Well that's me off my bike for a while

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

Changed hemispheres!
The ride to the consultants appointment went OK and I got to use my blue badge for the first time... :ohmy:
The hospital managed to find me a room to lie down in at the bottom of a corridor we had never been down before, so it was a good thing we had the wheelchair handy...
My consultant came and found me in the room rather than use going to him and is happy with the progress I am making even if it is slow and as he put it 'contradictory' (in that some of my issues don't tie in with some of what I can do in other areas, but then I think he forgot about my hypermobility which often complicates matters and allows me to do far more than I should be able to do...) any how I'm back for another review in 6 weeks (rather than 3 months) and an X-ray next time as well which will be good to see that everything is OK and I will get to see what my fused spine looks like now...

Sadly this does however mean I am now well enough to attend my parents wedding anniversary do at the end of the month... they have 2 reclining sofas that I can use to recover from the car journey to them... there are some downsides to getting better you know!

Good news!

How's the cycling going? Are you slowly extending your range on the trike?

Yes - slowly. But today went really well. I will be writing it up in the my ride today thread shortly.

I am 'training' a lady for a sponsored bike ride from her pub to Snowdon. She hadn't ridden a bike since her childhood and took up the challenge less than a month ago. I have been helping her for 3 weeks now, and today was set aside for a longer ride. In 3 week I have managed to get her from struggling to ride 11 miles to finding 42.5 miles easy! Though she is still struggling with climbing, she still manages to beat me up most things despite having to stop 2 or 3 times (I have the slow and steady won't stop approach)... I'm not sure how I am going to get her much further with my 'lack' of speed. With her work hours and having children as well it is difficult to get her out, so I think we are probably going to just have to work on hills and strength up them rather than anything else now. I think she is beginning to realise that she can easily do the distance! Anyhow today was also my longest and fastest ride to date which came as a bit of a surprise and I had have known I was 1/2 mile off 30 miles I would have ridden my lane again and made up that extra half mile! Oh well.
 
Last edited:

Katherine

Guru
Moderator
Location
Manchester
The ride to the consultants appointment went OK and I got to use my blue badge for the first time... :ohmy:
The hospital managed to find me a room to lie down in at the bottom of a corridor we had never been down before, so it was a good thing we had the wheelchair handy...
My consultant came and found me in the room rather than use going to him and is happy with the progress I am making even if it is slow and as he put it 'contradictory' (in that some of my issues don't tie in with some of what I can do in other areas, but then I think he forgot about my hypermobility which often complicates matters and allows me to do far more than I should be able to do...) any how I'm back for another review in 6 weeks (rather than 3 months) and an X-ray next time as well which will be good to see that everything is OK and I will get to see what my fused spine looks like now...

Sadly this does however mean I am now well enough to attend my parents wedding anniversary do at the end of the month... they have 2 reclining sofas that I can use to recover from the car journey to them... there are some downsides to getting better you know!



Yes - slowly. But today went really well. I will be writing it up in the my ride today thread shortly.

I am 'training' a lady for a sponsored bike ride from her pub to Snowdon. She hadn't ridden a bike since her childhood and took up the challenge less than a month ago. I have been helping her for 3 weeks now, and today was set aside for a longer ride. In 3 week I have managed to get her from struggling to ride 11 miles to finding 42.5 miles easy! Though she is still struggling with climbing, she still manages to beat me up most things despite having to stop 2 or 3 times (I have the slow and steady won't stop approach)... I'm not sure how I am going to get her much further with my 'lack' of speed. With her work hours and having children as well it is difficult to get her out, so I think we are probably going to just have to work on hills and strength up them rather than anything else now. I think she is beginning to realise that she can easily do the distance! Anyhow today was also my longest and fastest ride to date which came as a bit of a surprise and I had have known I was 1/2 mile off 30 miles I would have ridden my lane again and made up that extra half mile! Oh well.
Well done.

Sympathies for the party!

... Or 1.5 miles short of a metric half century!
 
OP
OP
SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

Changed hemispheres!
Me, I'm still ticking along.
I'm off the morphine in the last few weeks. No issues coming off it expect for the increase in pain.
I've only ridden once since last October sadly. I'm finding that I have reached a point where my right knee is simply too sore, physically painful like the skin is on fire when you touch it, so need to see a physio about that. But my OH has no annual leave left to be able to help me get anywhere and the lady I use as a career when my OH is not available will no longer be able to help me from the end of this week. So if I can't get there myself either by crutches or wheelchair I'm stuck for any appointments. Plus I need to have access to the car as well which is not always possible... The knee issues are not only with cycling thought, they occur with walking as well, so think it is more to do with how I'm using my leg (its the one that was partially paralysed and still has issues). I've had a pedal spacer fitted to the trike pedals which seems to have helped, but I'm struggling at the moment. I'm also just coming out of a period of depression which hasn't helped much.

It has been a case of 'still here, still fighting' just very quietly.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
:hugs:
 
I recently wondered how you were and noted you hadn't posted for a while and whether that was good or bad. Mixed it seems. Look into getting help, voluntary or otherwise, you need help don't be too proud or stubborn to ask for it.
 
OP
OP
SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

Changed hemispheres!
An update just over 18 months on!

I had an interesting final review with my private consultant on Friday night just gone (final with us leaving the UK that is). The outcome of which was that
  • Everything inside is doing what it should be doing just more slowly that in someone of my age (expected and anticipated)
  • I should continue to recover for another 18 months or so
  • Everything is stable and gaps are good hence continued paralysis and sciatic nerve issues are nerve damage
  • Australia will only be good for me once I'm over the flight out there
  • The NHS would never have operated on me because the chances of recovery were too slim and I was too high a risk patient.
That final one was really chilling because I'm so much better that I ever was and continue to improve albeit at glacial pace!

My NHS physio doesn't expect me to not need the wheelchair for things like the weekly food shopping or going out shopping.
No-one including my private consultant thinks I'll get off the crutches (I'm also beginning to reach this conclusion as well sadly).

But the upside is that I can now ride on 2 wheels again, it's not easy but easier than the trike (my trike is heavy but stable) however I need help getting on and off 2 wheeled bikes. We'll see what happens for future touring but I'm determine to get out hiking again even if full on winter mountaineering is going to have to join the single track and dedicated trail mountain bike list of things I have given up, like jumps and drops!
 
Top Bottom