Monday, January 25, 2016

I Couldn't Make This Stuff Up

If I could throw in the towel I would. But that requires your throwing arm to NOT have a torn biceps tendon.

From the "Here We Go Again" files...I will be having surgery soon to repair a torn right biceps tendon. It popped clean off of my bone a week ago today.

Here's the exciting tale:

Two Thursdays ago, I was at my dad's house, getting ready to load my sister's belongings into my truck and other vehicles to help her move into her new house. My dad has a riding lawnmower that wouldn't start, yet had to be moved out of the way. While my dad was inside taking care of something else, I decided that I could take care of this problem by myself. So, I dialed my testosterone up to "HIGH" and proceeded to push the mower. The back wheels were locked up, so I had to push hard. I had forgotten that the seat flips up (it hinges near the front), and I was pushing against it. The seat suddenly flipped, my right arm hyperextended and I felt something pull around my elbow. I was in quite a bit of pain, but I continued helping my sister move that night and the next day.

Over the weekend, it slowly started feeling better. I bowl league on Monday nights, so I decided to give it a go. On my first warm-up throw, I felt a "pop" and sharp pain. I knew exactly what I had done. My orthopedist (the guy who operated on my broken left arm last August) confirmed my fears two days later and recommended surgery. I'm still waiting to hear from the scheduler on the date.

Fortunately, the bicep & tendon didn't retract too far up my arm, so hopefully they won't need to cut a huge incision to fish it out and pull it back down. It is slightly deformed, though. I have a bigger gap around my inner elbow now, below the biceps. I also had a good amount of bruising below the elbow (where the blood pooled).

Ugly, but I've seen worse after biceps tears...

After surgery, I'll be unable to use the arm for 2-4 weeks. Recovery will be gradual after that, with "full" recovery taking 6 months, so says my doc.

So much for attempting my first triathlon this spring. This also delays my new bike purchase. With a high insurance deductible, my body will be a financial burden for a second straight year.

As for the hip I've mentioned in previous posts, I'll tentatively get that surgery done in mid-August. By then my deductible will be met, so might as well get it taken care of, too. I'll also have to endure physical therapy after both surgeries.

So this year will pretty much be a wash, as far as any serious training goes. This will be three surgeries (four, if you count my root canal) in the span of one year, after basically going my entire life without any. Hopefully, this will be it for my stretch of misfortune for a LONG time.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Hip Update

Well, it has been confirmed that I do have a labral tear in my right hip. The cause is likely from the top of my femur having a very slight bump in it, and over the years it has pinched that cartilage and torn it.

I will need to have surgery, but after meeting with the specialist, I've decided to put it off for the time being. After my recent broken arm, I'm not exactly ready financially nor mentally to go through that process again. The recovery and PT involved just doesn't appeal to me right now. The doc said that I should be fine, as long as I don't put it off for too long. Otherwise, it'll lead to arthritis and, possibly, a full hip replacement. Tentatively, I'm thinking about getting it done this fall. In the meantime, I can get a cortisone injection if/when it bothers me too much. I'm hoping to train for a triathlon or two, so we'll see if that becomes necessary due to my training.

With that said, I'm planning on heading out for my first run since I broke my treadmill over a month ago. I can tell that my left knee is still an issue, so hopefully the pain won't be too bad.

Maybe I should get that cortisone shot in my left knee instead...?

ADDENDUM: I did have surgery on my right hip on August 18th, 2016...which is the one year anniversary of my first surgery, on my broken left arm. It was a sweet way to bookend my 3 surgeries.