Originally Posted by
SpinThrift
Thanks for the words of encouragement. The handlebar bag and rear rack bag carry tools, rain gear and a cell phone in case I have to call 911 again. It's all new to me so I'm experimenting with gear and bags.
At this point I'm overjoyed to be able to ride a single mile. My heart attack left me in the ICU for 10 days followed by another 12 days in a regular recovery room. It was assumed by all that I would go home in a box. It was a 5 hour ordeal from the onset of symptoms to the emergency room. I live on an island and the only hospital that could give me a chance is on the mainland. It was a harrowing ride in the ambulance which included a ride on a ferry on which I was the sole passenger - they held up all traffic waiting to load just to get me to the hospital.
For now, I'm just trying to get thru my days.
Glad to hear that you're recovering and that your heart is keeping up with ya
. That's a pretty interesting ambulance ride though. The only remarkable things that happened in my ambulance ride were that a) The paramedics told me they were gonna give me a shot, they noticed that I turned pale instantly, and b) They thought I had an unusually low heartbeat rate considering I just got into an accident... they asked if I do an endurance sport and biking explained why I had low heartbeat rate.
In my case, I had a car accident. My mustang flipped upside down and the passenger side was smashed flat. I got lucky I had headspace, but 2 of my spinal discs were diagnosed to be herniated. I was only able to bike 6 miles the 2nd month after my accident during winter before my back started aching. Eventually, I built up to 27 miles going around from NJ to NYC.
And oh, you wouldn't know how much easier it is to ride long distances with lighter weight until you try it. Try to get a smaller multi-tool, drop the rain gear if the forecast doesn't say that it's not gonna rain and keep the cellphone.