Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Weekend Getaway, bikes, and things

This past weekend M and I went down to the shore.  She rode in the annual Ocean to Bay ride, 25 miles.  I am really proud of her.  Just think last year neither one of us was riding at all.  And this past Saturday she rode over 30 miles altogether.  I really wish I had been up to riding as well, but I was afraid to try it.  The ride looked great though very little grade.  Which is really great for me. We have plans to do it again next year.  It was really nice chance to get away from it all too.  Good to have a break from work.  Good to have some time together.  The weather was great.  Just a great weekend. 

Actually I am a afraid to get back on the bike.  Afraid of falling again.  Afraid I won't be able to catch myself if I tip over.  Afraid to get hurt.  I hate being afraid. Seems as the years go by, I lose more and more.  I thought it was a part of getting older, but now, I guess it is much more.

I am still doing the Physical Therapy.  It helps.  I can tell I am re-gaining the strength in my left knee and ankle,  the range of motion in my ankle is almost back to normal.  I still have trouble with stairs.  My knee can't quite pull me up going up steps and my ankle hurts on the way down.  My therapist told me today that that is also a function of my lack of strength in the thigh muscle which effects my ability to go up and down.  The muscle gives way, and so i feel it in my ankle.  Makes sense.

I saw my orthopedic dr last Friday.  He said I was back too soon to get new xrays of the ankle.  But we talked about the ankle and it seems to be doing fine.  Then we talked about the knees.  Basically it isn't anything we didn't already know.  According to him my knees are well into their late 60's.  My actual age is 47.  People don't seem to think I look it.  I tell people I have a 25 yr old daughter and I'm told there is no way.  I guess that is lucky.  I don't really have wrinkles.  Probably partly due to being overweight.  I don't have any grey hair.  My mom didn't really go grey until she was in her 60's and then it looked like her hair was frosted.  My dad was the same way.  I do have liver spots on my hands.  so my skin looks old.  Anyway, I also talked to the dr about scheduling the orthoscopic surgery on my right knee since my kneecap is driving me nuts.  It is very hard to sit still for any length of time.  So he gave me a cortisone shot in my left knee to see if that would help it.  Normally the shots do help it.  And we scheduled surgery for next Thursday 4/29.  I hope I'll be ready.  But the plan is to get it done and move on.

I have no idea if I will be able to get back in shape to do the MS bike ride in July but that is still my goal.  M says I will make it.

2 comments:

Diane J Standiford said...

I think there is something wrong with MY knee. But doctors hear I have MS and there goes investigating the knee. Knee was ok until basketball game in 1990.
Kudos on the bike ride!

MS Day Dreamer said...

well, so far, my Doc's know I have osteoarthritis in my knees and that it isn't a MS thing.
I was told that the main reason my left knee acted up was due to an injury from my late teens/early twenties that was never treated and as a result arthritis set in about 8 years or so ago. My rt knee now also has arthritis and the xrays show it is worse than the left, and it is my belief that that's due to me favoring my left "bad" knee and putting too much on my rt. I still feel my left is the worst even if the xrays say otherwise.
So it is very likely you injured something from basketball and are paying the consequences now.