Texas - Cuda2k - off the bike: 4/25 - 5/15!!!... and 10/10 - 10/30

Quick haircut last night to help doc out on the one in the hairline and I think I'm ready to do this again. :rolleyes: Good news is that the CoolMax headwrap that I use when I'm riding comes right over the area that is going to be worked on so that will offer some padding between the fresh scar and my helmet when I get back on the bike. :)

Depending on how quickly I bounce back after this one there is a chance I'll have a certain frame back by Sunday evening as well. ;)

Hello all -

Home after round two of cutting. Numbed up good, and now drugged up good. Regardless of the good pain meds, trust me, I'd rather be out riding. Starting to feel like an overweight slug after not riding for a couple of weeks. :( And I've probably got 2-3 weeks left before I can think about riding. I'll talk more with the doc next week when I have the stitches taken out of my head about when he thinks they will be healed enough to start doing light spinning.

Uploaded a couple photos of the new banages. Links in the original post. No new gore pictures for another 36hrs or so. Sorry jeff. :p

where is the blood and gore? I want a pic of the surgeon with bloody scalpel still in the wound on your head!

McGuinness has taken 8 or 10 off of me including a large melanoma. He's great. I like the fact that does a full incision instead of a burn or shave. Not to worry, He get's em out!! You'll be back up before you know it!

Hey all, short update on the condition:

Calf incisions from last week are healing well. Probably did too much Wed evening moving stuff around as the weather sirens were going off because the dressings had just a little blood on them when I changed them this morning. They're stinging just a tad now and then, but mostly that 'feeling of healing' thing. Hopefully they won't develop into wide scars, but only time will tell that.

The Thigh hasn't been hurting much but has reduced my range of motion in my knee considerably. Trying to keep it fairly straight and not bend the knee much. Cleaned it up for the first time today (after the required 48hrs) and it looks pretty good. A little more oozing under the compression strips than the calfs had which reinforce I was probably doing too much with a 4 hr old incision on Wed night.

The head has been the real pain. Loud sounds hurt, among other things. Eating no longer hurts, but last night I had the brilliant idea of ordering pizza. The nice chewy crust wasn't so nice. Had periods of throbing and/or stinging sort of pains.

Been sleeping more this time around than the first. Partially due to the higher pain medication dosage and my sleeping schedule just being all kinds of screwed up.

Really starting to miss being out on the bike. Even though we've had some wild weather, I'm going through some pretty serious withdrawl from the bike. I'd like nothing more than just to get the heck out of the house (cabin fever setting in too) and get some fresh air or just go anywhere but here. I think tomorrow the wife and I are going to have to take a drive or something. Starting to lose my mind.

Cuda, all these trips to the skin doctors - have they given you any advice as to what the BEST sunscreen is? Probably that expensive stuff that can only be sold in Europe but anything else?

The last advise I got from the skin-doc basically any that blocks both UVA and UVB and has a high SPF. They also said not to trust the 'ultra-sweatproof' claim and to reapply every 2hrs. I've been using the Copportone Sport and Banana Boat Sport 50spf this year, and either the 30 or 50 last year. Both go on easily and have had no problems with it running into the eyes. I do wear a cool-max head wrap under the helmet to reduce the amount of sweat I have to deal with.

It is a crappy riding day today Jon, so you aint missing much. Glad I in here drinking coffee than out on the road battling wind.

I'd be happy just to be able to get on the trainer. :p

I think today will be for a little bike maintance and such. Get the Cuda read to get back on the road. It's the perfect bike for a short easy ride that I'll be doing when I get back on the road in a couple weeks. And that bike hasn't been out in entirely too long!

yeah cuda...all you're missing is some howling wind!!!....glad to see you're getting up and around, shine up those sweet bikes of yours and soon enough you'll be out again....today my exercise will be cutting the lawn!!! :(

Just finished the wheelbuild for the Barracuda Mk.I, I sold the old wheelset like in mid-Janurary thinking I'd have the new wheels built about then. Shipping delays, bad rims, wrong spokes, etc delayed the completion till now. Just got to run to RBM for one more tube and I can get the rear tire put back on and both wheels on the bike. It also needs new brake cables run on the bike, which I'll also get done today. I'm also considering swapping out the 42t small ring for a 38 I have. The bike weighs quite a bit and if I want to take it to Cotton Patch or Bonham this year I'd like to have a little lower gear than the current setup.

Photos of wheels:

http://jonpfischer.com/thecuda/photos/upload/OtherPics/tn_P5052243.JPG

http://jonpfischer.com/thecuda/photos/upload/OtherPics/tn_P5052246.JPG

5 new photos linked in the original post. Including the head stitches! :eek:

My newest bike project to keep me busy: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=295301

May 15 was the last day I went without riding due to my surgeries. Because today, May 16th, I rode. Not far, not fast, but I rode. How I missed the feeling of the wind as I glance down and see the cyclometer up over 20mph. And the feeling of cooling down after the ride, finishing off a bottle of water.

