Bummed...Need Some Cheering Up

[mtbdarby]

Hi Ladies,
I just got back from the PT. She has now recommended I stop road riding completely until we can get the swelling out of my hand and wrist, and bump up our u/s and therapy to 2x a week. I've already stopped mtb since May and now she's wants me to stop riding for 3 weeks to start with. I want to cry! I'm gonna miss my 24 hr mtb race the last weekend of July so I was training for a century for Sept 9 to do with SJCzar up in Door County. She said I could run but - please - have you seen me run?? Not a pretty sight and I always get shin splints.

Then, I had an u/s on my thyroid (hyperthyroid). My nodule on the right side is now twice the size it was and there's a cyst on the left side now. So the endo wants me to do the RAI-U (swallow radioactive material) and I just want to go to the needle biopsy. And my birthday is coming up and I don't feel like dealing with all of this. There, thanks for letting me vent. I feel better now. :o

Oh, I spoke with the PT and got a thumbs up on riding my trainer because that bike has upright handle bars which doesn't seem to bother my hand as much. So boring and hot but better than nothing!

[Brandy]

I'm sorry Dar...it has to be frustrating to not be able to ride. :( I hope that your hand and wrist are well soon.

[Lise]

Dar, sorry for the rough news. I'm glad you can get on the trainer at least, and be ready to get back on a real bike when you have the go-ahead. Any way you can make riding the trainer less hot?

[chickwhorips]

i'm sorry your bummed. :(

i know the feeling. i'm still trying to recover from a leg injury. the pt told me i couldn't do anything for a long time. then i could mtb, which was ok... then became pain free. finially! but still not back up to running like i was. it sucks!

i would try to run or cycle and come home and just cry because i was in pain and didn't know why. i tried to rush it once i saw the pt and wound up messing myself up again.

so learn from me and don't try to jump back into it. a good pt knows what they are talking about. i feel much better, but still get super frustrated. i just try to remind myself i'm recovering still.

if you ever need a shoulder to cry on about it, you have mine (well through the internet) i know how it feels.

happy recovery!

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hi - sorry to hear about all that's gone on for you. That's quite a lot to absorb, especially in such a short span of time.

Bad as it is, having to stay off your bike and not ride, it is probably for the better. Until recently I had not been able to ride, it has been 6 years!

I hope you take heart and feel better soon. :)

[maillotpois]

That stinks!!! I am so sorry!

You should get the thyroid thing looked at by whatever means they recommend - if they don't think needle is appropriate, suffer through the dye. It is worth it to be as thorough as possible and catch any potential issue. (Trust me, the thyroid biopsy stinks!!)

Good luck - take care and don't get too down about all this. You will heal and this will pass. You need to take care of your body so these will ony be speed bumps and not permanent road blocks. This is what I'm dealing with as well now. I can't ride for 3 - 6 months while these anti-coagulants break up the clots in my lungs. It sucks, and I am missing two double centuries and a 508 mile race I have been planning for all year, but I figure it is better to be completely thorough and diligent and do what is best for my body right now so I can come back with a vengeance next year.

See, this way we get to have a real honest to goodness "comeback"!!!

[Bikingmomof3]

I am sorry you are not cleared to ride. Keep up with the PT and ride your trainer when you can and you will be back up and riding soon. I know it is not as soon as you would like. You have been dealt a lot to handle in a short time frame. Humor them with the dye. I know it stinks, but it is a very good test. Hang in there. I know it is very cliche, but take things one day at a time. (((((Hugs)))))

[tulip]

So frustrating! We are all rooting for you!

[Kathi]

Tearing my acl at the height of the best ski season in years this past Jan. was the bummer for me. Plus, the ortho delayed surgery for 6 weeks (I wanted it right away) until the MCL healed so recovery cut into my cycling season also. I'm 2 mos behind the group I ride with.

I thought I was recovering well until 2 weeks ago and then started having more problems with my knee. I backed off pt so I could ride more, plus I finished pt so I don't have anyone to problem solve for me. So I'm back to consistently doing my pt again, and stretching. I'm doing a tour in N. Dakota in 2 weeks and I'm really nervous about it.

This is also the longest recovery time from an injury I've ever had and this latest setback reminded me I'm not healed yet.

Ride your trainer, at least it will make you feel productive and keep your cardio fitness and strength. Also, I did Pilates, it didn't bother my knee and the whole body stretching helped keep me at ease.

As maillotpois said, this too will pass and you'll be stronger than ever.

[Diggles]

Oh honey...I'm so sorry.:(

It is terribly frustrating to be told you can't do things you REALLY love to do. It's like torture.

How about a stupid joke?

In a small town in England, there is a small store. And in the store is a magic Mirror of Truth. If you go up to it and tell the truth, you get a shiny piece of gold. But if you lie, you disappear.

A very ugly brunette came in, stood in front of the Mirror of Truth and said, "I think I am the prettiest woman in all of England!" And poof, she disappeared.

Next came a fat, redhead. She stood before the Mirror of Truth and said, "I think I am the prettiest woman in all of England." Poof! She disappeared!

Then a drop-dead gorgeous Blonde came into the store. She stood before the Mirror of Truth and said, "I think..." Poof! She disappeared.

[chickwhorips]

diggles, the joke made me feel better!

[cusepack]

Dar -

My heart goes out to you. When one thing happens after another it can feel so very overwhelming. As difficult as it may seem, try to take stock of what you are able to do while you recover. Yes, riding the trainer isn't like the outdoors, but it will continue to keep you in shape and perhaps you could put songs on your Ipod/cd player that remind you of cycling outdoors - perhaps a way to keep you motivated.

