Well that's me off my bike for a while

[Katherine]

How are you today?

 

[cosmicbike]

Playing catch up here. Glad it went well @SatNavSaysStraightOn and look forward to your ride today, any idea how long before you can get back out on the trike?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

How are you today?

Very sore still. My muscles are putting up a lot of resistance to the new body position and I am still struggling with the operation site swelling up badly in the evening and I can't take antiinflammatories sadly.
It's not as bad as it was but I have had an entire weekend of morphine every 4hrs night and day and not being able to get comfortable. I kind of expected it tbh.
I've just had a shower and am feeling slightly better for that and once the DWP have rung me (I have a time slot) I will go for a walk which not only helps but is getting easier again. I'm back to where I was distance wise to before the op, I'm just working on the speed side of life. Cycling will be a few weeks yet.

I am probably going to have to have another lie down this afternoon, if pain allows.
Sadly I also still have a chest infection and now a short throat from coughing constantly. Coughing does not help my back pain!

 

[Scoosh]

Very gentle and .

Take Care, Emma.

 

[Katherine]

Well done, hope everything continues to improve.

 

[MikeW-71]

I've been following the thread. I'm glad things seem to be starting to improve overall.

Best wishes

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thank you everyone. It is much appreciated.

I had been starting to suffert considerable pain in the joint between the sacrum and pelvis on my left side whilst out walking each time which would last and last. So I had a think and removed my custom orthopaedics from my shoes. Things have improved considerably now and ih have returned to a or evenly distributed lower back pain again! I guess my inner soles are going to need to be adjusted again which is problematic given I can't (yet) travel anywhere. But at least I have the pain even again, one side and really badly was concerning me!

 

[raleighnut]

Thank you everyone. It is much appreciated.

I had been starting to suffert considerable pain in the joint between the sacrum and pelvis on my left side whilst out walking each time which would last and last. So I had a think and removed my custom orthopaedics from my shoes. Things have improved considerably now and ih have returned to a or evenly distributed lower back pain again! I guess my inner soles are going to need to be adjusted again which is problematic given I can't (yet) travel anywhere. But at least I have the pain even again, one side and really badly was concerning me!

Its feasible that when they fused your spine that they corrected any sideways 'tilt' in your pelvis. You did post that you were now taller post-op.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Its feasible that when they fused your spine that they corrected any sideways 'tilt' in your pelvis. You did post that you were now taller post-op.

It is entirely feasible. I know that my left leg is actually shorter than my right leg and have always have pelvic tilt issues, but it has always been put down to the leg length nothing more. It is anyone's guess now but I suspect a curvature of the spine has been straightened. I do know I am in a completely different posture on my spine than before, and from what I know of spinal posture, this one seems to be better than the one I used to hold!

[QUOTE 3705836, member: 9609"]I guess with your change in posture it will take a little time for all the tendons and ligaments to accept their new position/length, also with a couple of vertebrae fused, I would imagine flexibility in movement will need to come from somewhere else, may be the SI joint is having to move a little more than usual and is just complaining about its new duties.

How did they fuse your vertebrae ? when they were going to do mine (they decided not to operate in the end) they were going to take some bone from my pelvis, crush it up and pack it around the knackered vertebrae along with some metal work to hold it place until it all fused. I remember reading the removal of bone from the pelvis could also set up SI pain.[/QUOTE]

Some of the flexibility will come from the next vertebrae up, and the rest I guess from the hypermobility I have always suffered from - that was one of the reasons for the custom orthopaedic innersoles which I will at some point most certainly have to get looked at. I have always had way too much flexibility and until all of this started one of my party tricks was to stand on my tip toes and put my palms of my hands on the floor and then bend my elbows (obviously with legs straight etc). This won't cure my hypermobility, so I will also have to take very special care of that next vertebrae up because I now know it is the wrong shape and whilst healthy now, it does not mean it will stay that way.

As for the operation, I took the decision that I really didn't want to know until after I had recovered. Sometimes I think it is better to trust in the consultants judgement and not always be as fully informed as you could be and I had heard more than enough from numerous sources to know that my new consultant is exceptionally well thought of around these parts and with one of the local hospitals around here, that is saying something.

Also when you get to a certain point with chronic pain you really have had enough and details of a major op can just be too much. I think I had reached that point in my case.
I do know that there is no other scaring other than the op site which is much smaller than expected and the drain site, so I think they have used the artificial bone option for the fusing along with the 2 pins between the 2 vertebrae, but I will confirm on my consultants appointment in June. I understand that they metal work stays in place for life.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm really pleased that things have improved so much - it was awful thinking of you stuck in that room by yourself all day long or struggling to do short walks.

I never had the pain or that degree of immobility when I was ill, but not being able to get out on my bike was doing my head in so I can imagine how bad it was for you, especially since you are a more adventurous type than me!

I hope that you keep progressing and eventually come along on another one of my forum rides. Glasson Dock, 2016 edition perhaps?

 

[roadrash]

I hope that you keep progressing and eventually come along on another one of my forum rides. Glasson Dock, 2016 edition perhaps?
perhaps that could be an incentive for me too, it would be good to meet more cyclechatters, i think ive only met three.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm really pleased that things have improved so much - it was awful thinking of you stuck in that room by yourself all day long or struggling to do short walks.

I'm still stuck in the house, bit can now have a choice of 2 rooms if I can get comfortable in the OAP chair as it had been nicknamed.
Walking is getting easier thankfully. I'm not back to what I was doing pre the last op yet but it is much easier. There is still issues controlling the right leg, only time is going to tell if that will heal. Fingers crossed there. I still have a lot of operation selling around the spine which will take many more weeks to heal because I can't have nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Hopefully as things improve on that front they will continue to improve elsewhere. I still can't lead with my right leg upstairs. It can't hold me yet, so stairs are one step at a time but time will tell on that front ads well.

Trying to sit still hurts but it is operation pain that I get first after around a minute, so still not able to leave my home... And I have to wait a while longer to get on the trike as well, but I think I need to order the parts to get the changes made that I wanted made whilst I was off it.

Glason Docks 2016.. 100km on a trike at my current speed. Well I guess it is a target to aim for @roadrash it would be great to see you there as well!

Right now, I'm positive that fusng my spine was the best thing to happen. I know it is still very early after the op, but things feel so much better inside I can't explain it. They have never felt like this. I also can't believe how good it feels so soon after the op is what 10 days now? Maybe 11 if I sit down and work it out. Definitely the right thing for me, luckily!

 

[Katherine]

@SatNavSaysStraightOn, How are you and how is the recovery going?

 

[classic33]

I had a dream possibly inspired by your trike. I dreamt that I had got a recumbent trike, but this was special ... It was an amphibious one. Somebody asked me how you steered it on water and I had to admit that I hadn't tried it yet. Unfortunately, as is often the way in dreams, I left it somewhere and couldn't find it again.

This the one you mislaid?

 

[classic33]

Thank you. It is so very hard not to compare.
I have actually considered deleting all my strava data or creating a new account just to see progress...but I don't know. guess I am just having a bad time at the moment. it is so very frustrating with me still not being able to sit up and being confined to bed for the rest of the day when not on the trike, but only being able to manage so little when I am on it, sorry it feels like very little. I have been at the start again from scratch point too many times in my life now. The last one only being 3 years ago after the dog bite injury. AHAHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh

How much of that was actually done on three wheels though. Don't delete it, set a new account up for the trike. I think everyone that has gone over onto a recumbent has seen their times drop at the start. Aware there's additional problems, but look at it as a progress chart, if nowt else.
I've started from scratch myself a few times, the important part is you're not willing to accept defeat.