might enjoy climbing more than descending once I get back on the bike as well. I really don’t want to hit the asphalt like that again. Descending on wet roads will probably really make me even more nervous. Come to think about it, maybe I need to look into investing in a road bike with disc brakes. I already have a road wheel set I just bought for the gravel bike. Hmmmmmm...
Glad your healing well. Kind of a toss up on removal but if you’re like me I’d rather not have the hardware if it’s not essential. Is there much recovery after removal?
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#44
Life Feeds On Life
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LOL I first thought the jersey said Coke too. That is a great accomplishment especially after an injury
#46
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Well, a short epilogue here.
With a bone repair involving hardware, there is the issue of whether to get the hardware removed when the healing is complete. The doc left the decision up to me. Ordinarily, I'd let well enough alone, but I have read where hardware can cause complications should I develop some health issues or a systemic infection, so I decided to have it removed.
I've already maxed out on my (high) out of pocket expenses for the year, so the time to do it is now. That is ... unless I wait until my next crash ... a suggestion met with knowing disapproval from my SO. lol
With a bone repair involving hardware, there is the issue of whether to get the hardware removed when the healing is complete. The doc left the decision up to me. Ordinarily, I'd let well enough alone, but I have read where hardware can cause complications should I develop some health issues or a systemic infection, so I decided to have it removed.
I've already maxed out on my (high) out of pocket expenses for the year, so the time to do it is now. That is ... unless I wait until my next crash ... a suggestion met with knowing disapproval from my SO. lol
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#47
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Good luck! What’s the recovery time for that procedure?
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#48
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Hey there! Only a couple of weeks. No PT. No pain killers. I had it done Monday, and my leg is wrapped up in what amounts to an ace bandage. I can bend it and walk on it. I can even walk up and down stairs. I just need to be reasonable (weight bearing as tolerated) for the next couple of weeks.
I was kind of on the fence about it, but when I was advised to take an antibiotic before a teeth cleaning, I was reminded why I want to get it out. You never know when you might get a serious infection (I've known a few people who have) and in those cases, it's better to have the hardware out so infections don't settle in there.
Here was my last x-ray before getting it removed. Fully healed.
Funny thing ... when you're a cyclist in reasonable shape, your heart rate, BP and respiration rate can be really low under anesthesia. When I woke up after surgery, the OR nurses were making jokes about Mr. Code Blue.
I was kind of on the fence about it, but when I was advised to take an antibiotic before a teeth cleaning, I was reminded why I want to get it out. You never know when you might get a serious infection (I've known a few people who have) and in those cases, it's better to have the hardware out so infections don't settle in there.
Here was my last x-ray before getting it removed. Fully healed.
Funny thing ... when you're a cyclist in reasonable shape, your heart rate, BP and respiration rate can be really low under anesthesia. When I woke up after surgery, the OR nurses were making jokes about Mr. Code Blue.
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#49
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That’s a lot of hardware!! I’m on the antibiotics regime for here on.....
#50
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I'm hardware free! Honestly, the knee felt a little stiff after removing the hardware, but it's getting better quickly ... especially since the doc cleared me to ride again.
Yea, baby.
Yea, baby.
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