CliftonGK1

Well, I'm down for the count. Many of you followed my "What It Takes to be Super" series of articles, and are aware that I was having some problems in the undercarriage department.
After bagging my S-R series before the grand-daddy distance, the 600k; I went to my GP to have a look at things. My GP sent me to a surgical specialist who diagnosed me with a chronic fissure. Apparently I've had it since before starting my S-R series, and the long rides just aggrivated the problem.

Long story short, I've been off the bike since having ridden the 400k back on August 21st/22nd. On Oct. 1st, I had an LIS performed to correct the fissure and eventually get my butt back on a saddle.

So now I have about a 4 - 5 week recovery before I can get back on the bike. Anyhow, I feel like crud about not having been able to ride, and now I can't even walk more than enough to just bring my dog outside. Ugh! I'll be back up and moving in a couple weeks, and I will be allowed to start swimming (something new for me, since I haven't done any swimming for about 18 years.) Then I can ease myself back onto the bike.

Anyone who's got some good post-op recovery stories (like the Doc telling you it would be 2 months, and you were back riding in only a month), gimmie some inspiration. I've been laying around on pain meds, literally, for 3 days and starting to feel a little bit down.
Or, if you've got some appropriately inappropriate jokes, that'd work, too. My father already congratulated me on the repair, since now I'm a perfect a-hole.

Tom Stormcrowe

Keep the chin up.....best advice I can give to you. Don't rush it and blow the good effects of the surgery. Otherwise, you'll lose that perfect a-hole all over again.

jr59

Clifton; Keep your head up!

About 15 years ago I was in a motorcycle wreck, being run over by an 18 wheeler.
The Dr told me I may never walk again. Needless to say he was mistaken.
It took 15 years, of work, but I can now walk, trot ( I want to call it jog) but it's not,
And now ride a bike.

So what ever the setback, it is all a process. Follow the Dr's orders, don't try to rush things, the road will still be there.

Best wishes, and get well soon

Seattle Forrest

Where are you going to be swimming?

I dug you up some jokes, but I don't know how to embed them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUCGKLXneQ8

CliftonGK1

Pro Sports Club in Bellevue, across from the Microsoft campus on 148th.

cyclist2000

Now that you will start swimming you should consider a some tri's or in your case an ultra tri.

exile

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Hopefully you will be up and ready to go soon enough.

Motivation should be seeing your bike everyday and not being able to get on it or seeing other people riding while you are not. This happens to me sometimes. Especially when I walk to the store and I see someones bike locked up outside. Or I don't ride because of the weather, yet sure enough I see someone riding by regardless.

CliftonGK1

I got that craziness out of my system when I was a wee young lad. I raced tri's back in the late 80s and early 90s, before I realized that I hate running.

CliftonGK1

As soon as I can sit on my shop bench again, I'll start working on my bikes and getting them all cleaned up and re-beautified. My brevet bike needs new cables, bar tape and brake levers. While that's happening, I can also bust out my heat gun and remove the rest of the brand labels. My fixie needs the chain tension adjusted, and all my wheels could do better for a couple minutes on the truing stand.

Pinyon

Ouch. Hope you feel better fast, Clifton. I was imagining what kind of strengthening exercises they give you at the physical therapist.

Perhaps they start you out on 500% your average daily intake of fiber (water-soluble fiber at the beginning), and gradually have you work your way up to where you can eat nothing but bananas and cheese for 2-3 days in-a-row?

All kidding aside, do what they say so that you can get back on the saddle soon. Don't push it. You may have to get used to something like elliptical trainers for a few months.

CliftonGK1

Bwahahaha!
It's actually a fairly simple routine. Metamucil or Citrucel fiber supplement, 2x daily as suggested on the packaging. I have to take a stool softener because I'm on a narcotic painkiller (which has a tendency to constipate). Drink plenty of water. No coffee (which sucks) but tea is OK (which makes life bearable.) Sitz baths 4 times daily for the first week.

You got me laughing, imagining some crazy regimen of Kegel-type exercises in conjunction with Super Colon Blow cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Nothing too special. Fiber supplement, eat like I normally do (since I normally eat healthy, high-fiber, etc. and not processed fast food and pre-packaged garbage), and don't go exercising until at least 2 weeks out. At that point, maybe swimming; but no jarring exercises like running or cycling. I can't start riding again for about 4 weeks.

MVclyde

Hey Clifton, sorry to hear that you're down for the count. I don't have a good recovery story so here's an inappropriate joke.

A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them, then grabs some sliced limes and eats them,then jumps up on the pool table, grabs the cue ball and swallows it whole.

The bartender screams, "Did you see what your monkey just did? He just ate the cue ball off my pool table - whole!". "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He eats everything in sight. I'll pay for the cue ball and stuff." He finishes his drink, pays his bill, and leaves. Two weeks later he's in the bar again, and he has his monkey with him.

