In the last month, I realized life can get into the way of having a life. I found out I had something in my left breast. Maybe it is Florida, and the doctor’s like to find things but I had a routine mammogram.
Category Archives: Health Impacts
How I Really Became a Recumbent Trike Enthusiast (Part 2)
Fast forward another 10 years and my foot pronated so I was basically walking on my ankle so it was a very difficult situation. I knew I would have to have foot surgery again and dreaded it. The good news was that I found another great surgeon who performs these type of things regularly. He said I didn’t have to do it immediately but soon. I chose to wait until the summer since it is too hot in Florida to do much outside. I hoped that by fall, I would be able to get around and enjoy life again.
This time it was a two-part surgery. The first one fused the bones behind my foot; the second fused the metatarsals to the joint. In total, my foot is now straight and has an arch (sort of). For the first month, I had a splint that was so padded that I couldn’t fit any clothes over it except for golf skirts.
This time I was prepared. I knew what we had to do. This time, the house is on one floor. I bought a knee scooter so I wouldn’t need crutches.
We had a walk-in shower so we didn’t have to get over the tub (yahoo) and Mike bought a toilet seat with arms so I could get up easily. Finally, I didn’t have to work so I could concentrate on me. While things weren’t easy, it was so much better.
July 12, 2016 was the first surgery. The worst part about it was the nerve block. That really hurt. I don’t remember the rest of the surgery except I had a rather large splint on my foot. Mike had to pinch my toes because I had no feeling in them for three days. July 26, 2016 was the second surgery. This time I tried to beg off having the nerve block but the surgeons convinced me it would be better for me to have it. This time it wore off in one day.
I went out for the first time on July 31st (5 days’ post second surgery) for lunch at the Longboat Key Club with Mike, my aunt and uncle. It felt good to get out of the house for a couple of hours. The knee scooter worked out well but sitting in the car was a challenge. The next day, we went out to lunch for our 29th anniversary. It was a lovely lunch at Jack Dusty in the Ritz Carlton. It is always fun to eat there. At that point, I wasn’t ready to go out for dinner so lunch was wonderful. I have to add that their floors are marble so it is fun to cruise on the knee scooter.
August 19th (5 weeks’ post-surgery) was a momentous day. My splint was changed out for a cast. It was supposed to be a walking cast but I really couldn’t walk on it even with a funky rubber-like sole that was added to the bottom of the cast with a couple of Velcro pieces. It just didn’t work. I don’t think it can work for anyone so I called the doctor and they changed it to a walking boot. That took some time to figure out how to really walk with it. Actually, it took a couple of weeks so the knee scooter was still part of the action for a while.
Started physical therapy on August 24th (6 weeks’ post-surgery). I have to say I went to a wonderful physical therapy place called Fyzical. Their methods were excellent and I know it really helped. They had a treadmill that used air pressure to modulate a percentage of your weight so you could “walk” at 50 or 60 or some other percentage of your real weight. The only thing that was odd was being zipped into the device. It felt like Captain Pike of Star Trek fame. They also have an underwater treadmill and that is really fun. They adjust the water pressure to make it harder to walk.
On September 1st, I went out without the scooter. Freedom at last! It was difficult but I was so incredibly happy. Walked to labor day party at Tiki bar in walking boot. No scooter. It was the most walking I did since surgery. Yahoo!
Seven weeks’ post-surgery, I walked with a brace and sneakers. Okay, I had to buy $170 New Balance sneakers because they had very wide ones to accommodate the brace that I had to wear. I clunk, clunked around but could walk without too much limping.
One of the things I found out as I was starting to walk without the knee scooter and any other braces was that my left foot forgot to walk. I had to stand up and wait a couple of seconds to get it to start walking. I was astounded that my foot (who I now was referring to as Frank) was just not really part of me yet. I started thinking I was only off my foot for a relatively short time but what happens to people in worse shape than I? This situation lasted a couple of months but then started to go away. By week nine, I walked unassisted (no brace) from the bed to the bathroom. Another milestone was accomplished. I also was able to walk into the bedroom closet, put on my sneakers and take Mac for a bike ride (he ran). My life was definitely on the way back to normalcy.
I also started to go back to my real life and started water exercise. By week ten, I started riding my recumbent trike. The first ride was 5 miles. The following week was 10 miles and then 15. I was so incredibly happy to take my life back.