Going to wait to see how the leg feels tomorrow after this little outting. If it feels good hopefully tomorrow I'll take a short ride again. And Saturday I'm hoping to get a decent little ride in to offically put me back in the saddle. :)

Glad your healing up nicely.

Just got home from my first ride of any considerable distance. jsharr, RC_Spinner and I did 24mi this morning from my apartment near RBM down to White Rock Lake and back. The way down was quite slow due to a walk/run event, but we picked up the pace on the way back. So far the leg feels GREAT. Felt good enough for a few 25-27mph sprints on the last couple of miles back home. :D

Glad to hear you are back on the bike!

I'm feeling pretty good too! That was a noce ride. The traffic on the trail going out probably helped to keep some in reserve for the turn back. When I got home, my 9 year old daughter wanted to go riding in the nieghborhood, so an hour later off we went. Add 2.7 miles@ 23mins to my total today. Nice pace for her;) .


ASIDE: Why must some people insist on setting personal bests or course records on a crowded trail? Reel it in and enjoy the day!

Chris

Here we go again. :( Updated OP for new set of surgeries starting tomorrow. Second is next week. Grumble.

Good luck.

Hope all goes well. have a speedy and uneventful recovery:)

Chris

Good luck Cuda!

back home after todays surgery. Everything went well enough. once the local anestetic wears off I'll know better just how much pain I'm in for over the next few days. right now typing isn't too much of a problem with the left hand. we'll see if it stays that way.

Doctor's orders:

http://www.acc.umu.se/~hannes/blosxom/data/beer/guinness.jpg

Let me know if you need anything, I am close. Heal up and then maybe I can hang with you on the first few recovery rides.

Damn, that sucks. Hope this is the last round for a while.

Doctor's orders:

http://www.acc.umu.se/~hannes/blosxom/data/beer/guinness.jpg

Don't know many Dr's who would recommend a guinness to wash down my Vicodin. Even my primary dermatologist: Dr. McGuiness. ;)



Let me know if you need anything, I am close. Heal up and then maybe I can hang with you on the first few recovery rides.

Thanks Jeff. I should be alright but I'll let you know. And yes, we should ride some time soon. Promise I'll keep the pace under control.

I'm glad you seem to be healing up well. I'm glad you have the sense to take care of it. I unfortunately lost a friend last year to complications from treating advanced melanoma. He probably would have been fine if he had just gone to the damn doctor.

Everyone else: since we all ride bikes and so are in the sun a lot - PLEASE everyone make sure you check out any funny spots and get it taken care of early.

paperspirit - sorry to hear about your friend. I was lucky the first time around catching my melanoma when I did. I was probably only 6weeks before it would have started to spread. A very scary thought for the 18 year old I was then. Hell, it's scary regardless of how old you are.

I'm still doing well. I"ve been off the heavy pain meds for a full day now. Might even try to get the trainer out for a short light spin to keep the legs loose and happy.

Thanks Cuda. It's good news, you sound like you're doing well.

Weather says we might have rain all day today. Looks like no bikes for me. At least hubby and I got in a ride Saturday.

Wife is at rehersal tonight, so I'm going to try to jump on the trainer a bit tonight in between searching the interwebs for new information to load on VeloBase.com :)

Last surgery was earlier today. So far I"m feeling pretty good, however if last time was anything to go on, the head stitches usually start complaining around 9pm after a 2pm op time. I managed to get on the bike for a short spin on the trainer the last two days, so at least I'm keeping the legs moving a little bit. Still trying to get used to the new position on the bike so starting out fairly slow.

just read the post cuda....hope you're healing well!!!

Heal up buddy. First night this week not on the trainer or road. Wife is out and I am on boy watching duty.

First set of stitches come out tomorrow.

How'd it go? Got any stitches left to accentuate your Halloween costume? ;)

Hope you're doing well!

Nope, last of the sititches are now out, got the last of them out this afternoon. I was down with the flu all last week, but now getting my strength back and plan to get on the trainer this week and hopefully out on the bike by the weekend.

We need to plan an "Cuda's done with surgery" BF get together & dinner some time soon. Though November is so busy and December isn't much better huh?

Got back on the bike and back out on the road this evening. Just a quick run from the apartment over to RBM and back on the Gazelle. First time out for any length of time on that bike since rebuilding it with the Campy Super Record group. Oh how nice it rides! I love Campy!!!

Now don't turn this into a Campy/Shimano war. :D

Glad to hear you're back on the bike. Go Campy!

Cuda, glad you are feeling better. What a beating, to have the flu and be going through thishimano. I hope the recovery ishimano speedy!

October certainly hasn't been the smoothest of months. However the time off work and the bike has given me plenty of time to work on my vintage cycling website which is so far ahead of schedule it's crazy. As if I really had a schedule to begin with really, but a general idea of how much I'd get done by when.