jppe

Count me in the group big time!!

Losing 60 pounds, Riding 5000-8000 miles per year while doing some fairly tough rides and eating well over the past 10 years left me "feeling good". Feeling good generally meant feeling rested and energetic. I'd start feeling bad when I hadn't ridden in a while. Getting back on the bike, getting the HR up and blood flowing would fix about anything. I bet many of you can relate.

For the time being I've lost "my wheels". I have severe reactive arthritis in both knees and feet and ankles. I also have some tenderness in some of my ribs/spine. The arthritis creates swelling in the joints and area which greatly restricts movement. They pulled over 80 cc's of fluid off of one knee and could have pulled off twice that much if I could have withstood the procedure that long!

Movement and pressure HURTS like heck. Going from a sitting to a standing position takes some internal motivation knowing it's going to be painful. The pain promotes inactivity which is the total pits for someone who enjoys being active. The inactivity promotes being lethargic. My leg muscles are shriveling at a rapid rate. It's a vicious, rapid and tough cycle.

The cure is to simply get the inflammation and swelling down and it's usually treatable with meds. I just need for it to happen faster! I had a bout with this stuff 30 years ago and was on crutches for a while. Obviously it went away after treatments. Hopefully it will do the same this time around as well.

I'm going to set up my trainer to see if I can do some very light spinning-not sure if I can bend my knee enough to rotate it through the full pedal stroke or if I can even kick my heel out to unclip. Might just remove one pedal and use one leg. We'll see.

Enjoy feeling good!!!!! You just never know when you're NOT going to feel good.

Shifty

All the best to you with the treatments for getting this under control and getting back to your active life. It surely won't be easy, you can draw in that endurance from cycling to complete the treatment journey. Follow the docs advice, rest up and celebrate the improvements that are sure to come. Hang in there, we're with you all the way!

XR2

Good luck.

I shouldn't be breathing after the treatment I've bestowed on me. After 30+ years of chemical warfare on my brain I'm still able to type this. If I die today it's been good. No one knows about the conditions I suffer from 'cause I don't want to hear "well you brought it on yourself". Hell I already know that and wish it could be changed but all I can do is don't do it anymore.

Hermes

JPPE, I hated your walker threads because of the implication. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Bud Bent

jppe, I hope the treatment helps and you're back to riding, soon. I was also very fit and feeling smug about how healthy I was until a CT scan proved otherwise. Believe me, no lightning bolt can strike that feeling down any faster than a lung cancer diagnosis.

XR2, lifestyle is, after all, the cause of most major diseases and conditions. I would hope that most of us here aren't too judgmental about the unhealthy things that we did, and habits and addictions that started, back when we were young and bulletproof.

Bionicycle

I try not to take my health Good or otherwise for granted. I'm trying to recover some of the health I've lost. I could go into a very long story about what all is wrong with me at this time, but I'm just very thankful for the things that are still right with me...

Sometimes health is very much like wealth... We all have our ups and downs. I hope things start looking up for you Jppe.

cyclinfool

I also take it for granted and wonder why I don't bounce back as easily as I did when younger.

As far as your desire to get back at it - please talk to your Docs and see that you don't prolong recovery. Since yours is a disease of inflammation, it is possible that anything that exacerbates it could cause a longer time to heal. Please be very careful here.

BengeBoy 

One thing I enjoy about cycling is that it reminds me how fortunate I am to be able to ride a bike.

By the time you get to be our age, we all know people who can't do it any more, or had their health or lives snatched away too early.

For inspiration -- here's a story by one of our LBS owners, Bob Freeman (a very noted bike collector as well). It's about his Dad, who had stopped riding at age 74 and then recently decided to "get back into shape" and ride 90 miles on his 90th birthday.

Here's the story:

https://www.bicyclepaper.com/articles...80%94_90_at_90

Yen

Usually, yes. The trouble with cycling is it make you feel decades younger (I feel better than I did in my 30s!!) and often look decades younger, so it fools us into thinking we are much younger. That wind-in-your-face feeling takes us back to childhood. Meanwhile, years of actual wear and tear on our joints is just waiting to explode the minute we tweak or twist or push too hard one day.

The diagnosis of rotator cuff tendinosis (and possible partial RC tear) in my right shoulder is my first issue that didn't heal or feel better in a few days. Yesterday, for the first time, it hurt while riding after about 35 miles. The reality is that this isn't an injury I can ignore -- RC injuries don't heal on their own, they only get worse. At the PT facility I saw many young people (20-something or younger) doing injury rehab ----- it can happen at any age.

cehowardGS

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

I have the crazy arthiritis too. I fight it tooth and nail. I hit the gym about 6 times a week. The doc told me to go light when it hurts, and that is what I do. When it stops hurting, I go all out.. That makes times in between attacks long, very long.

My message is, never stop fighting!!!

