Touch of the blahs

[jessmarimba]

I'm laying in bed and flexed what was a calf muscle three weeks ago...squish. I wore a favorite pair of jeans today and they're falling off. Bye-bye years of training. I'm only 3 weeks into the -what, 26 weeks (6 months?)- that I'm not allowed to do anything? I'm already losing it. How have the rest of you guys dealt with down time?

(Sorry, some of the blahs could admittedly be caused by the lonliest birthday ever...but I've still got cabin fever like crazy. Help!)

P.S. Knitting is not the answer. And Harry Potter has kept me occupied but I only have 2 of those left, too...

[crazycanuck]

:(

Jess, first of all...please ensure you take care of yourself & don't panic. You'll eventually be able to do some sort of exercise & will love the feeling. For now, keep calm, do whatever you're allowed to do & remember your bike & body will still be there when you recover.

If you need a new book or books, i'm happy to send you one or two..A postcard from Australia?

I have to ask..what activities are you allowed to do whilst recovering??? This may help me in terms of what to suggest....:o

take care

C

[redrhodie]

You poor thing! If you want to borrow some old bike racing videos, I can send (lend) you some. I have a vast collection. They are video, though, not dvd.

[jessmarimba]

Thanks ladies...

Sorry for whining last night. My back is really bruised & I couldn't sleep, and that's when the melodrama kicks in :)

All I'm allowed to do, that I've figured out anyway, is walk/hike. Here's hoping that they clear me to drive at my appointment Friday, so I can at least get to some trails (finally!). My specific restrictions for now are no bending, twisting, or lifting more than 10 lbs.

I think what I might do, since I had saved up more money for a new bike than my max out-of-pocket is for the insurance...is buy a tv & a wii. But if anyone can come up with other suggestions I'm definitely game! Looking forward to walking a few races once I'm allowed to drive, too!

[malkin]

You can watch a lot of tv on your computer at hulu.com. It's free so you wouldn't have to spend your bike money on it.

[schnitzle]

Rock Band for Wii is super fun! I'm currently obsessed with it.

It seems pretty cruel to tell an athletic person they can hike, but not drive to any locations where they can do it!

[trista]

+1 for rock band. Given the time, I could play for hours.

The Stand is a hugely long and really good book if you've never read it.

Have you ever read the Earth's Childen series by Jean M. Auel? (Clan of the Cave Bear, etc.) Really good books that are huuuuuuge. And there are 5 of them

[NbyNW]

When I was laid up, I got some Pimsleur language CDs and taught myself Italian. I hear Rosetta Stone is also good.

Learn a language, plan a trip . . . think about how you're going to reward yourself for getting through this!

[sundial]

Here's hoping that they clear me to drive at my appointment Friday, so I can at least get to some trails (finally!). My specific restrictions for now are no bending, twisting, or lifting more than 10 lbs.


Call Rent-A-Husband and have the handy man put you on a dolly and deliver you to your favorite trail.

[jessmarimba]

Sundial, that's brilliant! :)

I have read the Stand (a few times!) but not the other books...I'll look into them. I was actually considering checking out some "young adult" books in Spanish from the local library and seeing how well that went over. Maybe even try & see if they have the Harry potter books in Spanish, since I've got the gist of the plot there.

Just got back from my daily walk and was thinking to myself how great it would be to have a dog right now...I've always wanted one.

[marni]

two nice long books are Ken Follets "the roots of the world" about the building of a medeaval cathedral and "the end of days" (i think) which is about the same cathedral town in England several centuries later.

Two other really excellent books allthough not as long but definitely involving are "the shadow of the wind" and " angels game" by Juan Pedro Revertes. kind of metaphysical/fantasy/obscure symbolism like "Pans Garden."

baking? experiment with biscotti recipes or refridgerator pickels?

Hope something helps soon. The few times I have had to take time off it has nearly driven me crazy- just remember the number oof days is bound to start decreasing at some point soon.

marni

[alexis_the_tiny]

6 months off? Poor thing. You can do it!! :D

For entertainment, might I suggest the books of Christopher Brookmyre as well as the very entertaining recaps of TV shows on the Television Without Pity website? Brookmyre has very well written books with well thought out twisty plots that make you go "OOoooh!!!" at the end. But its a bit gory at some parts. TWoP is just fantastic, its like reading a TV show in the company of a very snarky and very funny friend.

[Flybye]

Have you watched the 24 series??

[JennK13]

All I'm allowed to do, that I've figured out anyway, is walk/hike. Here's hoping that they clear me to drive at my appointment Friday, so I can at least get to some trails (finally!). My specific restrictions for now are no bending, twisting, or lifting more than 10 lbs.

Walk and hike? You're in Denver, right? There are so many beautiful trails you can hike around here. Once you're clear to drive, the opportunities are endless! I can send you some of my favorite ones if you like, just let me know how extreme and far you can go right now - dont want to suggest a 14er if your injuries dont allow it; but I know several easy trails around here that still offer good views. Or fishing :)

[kmehrzad]

When I was laid up, I got some Pimsleur language CDs and taught myself Italian. I hear Rosetta Stone is also good.

Learn a language, plan a trip . . . think about how you're going to reward yourself for getting through this!

I love the idea of learning while being 'laid up.' Here's a great web site from The Teaching Company with courses of all types to fit your interest:

http://www.teach12.com/teach12.aspx

Hope you're out and about soon.

[indigoiis]

I have been off the bike for six weeks now due to an ankle break - I feel for you.

How about writing?

[jessmarimba]

I'm beginning to think that maybe it's a lack of energy at the moment...reading (and my daily hour-long walk) are about all I can manage. I'm working from home for about 8 hours a day and even that is more sitting time than I can handle until the bruising subsides (the brace that I have to wear when I'm doing anything but laying down squishes the painful areas, or else it's not on tight enough). I'm going to resign myself to reading and watching movies/tv laying down with a laptop on my chest for a little while longer.

The only chores on my to-do list are change the sheets, wash a small load of laundry, and emptying the dishwasher...and that's been too much for me to do for the last 3 days. Sheesh.

Thanks for the help guys :) Glad for all the book suggestions - and glad the library is within walking distance!

[channlluv]

+1 on the Teaching Company's videos

I'd hold off on getting a dog until you're able to bend, twist, and lift more than 10lbs easily. There's a lot of all of that when you've got a dog who likes to go on walks. As I type this, my 110-lb lab is laying in the floor at my bedroom door giving me the occasional sigh and staring at me. I'm sure if I opened my mind to her thoughts, they'd be along the lines of "Wallllk. Walllk. You want to wallllk."

Roxy

[Chile Pepper]

Lots of sympathy. I just spent four months off for my shoulder. I was going stir crazy with the lack of physical activity, but work kept me so busy that I didn't have an issue with how to spend my time. So, no words of wisdom, just lots of sympathy.

[ClockworkOrange]

Hi Jess (fellow burst fracture sufferer) ;)

Am through 4 months and brace free and it is obviously getting better.

I am not into reading, don't especially like TV or even watching DVD's and usually not into walking BUT I did enjoy the walking, perhaps because I had to do it relatively slowly, I was noticing far more and instead of walking for one hour, how about doing 2 x ½ hour walks.

Before I was able to drive I jumped a bus just for a couple of stops, FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE, brill.

Call it being a bit weird but I even bought a pedometer, I am still wearing it and I can gauge how much I am walking, for me it is all motivational.

I spent a lot of time on my laptop trying to find out more about burst fractures and other such exciting subjects. :rolleyes:

Keep in contact with friends, even ones you have lost contact with, today is another day nearer being brace free.

Take care.

Clock