As anticipated, my mountain biking last Monday put some strain on my knees, especially the right one. So, some backwards steps were taken. By Friday I was getting somewhat better, and the week's activity of standing and delivering at our meeting was not leaving me ready for some early Saturday activity. So, a nap and chores around the house until 2 pm, then I forced my self to go for a ride. Not another go at the trails, but a nice easy road ride to try to loosen the legs up and get some aerobic activity.
I set out to do about 30 miles where there would be no serious climbs, so I set out heading down County Route 47 to our little hamlet of Argyle, I was greeted by more cars and people than I have ever seen in our little town. Turns out it was Garage Sale day and everyone and their cousin Lou was out trying to score a good buy on some crap. It took me forever to get through the little village, something that would normally take just a few minutes. Once out on West Road, the ride became a pleasure. The day was clear, windless and sunny 75 degrees - a rarity to be treasured.
My stamina has really taken a nose dive since mid-summer. But, even though I was huffing and puffing up the hills, I did enjoy the great roads we have. I found a loop that met my goals and started counting dead garter snakes as they were encountered at a regular interval. Must be they were trying to soak up some warmth before taking on the winter.
The legs felt the work and rewarded me with some muscle soreness towards the end so I knew I did something. I think through this process of straining on the mountain bike and now that the swelling has gone down, I have some more flexibility - which is the goal. Feels good to have been on a ride. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as nice, so I will see how I feel in the morning.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Back Yard Mountain Biking
We only have 5 acres of land, but we try to get the most from it. Since it is woods on hard pan there is not much agriculture that can get done. The lawn can hardly get a foot hold. Donna had me build some raised beds and with those and the front yeard flower trough, we raise some potatoes and veggies. No, the thing we can do with the land is make really great mountain bike trails. Yes, we do spill over into the neighbors' property, but we do have their permission. My frist attempts resulted in nearly trial-difficult paths. But over time I have gotten them at a difficult, but not too difficult level. With the legs in recovery, however, I have been reluctant to really have a go at them. And, coupled with the wet weather making them extra hard from the slippery rocks and roots, I have yet to ride them this year. Tonight that sad streak came to an end! Yes, they were slippery. Yes, they put a strain on my quad tendon and patella tendon. But I was ready. It was great to get in the short but anaerobic workout that doing the home trails provides. Over the summer Donna got into doing some trail building herself so she could walk with Harry over to the neighbor's mowed yard that is not used for anything else without taking him on the dirt road which bothers his sore foot. I made a winding, narrow, edge-hanging trail off of her main trail and was anxious to try it. All went well and I did a ride around our block to just cool off and enjoy the sunset at the end. I like this riding because it takes little preparation and you stay close to home while getting a great workout for the mind, legs and lungs.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Nine Months Without Knees
My nine month anniversary for getting rid of my old arthritic knees and replacing them with new metal and plastic ones just past on 9/28/11. The first 3 months were not easy, but I knew it was going to be well worth the effort even early on. Today, I have no knee pain because I have no knees and I am nearly 100% in terms of flexibility and discomfort when bending. Strength and stamina still need some work, but that will come with time.
For the first 3 months I had to recover from the surgery, work on getting Range of Motion (ROM) and get all of the ligaments, tendons and muscles used to the new straightened legs that I now have. I didn't realize how bow-legged I had become as the old knees wore away on the outside faster than on the outside. To accomplish this I used water therapy at the Saratoga YMCA, active release chiropractic massage from Keith Donato and home exercise on the indoor cycle trainer and total gym. I went back to work full time at 2 months and it was too early as I was still swelling up and very tired easily. A constant challenge was overdoing exercises which caused swelling and reduced flexibility or ROM. At this point I was up to 125 degrees of flex in ROM as long as I was not swollen. But I was still getting the swelling with very little activity so had to take it slower than I wanted. Three steps forward, two steps back at best.
