6 Months to go.
December 5th I followed up with the orthopedic surgeon who
again blindly reported ‘your shoulder will heal with more time’. I tried to ask him specific questions
about timeline, callous formation, and muscular imbalances but he was more
worried about how long I could afford to be off work. In my opinion, that was really none of his business. After discussing concerns with my
husband, we decided to get a second opinion. Dec 13th revealed the truth. The second doctor immediately ordered an axial view x-ray stating
that when the fracture is so close to the AC joint the only way to visualize it
accurately is with an axial view.
Once the correct x-ray was taken, it was very obvious that the bones
were not even close to being lined up.
Surgery loomed and Ironman was most certainly out of the question. Surgery on December 23rd was
planned for an hour and a half, but ended up taking 3 hours. My husband nervously waiting got the
news that my clavicle was in so many pieces that it was like ‘putting a puzzle
back together’. A 4 inch titanium
plate and 12 bone screws later, I was on my way home with a nerve block and Oxycontin
as my Christmas presents. The next
two weeks were a blur. My
January 3rd follow up appointment was encouraging. The surgeon cleared me to start working
out as long as I did not use my arm.
Life was starting to look up again and thoughts of Ironman crept back
into my mind. Could I really do
it? It’s already January and the
odds that I can get fit enough with modified workouts to make Ironman safe and
feasible was a long shot, but what the hell. I have time, energy, and nothing to lose.
Sitting has never served me well. To rest and ask for help proved maddening. Reading, English
Premier League Soccer, and Angry Birds were my new past times. My husband would get home from work and
I wanted to talk. Talk about
anything and everything. After a
few weeks I could tell my newfound social desire was driving him crazy, but I
didn’t really care. My job is very
social and being off on medical leave for 4 months, I just needed to talk. This change was tough, but my husband
understood and humored me. Bless
his heart.
5 months to go.
At my doctor’s appointment February 2nd, I was
cleared to run and start exercising my arm more aggressively. My surgeon told me “if you don’t get
your range of motion back in two weeks I will be surprised and
disappointed”. I was stoked to
run, but it felt so weird. My
sports bra rubbed in just the wrong spot and my arm motion was not good enough
to get normal arm swing. I started
stretching my arm 6 times a day, which hurt like crazy but low and behold my
arm started to loosen up. Within a
week I was back to running. Thank
goodness I kept my cardio up on the bike and elliptical so the transition back
to running wasn’t too tough. I
also discovered spin class.
Mentally I could not overcome the boredom of the bike trainer. Lady Gaga and Real Housewives only went
so far. That’s when I discovered
spin class; an amazing invention.
Spin bikes are made more like road bikes. They are smooth and have easily adjustable resistance. Partner that with top 40 music and a
way too enthusiastic instructor and you get a great workout. The first few classes I could not hold
onto the bars for the whole workout because my shoulder would start to ache,
but that was the beauty of cycling indoors, you can sit up without
crashing. Just a minor adjustment
made a huge difference in my motivation for training.
Alright, so lets think about this for a minute. I can run. I can bike.
Slowly the Ironman training book made it’s way back to our coffee
table...
Stay posted for Part 3: My Road to Ironman. Ambitious Nature
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