While the man is drinking, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out, and eats it. The bartender is disgusted. "Did you see what your monkey did now? He stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, then pulled it out and ate it!"

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He still eats everything in sight, but ever since he ate that damn cue ball he measures everything first!"

Wogster

Can't tell you about riding earlier then the docs state, I am one of those who tends to listen to my doctor in that regard, if the doctor says you can start riding in 4-5 weeks, then wait 5 weeks, use the time to clean and fix up your bike(s)....

Pinyon

That was what I was thinking, before I toned it down a bit. Sitz baths...they are damn serious when they have you do that. Don't rush onto the saddle. Or any heavy lifting either. I used to lift a lot of weights when I was younger, and the horror stories that scared all of the heavy-lifters was a hernia "back there". Those were much more prone to tearing and/or getting infected after the repair surgery.

Guys always came back just as strong as before, but we saw that you HAD TO TAKE IT EASY for at least 4-8 weeks. All your core muscles pull on that area. You need to stretch it out at the same time that you strengthen it. Since you have to do both, and you use it for EVERYTHING, it takes a bit longer.

Peter_C

Oh boy, did you open a door or what??

Metamucil for life is the first lesson... 2 heaping tablespoons (the sugar free type) every single day (no exceptions) - do not take when taking regular meds, as the meds will not absorb into your system correctly~! Take the Metamucil either 2hrs before, or 1hr after your regular meds.

Speaking as someone that has been on many different types of pain-meds for 30 odd years - buy and use "Miralax" - works best, add it to the Metamucil, take one cap-full each day, do not stop until 5 to 7 days *after* you stop the pain meds. You can take the above with *any* fluid you wish - but I suggest simple tap water - roughly 8 to 10 oz - stir very well, and drink very fast (the Metamucil will turn into a semi-solid in minutes) - then rinse glass, spoon, and sink well (green scrungy on sink or else will get weird slick spots within a week)

Honestly - if you do the above each and every day for the rest of your life, you will no longer have any bowel issues - I have had no diverticulitis flare-ups in over 5yrs (and I still eat both popcorn and peanuts. - It sux, but it works very well...

Now, let's talk about how wonderful you will be when all healed up~! I have been told since 1976 that I would never be able to ride a bicycle again. And, after each of eight knee surgeries - they were right - didn't try with a real bike, but did try with a exercise bike - couldn't do it - simply the knee would not work right. Replacement knees are supposed to be for people over 50yrs old, and under 200lbs - as you know, I am neither~! When I had my TKR I was told it would take 6 to 18 months before I could ride any real miles - yes, I would be on an exercise bike within weeks, but with most of my left quad muscle being dead to even muscle stim - I was told to not hold my breath...

4 months after the TKR (staring at my brand new Bicycle hanging in the garage over my car) I started riding - true, the first ride was bout 400 yards. Mostly because I was scared, out of breathe (remember, fat guy with a bad heart) - but it was a beginning.

By June I was bouncing around 100 mile weeks (FYI - my knee felt better riding than walking, AND, Frank felt better overall on the days I rode)

Rotator Cuff surgery in July blew my program all to hell. By the time I was allowed to start riding again (last week of Sept) I was back in the hospital with PEs (and couldn't breathe well).

Just tonight my blood O2 is bouncing around 96-97% (up from 93%) so am planning to start riding tomorrow (close to home for a while).

A few things I learned:
A DR that does not ride, does not have any clues as to when you *can* ride.
Pursue knowledge about scar 'healing', and what to rub on it daily to make it both strong and supple. (my left knee scar was 20.5 inches long, was .75 inches wide - would *pull* at any bend over 30 degrees - would burn each summer, and would actually bleed due to any minor cause) - The scar is now 26 inches long, .32 inches wide - does *NOT* pull for any reason or at any time - can be rubbed like any other skin, and does *NOT* have the under-lying massive scar lumpiness because of what my PT people did to me (and it) and the weird (grease? lard?) they rubbed into it for weeks on end.

My issues are not like your issues at all - we are two totally different people - BUT - where your *problem* is/was will make or break your ability to ride long distances with any degree of comfort - am I wrong? So - talk to the 'scar' people and learn what you can do (like right now and as soon as possible) to make that area of skin comfy and strong.

One thing my PT DR did to me, I almost punched him out at the time - no one had EVER done this before - he used both hands, rubbing with very hard pressure all along my scar to break up the lumpy tissue below the skin (this created much pain - and 26 inches of blood blisters the next day) - but was the beginning of no longer ever feeling the scar again. Fast forward to today - there is no tightness anywhere around the scar, my wife rubs this lotion over it every night without me feeling ill (I still can't do it myself)...