A milestone came on 4/7/11 when I took my first road ride around Cassyunna Lake. It was the first time outdoors on the road bike. Even though I had gone on the mountain bike with Donna running 3 to 5 miles several times, this was different. I was alone, it was on the road bike that requires more balance and control, it was 20 miles and I had to complete it without overdoing it and taking too many steps backwards. The ride was a huge mental boost for me. The freedom of being able to use my new legs to take myself on this ride was a true thrill and feeling of accomplishment. It was the start of making this ordeal truly worth while. I was further pleased in that the ride and the few that I did in the next few weeks did not cause any great swelling as I was limiting my enthusiasm and forcing myself to go slow and stay to 20 miles. However, I was causing some pains up in my shoulder and down through my legs. I decided I needed to get a new fit on the bike because my legs are significantly different now. At the 5 month anniversary (5/28/11) I went to FitWerks in Vermont and got new shoes, seat post and handlebars and an adjustment to the bike. Subsequent rides felt much better as my new straight legs now were being worked properly. At this point my only issue was endurance, strength and stamina that were lacking from lack of riding. But, I was returning to the riding I wanted to do with the new knees!
Returning to the level of cycling was one goal that was now being accomplished with enough time to build back strength. The other and main goal was to be able to walk, hike and even climb mountains without pain. Dog walks with Donna around the block (about 2 miles) were now very much a pleasure and not a pain. We did some longer walks - up to 5 miles that again were not painful, but did make me very tired and I needed time to recoup the strength. At the end of April I went to AZ for a Dairy Conference and took the opportunity to do a desert hike and mountain climb with Terry, Russ and others that I work with. The hike was easily accomplished, but the last part of the climb, a scramble up Vulture Peak, was a challenge do to the high degree of flex needed to get up and over rocks and gaps. I was not sure it was wise and may have been taking too many steps backwards, but I had to to do it and was glad I did make it to the top. The next day I did a hike into Sedonna with Barry and still felt great. However, on the return back I was getting a little stiff and did take a fall that resulted in a shoulder injury. That injury was to be compounded a few weeks later by getting rear ended several times in a go cart which took a toll on my neck. So, the legs continued to improve, allowing me to do some hiking and climbing, but my neck and shoulders now needed attention.
With time and therapy from Donato and rest these other challenges became overcome and today I find myself enjoying hiking and climbing in the Adirondacks with Donna and the dogs when we can get the free time. We have done Buck, Hopkins and Rooster Comb, and all without significant leg, shoulder or neck pain during or after. We also did a week of mountain biking in the Northeast Kingdom with Alex, which was the highlight of the summer. Cycling has taken a bit of a back seat as I am enjoying the hiking and climbing, and that has held back my endurance and strength on the bike, but that is ok. I am now looking forward to completing all of the physical goals I had set out with for my new legs - snowboarding. I have started doing the exercises needed to build quads and increase ROM even more. I am over 150 degrees now and can nearly rest my butt on my heals in a deep knee bend. More to come on that as winter sets it!
For the first 3 months I had to recover from the surgery, work on getting Range of Motion (ROM) and get all of the ligaments, tendons and muscles used to the new straightened legs that I now have. I didn't realize how bow-legged I had become as the old knees wore away on the outside faster than on the outside. To accomplish this I used water therapy at the Saratoga YMCA, active release chiropractic massage from Keith Donato and home exercise on the indoor cycle trainer and total gym. I went back to work full time at 2 months and it was too early as I was still swelling up and very tired easily. A constant challenge was overdoing exercises which caused swelling and reduced flexibility or ROM. At this point I was up to 125 degrees of flex in ROM as long as I was not swollen. But I was still getting the swelling with very little activity so had to take it slower than I wanted. Three steps forward, two steps back at best.