Six months’ post-surgery, my life is so much better. I had the right surgeon and he did the right thing for me. I am walking with the dog and best of all, with Mike. My life is better than it has been in years. I don’t have to count the number of steps it would take to go shopping. I can go to a mall and not worry about going to only one store and then back to the car! Life is great!
How I Really Became a Recumbent Trike Enthusiast
How did foot injury and subsequent surgeries make me a recumbent trike enthusiast?
Honestly, it was all my fault. I did it to myself simply because I want to be fashionable down to my feet. I have always been height challenged so I wore the highest high heels I could find. I wore them for so many years, I swore I would never wear flats unless they were sandals. Well, that was the cause of lots of pain and two surgeries to fix an old issue that didn’t seem so bad at the time it occurred.
By now, most people who have read our blog know we love our recumbent trikes. How did this really happen for me? I don’t consider myself a cyclist. In fact, until my recumbent trike, I probably never rode more than 10 miles on a single ride. Now, 10 miles is just a warm up. We have so many stories about our rides on our blog. It is gratifying that I can and do enjoy these wonderful times together but I would still like to take a walk with Mike and Mac.
About 20 years ago, Mike and I were walking in Charleston. As usual, I was wearing the best walking shoes (platform heels) for our stroll in the cobblestones. Well, one of the holes in the cobblestone reached out and grabbed my shoe. My shoe was fine but my foot wasn’t. I broke it along the metatarsals.
For information, the metatarsals are located from the arch to the other side of the foot. At the time, I went to the orthopedic doctor and they taped it and said nothing more needs to be done. From that point on, I was never able to walk for a distance again without some pain.
For the last couple of years, I faced a repeat foot surgery. You might ask why would I have to go through a repeat surgery. I certainly did. Going through it one time was difficult. Going through it again was simply terrifying. Fast forward 10 years later, we moved to California and I was exercising with my trainer. I was pressing a significant amount of weight with my legs and feet. Something went terribly wrong and was very painful. The arch shredded and the spring ligament under the arch was torn.
I found a great orthopedic surgeon who immediately said I had to have surgery. A couple of months later, I had the surgery. It basically rebuilt my foot. He transplanted the tendon from under my toes to the arch, repaired the spring ligament, and put pins on the left side of the foot. It was a painful experience that took some time to recover. It never really recovered as well as I thought it should have done. I had problems standing and walking any distances so my hope for jogging was gone. At that time, I found I loved to bike because that was how I could spend time with Mike (and it is a sport he loves).
Our home wasn’t conducive to recovery. Our bedroom was upstairs so I spent lots of time going up the stairs on my butt. To take a shower required Mike to put on two garbage bags and secure them with big rubber bands. Then he had to help me climb over the tub to get into the shower and I couldn’t put weight on my foot. That was a real challenge.
I was so concerned about work (I thought they couldn’t survive without me) that I went back to work in one week. That alone was a big mistake. My boss didn’t care that I was in pain (and I didn’t expect her too) but she was more upset that I wore very nice exercise pants and jackets. I did my best but I couldn’t get clothes over the cast and splint.
Is Chocolate Milk the Best Recovery Drink?
I’ve always found chocolate milk a convenient and delicious way to pickup some much-needed energy on a long, hot ride. It’s available at almost every gas station and convenience store. It tastes great, and it doesn’t leave me feeling full and gassy. I’m not the only one who thinks it a good idea.
Chocolate milk has gained a lot of popularity as a post-workout recovery drink. Perhaps you have wondered why and if it’s right for you.
9 Great Ways to Beat the Heat.
First Long(ish) Ride in Quite a While
Sorry it’s been such a long time since my last post. I’ve just been busy with non-cycling related stuff, and have not had much to write about. I have ridden regularly, but have not had time for any extended rides. I’ve averaged 20-25 miles 3-5 time per week for the last 2 months or so.
I tell you this not to make excuses for not writing, but to lay the groundwork for a recent event. About a week ago I did a slightly longer ride than I’ve done in a while – about 33 miles. Toward the end of the ride I started to feel pretty darn slow. Granted, I’m not much of speed demon even at the best of times, but for the last few miles of this ride I felt like I just couldn’t get the pedals going. Continue reading 9 Great Ways to Beat the Heat.
Mike Loses Some Weight
When I moved to Southern California in 2001, I took a job here that I loved, creating software systems for surgical equipment used in ophthalmology. It is interesting, challenging and rewarding work. It is also work that took essentially every minute of my life. And it is located in an area where the traffic does not easily permit safe cycling. My beloved bicycles sit in my garage unused. Continue reading Mike Loses Some Weight