Anyhow, I do not have a clear understanding of the cause of your issue - but, great healing here is the key for you - so learn what needs be done to achieve this. And, I will bet, that you will "magically" be able to ride longer and farther when this is all over and done

Oh, and buy some "Tucks" cleansing pads with witch hazel - very refreshing

Peter_C

PS - all kidding aside???

Google "episiotomy care" - sorta like your result perhaps??


Witch hazel, the main ingredient in most hemorrhoid pads, helps decrease swelling in skin tissue.

Read more: How to Care for an Episiotomy Postpartum | eHow.com https://www.ehow.com/how_9822_care-ep...#ixzz11S0xvHzJ

dbikingman

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, the good news is that hopefully we won't have to hear about the ailment again. I'm sure the 600 is in your future.

I hear chicks dig scars.

Sorry, the whole thing must be a pain in the arse.

If while swimming you are bubbling at both ends, the incision isn't healed.

CliftonGK1

It wasn't quite as big as a door...

The extra fiber isn't typically necessary because of my diet. The wife and I have very healthy fridge full of food, and more fiber isn't usually a concern. For now after the surgery, I can't eat a lot of roughage just yet, so the powdered fiber is a necessary evil. Blech. As for other meds, I don't take anything else on a routine basis. Just for the post-op recovery I'm taking a few things; but I'll keep the scheduling in mind and see if it makes a difference.

There's a lot of things the wife will help me with, but rubbing lotion on this scar on a nightly basis just ain't gonna happen.

The cause was most likely dehydration and poor diet during a long ride early in the season. Probably caused the fissure back in the spring, and then reaggrivation with each ride and not taking any time off to heal because I didn't recognize the problem for what it really was brought it to the point of needing surgical correction.
The doc is almost certain that there will be no reoccurrance once I heal up.

Mazama

Man that has got to hurt. Did riding a bike cause that, or straining?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

bautieri

Lets see...I was told I would be back to full activity and better than before in 2 weeks. That was in the begining of July. I still can't jog, jump, or take the exercise bike up to a level that simulates even a gentle hill without undue pain and a feeling like my knee is comming apart. Yay knee surgery. My bike has been parked since the middle of June and it taunts me to go for a ride every time I walk by her.

CliftonGK1

The doctor's guess is that it's indirectly related to riding. Initially, cycling won't cause a fissure all on its own. But if you do some crazy long distances and don't hydrate properly, the aftermath of that can cause the initial fissure. Continuing to ride will further irritate the issue and it becomes self perpetuating: The fissure draws tissue into the scar formation, stenosing the opening. You do a #2, which re-opens the fissure, causing it to draw more tissue into the scar and further stenosing the opening. Over and over. The doc said that I actually wasn't too bad off and that things will return to normal; but in 35 years of practice he's seen people who ignored the problem until the stenosis was so bad the the opening was the size of a pencil. Yikes!

Knee surgery is a tricky thing; a friend here is having similar issues. She had her knee scoped for a possible meniscal tear, they found some nodules instead and removed those. She was supposed to be fine in a month, and it still hurts for her to bend it more than 45 degrees.
Hopefully things will return to where you can ride again soon.

Peter_C

Wait a minute??? Wasn't that told to you *before* you went out and ahem... *tore* something?

Homeyba

I don't know if you are aware of this story or not but I'll tell it anyway.
Back in 2006 on my first RAAM at about 40mph I t-boned a van that turned in front of me 87+/- miles from the start. Believe it or not, they made me go to the hospital. I had the usual injuries, lacerations from my knee to my butt, across my knee and on my elbow. A broken elbow (snapped the tip off), One hole in the side of my knee about the diameter of a golf ball and down to the bone (it looked like a piranha bit me). Several really big hematomas, one on my elbow filled with a lot of fluid and a wide assortment of roadrash.
The ER Dr was talking about skin grafts and taking skin off my butt to cover the hole in my knee. I asked him how I was going to ride my bike if he did that. He looked at me kind of funny and said "you aren't." I asked what would happen if he we didn't do the skin graft and he said you'll have an ugly scar. hmmmm, I think my modeling days are over and the scars from the lacerations were still going to be there so the heck with that! I told him as soon as I got out of the hospital I was getting back on the bike so he called a sports DR in to work on me. 90 stitches latter and some instructions to our teams EMT from the Sports Dr on how to care for the divot in the side of my knee and we were in the car catching back up to the rest of the team. We caught them in AZ and I was able to get on my back-up bike and ride. We replaced the broke crank arm, rear Zipp wheel and my shoes/pedals (yeah I broke my shoe!)on my main bike and I rode that the rest of the way across the US.

Glad you went to the DR and got things fixed! You'll be back in the saddle before you know it!

bautieri

Yeah, a little uber-birdy said this might happen

Neil_B

Any improvement, Cliftongk1?