Argh..I'm going to go crazy

[crazycanuck]

I'm going crazy...

*phew*...We recieved the MRI results back today and it's good yet not so good news. I won't be biking on a trainer until possibly mid december but I dont need surgery I tore my PC & my MC ligaments. I have to wear a full length leg brace (ok full length if you're short like me ) for a month & the the doc (ortho sports med dr) will reassess.

Gee, i'm going to have a funnier tan line now! Ha Ha..

So, I must ask..how am I going to not go nuts? I don't want to add to the obesity epidemic! I can't swim for another few weeks I think. I can reaaly only walk to & from the train station(30 min walk) then to work. I will try the sand on the dog beach. I still have to rely on Ian to drive though.

If anyone can assist me in the quest to maintain some type of fitness level let me know. That and keep my dear man sane.

oh, one more thing-my pilates studio knows i'm hurt and i'll speak to them about working round my injuris

Thanks!

c

[lph]

Aaaah - you poor thing, I feel for you. I'd be going crazy too if I were you. But no surgery really is a good thing! You don't want to mess around with a scalpel more than absolutely necessary, in my non-professional opinion, never know how things are going to heal.

But I'd be more worried about mental health than obesity Try to get out there and walk, even if it's just meandering around looking at the scenery. Can you swim? Lift weights? Maybe it helps if you think of recovery as a different kind of biking challenge, one that is challenging your patience and creativity more than your stamina.

[crazycanuck]

I will have to wait for clearance from the shoulder dr in terms of swimming.

I'm sure the beach will help

c

[margo49]

Visualisations.
I like those scenic ones with like wolves running thru the landscape. I had a cd with nice music plus wolf howls and snuffles and it's got me thru a lot.
I had a dolphin one too (on tape) that had a spoken bit before the dolphins that got me thru chemo.; pm me and I can give you names.
Reading books with lots of action pics in- either animals or people. Ditto National Geographic or Discovery Channel television.
This really works best if you are the kind of person that can talk herself into (and out of) things and lives in her head half the time anyway (or would like to or has to stop herself from it).
$0.02

[Tri Girl]

I don't know how to keep from going crazy, but I just had to say that you look so "stiff" in your leg brace. That's a monster brace!!!
Hope you heal up soon so you can get back out there. All this just as the weather was warming- drats! Hope you can still have some fun before the weather turns chilly again.

[OakLeaf]

Ouch.

Your PT really should have some suggestions for you on what, if anything, you can do for cardio.

If you can walk 30 minutes (! that's a long walk with an injury!) I don't know why you couldn't swim with a flotation board, flutter kicking your legs only until your shoulder recovers. Depending on where exactly your shoulder injury is, possibly you could do whatever that stroke is they used to teach in lifesaving, with breast stroke arms and flutter kicking your legs? Or a dog paddle, even?

I'm remembering from swimming after my ACL tear years and years ago, that I had a lot of trouble with foot cramps because I wasn't fully extending my knee. If you can walk on the leg, I'm assuming you can extend it to within 5 degrees, but you just have to remember to keep it extended while doing a flutter kick.

I wouldn't do unilateral resistance exercises though. Muscle imbalances are worse and harder to remedy than a little temporary atrophy, IMHO.

Sending healing vibes your way.

[bmccasland]

CC - strolling? Spring is always my favorite time of year, so maybe go for a stroll? As for keeping your mind occupied, any silly books you've wanted to read? Cat Who? series? Exercise your library card?

Here's some good thoughts to keep you from going completely stir crazy.

[elk]

hey...you got a dog beach?!?? Take that smiling dog for a long hobble!!

speedy recovery....

[7rider]

So, I must ask..how am I going to not go nuts? I don't want to add to the obesity epidemic! I can't swim for another few weeks I think. I can reaaly only walk to & from the train station(30 min walk) then to work. I will try the sand on the dog beach. I still have to rely on Ian to drive though.

If anyone can assist me in the quest to maintain some type of fitness level let me know. That and keep my dear man sane.

Ouch. Can you put weight on the leg? Are you on crutches? Be careful of the sand, that you don't twist your knee on the soft, uneven surface.