With regards to your thyroid, I had RAI-U back in '99 for Grave's Disease. I weighed all my options before going through with it. I now take Synthroid & Cytomel which I will take for the rest of my life. My endo advised me that without RAI-U I would need to be constantly monitored via bloodwork and have my meds regulated as there can be so many fluctuations in TSH, T3 & T4, even on meds with a hyperactive thyroid. After the RAI-U, it took a some time before my levels regulated, but med adjustments were made and now, I go for bloodwork once a year to make sure everything is in check. I've since had a few adjustments as my body chemistry changes, but other than that, all is well. Oh, and after the RAI-U, I was "radioactive" for three days - each time I used the bathroom at work, I had to wipe the toilet seat, literally wipe down anything I touched - I even used plastic utensils and plates at home!!! I didn't glow though!!! Darn it:)

[bcipam]

I know what you are going through. In November, right after a full summer of hard riding and being in the best shape ever, I had surgery to repair a long fractured collarbone. Had to go 4 months off my bike. It really hurt to be off, more than it would to be on. BUT sometimes these things happen and I took it as a lesson in patience. I also decided to give myself a year off from hard riding and just enjoy being out. I was able to do other things like spin class (but I could not use my right arm and had to stay on the saddle, no jumps) and I could walk/hike. Keep moving, keep exercising, keep up your mood. Let that wrist heal as the alternatives (like surgery) could be worse. Here's hoping your mending moves along swiftly and take care.

[mtbdarby]

Thanks everyone! Hugs back to each and every one of you with your struggles as well. I do count my blessings as I know it could be much worse.

Sarah, I've had the FNA done twice already so I know it stinks, but if I do the RAI-U and it says they're cold nodules, they still have to do it, so why not cut to the chase?

Cusepack, I was on PTU for 4 months and 12.5 mg brought it under control. I've been off of meds for 3 months now so I don't mind taking labs every 6-8 weeks to monitor. To me that's still better than the possible side effects of RAI-U, but's that's just my take on it. I'm a single mom and I refuse to expose my 4 yo to any radiation!

Diggles, thanks for the chuckle - I needed it.

I will be volunteering at the 24 hour mtb race. I know I will have mixed feelings being there and not riding but I'm trying to get some other people to volunteer as well so we can have our own little "party" (especially since it's my bday weekend). I've also decided I will try to start running again - maybe it's a sign to do more cross-training on my part. I know my dogs will appreciate the extra attention, and since my little guy isn't interested in riding, I will just go with the flow.

Thanks again for all your support! I will keep you posted on both the wrist and the thyroid. You gals ROCK!!

[SJCzar]

Sorry that whole recovery thing is not going as you'd hoped. At least you have plenty of time to work on that hill program on your trainer. You'll so kick my butt the next time up one of those mega hills.

I used to run years ago and I was not the most gifted at it as well. Perhaps, as a show of support, I could force myself to start again and we could plan to do a Duathlon next season. Urghhh....running.....gasping for breath....I'm remembering it all to well.

[fixedgeargirl]

Oh, Dar I am so sorry you are missing out on the grand races you had planned. The mtb season where I'm from in Colorado is very short, and I lost one season to having a newborn/recovering from a c-section and another to blowing my ACL in the middle of an awesome ski season. It was so hard to look out my window and watch people ripping down the road on their way to some epic ride while I was just trying to gain extension in my knee or nurse the babe. And of course, most of my friends ride, so I listened to them recount their great rides :(.

The upside is on this side of things, six years after the baby and two years after the knee injury, those times seem like a blip on the radar. Time passed frustratingly slowly while I was out of commission, but in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't that long. Of course, I say that now....

[mtbdarby]

Sue, awwww, you'd do that for me?! You are such a sweetheart! How about for fun we do the quadrathalon this winter: http://www.sportsinwisconsin.com/bsg/index.php?category_id=967&subcategory_id=684 It's running, biking, snow shoeing and xcountry skiing. That means I would have to learn to ski, but hey, it's not weight bearing on my hand so who cares! Lets talk on the duatholons though. And all the hill training in the world on the trainer won't give me that natural ability you have on the hills. I think you need the Jack and Jill jersey: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=0910&sku=11823&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


FGG, wow, that was brutal. I hear you on the cs thang though - that's my proudest scar though:D Hope you're out there riding hard now and enjoying it!

[spokewench]

Really sorry to hear that you have to be off the bike and have these health issues! I think all of us have had a set back or a few during our lives. It is always a bummer and always frustrating, BUT, what I have learned especially as I get OLDER! is that this is just an opportunity to do something else. Sounds like you could go out and hike - (something I don't do enough of cause I get too caught up in cycling), go out and enjoy scenery without exercise (it's amazing how relaxing that can be); read those books you have been wanting to for a couple of years; reconnect with old friends; grow some plants from seed; learn some new recipes, whatever you can think of to do do it! The time will fly and all of the sudden your health will be great and you can get back to cycling with increased interest, vigor and enthusiasm!

Hang it there

jan

[SJCzar]

I love that jersey ... and it's even on sale. Hmmm, I might have to pull out the credit card.

Quadathlon, that's quite impressive sounding. I could really fool people into thinking I was some kind of athlete if I told them I was training for that. One of the great things about Badger State Games is they put you in age categories. There might not be too much competition in the 45 to 50-something women's group. Years ago I figure skated occasionally with an over 65 year old guy who took home the gold at Badger State. I think he said there was only one other competitor in his age group. He was so cute and proud showing off that medal. That could be us showing off our Quadathlon medals to all our friends and family.

Of course, with you still being a youngster we wouldn't be competing against each other.

[luv'nAustin]

Sending positive thoughts your way!

[chickwhorips]

yes darby i wanted to make extra sure you had company!

now if only we could eat chocolate and watch movies together. i need some girl time!