“Just Don’t Fall”
Back in February when I found out I had a broken vertebrae, I ask the doctor about bicycling. He told me I could ride all I wanted to. His instructions, “just don’t fall”. That meant ride on a trainer inside, which is what I have been doing ever since.
Through the spring and summer we have been going through treatment and determining next steps. There have been big chunks of that time when I was too weak or did not have enough balance to ride outside. I was pretty content to get 40 minutes on my trainer 4-6 times a week.
Today, however, I am on a 6 month treatment plan that should be pretty consistent. I’m sure there will be times of fatigue, but I now know how to manage those side affects. I am pretty tired of riding the trainer. I want to go out on the road!
BUT! I cannot get ANYONE to give me a professional medical opinion on that broken vertebrae. The tumor is gone. I have lost an inch in height. I have no pain. But no one will tell me if the 40% of the bone that is gone will grow back or fill in. Everyone passes the buck to the next doctor. I’m ok waiting. I just want to know what is likely.
So, I have a problem that no one so far will help me with. What do we do with these kinds of problems? Ask, “What Else can I Do?” On the doctor side, the answer is to expand the search. On the biking side the answer is to get a bike from which I cannot fall.
A little shopping on Facebook Marketplace and earlier this week I bought a recumbent. I just finished my 3rd ride on it. For the situation I am in, it is fantastic! We have great bike paths where I live. I can only go 10 or 11 mph on this bad boy, but that is fine for the surface of these paths. And as a bonus I need to be doing weight baring exercises to build up my bones. Legs are the biggest muscle I have to work with. On a recumbent, it is 100% legs. Zero body weight help. So every ride is “Leg Day”.
I’m not giving up on finding a doctor out there who will help me with my vertebrae. While I search, however, I’ll be out terrorizing the bike paths of West Michigan.
SHINE!
The Road (Path) Rider
