La Blog de La Lori

It’s been 4 weeks since my surgery, two weeks to go until I can ditch the arm sling and start PT. All in all, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. I am sure getting my muscles working again will be a painn (literally). The incisions on below my knee and on my shoulder healed really nicely and the Dr. did a great job seweing me up - like a plastic surgery closure. I do have one little spot along side the scar on my shoulder that is infected. Yesterday they put silver nitrate on it - so now it looks really funky - like someone burnt it. I hope it heals OK, but am thinking I will end up with a crater there.

Here are some pics of me a few days after the surgery, when I was still all bundled up. The back of my right leg was black and blue all the way down to my ankle from the internal bleeding from where they puled out the piece of hamstring.

(I’m a little behind in documenting my surgery. I wrote this blog the day after my pre-op, but never posted it - so it’s from late August.)

So, I had my pre-op appointment yesterday. I was very blue about the whole thing. I am SO NOT looking forward to this surgery. I told Renan, I would do anything to 1) turn back time so that I never had this stupid bike accident or 2) turn the clock forward so the surgery is over and I’m recuperated. The next 3+++ months are going to SUCK!

I had my usual list of questions for the poor doc. I asked if he was doing a modified Weaver-Dunn procedure, and he said he used to do that, but now he does something slightly different (named after a Dr. Mazzocca). He’ll take a piece of my ham string (apparently it looks like a thick piece of linguini . . . ) and loop it under one bone, drill two holes in the collar bone and bring the two ends up through those holes, use biodegradable screws to lock the muscle in place, and somehow attach the loose ends of the muscle to my shoulder bone to provide extra support. The more I ask, the less I want to know! But, somehow I can’t help myself . . . !

The procedure takes place on a Wednesday, and he says I should be back at work by Monday. We shall see. I told him not to be stingy with the drugs or the antibiotics - anything to increase my comfort and lower my anxiety . . . I actually cried about this last night. I am scared. I would do anything not to have to go through it - but apparently - I will be better off when all is said and done than I am now. Cross your fingers!!

I competed in the Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon yesterday. I came in third in the Athenas over 40 category - so I medaled! It’s a very nice medal. The official results are here - I did the whole thing in 1:36:44 (I did Jay Benson in something like 1:27).

Once again, the swim SUCKED. It’s a total mental issue for me. It wasn’t my shoulder, it wasn’t that I was winded. I just could NOT do side breathing - I would suck in water every time I put my face in the water. I know how to swim! I know how to do side breathing! I don’t know why I freeze up like this when I’m competing. I need a sports psychologist! I wish there was some way I could re-create the feeling I get in a training setting so I could work through it. I am going to call Terry Latham (swim coach) and see if she can help me somehow. Since I couldn’t stick my face in the water, I did a lovely frog-like breaststroke, like I was out for a casual Sunday swim. Ugh! Still, my swim time was only about 15 seconds over what is has been since my accident when I’m training in the pool.

The good news is, I made up a lot of time on the ride. Very good course. The run wasn’t too great, as it was already getting really hot down there by then. Still, I had fun and would probably do it again. It was my “last hurrah” before my shoulder surgery on Sept. 3rd . . .

Some things that I really liked about this tri: bike rack slots based on race number; swimming in order of projected swim time; outdoor pool; well-supported with food, water, volunteers; kids’ triathlon - what a great idea!

Some things I could have done without: no back up plan for race packet pick up (it started pouring rain and they had to pack everything up in boxes until the storm passed, then started up again out of the back of their truck); confusion for spectators about how to get in and out of pool area, where to stand out of the way, etc.; using a different pair of goggles than I’m used to (which didn’t seal tightly enough and leaked)

We had such a great trip to Peru! Even the kids said it was the most awesome vacation ever, so you know it had to be good! I posted some photos online and also created this amazing photo book that you can view online. It turned out really great (the actual book) and I would highly recommend the site (MyPublisher.com).

