fractured shlder update

[Jo-n-NY]

Well it is coming along at a snails pace. this happened on labor day for those of you who do not know. if it was the slightest bit worse i would have needed surgery. i am beginning pt this afternoon. I have been riding an old schwinn exercise bike that I borrowed from my mother in law. I ride at least 10 miles a day. I don't think it warrents the same 10 miles that i ride on my road bike but it is better than nothing and my legs are feeling better.

well the ride that i was training for came and went this past sunday. it was my husbands first organized ride. the rode 62 miles and i am happy to report that he really enjoyed it as he rode with my brother, his girlfriend and our friend. my daughter who is just getting into cycling rode 20 miles. i am very proud of her. the start/finish was in a park that had very nice grounds with a lake nice trees to sit under and some nice paths to walk so that is what i did. as we are in ny and this was in nj we went sat afternoon, had a fun evening and came home after the ride on sunday. next year we will stay over the extra night and come home the next day to enjoy and relax after the ride.

while driving through some of the roads they rode i began to notice every crack and bad areas in the road. I couldn't help but imagine my tire getting caught in some of those cracks. I have to admit i am getting a bit nervous about getting back on my bike. it is a shame i had to stay off it all this time because if i was able to get right back on I would not have been thinking this way. i told my husband that when I can get on the road again that maybe he can put smooth tires on my mtn bike and I will begin to ride that slowly and use my road bike on the trainer to build my confidence back.

Emily, if you read this i will say that you are in my thoughts. I remember reading when you got back on the bike and thought, go for it, you will be fine, but that is easier said than done i will admit. I am sure I will think of you my first ride out.

joann

[bikerchick68]

jo... glad to hear you are healing... and still able to ride a bit... I can only imagine at the nerves you'd experience with getting back on the road... how long are the docs saying before you can do that? Do you have to go thru physical therapy?

congrats to the DH and the DD on their rides... glad they had a fun day...

[DeniseGoldberg]

joann -
It sounds like you're making good progress - although slower than you'd like. On the getting back on the road front, the first ride back is definitely a bit freaky. When I returned to my bike six long weeks after my crash last year, I was a bit nervous, but I was more eager to ride than anything else, so I think that overrode the nervousness. But - the first place my bike and I headed for was the spot in the road where I had crashed. I really needed to see it!

And by the way, you should feel good about 10 miles on an exercise bike - be kind to yourself!

--- Denise

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, if you read this i will say that you are in my thoughts. I remember reading when you got back on the bike and thought, go for it, you will be fine, but that is easier said than done i will admit. I am sure I will think of you my first ride out.
joann

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Joann. I'm with you girl! I truly know how you feel. As I was slooooooowly recovering, like you are now, I was riding my trainer nearly every day - first on my mountain bike for a more upright posture, then finally on my road bike. Before trying a "beginner" club ride, I got out on the road on my mountain bike (with slick tires hubby had installed for using on the trainer), and that gave me a bit more confidence, but that first ride was indeed a bit scary. I kept thinking "don't fall...whatever you do". And I confess, two months later, that thought does still enter my mind occasionally when I ride, but only very occasionally. And I haven't fallen yet! My fear has diminished a HUGE amount as well; it only very occasionally wells up to the surface.

This past weekend we went to the coast and enjoyed two days of riding the flats (what a nice change of pace). There were a few loose dogs, and I got to blast one who started chasing us with my newly acquired air horn (its first use), and it seemed to do the trick (or else we just reached the end of the dog's territory). My heart rate definitely went up then, though!

I'm still not 100% healed and don't know when I will be. Toward the end of longer rides, I get some hip pain, and my hip area is sometimes a bit stiff after a ride, but I am really enjoying being back out on the bike, and have thought many times as I whiz down a hill or along a fun flat section that I was crazy to ever think for a SECOND that I could have given riding up! Ibuprofen is my friend and may be yours for awhile before/after rides as well. But the pain is mild and tolerable, and you may get lucky and not have any at all once you start back riding.