When I was out of commission after a knee injury - and later after surgery - I caught up on all those books I had been *meaning to read* but just never had time to crack open! Re: fitness. Yeah, talk to your PT and get some recommendations there. Whatever...take it easy. Don't hurt yourself (more). And stay away from the pantry!! Read or start doing crossword puzzles or knitting or organize that sock drawer or ANYthing to keep yourself occupied and away from the mindless munching.

Good luck and feel better soon!

[Wahine]

I will second the please be careful on the sand comment. It's a good way to tweak your already tweaked knee.

I have a windsurfing/cycling friend that broke her knee very badly at the end of August. She was totally out of comission and no allowed to weight bear at all on the leg. She managed to do Pilates with her brace and we had her in a pool in water up to her low chest area doing exercises for her leg after about 3 weeks. She would walk forward and backward, side to side, do squats in the water, leg lifts in all directions, knee bends......You should be able to so something like that pretty quickly but clear it with the Doc first.

My friend also took up knitting which helped her deal with the injury a lot. And, she lost 10 pounds in 6 weeks even though she wasn't doing anything, so I wouldn't worry too much about blimping out. Like others have said, you metabolism will be up for a while to try to deal with the injury.

[solobiker]

Sorry to hear that you are currently sidelined. Since 2000 every fall I get some kind of injury that takes me out of the exercise world for a few months. It is hard to believe but something has happened every fall, well to make a long story short, I too was worried about "obeisity" and losing all my fitness. I was getting so discourage when a friend told me this is the time to pick up a hobby that I had always wanted to do or was interested in. so one year I learned quilting, next year I took up using a wood lathe, the following year scroll sawing. The list goes on. So I leave you with this question, is there anything you are interested in outside of the fitness world that you could devote attention too? I find it very relaxing. Hope you get better soon.

[snowtulip]

Hey CC - still sending healing vibes!!! When I'm down and out, I do as others have suggested, pick up a sit at home hobby (scrapbook or draw) or a stroll outdoors hobby (taking photos) or a favorite, people watching while reading a book at an outdoor cafe. I must admit it takes a little while to get used, the hardest part is making your brain believe it is ok to minimize physical activity for a little bit. Good luck!

[Possegal]

i have tremendous sympathy! i spent 6 weeks with my right knee immobilized due to a patellar dislocation and honestly, it was horrid! and the beginning of a weight gain downward spiral for me. 8 yrs later, i'm still trying to undo the damage. and i did find it mentally so depressing. i had friends saying - what's to complain about, you get to lie around the house all day! but they were couch potato types. it is really hard for someone who is active to do that.

sitting in a chair was terribly uncomfortable. my work brought my computer home for me so i could sit on the couch with my leg completely propped up on the couch. that helped the comfort, but not so much the immobility. more reason to stay home and do nothing! sitting at my office there was no way to put my leg that it didn't hurt. i tried propping it on a garbage can but even with the brace on it, i would get pressure point pain where the garbage can hit my leg. and i found walking slowly around places seemed to annoy people. more than once i found myself yelling at someone in a grocery store - 'injured here, can't you see the brace!'. people can be so annoying! one little old lady walked by me and said "i feel so sorry for you honey, my husband just got out of one of those" and i nearly cried.

ok, that all makes me sound a little unbalanced perhaps.

you sound like you have a far better attitude than i did and you are aware of the trap you could fall into. so i think you will find ways to completely avoid it. i wish i had a better attitude during my injury (which did result in surgery, which probably didn't help) or i wish i had more folks around me to keep me active within my physical limits.

good luck and glad you don't need surgery! and yes, i too ended up with a funny looking tan.

[sundial]

i spent 6 weeks with my right knee immobilized due to a patellar dislocation and honestly, it was horrid!

I had to wear one short term and I was never so glad to get it OFF.

I am holed in too and I've decided to start addressing Christmas cards.

[nomummytummy]

So, I must ask..how am I going to not go nuts?

I can tell you that I chose the highly "useful & sensible" Tim Tam path when I was injured for 7 weeks. You know Tim Tam when I would go for a ride, Tim Tam when I would have got home from the ride, Tim Tam when I thought about how long my plaster wouldbe on, Tim Tam just to even the number left in the pack,Tim Tam when.....

I didn't go nuts, my pants just got a bit tighter & then that gave me something else to think about - ah yes! another Tim tam might enhance the thinking process.

CC I do hope you can come up with a better solution, as PCL & MCL sounds like too big a job for a mere timtam. Take care & look after yourself