Showing posts with label Injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Injuries. Show all posts

Friday, June 17, 2011

An Update & Rambo Part 5...

No change in the weight situation this week. I’ve been struggling with motivation this last week. Of course, it’s hard with the schedule I’ve been doing. Catching an early morning bike ride, going to work, catch an evening bike ride or workout at gym, then head home to work on a porch painting, and end the day with an hour of winding down time on the Nook ( I’ve got to turn the energy and brain down somehow.) I blame this all on my type A personality mother. (Just joking Mom!) If I was a true type A personality I would be studying for my Masters in some remote degree, learning at least two foreign languages, and have an immaculately kept apartment. Please never come to my apartment without proper warning because I have the hazmat team on standby at all time.



I’ve often been running through the fast food in between here and there. AND we all know that fast food is the anti-Christ of dieting! Especially when one is not fond of salads; but I’ve been trying to get the sandwich wrap things on the menus that are somewhat marginally lower in calories. Though, I tend to wonder about these wraps when you find a big glob of mayonnaise stuck in the middle of it.


My stitches are healing well. My whole calf area was looking pretty “knarley” (as a former college mate would say). There were all shades of purples, blues and greens that made it look like my calf had been used as a punching bag. The bruising was really showing up and it looked worse than the actual injury seemed to me. But as of today there’s just the lovely sickly yellow-greenish glow left. I’ve all ready been back on the bike, which will come as no surprise to any of you that know me as “Biker”. I rode Emigration and didn’t “pop” a stitch.


I was telling most of my fellow cyclists about the event. Tales of the doctor’s office where I refused to take the shot for the local pain deadening. The nurse hovered with the shot ready at a moment’s notice meanwhile the doctor is taking a brush to the wounded area to get the bike chain grease out and then he does the stitches. The whole time we are chatting along about cycling and a recent vacation trip he took to northern New York State where he cycled. It was as the doctor was washing his hands after the procedure that he looked over his shoulder and called me, “…one tough cookie.”


My fellow cyclists’ reactions upon hearing the story were “owing and ouching” and then comparing me to Rambo. In fact, one teased me that I was Rambo Part 5. Another teased me that my pain center of my brain went dead from a bike accident I had back in 2007. In that accident I face planted it while doing 20mph and was knocked unconscious for about 3 min.

Last night, I braved the same ride that I got these stitches from. I was ever so careful when I went by the intersection where I went down.  The scene of the crime still had a great deal of gravel but I managed this time to get to the “Brew” part of the “Bike & Brew” ride that’s put on by a member of my bike club (BCC). My good friend Doug who puts on the ride did however announce at the beginning of the ride that I was a safety hazard and I should be avoided. Talk about adding insult to injury! I, of course, took it all in stride.

Friday, June 10, 2011

An Update & Stitches...

My weight is no change for the week. I rather feel like I’m just trying to get everything under control. My cycling mileage per week has increased and I’ve tried to get a little more time on the elliptical. I’ve been doing exercises all week building my muscles in my butt area and am hoping that I can slowly start easing myself into running. But I might have a bit of a set back…

I had a small accident on my bike last night. The result of which was 5 stitches and a cut that spans from the inside of my lower right calf to almost back of the knee. I think it was due to a small rock that got in my bike cleat at the stoplight. I was trying to take off quickly from the stop light to keep up with the guys out front. I was in my competitive mode and wasn’t paying attention like I should have.
Ow!  My 5 Stitches!


My shoe slipped off the pedal and my right calf slid into the chain ring on my bike. I was bleeding a bit and knew I would have a bruise on my right elbow for sure. I was a bit shaken so I decided to head the 2.5 miles back to the car. It was as I was cleaning the dirt and rocks from my calf that I discovered it was rather a deep gash. I took a picture with my phone and sent it to a nurse friend. (Oh, the wonders of technology!) She recommended that I go have it looked at.

An hour later, I was going home with 5 stitches, an updated tetanus shot, and told by my regular doctor (who has late office hours) that if I wanted a bike sprocket tattoo it was safer to go to the local neighborhood tattoo parlor. He’s a fellow cyclist. He said no hot tub or swimming but I can go back to the running and cycling. He put in each stitch separately incase one popped while I was running or cycling it wouldn’t take them all out and make it worse.

Today, I’m in a bit of pain and I’m discovering new bruises developing on my legs and arms. I’m planning on a bike ride on Sunday morning for sure and playing with the idea of a run/walk on Saturday. But we shall see how it all goes…