XOXO - Lori

I had my follow up appt with the sports medicine orthopaedist at UNM yesterday. He was not happy with my situation, and said he hoped it would have improved. He now says I have a grade 5 injury, and that it will require surgery to restore the mechanical function to a level he thinks I would be happy with. He says if I was a 50-year old couch potato, he would probably let it go. But because I’m young and active, he thinks surgery is the route to take.

I was surprised - because I thought after I told him I had been swimming and had played tennis (once) without too much aggravation, I thought he would say “great - sounds like you can live with it” and release me from care. On the other hand, I have been so ambivalent about this, so easily swayed one way or the other . . . too much gray area. I really needed someone who knows what they’re talking about to say “this is what I think you should do “. So, I was relieved on that level. I was not psyched about things when we started talking about the details of the surgery, which isn’t too different than what the doctor in Taos had told me: he is going to take a piece of my hamstring, saw off part of my collar bone, and re-build the ligaments in my shoulder. Yikes! (This sounds similar to what I have found on a “Modified Weaver Dunn” procedure–except it sounds like they don’t use the patient’s own hamstring - ? Here’s a link for more info: http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/article.asp?section=525&article=666).

I’ll be in a sling for 6 weeks with NO lifting, no movement of my upper arm. He said it will be about 3 months before I can swim or play tennis again. We are looking for dates around the end of August. Stay tuned . . .

My amazing friend, Francoise, has returned my shoulder to its former glory (ha!) . . . if were only that easy in real life.

I just had my last PT appointment. My shoulder is killing me and I have it under ice. It’s mainly sore because Renan and I played tennis yesterday - it was my first time since the accident. It actually went better than I thought it would. I had good strength and power, but pooped out after about 40 minutes. I hope to join back with my tennis team soon.

I joined a 2.5 (beginner) team at the Tennis Club of Albuquerque (TCA). I only got one game in before the accident. Unfortunately, you have to play in at least 2 games to play in the sectionals. So, the good news is, the team rocks and we are undefeated. The bad news is, I won’t be able to share the glory at sectionals (and beyond).

The Jay Benson Triathlon finally came (and went!) - I thought it would never get here! I still can’t believe I did it! (OK . . . it was a sprint triathlon . . . but still!) Here’s how I got interested: Last summer I was taking some swim classes at the tennis club from Terry Latham to work on my form. She was so great–I had been swimming laps with a snorkel for over a year (I know, I know . . . pathetic!), and within one 45 minute class, she had my doing freestyle laps without it. Pretty cool. Anyway, Terry is the one who said to me, “You know, you should really think about doing a triathlon.” I almost burst out laughing, because such a thought had NEVER entered my mind in my whole life. But, once that seed was planted, I thought, “Well, hell! Why not?!” So I started training in August for the May triathlon. (Excessive, I know, but it was a great excuse to get into shape.)

So after all those months of swimming, and cycling, and running, lifting weights, and lots of other trials and tribulations along the way (read all about ‘em in a separate blog, “Me and My (New) Shadow”), Mother’s Day finally arrived. Speaking of mothers–who are nothing without their children–I have to thank my children and husband for humoring (tolerating - ?) me all these months. I know it wasn’t always easy, and I really appreciate their support. Especially after my bike wreck, they were right behind me when I said I wanted to do the tri anyway. So were my parents, by the way–everyone was so awesome. For Mother’s Day the kids (and Renan) even got me this amazing trophy that says “You’ll always be #1 to us” with little images of a cyclist, a runner, and a swimmer.

The Jay Benson is a reverse sprint tri, so it starts off with running, then cycling, and ends with the swim. The distances are 5K, 12 miles, and 400 yards, respectively. My run rocked - it was my best time ever for a 5K (9:13 minutes/mile). My ride was pretty good, too–I did it in 42:46 minutes and my average speed was 17.4 mph. My swim, however, was a complete fiasco (15:43). And it wasn’t because of my shoulder (as one would have expected), rather I was winded from the ride and I totally freaked getting into that pool with all those people in front of me, behind me, along side me, bumping into me, thrashing about. I really need to work on desensitizing myself to that scene. I can’t imagine how I would do in a tri with an open water swim! So, my total time was 1:29:44.70. I really did OK (”fantastic”, considering my shoulder and the lack of training in the last month leading up to the race). I was 4th in the over 40 year old Athenas (women over 150 pounds), and I just missed 3rd place by 4 seconds! So, I definitely have something to work towards next year.

