So I finally managed to drag my butt out of bed, have Laura "hose" me off and reapply bandages at which point I "barked" at her for ripping out some hair........so she finally took off for a few hours of working out (on a punching bag no doubt) and now I start over!
Probably sounds familar to a few of you........just getting home from shoulder surgery............this time a repeat of the repair to my left side four years ago now on the right. I tired for 18 months to deal with it in every possible way......but when they cut off any further cortisone injections last April it was time to make plans.
In my case it was an arthritic conditon leaving a bone spur in the a/c joing which was causing a ton of impingement. Apparently when the doc got inside yesterday morning the dmamage was worse then expected.....in fact there was missing cartilage (plan dissolved). Apparently my hyper mobile shoulders make things worse......the amount of damage required 1/4" of the clacicle to be reomved and a fair amount of bone shaved down.
So......the countdown begins!! Back for next May is the goal, starting with getting on a spin bike tomorrow, PT 3x a week starting thursday, kick only workouts for a few months in mid october, then chsing evil-goodsmith around the pool starting 1/1 (he doesn't know I got a membership t his club yet)!
So I passed my first hurdle, left hand typing and mouse use....getty-up!
Former Member
Oh Tall One,
Good luck, and I hope you get better soon.
I've appreciated our chances to chat, and occasionally joust about swimming, life the universe and everything. (The first person who shouts "42" will be shot summarily.) Truth be told, the reason that I sometimes get touchy about qualifying times for Nationals is that part of the thrill for me is being allowed to warm up in the same pool with swimmers like you, and seeing both of our names listed (albeit with about 5 pages of other athletes between our two names) in the results for an event.
Matt
Hey stranger.......what the heck are you guys doing in Hawaii? Send me an email so we can catch up!
Pretty lucky with this surgeon....only 5 holes and my intial PT (today) showed that i already ahd a pretty high degree of range of motion.......I'm optimistic but gotta long way to go!!
Or is that clavically challenged? :-) Hopefully they did yours w/out the "took off the arm and put a new one on" scar that I have from college. I think the med technology is a bit better these days, now that dinosaurs don't have to carry the surgical tools in the OR.
Kick butt on your recovery, I'll be thinking good thoughts for you!! BUT take it slowly (smartly) and don't forget to keep your back strong.
That's a lot of trauma for your shoulder to go through - after mine I pretty much found the structural integrity to be SHOT after a few months of trying to reassimilate w/my college team, and ended up out of the sport for 10+ years. So don't join a college team! Of course the more invasive approach on me (hence the scar) had a lot to do with it as well, and hopefully you don't have that either. Just don't push it too fast! Remember, this is masters, we've got forever. (Thank goodness, with as slow as I figger out stuff.)
Sounds like you have a good PT plan and will be back in no time. I found strength outside the water (particularly in the back, broken record) helps tremendously. I also know a great PT in Phx who works with a lot of the ASU swimmers, if you need an extra in the recovery posse.
BE NICE to lovely Laura! We miss youz guyz. I've also heard that Hawaii is very therapyooootic for shoulder, if y'all want to come out and visit!!!
Take Care,
Sandie
Paul,
If you thought the 200 back was painfull, welcome to an all out, gut buster 200 breaststroke. Short course yards can be more painfull because of all the time spent underwater. There are times after a 200 *** that the lungs feel like they are on fire, as do the forearms, legs and even the hair on the back of your head!!! Right Jeff?
Any time you want to work on your 200 yard breaststroke, I am there for you big fellow.:D
I have needed right shoulder surgery for 15 years, I have broken both elbows and have a stainless steel plate in my left forearm, but the great thing is swimming breaststroke does not hurt the shoulder, only free, and fly.
One year during a physical exam, the Doctor commented on my enlarged left chest muscles, much thicker than the right side. I had to think a moment, then exclaimed it must have been those thousands of laps of left handed one arm butterfly:p
Hope that PT goes well. After conventions Sports Medicine presentation, Nadine Day would be the PERFECT PT therapist, she really understands getting swimmers back in the saddle.
More breastroke should help even more.
Fritz, I think that is a great idea, and I think that you would be a better person to help Paul than Wayne. The weather in Colorodo is much better and the place is much more athlete friendly -- I think you should move. You should work on your breaststroke also, as it will really help your backstroke in a couple of decades, after you become a good at it.
Mountain biking is good training also, but not on a regular basis. It is best to save the biking until the day before a big national meet, and then ride with Paul a good distance over some challenging trails. The mountains in Colorado are really beautiful. I think 100 miles is a good distance. Large front gears and small back ones will help you go over the uphill bumps more quickly.
While in the mountains, if you run into a man in armor on a holy quest, please be belligerent. He will appreciate it.
Hey what the hell......I'm on pain killers drinking beer so I'm up for anything right now!
Have to admit......some of you guys ctually coming out for a little mountain biking next summer could be pretty damn fun?!
Bobby Patten makes it a regular trip, Mr. Abrahams enjoys a good ride.....and now that I gave evil-goodsmith a hand me down specialized team works he has no excuses......except keeping those bird legs (Hey john, are those really your legs or are you sitting on a chicken!).
Wayne......quite waiting and get the darn thing fixed!! Just like you advised me on lasik a couple of years back!
Truth be told........I'm going to need to work on that bizarre stroke a bit more if evil-goodsmith rises to my challenge for next years nats; off events!
JS has to swim: 50 back, 100 back, 100 fly, 50 ***, 200IM (he can pick his 6th)
Me: 200IM, 400IM, 500 free, 1000 free, 100 back, not sure on the 6th.
Ion.......we'll bring you into the challenge; off events as well!
The main purpose of this of course is to end each day in so much pain that WE have to enter the beer relays that Mark Gill has proposed!