Good luck with the PT. I did my exercises religiously, and I am sure they helped me recover faster. You'll be back...just be patient with yourself and remember that if you take a long view of your cycling career, this is just a small blip on the radar. I've even managed to log 1455 miles for the year, despite not riding for 3.5 months in the prime part of the cycling season. After my accident, I'd changed my goal for the year from 4000 miles to 1500, and thought that the 1500 was a stretch. Now I see that I'll achieve that with ease, and that's a great feeling!

Thanks again for thinking of me, and I'll be thinking of you too - sending many healing wishes your way! :)

Emily

[Blueberry]

This past weekend we went to the coast and enjoyed two days of riding the flats (what a nice change of pace).

Hey Emily-

Inquiring minds want to know where you found to go riding...

I don't have too many more weeks in Wilmington (I've resigned from my job - time to get the life back to a little less hectic state), but would love to know if there are other good rides in my neck of the woods that I don't know of;)

Glad to hear your recovery is progressing - you're a pretty darn strong rider in my book! :D

CA

[Jo-n-NY]

Thank you girls for your kind words. I have my road bike here in the house as always and just keep looking at her.

Denise, I am going back to read the end of your accident blog. I am sure you will have positive info for me read. If I keep reading about postive things it will get drilled into my head and knock the bad thoughts out.

Which brings me to Emily. As fast as not riding enters my head, I know in my heart of hearts that it won't be the case. I just naturally talk about new routes to ride and bought myself some new gloves, glasses (my others got scratched from my fall) and knee warmers. But, I will follow in your exact foot steps. I think by next week I will replace my exercise bike with the mtn bike on the trainer, then when I can reach the handle bars my road bike will be there. Outside, I will ride my mtn bike for a while. I was planning on putting smooth tires on it any way to use a a commuter bike as we don't seem to be doing too much off road anyway and I don't relly feel like doing that now any way. I told my husband in the car today that it is very normal for me to be nervous when I get back on the road. He knew this was going to happen. I mention you and Denise quite often to him.

I had my first pt appt yesterday and I am going again tomorrow. He said I am extremely tight and I had to breath deeply through his gentle pulling of my arm. I am trying not to wear the sling because my shoulder is tilted down and my elbow is still crooked. He did say it will take time, but I will be back to normal in a few weeks he believes. And yes, I do and will do my exercises religously.

Thank you again Ladies. Until my next report of progress....

JoAnn

[bouncybouncy]

Jo...you sound like you are doing great! Keep up the good work :D You are being added to my list of inspiration along with Denise & Em...
Ride on ........

[emily_in_nc]

Hey Emily-Inquiring minds want to know where you found to go riding...CA

Hi CA!

We were actually staying in Oriental, NC, which is on the Neuse River, so not quite literally on the coast (but close) and not too close to Wilmington, which is much more populated. There were miles and miles of flat, rural roads all around Pamlico County - lovely! We had printed out some county maps before heading down. Much less traffic than in Orange County, even, and very courteous drivers (a few dogs, though, blechhhh!) We just loved it. If we can ever afford it, we'd love to retire in Oriental. But shhhhh - don't tell too many people. It's small, quiet and "undiscovered" (only one stoplight in the entire county), and we'd love to keep it that way. :p

Really glad to hear you'll be moving to Durham full-time. Hope to see more of you soon!

(Sorry for the thread hijack, joann - back to your usually scheduled thread now...)

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

I had my first pt appt yesterday and I am going again tomorrow. He said I am extremely tight and I had to breath deeply through his gentle pulling of my arm. I am trying not to wear the sling because my shoulder is tilted down and my elbow is still crooked. He did say it will take time, but I will be back to normal in a few weeks he believes. And yes, I do and will do my exercises religously.
...JoAnn

JoAnn, my hip area was super tight too, all through PT. I stretched like crazy (hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thighs mostly), but it took a long time to regain flexibility. I've come a long way in that, as well as rebuilding strength in the surrounding muscles. I still stretch my inner thighs most every night to keep the adductor muscles flexible since that was the single tightest area I had to deal with during recovery.

It is definitely a long road, but with your determination and return to riding plan in place, you will succeed. Just be prepared for bad days and good days - everyone told me I would have them, and they were right. There are still some days where my hip is inexplicably tight and a bit sore (perhaps I overdid it the day before, or even sat too long in one position), and other days where I barely remember anything ever happened to me, and I'm almost six months out from my surgery.

