Free At Last!!!

So I went to my neurosurgeon today and he told me I could finally Lose My !@$#^%$! Back Brace and I was free to resume my normal activities!

Yeee - Freaking - Haw !!!! :D :D :D

Lee and I went out for a short ride along the Alameda Creek Trail (~ 10 miles, elevation gain about 20 feet ;) ) out to the bay & back to commemorate this auspicious occasion. :cool:

It felt a tiny bit strange being back out on the road on my bike at first, and my coordination felt a bit off, but it felt better as I went along. Where we enter & exit the trail there are very short stretches of gravel path to ride over, which I used to think nothing of, but today I walked those bits. I figure my coordination & confidence will be back soon enough.

It was mighty windy heading out to the bay, naturally, so I took it really easy. Surprisingly enough, despite that I managed a pretty decent clip into the wind. Nice. :)

Lee told me that all in all I didn't seem to loose too much fitness over my three month-plus layoff (heh, I didn't climb anything though :D ).

And the tailwind back was a bonus. Whee!

Well I am jazzed to bits to be back. Not to worry, I'll be building back reeaallly slowly. But at least I'm back! :D :D

Booyah! :cool:

Awesome! Just awesome.

I wondered what that sudden scream of joy was earlier in the day. :p

Here are a couple of images from a CT scan of my spine done last week. Creepy, huh? :p

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0pics/owie.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...pics/owie2.jpg

A friend mentioned that my T7 vertebrae now resembles a bottle opener.

Naturally I really like that imagery. :cool:

Yay for being brace free and back on your bike.
Yikes for the pictures. Your mate is right you are a walking bottle opener.:D

http://i2.tinypic.com/8dz79f9.jpgHUZZAH!http://i2.tinypic.com/8dz79f9.jpg

That's wonderful news!

Veronica

w00t! :D:D

Yay yay yay yay yay!!!


Wow that is a SCARY picture!!!

Happy dance!!!!

(those are some scary pics...)

CA

congratulations! but is that bone going to heal more?

I knew it, I felt a shift in the matrix.......:D:D

Yay!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

congratulations! but is that bone going to heal more?

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Evidently not, it's pretty much healed after three months. I know, it looks creepy!! Eh, but it is what it is.

I was going over the images w my Dr today, and he didn't seem concerned at all. I suppose he's seen a lot worse... :rolleyes: (fwiw, that's just a small cross section of the vertebrae, there is still bone holding it up -- I just picked the coolest images. heh heh.)

I'm going to a physical therapist soon to see how to go about strengthening my back, and I'll probably start up Pilates again once I've met with the PT.

At this point my back feels fine for the most part, but it does get fatigued over the course of a day, and my neck and shoulders are a bit stiff. But that can be chalked up to the fact that I haven't used those muscles much, if at all, over three months time. :cool:

So all is good. :)

oh yes, you'll get stronger much more quickly now that you can move!

Wonderful news! :)

Jo! YAY!

And might I add, I am jealous as he11. :rolleyes:









//but really glad for my pal. :D

Woohoo!!! Now come to Atlanta and ride with me!

Yee Freakin' Haw indeed!!! :D :D :D :D

Glad you got the first few miles under your belt; I can't wait to ride with you again. In the meantime, I'll settle for having a beer with you. :)

- Mel

I'm doing the hypnotizing boogieee for yae :)

Coolio!

Yikes, those pics are freaky :eek:

Congrats on losing the brace!!

That's the best news I've heard in awhile!

Not many folks would have the courage to get back on the bike after such a bad accident. Enjoy every mile!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Happy dance!!!!

(those are some scary pics...)

CA

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:confused:
Oh THOSE photos. Those are XRays, not photos per say. and not creepy either. very cool

Yippee!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
That's GREAT news! I'm so glad you're free to ride again. Awesome!!!

Creepy:eek: and cool:cool:!!

Excellent news!

Fantastic!!! I can't wait to see you on the bike again!

OMG at those CT scan pics. Those look really scary but doctors do know more.

Safe ride no need to push yourself. There will be plenty of time in the future.

And congratulation for getting back on a bike.

smilingcat

Well, it really helps that I still don't remember a doggone thing about my crash, so in this instance, ignorance truly is bliss. :) I'm certainly more tentative and cautious right now, but I think it's more because I still just need a bit of time to get my coordination & reflexes back.

We'll see what happens when I actually start climbing & descending again, but that won't be for a bit anyhow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zen

:confused:
Oh THOSE photos. Those are XRays, not photos per say. and not creepy either. very cool

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LOL, thanks!

These were actually from a CT scan (which I gather is kind of like an xray but kind of different -- you probably know way more about them than I do !) - I have images from xray too, but they're not nearly as cool looking as these. Not the really nicely detailed cross-sections as in the CT.

And yeah, I think they're really neat too. :) Kind of amazing what abuse our bodies can take - lots of internal redundancy at work, I suppose.

CONGRATULATIONS! good news indeed!

Great news. Feel that wind in your hair....