Only 4 more biking days until surgery...

dgk said:

Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

I sort of knew that this was coming. A smart person would have
scheduled it for early January and missed the worst of winter. But I
was curious to see how well I could commute during the worst of
winter. Well, that is pretty well passing by now. So, moron that I

am,

Quoted message said:

I get to miss the winds of March and part of the April showers.

Oh well. It gives me two or three weeks to get back in shape for Bike
New York, always the first Sunday in May. This year I doubt any kind
of weather will keep me from doing it. I used to wuss out if it was a
little cold or wet. Not this year. Not after what I've been going
through. Today was around 30, a veritable heat wave.

No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
membership is still paid up.

I hope you have a speedy recovery. I'm sure you will.
A friend of mine just told me about Bike New York. Is that the one
where you ride through all Five Boro's? He wanted me to try it before
I did the MS ride. It sounded like a lot of fun. I am sure you don't
want to miss that.

I am going to New Orleans for my anniversary the first of May, so I
won't be around, but it sounded great. I guess the MS ride will be my
first real ride which I participate in with people who actually know
how to ride.

My friend showed me pics from last years ride and they had a blast.
Everyone from his office in Manhattan ride in it. Well maybe next year.
Good luck with the surgery and recovery.
All Good Things,
Maggie

Maggie said:

dgk wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine just told me about Bike New York. Is that the one
where you ride through all Five Boro's? He wanted me to try it

before

Quoted message said:

I did the MS ride. It sounded like a lot of fun. I am sure you don't
want to miss that.

I am going to New Orleans for my anniversary the first of May, so I
won't be around, but it sounded great. I guess the MS ride will be

my

Quoted message said:

first real ride which I participate in with people who actually know
how to ride.

Imagine riding through NYC with 50,000 of your closest friends. Some of
your friends can ride 25mph others can't maintain 10mph. Some of your
friends will be able to ride a straight line while others can't keep a
straight line on a railroad track. Some of your friends are mountain
goats while others will only be able to walk the ascent up the
Queensborough Bridge. All in all Bike NY will make you wish for the
pleasantries of riding in NYC traffic.

I'd say the MS ride will probably be a better first ride for you.

Andy

Quoted message said:

My friend showed me pics from last years ride and they had a blast.
Everyone from his office in Manhattan ride in it. Well maybe next

year.

Quoted message said:

Good luck with the surgery and recovery.
All Good Things,
Maggie

Quoted message said:

Maggie said:

dgk wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend of mine just told me about Bike New York. Is that the one
where you ride through all Five Boro's? He wanted me to try it

before

Quoted message said:

I did the MS ride. It sounded like a lot of fun. I am sure you

don't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

want to miss that.

I am going to New Orleans for my anniversary the first of May, so I
won't be around, but it sounded great. I guess the MS ride will be

my

Quoted message said:

first real ride which I participate in with people who actually

know

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

how to ride.

Imagine riding through NYC with 50,000 of your closest friends. Some

of

Quoted message said:

your friends can ride 25mph others can't maintain 10mph. Some of your
friends will be able to ride a straight line while others can't keep

a

Quoted message said:

straight line on a railroad track. Some of your friends are mountain
goats while others will only be able to walk the ascent up the
Queensborough Bridge. All in all Bike NY will make you wish for the
pleasantries of riding in NYC traffic.

I'd say the MS ride will probably be a better first ride for you.

Andy

Quoted message said:

My friend showed me pics from last years ride and they had a blast.
Everyone from his office in Manhattan ride in it. Well maybe next

year.

Quoted message said:

Good luck with the surgery and recovery.
All Good Things,
Maggie

Gee you make it sound like a nightmare. Maybe the MS ride will be
better. I just realized I am in a March of Dimes Walk on May 1st. My
trip to New Orleans is in April. So I will be walking in a peaceful
park with alot of people pushing strollers raising money for babies
born prematurly. I already have my website but I did not edit it.
http://www.walkamerica.org/lindabuset
I want to put a picture of myself and my little great nephew Dominic on
it. He was born too early and now he is a healthy, happy little guy.
Thanks for your take on RIDE NEW YORK. I will be sure to stay away
from it. I think I would probably die.
All Good Things,
Maggie

Maggie said:

Quoted message said:

Imagine riding through NYC with 50,000 of your closest friends. Some

of

Quoted message said:

your friends can ride 25mph others can't maintain 10mph. Some of your
friends will be able to ride a straight line while others can't keep

a

Quoted message said:

straight line on a railroad track. Some of your friends are mountain
goats while others will only be able to walk the ascent up the
Queensborough Bridge. All in all Bike NY will make you wish for the
pleasantries of riding in NYC traffic.