A milestone came on 4/7/11 when I took my first road ride around Cassyunna Lake. It was the first time outdoors on the road bike. Even though I had gone on the mountain bike with Donna running 3 to 5 miles several times, this was different. I was alone, it was on the road bike that requires more balance and control, it was 20 miles and I had to complete it without overdoing it and taking too many steps backwards. The ride was a huge mental boost for me. The freedom of being able to use my new legs to take myself on this ride was a true thrill and feeling of accomplishment. It was the start of making this ordeal truly worth while. I was further pleased in that the ride and the few that I did in the next few weeks did not cause any great swelling as I was limiting my enthusiasm and forcing myself to go slow and stay to 20 miles. However, I was causing some pains up in my shoulder and down through my legs. I decided I needed to get a new fit on the bike because my legs are significantly different now. At the 5 month anniversary (5/28/11) I went to FitWerks in Vermont and got new shoes, seat post and handlebars and an adjustment to the bike. Subsequent rides felt much better as my new straight legs now were being worked properly. At this point my only issue was endurance, strength and stamina that were lacking from lack of riding. But, I was returning to the riding I wanted to do with the new knees!
Returning to the level of cycling was one goal that was now being accomplished with enough time to build back strength. The other and main goal was to be able to walk, hike and even climb mountains without pain. Dog walks with Donna around the block (about 2 miles) were now very much a pleasure and not a pain. We did some longer walks - up to 5 miles that again were not painful, but did make me very tired and I needed time to recoup the strength. At the end of April I went to AZ for a Dairy Conference and took the opportunity to do a desert hike and mountain climb with Terry, Russ and others that I work with. The hike was easily accomplished, but the last part of the climb, a scramble up Vulture Peak, was a challenge do to the high degree of flex needed to get up and over rocks and gaps. I was not sure it was wise and may have been taking too many steps backwards, but I had to to do it and was glad I did make it to the top. The next day I did a hike into Sedonna with Barry and still felt great. However, on the return back I was getting a little stiff and did take a fall that resulted in a shoulder injury. That injury was to be compounded a few weeks later by getting rear ended several times in a go cart which took a toll on my neck. So, the legs continued to improve, allowing me to do some hiking and climbing, but my neck and shoulders now needed attention.
With time and therapy from Donato and rest these other challenges became overcome and today I find myself enjoying hiking and climbing in the Adirondacks with Donna and the dogs when we can get the free time. We have done Buck, Hopkins and Rooster Comb, and all without significant leg, shoulder or neck pain during or after. We also did a week of mountain biking in the Northeast Kingdom with Alex, which was the highlight of the summer. Cycling has taken a bit of a back seat as I am enjoying the hiking and climbing, and that has held back my endurance and strength on the bike, but that is ok. I am now looking forward to completing all of the physical goals I had set out with for my new legs - snowboarding. I have started doing the exercises needed to build quads and increase ROM even more. I am over 150 degrees now and can nearly rest my butt on my heals in a deep knee bend. More to come on that as winter sets it!
Friday, January 28, 2011
One Month Post Surgery
12/28/2010 I had both knees replaced with Zimmer NextGen Patient Specific Implants. The surgery was mechanically no problem - they were done with me in less than two hours. My last memory pre-surgery was the nurse sinking the plunger on the syringe on my IV as I was getting the spinal. Next thing I knew I was laying in a bed with legs that had 23 and 30 staples in them. I am glad I missed out on the cutting, drilling, sawing, screwing and pounding my bones and soft tissues endured during those 2 hours. However, even though I was not aware of all that trauma, my legs were, and they reacted by swelling up like crazy.
I stayed at St Peter's in Albany for 3 days and then I was transported by ambulance to Sunnyview Hospital in Schenectady for in-patient Physical Therapy. I weighed 179 before surgery. At admittance to Sunnyview I weighed 197 pounds - all the fluid retention! The stay at St. Peter's is a blur of a memory - I had a morphine pump that I could activated every 20 minutes to control the pain. However, one of the other drugs in that mix caused me to have an allergic reaction and my blood pressure dropped to 76/50 and I had to get two units of blood. Once they had my blood pressure up, they sent me to Sunnyview.
The first couple of days at Sunnyview were rough as we struggled to get the pain meds right. After the third day I was more able to be comfortable and started to enjoy the PT. Lori, my PT, liked my aggressiveness and we pushed pretty hard at getting the knees to flex and extend. By the 5th day I was able to move around the room with a walker; then rapidly was released to walk with a cane around the halls. One of the memories I will take with me from my stay there was seeing some of the children in the brain and spinal injury area - very sobering and emotional to see what some families have to cope with.
