Hey guys!

Sorry it’s been so long since I checked in to the Gainesville Cycling World at large. I’ve just been overloaded trying to get well and get my life back on track.

So – here’s the good news:

I’m now able to function without any back support at all. What a relief. I’m not up to lifting, carrying or doing much bending but I’m definitely making great progress.
The right shoulder/arm have come a long way. I’ve punched through a lot of muscle adhesion and am now able to put my hand on top and in back of my head. That may sound like a ridiculous benchmark but there are dozens of daily activities that require this range of motion – all of which I was blissfully ignorant of before this accident. So, I can now hang up clothes, put things away on shelves, put items in and out of the microwave, wash my hair – you get the idea – anything that involves reaching is now back on my radar.
I’m weaning myself off the walker. I’m pretty stable in safe places with smooth surfaces like my home or office. Outdoors I still need the protection of a medical device. Lately I’ve been using a cane more than the walker during the day but I find that as my energy wanes I need more support.

I’m in PT 2x a week and do a daily PT home routine that takes about 1 ½ hours daily on top of that. I’m also doing extensive massage therapy. Whatever happened to a relaxing massage I want to know? These guys are digging into scar tissue until I start to cry. I’m constantly amazed at how difficult it is to get back to normal. Good thing I was fit before the accident and have an cycling mentality relative to pain!! It’s now 5 months and 3 days since the accident. Everyone tells me it’ll be a year to know what the full recovery will be. It looks like I’m on tracking on that timeline. I’ve got anywhere between 60-80% functionality depending the injury in question. There’s also some additional surgery that appears to be necessary which may slow down the healing process. Time will tell.

A lot of people have asked if I intend to get back on the bike so I might as well just go public with my decision: I’m sitting up. It’s been a great run – I’ll always be incredibly grateful for the experiences, accomplishments and friendships but I’m moving on to other priorities and activities. I’m still dealing with a lot of basics right now but I do know I never want to suffer like this again. Falling down, for any reason, would be a really bad idea with all the hardware I’ve got installed. Falls and flats are an inevitable part of the cycling game so I’ve decided to take a more conservative road. My view is that, while the accident has changed my lifestyle, I am grateful that I can still have a high quality of life since I’m not paralyzed and hopefully, won’t be severely limited.

I’ll be having a sale at some point with tires/tubes/spare wheels and misc parts and clothing with good prices. I’ll probably keep my Litespeed cuz I’m just not ready to let go of my old steady friend. Too many miles and too many memories! The Trek is hanging in the garage looking pretty sad and beat up along with the wheel that was destroyed. I guess one of these days I’ll strip off the parts and put them up for sale too. Stay posted.

One other thing, I have to make a public note of thanks to Bike Route and Doug. If you aren’t using Bike Route currently, please know that we have a real gem in our community. Doug and his crew have gone out of their way for me in a big way during my crisis. We all know the story – “you can get it cheaper on the internet” but when you’ve got people like this right here at home you have to really think twice about supporting them. I’ve been a loyal Bike Route customer for years now so I guess I’m already predisposed to recommend them but very few people have the integrity and generosity that Doug has. He deserves your business.

I’m watching the skies get dark and wondering how the races went downtown today. Sorry I couldn’t be there guys. I sure do miss the fun and all of you.

More news down the road,

Vicki