I'd say the MS ride will probably be a better first ride for you.

Quoted message said:

Gee you make it sound like a nightmare.

I've never done it, but everyone I talk to who has done it agrees that it
is a nightmare. An experience, but also a nightmare. There is something
cool about the city closing down traffic on bridges so that the ride can
use them, but the number of riders (and the variety of skill levels) is
unmanageable.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "Business!" cried the Ghost. "Mankind was my business. The
_`\(,_ | common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance,
(_)/ (_) | and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my
trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my
business!" --Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"

: Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
: commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
: 28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

: No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
: membership is still paid up.

When I had my surgery, I arranged for the 24 Hour Fitness Club to put my
membership into medical suspension. Why don't you try that? They didn't
charge me while I was recuperating. I needed a doctor's note, but I took it
to them after the fact and they were really nice about it. I just alerted
them before the surgery that it was upcoming, and they put a notation in my
file--and just said, "Please bring us the note for our files".

If you have an opportunity to get one of those electrically-powered ice
thermos arrangements, by all means get one! My insurance paid for it 100%.
It is a square, gallon sized thermos box that you put ice and water into.
Then, a cuff fits around your arm with Velcro. The pump is plugged in and
it pumps ice water around the joint continuously. Not only does it help
tremendously with the pain, but it actually speeds up your recuperation by
keeping the ice water circulating around the surgery site. I don't remember
the name of it, but I'll bet the people at the surgery center know exactly
what I am talking about. Polar Care 300 is its name.

May the whole experience be as minimal as possible and may you recuperate
rapidly.

Pat in TX

Pat said:

: Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
: commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
: 28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

: No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
: membership is still paid up.

When I had my surgery, I arranged for the 24 Hour Fitness Club to put my
membership into medical suspension. Why don't you try that? They didn't
charge me while I was recuperating. I needed a doctor's note, but I took it
to them after the fact and they were really nice about it. I just alerted
them before the surgery that it was upcoming, and they put a notation in my
file--and just said, "Please bring us the note for our files".

If you have an opportunity to get one of those electrically-powered ice
thermos arrangements, by all means get one! My insurance paid for it 100%.
It is a square, gallon sized thermos box that you put ice and water into.
Then, a cuff fits around your arm with Velcro. The pump is plugged in and
it pumps ice water around the joint continuously. Not only does it help
tremendously with the pain, but it actually speeds up your recuperation by
keeping the ice water circulating around the surgery site. I don't remember
the name of it, but I'll bet the people at the surgery center know exactly
what I am talking about. Polar Care 300 is its name.

May the whole experience be as minimal as possible and may you recuperate
rapidly.

Pat in TX

Wow, great advice. I'll look up that thermos. As for the gym, well, I
usually suspend the membership for the three months of the summer. I
spend all my time playing tennis (not this year), biking, or at the
beach swimming. But I've been paying for the whole time from September
through now and went once. I keep thinking that I'll go but since I
took up bike commuting, well, who needs to go when I bike 25 miles a
day? I never really expected to keep it up through the winter so I
kept the membership going.

Now I think that I'll need it. After a week or so I think that I'll be
able to use the stationary bikes and nordic track things. It's only
the elbow that I can't use and I don't want to get all out of shape.

dgk said:

Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

I sort of knew that this was coming. A smart person would have
scheduled it for early January and missed the worst of winter. But I
was curious to see how well I could commute during the worst of
winter. Well, that is pretty well passing by now. So, moron that I am,
I get to miss the winds of March and part of the April showers.

Oh well. It gives me two or three weeks to get back in shape for Bike
New York, always the first Sunday in May. This year I doubt any kind
of weather will keep me from doing it. I used to wuss out if it was a
little cold or wet. Not this year. Not after what I've been going
through. Today was around 30, a veritable heat wave.

No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
membership is still paid up.

