Cast is Off, New Bike Ordered

The cast is off. Time to do a little dance! 😁💃 it was such a relief, I am sure that there were birds nesting in it 🤦‍♀️. I can’t start running until 1st June, to give the ribs a bit more time to heal. It will then be a run/walk for the first 2 or 3 weeks, to see how things go.

The turbo though is calling. Riding with one hand is tough, but things can only improve.  Physio started on Wednesday, with a phone physio session - quite weird really, the exercises are tough and the hand is like a block of wood.  

Things can only get better,  I have little or no wrist movement at the moment and can expect to get 30% of my original movement back. 

My OH is being a dream. My EnviLiv bike is having her paint chips professionally repaired and will be going into my local bike shop (LBS) next week. The soul searching is over and I shall keep it as a challenge, the target is to do Ironman Stafford on it; June 13th 2021!

In the interim period, I have been treated to a LivAvail endurance bike, the LBS have offered to adjust the bike and add the extra brakes in the middle of the handlebars free of charge for me.  

I tend to be a bit of lunatic going down hills, mainly to make up for the lack of speed going up, so braking won't be a problem, which is probably a good thing😆!

The new bike should arrive and have the brakes fitted sometime towards the end of June, in reality I don't want to collect it from the LBS until I can ride it home. That probably sounds sad, but new bike day is new bike day, and something to look forward to and enjoyed 😁

Hopefully by the middle of June I can think about swimming. If my wrist is quite rigid it may help me streamlining in the water, which might stop the crab swimming.... so maybe a positive. 😃

I also need to think about driving. Not possible at the moment, changing to an automatic maybe the best solution. 

Anyway onwards and upwards, thank you to everyone who is supporting me, and reading this. I do hope you are not to bored. 

Stage 2 - Cast Removal Day 😬

Well today in about 4 hrs, I am hoping to have the cast removed, so fingers crossed this goes ahead.

I am very nervous of the cast coming off, equally, it definitely needs to be removed, it has been on my arm for 9 1/2 weeks, it has been very warm weather, to say it is a bit "minty" is an understatement. 👃💩.

The amount of walking I have done has surprised even myself! on one occasion I was walking down a country lane, doing my arm excercises (as you do!) when a car stopped and asked if i was ok, they thought I was trying to flag them down. 😆

Socially distanced coffee on the go, is my new norm. Walking alone, with friends and on a couple of occasions, total strangers! I realised afterwards they could well have been rapists or murderers, but they seemed friendly enough at the time. What I have discovered is that there is plenty in my local area to be discovered, walks, information, fascinating people. People doing great things. 

My target was to walk 100 miles during May by the time the cast came off, as at last night; Monday 25th May, a total 136.6 miles have been covered, taking a time of 34 hrs, by my calculation that is an average of 4.01 miles per hour and average of 5.464 miles per day. That seems quite reasonable. 


The last few weeks have been a soul search. I tried half heartedly to sell my beautiful EnviLiv. I say tried, I didn't try very hard, also She now has 3 paintwork chips on her that need to be repaired, so no one will want to buy her till they are sorted, and, to be honest, I don't really want to sell her. 

A friend of mine is a physiotherapist, she is a kind, generous lady, and is helping me with excercises on my arm whilst I still have the cast on. This involves a 1kg bag of rice, 4 pegs and a mug. 

The bag of rice has been tied to my arm with pair of old tights, I then have to bring my thumb to my mouth, (not my mouth to my thumb). this took a few days but I can now do it. 

 

The pegs have to be removed from the mug with my thumb and one finger at a time, they then have to be put back on the mug using only the thumb and one finger.  She certainly knows what she is talking about. The results have not been huge, but I have started to get some movement back in my hand, and hopefully in time the muscle will start to build.

Another person, has very kindly offered me the use of a swimming pool to help with the rehab. I am bowled over by this, no one has to make such offers, it is unbelievably kind.

So now it’s off to the hospital and fingers crossed, I will be back later without the cast. 

Muscle loss and Using your core

In one of my first blogs, I commented that my swim instructor said I wasn't using my core, hence the crab 🦀 like swimming technique!! No one really seemed to be able to explain what they meant. Afterall it's OK saying it and you can even shout it, but if someone (me) doesn't understand it, it can be said or shouted till someone is blue in the face, makes didly squat difference really. 

Someone advised me to read an excellent article, How to find your core. For me it has proved really helpful. I adopted this during my daily walks. During the first few days, it felt really strange, but like all things in life your body has an amazing way of adapting. Hopefully when I am able to start running again, it will help as well.

Pilates has been a saviour really, adding in core strength work as well has helped me try and reduce the muscle loss. 

The muscle mass that has disappeared from my arms is alarming, specifically the left arm. I never really gave it much thought, doing various strength exercises regularly, like kettle bells and weights, carrying a bag with golf clubs during the winter, everything helped. 

My arms now do not look like I own them. They should belong to someone at least 20 years older than me, and certainly someone who has never moisturised!!!  It's come as a bit of a shock to see these crinkly things at the end of my shoulders! I will never be able to wear sleeveless shirts again. 

A lot of people have said that as soon as I start weight training again the muscle will start to return, but can you ever undo crinkly skin, I don't think so!!  If there is a secret out there please let me know urgently.  

During my many walks, a number of people have entertained me at the end of their drives. I have had cake, coffee, tea and even managed to come home on one occasion with 6 freshly laid eggs 🐓🐓, it strikes me that hikers are probably very well fed 🤣🤣.

On VE Day. We had a socially distanced Street Party. I dressed as a land girl, well why wouldn't you 😏.  I went for a short walk in this odd looking outfit, you do get some very odd looks, (well I seem to). Lady dressed as a land girl, with lime green cast & crinkly arm, speed walking past, it must indeed have frightened the local cats, and, other small animals, let alone their owners.  

Good People, Hill Repeats😷 and Pilates 🙆🏼‍♀️

My hand has reduced in size as the swelling has gone down, the bruising has all but disappeared, and I can now wiggle my fingers. Progress in deed! 

Walking has been quite therapeutic even in the rain 🌦.  

I have to say a big thank you to my Pilates Instructor, at Lutterworth Pilates and Therapy Centre; Nikki has been superb with her advice, especially when I have been a bit down, she suggested that as the ribs started healing, speed walking and hill repeats would be good. 

As I heal more, squats and lunges can be added. Unbelievably, she has also offered to come running with me, as and when I can start again - not likely to be for a good few months, it is something I am very nervous about, so her support is much appreciated. 

I have discovered there are a lot of things that are challenging with one arm, “things” have become “things” that I never considered or knew existed....equally amazingly, it is surprising how quickly your body adjusts to deal with “ things”. 

Chopping Radishes (of course) 🍎
Squeezing a toothpaste tube AND getting the toothpaste on the tooth brush! 😂
Doing up the laces on my trainers.👟
Filing finger nails! 💅
Opening tins! 🥫
Blow drying my hair - although because of lockdown, I am starting to look like a yeti 😆
Washing hands! ✋Hand gel and wipes are my new best friends! 
Doing up zips........

The list is long, and I do find myself tittering to myself, which I know is sad, but it is quite funny. 

My OH stands looking at me, we both know he is happy to help, but being the independent, "I can manage on my own sort of person" struggling for 10 minutes is of course preferable to saying, can you do this for me, or can you help me with this.🤦‍♀️

I have said in a couple of posts, how I’m lucky to know such good people, and to have such supportive friends. I owe a lot of people for keeping me positive and supporting me. A HUGE Thank you xxx