Keep us posted - you have a lot of friends pulling for you out here!

Emily

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Jo, have read this thread sevral times, but my connection sucks and every time I have gone to post my thoughts I have got disconnected...

But I have been thinking of you, along with the other girls here on the forum, and sending healing thoughts your way... and slivers of confidence to help bolster yours.

I shall cast a circle of protection and safety for you... as I did for Emily and several of the others here that have had nasty "bumps and bruises"...

Sending you aroha from Middle Earth
:)

[pkq]

Good luck getting everything loosened up, healed, and on the road again.

[Jo-n-NY]

Again, thank you so much everyone. My 2nd pt seemed to hurt more than the first. The dr. is doing all the work by moving my arm in all sorts of directions. Over the weekend I moving my arm around the house more and more. I don't know if that is the right thing to do, but I just figured if it moves more, maybe it will get more flexible.I do the exercises he gave to do also.

Next pt is tomorrow, Tuesday. Emily you are right, besides barely any flexibility there is very little muscle strenghth. You will bet when I am able I will add some dumbell weight lifting to my biking routine. I have a great set of dumbbells in the attic that I used years ago. Guess it is time to dust them off.

Thanks again for all your good wishes.

JoAnn

[emily_in_nc]

Ouch! Let me just say, JoAnn, that I feel your pain! I didn't enjoy PT much at all b/c there was a lot of pain. As I got better, the pain didn't decrease much as they kept giving me more challenging exercises to do. :eek:

Good luck...I'm thinking of you.

Emily

[CorsairMac]

hugs and warm compresses to you hun! Thanks for the update and keep us posted - your first ride is going to be so exciting for you! Keeping you in my thoughts!

[Jo-n-NY]

Today pt was not so bad. After the initial lift of my arm by the PT the rest was feeling ok. But yesterday I was feeling my oats. I found I could start reaching for thinks on the table and I was able to get the fork to my mouth. So I tell the PT and he said that I shouldn't be lifiting the part of my arm from the shlder to the elbow unless assisted by my other arm to lift it. He said if it is not fully healed it may not heal correctly.

You would think they should tell us patients what not to do. My elbow is still bent when hanging my arm down and he was trying to straighten it. I think I must have sprained my wrist or something because that has been really bothering me also. I do not think they took an exray of that. I see the orthopedic next Tues. so I wll up date him with everthing.

Well, Emily, hearing about your pain is a real consolation to me. Now that I remember I think you mention it in your accident blog.

Thank you CosairMac. I cannot wait to get that initial first ride over with to be honest.

JoAnn

[LBTC]

Hi, Jo!

You are healing up just fine, don't be worried! I have to think hard to remember the healing process when I broke my shoulder 7 years ago...

I broke the humerus in 2 places, had 3 pins for 4 weeks, then started physio. The accident was in July, I did physio 3 times a week until November, twice a week until January, then once a week, etc...

I really had to learn to relax and breathe through a lot of discomfort. I would drink a cup of chai tea before going as it helped to relax me!

My elbow didn't straighten out until well into physio. I actually think they reset the bone crooked, as my arm looks like it's on crooked - but I'm the only one who sees that!!

The muscle atrophy was really a surprise to me. But that has all come back and more. I have found that long term if I go more than a week without doing something pretty strenuous with my shoulders (weights, kickboxing, or arm balances in yoga), that my shoulder does start to feel achey and tight. As my PT said "use it or lose it".

Frozen shoulder was the toughest to get over. It was three months of not being able to move my arm closer to my ear before we finally went for the cortisone shot. I hope to never need another as they are so hard on your body, but it sure did the trick. It was almost instant!

The exercises are absolutley vital. Loads of exercises that move your shoulder through as much range of motion as possible without using those shoulder muscles to do it. Very important!

oh, and the weights: start so light you think there's no point....I had a 1 lb a 2 lb and a 3 lb that I used for quite a long time before progressing to 5 lb weights.