Well, ood luck with recovery, etc.But yes, I always say if you're
going to have surgery and you can schedule it, do it in the off-season
or the middle of winter!

It was almost a year ago (march 10) that I was operated on for an
intestinal blockage, and it wasn't exactly scheduled. It was
emergency. Around here, cycling season usually gets underway in april
or late march if the weather is decent.

Six weeks from the date of surgery was the 'go-ahead' day given to me
for getting back to normal. My first bike ride was actually seven
weeks because the weather had been [censored]; I did miss the lousy weather
and early april was [censored]. I was able to ride the trainer and go to the
gym. So the end of april I did my first ride. It was great!

I realized that's the great thing about cycling. I really couldn't do
lots of other stuff- running wasn't a great idea with all the jouncing
and impact, I couldn't do situps for months after, even yoga was
almost impossible because of all the flexibility it requires. But I
was able to get on a trainer and a bike six weeks later! Obviously
it's because of how you sit. But really, ain't it grand? WHen you
can't do anything else, even situps, you can get on a bike! And even
ride!

Anyways, don't sweat it, you'll be back on the bike soon enough. Good
luck with the surgery and ask for kosher food at the hospital!

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

I sort of knew that this was coming. A smart person would have
scheduled it for early January and missed the worst of winter. But I
was curious to see how well I could commute during the worst of
winter. Well, that is pretty well passing by now. So, moron that I am,
I get to miss the winds of March and part of the April showers.

Oh well. It gives me two or three weeks to get back in shape for Bike
New York, always the first Sunday in May. This year I doubt any kind
of weather will keep me from doing it. I used to wuss out if it was a
little cold or wet. Not this year. Not after what I've been going
through. Today was around 30, a veritable heat wave.

No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
membership is still paid up.

I've had a couple of serious accidents and surgeries that have put me off
the bike for six weeks and more. My recommendation is that you follow the
docs orders about what you can't do, but get VERY creative about what you
can do. For example, thanks to a broken hip and ankle, I had to be
non-weight-bearing on my left leg for 6 weeks. But I could lay on my back
on the floor and do bicycle spins in the air. I did them for 1/2 hour at a
time, a couple times a day. By the time I was able to get into rehab, I was
weeks ahead of the game because of the flexibility I already had. And I
don't see why elbow surgery should keep you off of a trainer or stationary
bike.

Good luck and be tough!

--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

psycholist said:

time, a couple times a day. By the time I was able to get into rehab, I was
weeks ahead of the game because of the flexibility I already had. And I
don't see why elbow surgery should keep you off of a trainer or stationary
bike.

Especially something like a stationary recumbent bike. I used one of
these for a fairly long time. They don't require you to stabilize
yourself with your arms at all, and are generally more comfortable
than stationary bikes.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"A sportsman is a man who, every now and then, simply
has to go out and kill something." -Stephen Leacock

dgk said:

Monday is a holiday, no work. So Tuesday through Friday are it for
commuting by bike for me. I have my elbow operated on on Monday the
28th. Then, according to the surgeon, no biking for six weeks. Youch.

I sort of knew that this was coming. A smart person would have
scheduled it for early January and missed the worst of winter. But I
was curious to see how well I could commute during the worst of
winter. Well, that is pretty well passing by now. So, moron that I am,
I get to miss the winds of March and part of the April showers.

when recovering from surgery, you can catch up on your reading. if you
already haven't read 'Its Not About the Bike' and/or 'Every Second
counts' both by Lance Armstrong, it is a really a good read - even if
you aren't a fan of LA.

you can find a few reading lists:
http://www.tailwinds.org/general/books.html
http://www.cyclingfitness.com/ps/Reading.htm

also checkout movies: http://bicycleuniverse.info/stuff/movies.html

will help you pass time and keep you motivated when spinning in the gym
and after as well.

cheers and get well soon,
+ravi

Quoted message said:

Oh well. It gives me two or three weeks to get back in shape for Bike
New York, always the first Sunday in May. This year I doubt any kind
of weather will keep me from doing it. I used to wuss out if it was a
little cold or wet. Not this year. Not after what I've been going
through. Today was around 30, a veritable heat wave.

No tennis for up to 10 weeks. I'd better make sure that the gym
membership is still paid up.