August 14, 2008

Step 2 - Wait

My orthopedist's office opened at 10:30 today so I called at 10:28 with fingers crossed they could get me in. The good news is that I got an appointment. The bad news is that it's tomorrow. I was thankful to get in this week, but the waiting is definitely difficult. It gives me too much time to sit here and speculate about what could be wrong and what my recovery will be like. I'll have all the answers I need tomorrow at 3:00. Until then, I continue to wait.

I slept really late again today. I meant to get up earlier, but dozed back off and slept really soundly. I guess I shouldn't fight it. I imagine my body needs it and this is likely the best time to be resting. I am always so stiff and sore in the morning that it's difficult to assess how I'm feeling for the day so I give it about 30 minutes before evaluating. My shoulder feels about the same, although I'd say my mobility is a lot better. This might be because I'm getting used to using just one arm so simple tasks aren't as much of a chore. My road rash is still pretty painful, particularly on my knee where I lost several layers. However, I'm thrilled to report that the road rash on my cheek and under my nose has faded to a very light pink and is barely noticeable. The cuts on my nose have healed a lot, but are still pretty red and the bigger patch of road rash on my chin looks remarkably better. I think my face will be dramatically improved by the weekend.

My elbow is probably coming along the most slowly due to the severity of the blow I took and also the location. The fact that I'm always bending it and it also has the pressure of resting in the sling makes it ache a lot. It's the only cut that continues to bleed even after so many days. The stitches are staying in for another week so it should be healed up by then. The stitches in my chin, however, are coming out tomorrow. I can't wait. They are black and wiry so at a glance, make me look like I have a facial hair problem.

My jaw also continues to make a slow recovery. I still can't bite down and can feel a lot of swelling in there. I'm taking 2 Aleves a day now and have seen a tiny improvement, but it's nowhere near getting back to normal. I'm really hoping it will be fine when the swelling subsides. The thought of having to have any work done on my jaw makes me cringe.

If I'm feeling up to it, I may venture out to Cadence tomorrow to have a final look at the bike I'm planning to buy - the Cervelo P2C. After this crash, I was worried that my confidence might be shaken a bit and keep me from getting back into cycling, but I'm pleased to report that hasn't been the case. While I definitely could have handled my bike better in the situation, I really think it was inevitable and just bad luck. In order to do well in my two Half Ironman races and Ironman Wisconsin next year, I'm going to be spending many long hours on my bike and I need it to be one ready for the challenge. I think the Cervelo will be just perfect and despite my current situation, I still can't wait to get it. I wonder what they'll think at the bike shop when I stroll in wearing my sling with stitches in my face? They'll likely make a hard sell for one of their coaching packages.

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