Dr. Visit Today - 4 Weeks 6 Days

All good news this morning from Dr. Van Boerum's office.  Healing is evident, fracture is stable, and the gap hasn't widened.  Took x-rays right out of the gate, nurse brought them up on the computer in the exam room and then left...so I took over at the controls (it's been a while since I've played doctor!).  I changed views, zoomed, fiddled around, even took a picture of the x-ray with my iPhone (see below).  With my vast medical education and experience I was able to easily see some filling in of the crack in my bone.  The fracture line is still very visible and there but the gap is closing. 

Four more weeks in the boot.  Should have it off around August 24th and start transitioning to normal activity.  Van Boerum cleared me to ride the stationary bike as soon as I want to as long as I'm wearing the boot.  So I'll give that a try and see what happens.  I swam a mile this morning - the water feels good.

It's Been 4 Weeks...

Quick post to say it's been 4 weeks since I broke my foot.  It's gone both slow and fast.  I expect it will be much like a 2-year mission where the last half goes a lot faster than the first half.  Although, it's premature for me to assume that I'm halfway there.  I could be stuck in the boot for 10 weeks if the healing process is slow.  The good days are starting to outweigh the bad days in terms of discomfort around the fracture site.  Swimming a couple times a week is sort of keeping me sane.  Big visit to Dr. Van Boerum scheduled for next Wednesday, July 27th.

The Cougar 9000 "This is like...you're almost glad to be handicapped" (Seinfeld)

Gearing up for the big trip to Oceanside in a couple of weeks.  The kids want to go to Disneyland...and so do I...sort of.  I've been carefully researching Disneyland's policy on "Accessibility" and I'm not finding anything that says, "you get to go to the front of the line".  What I have learned though is that for $50 I can cruise around the Happiest Place on Earth in one of these beauties.  This guy seems quite happy given that he's old, bald and stuck in an electric vehicle.  And why the hell not, after all, "It's the Rolls Royce of wheelchairs".  Not to mention it looks like this thing is hovering above the ground!

I Feel Kinda Normal...Again

Back at the pool this morning.  Got up at my usual o'dark thirty (5:30 AM).  Swam 1,300 meters long course this morning with pull buoy.  Long course means the 50 meter configuration of the pool, which equals 50% less push offs and less chance for my broken foot to flop around.  I did a whopping 300 meter warm-up followed by 4 X 200 with 15' rest in between and a 100 cool-down.  It felt good and my foot felt fine.  After I was done swimming I felt just a hint of soreness/pain in my foot - but not enough to worry about.  I'll be back on Wednesday and will probably do the same workout.  The objective here is to string together 2-3 pain-free workouts before increasing time/distance/intensity.   

1st Workout in 20 Days

I swam 1,500 yards this morning.  I had to use the pull buoy between my legs.  No kicking allowed.  Technically my stroke felt better than I expected after a long layoff.  Fitness-wise it's hard to judge because I had no kick.  I can definitely understand why I'm not allowed to kick because a few times I felt the movement of the water push my ankle around.  That type of motion engages the peroneal tendon which is attached to the broken bone and that's not a good thing to have it moving.  When I arrived home, I could feel some soreness around the fracture area.  It still might be too early to swim. 

This Picture Sums it Up Quite Well...

My foot is doing significantly better.  Swelling, color and pain have all improved.  I can actually see the tendons and some definition in my foot now.  So why the grouchy demeanor?  Well, when you feel like I did two weeks ago right after the accident you can't fathom doing anything active.  The thought of swimming, biking or running is out of the question.  And so the desire to get out and swim, bike or run is somewhat absent.  Fast-forward to today and I feel really good and feel like I could for sure swim and maybe even ride a bike.  But I can't because I've been sentenced to prison in the boot for 3X as long as the time already served.  So the frustration sets in even deeper and my attitude is not in a good place. 

On a positive note, we went to the Howard Jones concert on Saturday night.  We had a great time and it was good to get out and do something fun like that.  The HOJO song, "Things Can Only Get Better" really resonated with me. 

Detox

Being sidelined for a while is like being in detox.  On a regular Ironman training day I am consuming somewhere in the neighborhood of 500-800 mg of caffeine.  Some Excedrin, some Spike Shooter, lots of Infinit with caffeine, etc.  In the past two weeks my caffeine intake has dropped dramatically.  I've even backed off of the Diet Coke because caffeine in any form is bad for bone healing.  When I get back to training I'll have a nice little buzz waiting for me. 

13 Days Post Injury

Things are improving after 13 days.  I'm able to walk in the boot without much pain and the swelling and bruising on my foot has diminished quite a bit.  My foot actually looks like a foot again.  I haven't completely abandoned the crutches because I've found that when going long distances (walking through the store, Home Depot, etc) that my foot will sometimes get sore and a little cramped.  So I use the crutches on the long distance walks.  I've been using my bone stimulator daily and have no idea if it's working - I may never know.

Finally got an x-ray of my foot.  This was taken at 7 days post injury.  I have been told that the fracture is "minimally displaced", which is a good thing. 

Christmas Comes Early

A Sex Change or a Stimulator?:

I'd heard from several of my triathlete friends (who have also broken bones in their feet) that a bone stimulator can help dramatically accelerate the healing time of fractures.  Who am I to disagree with this idea?  That's what triathletes are all about - getting from A to Z as quickly as possible.  This isn't snake oil folks - it's medically and scientifically proven to grow bone. 

Dr. Van Boerum said on Wednesday, "A bone stimulator is great if you can get your hands on one.  Your insurance will never pay for it though."  Let's hope this is the only thing that Dr. Van Boerum is wrong about.  I started browsing the United Healthcare web site yesterday and in addition to "Sex Reassignment Surgery" UHC also covers medical devices such as a bone stimulator.  So after traversing the usual doctor's office and insurance company red tape I finally got my bone stimulator.  And I got it delivered on a Friday night @ 8:00 PM.  How's that for "I want it all and I want it delivered?"

Someone "One Up'ed Me":

Some of you may be familiar with the triathlon virtual community on the internet called Slowtwitch.  It's often referred to as "ST" for short.  This forum is a unique way for triathletes all over the world, professionals and amateurs, to collaborate and share information about the booming sport of triathlon.  Recently, I've corresponded with several physicians and other athletes on ST about my injury and it's surprising to me how many people have been affected by a 5th metatarsal fracture. 

Last night, I received a message from an ST member named John who had a similar experience as me last year.  He started out, "I'm not trying to one up you, but...".  He went on to tell me that just 20 minutes before Ironman Canada he was in a hurry and decided to jump over one of those plastic orange mesh fences. 

He landed wrong on his right foot, rolled it and broke his 5th metatarsal and smashed his cuboid bone (another bone in his foot).  His race was over.  He sat in the medical tent and then his hotel for the rest of the day waiting for his buddies to finish the Ironman.  He had to pack up all his gear, board a flight and return home on crutches and in a great deal of pain - minus the Finisher's medal, of course.  I thought my story was hard to believe...I'd say John's story takes the cake.  The good news is he's healed up and training for Ironman Canada in August.