I was released after 7 days at Sunnyview and the ride home with Donna and Alix was in a snow storm. It took awhile to get the pain med Rx filled, but we finally got home - it took a toll on me. I needed the cane to get around and was on heavy narcotics the first two weeks. As the bone and surgical pain waned, I was able to back off on the narcs and start using just ibuprofen. However, I caught a cold (from the PT the first day of out-patient PT, I think). So my third week was ruined by the weakness I had from fighting the cold and getting my legs to heal. Energetically each leg is burning 1000 calories a day, just to repair and heal. Fighting the cold was then added to that. I now weigh about 170, so have lost about 9 pounds from pre-surgery weight, which is not what I wanted. I slept a lot. I did make it to PT, but was really wiped out all other times. As it turns out, that may have been a good thing because when I felt good I overdid things and then had to recover.
This week, the cold is over and I felt fantastic on Tuesday. I drove for the first time to PT. So at PT I really overdid it and paid the price on Wednesday. On Thursday, I learned the lesson and backed off, so today I feel really good. The soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments) all need to adjust to my new knees and the new alignment of my legs. IT band tightness, muscle soreness, and the start of Plantar faciatis in my left foot are now challenges. These will be overcome and I really feel I am making progress physically and mentally now. I am able to walk freely around the house and today I fixed the vacuum system and vacuumed the house.
Donna has been saddled with all the work of blowing snow during these storms and keeping up with stoking the outside wood furnace, at the same time working her job and taking care of the chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, oh yeah and me.
I stayed at St Peter's in Albany for 3 days and then I was transported by ambulance to Sunnyview Hospital in Schenectady for in-patient Physical Therapy. I weighed 179 before surgery. At admittance to Sunnyview I weighed 197 pounds - all the fluid retention! The stay at St. Peter's is a blur of a memory - I had a morphine pump that I could activated every 20 minutes to control the pain. However, one of the other drugs in that mix caused me to have an allergic reaction and my blood pressure dropped to 76/50 and I had to get two units of blood. Once they had my blood pressure up, they sent me to Sunnyview.
The first couple of days at Sunnyview were rough as we struggled to get the pain meds right. After the third day I was more able to be comfortable and started to enjoy the PT. Lori, my PT, liked my aggressiveness and we pushed pretty hard at getting the knees to flex and extend. By the 5th day I was able to move around the room with a walker; then rapidly was released to walk with a cane around the halls. One of the memories I will take with me from my stay there was seeing some of the children in the brain and spinal injury area - very sobering and emotional to see what some families have to cope with.
I was released after 7 days at Sunnyview and the ride home with Donna and Alix was in a snow storm. It took awhile to get the pain med Rx filled, but we finally got home - it took a toll on me. I needed the cane to get around and was on heavy narcotics the first two weeks. As the bone and surgical pain waned, I was able to back off on the narcs and start using just ibuprofen. However, I caught a cold (from the PT the first day of out-patient PT, I think). So my third week was ruined by the weakness I had from fighting the cold and getting my legs to heal. Energetically each leg is burning 1000 calories a day, just to repair and heal. Fighting the cold was then added to that. I now weigh about 170, so have lost about 9 pounds from pre-surgery weight, which is not what I wanted. I slept a lot. I did make it to PT, but was really wiped out all other times. As it turns out, that may have been a good thing because when I felt good I overdid things and then had to recover.
This week, the cold is over and I felt fantastic on Tuesday. I drove for the first time to PT. So at PT I really overdid it and paid the price on Wednesday. On Thursday, I learned the lesson and backed off, so today I feel really good. The soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments) all need to adjust to my new knees and the new alignment of my legs. IT band tightness, muscle soreness, and the start of Plantar faciatis in my left foot are now challenges. These will be overcome and I really feel I am making progress physically and mentally now. I am able to walk freely around the house and today I fixed the vacuum system and vacuumed the house.
Donna has been saddled with all the work of blowing snow during these storms and keeping up with stoking the outside wood furnace, at the same time working her job and taking care of the chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, oh yeah and me.
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