Post Op – Week 4… “Getting on my nerves”

Am now through week 4 post op and beginning to calendar watch with my Mon 21st Sept fracture clinic appointment on the horizon. Got to stop it otherwise time will drag on…!!!!

Mental Aspect…

Hands up those who think having loads of time on your hands is a good thing…? For me it most definitely is NOT. One of my less endearing traits and something fired across my bows reasonably frequently recently is that I think too much, I have a tendency to over think things. I would not say that this is a natural skill, this is certainly something that has manifested itself from my career path of Project / Programme management where you get paid to document all tasks, desired outcomes, risk mitigation, eventualities both positive and negative. The bigger discussion on whether this is good or bad can ramble on for those close enough to me but for the here and now it most definitely is not a good thing. Going from a seriously active lifestyle, training multiple hours a day, every day, flying around here and there to this non-weight bearing , bum on sofa existence is not great for my mental state and hence the reason why the more prominent challenges through these early post-op weeks have been mental.

As I have come off the morphine haze the masked world of reality has loomed large. Those previous worries regarding financial aspects, those relationship and work aspect demands have returned (boo)…

Instead of allowing a negative spiral to begin with this ability to over analyse I have been constantly reminded, this week, by old and new friends that I have the character and the drive to get through this phase in my life. I have been in worse situations and my life has multiple references to that of a person fighting to achieve through challenge and diversity.

Instead I am reminded that I need to give my body the best chance to recover and that mental stress can impact all things physical then I have to ditch that career attribute and go back to being somewhat impulsive and deal with the here and now and not some theoretical task list… This is the big battle, but lessons are always being learnt, and this will not beat me. I cannot allow reflection on this period to be negative and thus impacting me going forward.

 

Recovery…

Food… Has always been an important part of my life. I have allowed more treats than I would usually and whilst still watching that I do not suddenly balloon up in weight it has been more relaxing. The reason I put an emphasis on the weight aspect is because of mobility… with my arm restrictions I need to be conscious on its limitations and the related impacts of trying to lug extra kilo’s around. It is not a major issue as I still feel strong but an unusual thought process for me in making life a little easier for myself down the road. This consideration has also influenced the desire to ensure that my training going forward is not just cycle / leg specific but also that my core and upper body are as strong as they can be.

Sleep… Overall ok, however a side effect of this injury and subsequent surgery is the compromising of nerves, hence why the title. Surgery is complex and deep and consequently nerves are impacted greatly and post-surgery I had no / extremely limited nerve feeling on the left hip, thigh, going down through the leg to the knee. What a weird feeling… stabbed with a pin you would not feel it, brush the side of your thigh you vary from sensitivity. Move to the top and inner parts of the thigh, again varying levels of sensitive from nothing to hyper. That was then..! Now the nerves are dancing all over the place and bouncing from the sublime to the ridiculous in intensity activity. During this week, my sleep is being impacted by searing heat tingles, to darting / shooting pains as my nerve activity appears to be returning. My body is recovering, and this is a consequence… an inconvenience but happy to feel it.

Rehabilitation…

 

Mobilegs crutches… These things have made a difference in the limited movement I am allowed. As previously explained, these are under-arm biased, so I have an opportunity to lesser the pressure on hands specifically. I have also added a little handlebar tape to the hand grips to make them a little more comfortable. I am hoping that these will come into their own when allowed to be weight bearing. Fingers crossed.

 

 

 

Compex SP8… I have read through the literature but finding someone that has the experience and knowledge of what programmes to use is priceless. Step forward Ben Wright of Ben-efit… He was recommended to me by my coach Dave and from the very beginning talking via social media and then arranging a visit, a super knowledgeable, welcoming, and real infectious guy.

My 1st ventures out and together with my mate Sean we drive over to Orpington, Kent to visit Ben’s studio. The plan is to meet each other, Ben to share some of the Compex programmes that will help in my early rehab phase, certainly with the nerves. Also, to share his experience of the Wim Hof breathing techniques… which when he had Sean on the Watt Atom bike and then laid on the exercise mat following some beginner techniques was just simply amazing with the results. The benefits of enabling the full potential of the lungs and its impact to deliver power is one of those ‘marginal gains’ that I will definitely be looking to adopt when I get back into the swing of cycling. At that point I will explain more… for now I am performing some daily breathing sessions that take no longer than 10mins and learning through you tube videos.

 

We talked, shared experiences the 3 of us… the expected coffee machine working in the background. What a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon learning new things, forging a new friendship, and being influenced by this infectiously positive guy.

He has multiple business activities and the Ben-efit studio is geared for 8-hour bike fit sessions. Extremely comprehensive in all aspects leveraging up to date equipment and software, this will certainly be something I will leverage when I get back to some normal fitness and riding levels.

For now, week 4 sees me attached to the Compex system for 3+ hours a day in various positions leveraging multiple programmes. The aim… nerve pain management / stimulation and quad atrophy benefits.

 

Add to all that practical stuff the first week of the Tour de France and I have a few things to keep me occupied and entertained… ‘appy days…!’