Greetings Friends!

 

How did it get to be Christmas? I got to see some of you at the GCC Xmas party; that was quite the gathering! I appreciated being able to see some of my regular riding pals and meet new GCC members who have been following my recovery process.

 

On the topic of recovery, this is week 13 since the accident. It is 13 weeks and 4 days since the accident, to be precise. Yes, I’m still counting. I’ve entered some kind of recovery “no-man’s land” (similar to cycling) where I’m far enough away from the worst of it to be better but far enough away from normal to be limited. I’m still in a lot of pain. I am frustrated with what I can’t do. I can’t imagine finding the strength to slog out another 6 -9 months of this which everyone is telling me it’ll take just to get to home base. Good thing I developed mental fortitude through cycling! The goal setting and mental discipline it took to do my 24 Centuries in 2003 is really helping me now! I won’t even get into the topic of suffering….. let’s just say this makes the Alps look easy.

 

On the positive side, there is progress. The left leg feels like a leg now. I am now walking with normal cadence using a walker and/or a cane. Thanks to those of you who helped decorate my walker at the party! My the range of motion in my right arm still remains limited due to the muscle adhesion/atrophy from the broken collar bone. My biggest Xmas present came when the neurologist told me I could start to function without the upper body cast. The bitter sweet part of that news is that my core is not strong enough to allow me to walk away from that assistive device. I can only spend about 1 ½ hours without it before the pain flares up again. It’s a progression much like the leg; wheelchair, walker, cane, independent. The upper body progression will also take time. I’m learning patience.

 

Rehab is a trip. I’ve been discharged from home health care. I now go to the Sports Institute on 34^th Street Mon/Wed/Fri. The irony of this is that last year I was in there with my TREK getting my VO2Max and Lactate Threshold testing done. Now I’m in there with my walker. What’s wrong with this picture?? The exercises I do wouldn’t have even been on my warm up routine a year ago. Now they wipe me out completely. In addition to losing range of motion, I’ve lost strength and stamina. A 20 min walk or 20 mins of pedaling (no resistance) is all I can do. It’s hard to believe I used to hang on the Tues Hipp ride or was a proud member of the A group praying for mercy in the back of the pack.

 

More on the progress front includes getting back to running my business. I’m working at home most days. I am experimenting with 2 afternoons a week at the office; it remains to be seen if I have the strength to do this. So far so good. Fortunately, the technology at Merrill is so good I can be equally effective at home as at the office. Plus I have a great team who are doing a super job. I’m very fortunate. The new routine takes a lot out of me physically but it’s good for me mentally. The sooner I can rebuild my life, the better. In the meantime, I have to be very careful not to over exert myself; the relapses aren’t pretty.

 

Thanks to all of you who continue to stay in touch and help me out. I am still not driving so when I get a helping hand to pick something up at Publix or Mother Earth or wherever, it really makes a difference. I also appreciate the food that people keep bringing over. Yum!  The cards and emails and calls really pick up my spirits. Thank you all for reaching out in different ways.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Stay safe!

 

Vicki