Swift and safe peddlin to you,

ceh

Jiffyjam

4 way bypass 2 1/2 years ago taught me a few things...but I had lived what most would consider a healthy lifestlye.

buelito

+1 recover quickly-- you need to go to COlorado in June

train safe-

hikeandbike

JPPE,
With very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. I'm sure most of us have stories to share relating to health. I think it's a byproduct of aging to recognize that we are mortal and the complexity of our bodies. Cheating the aging process by staying in shape is physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Can't imagine being my age, very close to 60, and taking good health for granted. It's easy to temporally forget when things are good, but unfortunately there are regular reminders. Keep the faith, back in the saddle when you can.

Phil85207

That so true. Back in the day just about everyone smoked. It was odd to know someone who didn't smoke. My folks didn't smoke but they were the exception. Its hard to believe it now. How times have changed, sometimes for the better.

Yen

Joe, best wishes for a fast and complete recovery. I know how much you love riding, and how difficult this time must be. It helps me to find "plan B", something I really enjoy though not my first choice, when I can't control the demise of "plan A". I hope this will turn into a positive experience for you, one way or another.

DnvrFox

Joe- my very best for a speedy recovery. I understand exactly what you are saying. We all need to live each day to the fullest, no matter our physical condition. Easy to say, hard to do.

When I went into my son's room, after we had flown to Baton Rouge and learned he was permanently paralyzed, he looked at me and said, "Dad, I guess I have some more challenges in my life." He has met the challenges. We all can.

Bare Feet

I hear in your voice that you are willing to put the work into recovering your strength once the inflammation is down. And that's really one of the most important things. Until then, I understand how hard it is to cope with each day, as they probably seem so long right now. I think cyclinfool and ceh made some good points about not overdoing exercise, at least without doctor/PT advice.

My very best wishes to you jppe. Keep us posted.

NOS88

Every morning when I wake up, I think: OK, I made it to another day. It may be my last, so go out and live it. Even when I am suffering from something, I try to figure out how to get the most out of the day. (Here I must confess that sometimes getting the most out of a day means taking a little nap first.) I sure hope your recovery goes quickly and you'fe once again feeling good.

Wildwood 

jppe - sorry to hear your ailing. Speedy recovery.

I have enjoyed exceptional health all my life, but just learned I have a herniated disc and degenerative disc disease in lumbar - where did this come from? Sometimes these things can't be explained to our satisfaction.

Hope you are back on your bikes (painfree) AFTER your recovery. I know I will be.

cranky old dude

jppe, I hear what you're saying.

My then 15 year old daughter taught me a strong lesson back in early '05. She had finally come home from a 3 1/2 month long hospital stay for digestive tract issues. She had not been allowed any food or drink by mouth during her entire stay and underwent three major surgeries. She even contracted a few serious infections that were compliments of the hospital. Through it all, she studied her school work almost daily and actually rose to the top of her class.

After she got home and was basicly recovered, I asked her how she had managed to get through the ordeal as well as she did. She told me that each day when she woke up in the hospital she just told herself "This is my life today and I've just got to deal with it."

Well sir,this is your life today and you are dealing with it, sometimes with humorous posts and sometimes with philosophical discussions, but you are dealing with it.

And as for reminders of the fragility of life and good health I only need to glance over towards my bride who's struggling with M.S. for my daily dose of reality. She always took such good care of herself yet she suffers so much,while I abused my body in almost every way invented by man and have yet to pay any price at all. Yes life is fragile and good health is a gift and hardly any of it ever seems fair, does it?

Keep up the positive thoughts and heal up 'cause your bike is waiting.

big john

jppe, we've not met but it seems you are one of the truly nice guys here and I hate to read about your bout with Arthur. Hoping you get well as fast as possible.

Rick@OCRR

Good luck with the recovery jppe!

My doctor told me (last visit) that I had arthritis in my lower back. "Fairly common." he said. Thankfully no pain from it yet. Oh well, I'm over 60, body parts are bound to be wearing out!

I guess I kinda do take good health for granted, while still trying to have a healthy lifestyle, careful what I eat, ride the bike lots, try to keep up with big john on the climbs . . . and hope for the best.

My asthma has come back recently, probably just to remind me not to take anything for granted!

Rick / OCRR

Allegheny Jet

jppe, Wishing you a full and active recovery. Hopefully once you get the clearance to begin riding and/or working out again your fitness will quickly return. You have developed a strong motor and have the mindset and motivation to "return to normal" which should make recovery even faster. As some others have suggested make sure any activity or endeavor you enter into will not add to inflammation. Just be careful that you don't have a setback by trying too hard or too soon.

I had my arthritic ankle fused last Dec 1 and on Jan 1, I spent 20 minutes riding the trainer with a platform pedal. I slowly worked up to longer trainer rides and even riding rollers by early Feb, all the while disobeying doctor's orders. By mid-Feb I was nearly full on riding, rode my age on my birthday in late Feb, and did my first race on March 6th. On March 12th my doctor cleared me for riding a bike again. I also did a lot of core exercises and pull-ups over the period and avoided exercises that required any support from my feet. I never felt that I was pushing my recovery and believe my activities promoted recovery. For me the hardest part of being down for 2+ months was keeping weight gain down to a minimum.

Neil_B

I never take anything for granted. I've spent the past five years trying to live every day.

big john

funny guy