I was hoping to do another sprint triathlon over the summer (there’s one in Gallup, Los Alamos, Santa Fe . . . ), but they pretty much conflict with our trip to Peru, so I will look for some more events in the fall.

Here are some pics from the tri.

This is my first attempt at a blog. I’m not sure I’ve configured it right on my website, so bear with me.

As many of you know, I have been training to do my first triathlon for some time now. I had my mind set on the Jay Benson Tri, which is held at Kirtland Airforce Base here in ABQ every year. It’s a reverse sprint tri, which means the events are shorter in length and you run first, then cycle, then swim; the distances are 5K, 12 miles, and 400 yards, respectively.

On April 11th (4 weeks before the tri) I was out for a lovely ride on the Bosque trail, when I took a turn too fast and didn’t control my bike as well as I could have. I arched off the paved path and into the soft sand. When the tires of my road bike hit the sand, I flew over my handle bars and landed full-force on my right shoulder.

I knew something was wrong . . . I thought I had dislocated my shoulder. These two super nice constructions workers from across the way saw it happen and came over to make sure I was OK. I asked them to call 911 and one of them stayed with me until the paramedics arrived.

They checked me out and couldn’t really see that anything was too wrong, but I knew something wasn’t right. So I asked them to help me sit up, and when they did, the collar bone on my right side pushed up an inch or so (they couldn’t see the problem when I was laying down). They were like, “Oh–yeah–you’ll need to go to the hospital in the ambulance after all.”

The ambulance crew helped me to walk to the ambulance and got me strapped in and an IV going. About this time the adrenaline started to wear off and I started to realize I was in a lot of pain (and scared). About that time the paramedic said, “Let’s talk about pain management.” Good man.

So, I tore my AC ligaments (aka a separated shoulder), the ligaments that hold the collar bone to the shoulder blade. I’ve seen 3 orthopedic specialists, and each one has diagnosed it as a slightly worse injury than the one before. The latest said it is probably a grade 4 because of the degree of misplacement. (Note that the collar bone didn’t go up, rather the shoulder dropped down. See the x-ray photo to see what I mean.)

There’s good news and bad news to this situation. The good news is: 1) I’m not dead or paralyzed, 2) I have total flexibility and my strength is coming back, 3) I did the Jay Benson tri anyway and I’m really glad I did. The bad news is: 1) my collar bone on the right side protrudes significantly, 2) surgery will not improve strength or flexibility (it would pretty much only be for cosmetic purposes), and 3) surgery entails taking a piece of my hamstring, wrapping it around the affected bones, drilling into my collar bone and putting in a couple of screws, and placing a temporary clamp to hold it in place while it heals, disabling me for months, and leaving an ugly scar. So, meet my new shoulder . . .

I am coming to terms with it. It’s taken a while . . . because I really liked my shoulders (and I can’t say that about every part of my body!). All the weight lifting and swimming I’ve done over the past 3 years or so really paid off. The docs say it’s a good thing I was in such good shape and so strong when this happened, or I would not be recovering as well as I am.

My thought is to get a kick-ass tattoo, to acknowledge this “new” part of my body/turn of events and to pretty it up. If I am going to have the world’s ugliest shoulder, I am at least going to cover it with something beautiful. I’m trying to think of a design that will incorporate the bump. Any ideas? Frank drew a hysterical Kilroy (as in “Kilroy was here”) with black marker the other night. I was leaning towards some warrior princess image, but haven’t found any I like yet. I also like the idea of a Day of the Dead sugar skull.

So friends, that’s the latest on the shoulder saga.

XOXO Lori