Month: January 2020

Now if only I could walk

Today was another successful bike jaunt. I intended to do an easy 20 miles but ended up doing 26 even though it was raining. I am really amazed at how good I am feeling on the bike. And, more importantly, how the pain in my left knee and hip has seemingly disappeared. Happy New Year to me.

I still have a hot spot of pain outside my left hip. It goes away after I ride. It doesn’t seem to be my iliotibial band and it is no more painful now than anytime in the last year. It just is. Go figure.

As for the stenosis, it’s still hanging around. I feel fine for the first few hours of the day when I’m doddering around the house. Once I start walking more than 30 feet or so, the ache returns. Last week I bought a cane. I can’t bring myself to use it.

In the comments yesterday, my brother who is a retired nurse with apparently the same defective back gene suggested I try a chiropractor. Many years ago I tried one. One treatment made me worse off. Of course, he wanted me to come back for weekly adjustments.

I tried acupuncture for my shoulders. One therapist managed to fix my right shoulder with one treatment. Another therapist didn’t do a thing for my left shoulder. Of course, he said that if only I come back for regular treatments, I’ll get better. No thanks.

My friend Kathy with whom I stayed on my 2018 tour recommended trying Feldenkrais. She and her husband have been doing it for years and swear by it. Feldenkrais is a strange blend of martial arts, engineering, and meditation. It involves monitoring your body through very controlled, gentle movements. I watched a few videos online. I was thinking “No way this is going to work.” Then I tried a few simple exercises. I was barely moving but damned if it didn’t work.

During her recovery from getting bowled by an SUV, Mrs. Rootchopper took a Feldenkrais class in nearby Arlington, Virginia. She said it helped and that, strangely, she felt a couple of inches taller when she walked out of the class. I am intrigued. I signed up for a one-hour class next Tuesday night. If this pans out, I may buy some audio tapes that Kathy recommended.

My father used to say that you should never have surgery unless your ailment prevents you from working. Too many things can go wrong. I think my stenosis falls into this category. I am in no rush to go under the knife even though my back surgery 30 years ago was a success.

One way or another I’ll get through this. I have some bike touring to do this summer.

 

Leg Pain Whack a Mole

It’s all very frustrating. my hip and knee pain seem to be gone but now I have to deal with this stenosis-related pain.

Last night I watched a movie (The Danish Girl) while lying on the couch. By the time the movie was over my leg pain had quieted. I slept through the night without use of pain medication.

My leg stayed calm through noon. Since it was pretty nice day outside, I did a somewhat hilly 36-mile ride on my Cross Check. Lowering the seat has greatly improved my pedaling. Still no problems with my knee or hip, although the pain outside the hip seems to be sticking around. Riding did not bring on stenosis-related pain as far as I can tell.

When I finished my left leg felt fine. Once I started doing my stenosis exercises, however, things took a turn for the worse. Certain exercises that are supposed to help actually hurt. I know I need to do the exercises but I also know that if I keep pinging the nerve while I’m doing them, I am defeating the purpose.

Right now I feel general soreness in my left butt cheek, outside my left hip, my inner left thigh, and in my left calf. On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain is a 3. On a scale of frustration, I’m at about an 8.

 

 

Adios prednisone

Last night while waiting to go into a movie, I could tell that the prednisone I had been taking was wearing off. By the time the movie was over, my left leg was aching every bit as much as it was before the steroids. When steroids wear off, it’s like a light switch. Pow. Welcome back to the pain party.

Today, with a lowered saddle, I rode my Cross Check a relatively easy 24 1/2 miles. There were a few small hills thrown in. I was surprised that neither my left hip nor the underside of my left kneecap hurt at all. After I warmed up, my stenosis pain went away too. Maybe I’m finally making some progress.

When I got home, I had a healthy lunch. (Okay, it was chocolate cake and milk. Cut me some slack here.) Then I did some work on my bike. While I was walking back and forth to my shed, the pain in my left leg came back. Big time. My left butt cheek has joined in the fun.

I hit the floor for some stenosis exercises. They didn’t do much. I did find that the pain completely stopped during bird dogs which is useful to know if I plan to spend the rest of my life as a display at Cabela’s.

So, I’ll be munching ibuprofen for a while. Unfortunately, this is beginning to look a lot like my ruptured disc episode of 30 years ago.

Happy new year.