You'll be happy to know that will and time and practice have given me the strongest shoulders I've ever had. Just last week in kickboxing we did a set of exercises that were all arm and shoulder exercises, with 10 pushups between each....and we did sets of 15, then sets of 12 of the weight exercises. Everyone else in the class (and many of these girls are in great shape) used 5 lb weights, I used 8 lb weights....and I did all man pushups through the whole thing (all of the other girls resorted to girlie pushups at some point). You can get there, girl! Wherever you want, eventually! It does take a lot of time, so relax, be proud of each accomplishment, let yourself relax on the days that aren't full of improvement, and find ways of bringing yourself peace and joy. (that's the other thing that led me to photography)

Sorry for the long post! Just wanted you to know, I've been there, and recovered beyond my wildest dreams! So will you!

Namaste,
~T~

[LBTC]

Oh, yes, and I only rode mountain bike back then. My first ride, I actually put shoulder pads on (hockey style), with my other armour and went to this little gravel pit bowl to try to get my courage up. I never really wore the shoulder pads again.....and the first crash I had that season was awesome! It felt great to get a crash overwith that didn't actually hurt! yahoo! Not that I'd ever want that on the road!

The slicks on mtb on road sounds like a great plan! Fabulous way to start! Enjoy!

Namaste,
~T~

[Jo-n-NY]

Thanks for your post Namaste! I didn't have any surgery although it was close so I just firgured I would heal quicker. But that is ok. I do see a little progress from week to week. I go back to the orthopedic on Tuesday and have 3 pt appts.

As I have not lifted weights in many I am looking forward to beginning once I get the ok from the pt. Like you said, I plan to be better and stronger than before the fall.

I am so ready to move out the exercise bike and get my mts bike on the trainer until I get a better range of motion to ride it outside. Then my road bike will take the place on the trainer. Now that we are changeing seasons I may not ride my road bike on the road until next year but we will see what kind of winter we have. My birthday is in Dec. and I loved the idean someone else had on this board of riding a mile for every year of your birthday. I will be 50 on Dec 4th and if it is a mild day I really would love to ride whatever I can do on my mtn bike. My husband who works weekends is already planning to take th weekend off as my b-day is on a Sunday.

Thanks again for your sound advise and information. You and the others that have posted have been wonderful and I really put a smile on my face.

JoAnn

[margo49]

My thoughts are with you
(see my post in the Self Esteem thread)

The main things are:
1. Keep your mind and spirit positive and remember that the human body is at all times making its own physiological effort to return to optimal functioning and all systems go. I made a point of watching cycling on tv (esp the Tours) after both my mastectomy/chemo and in recovery from a tractor accident involving near-death-by-squashing
2.Do the physical therapy excercises with Great Intention. Shut your eyes if you think you are not progressing. (You don't feel so pathetic if you can't see)
3. Don't forget about the rest of your body. I had a massage every 2 weeks and went for long walks.
4. Take pain meds. Otherwise you really get demoralised

Go, Lady, go!

[LBTC]

3. Don't forget about the rest of your body. I had a massage every 2 weeks and went for long walks.

All of your suggestions are great Margo...and I have some to add to #3.

Doing whatever exercise you can with the rest of your body does contribute to healing the injured part! I was doing 1 lb dumbell wrist curls while I still had my sling on! And I did a lower body gym workout only 1 week after the shoulder was operated on. During recovery I found I could do 2 things well: workout (very slowly) and read. Everything else was difficult, but got easier as time went on. When I used the gym, and when I progressed to doing upper body exercises with my good side, and when I went out dancing, I would just cinch that sling as tight as possible to prevent any extra and painful movement....and went for it.

Your goal of riding your age on your birthday will be so amazing! I can't wait to hear all about it! Oh, and don't forget, if you're not quite there in imperial, yet, you can always do it in metric!

How long has your husband been working weekends? My DH just began a gruelling weekend shift of 32 hours worked in 47....and paid for 40. It leaves his weekdays and nights completely free for working on the house and paying attention to me, but the weekends are all about work and sleep for him, and all about quiet time for me. This is only weekend #2, we haven't figured out our rhythm on it yet. Any tips?

Namaste,
~T~