Six months...

January 2nd to July 2nd 2011
It's six months today since my spill in January which resulted in a broken hip, radius and ulna (elbow) bones and I think I've had a remarkable recovery. I'm not blowing my own trumpet in saying that, I put it down to modern surgery and recovery techniques. This last six months has had me go from lying on my back in a bed wondering if I will ever get back to walking normally never mind getting back onto a bike to now being limp and pain free and to top it all I'm getting back to some sort of normality when it comes to cycling. I'm not out with the club regularly like I used to be just yet, that's for the near future but I'm out on the road or on my turbo 3 to 5 times a week.

I said I'm pain free and limp free and that status has only been achieved over the last couple of weeks. Courtesy of the NHS I have been on a physio 'knee class' for the last seven weeks. For the first couple of weeks I definitely improved in my strength and gait but after those initial two weeks I felt I went downhill in that I suffered for the rest of the week after a Monday session, my limp was pronounced and I was in pain however I missed a week due to a hospital visit during week 6 and I feel that that week of rest from physio helped me to recover enough to gain more strength and to get rid of the pain, to heal, I needed that rest. I've finished with the class now I have been cast off with instructions to carry on at my own convenience at my local Fitness First gym, an instruction I need to keep.

Osteo what?
I may have already mentioned it in a past blog entry that the reason I broke so easily was that I have started with osteoporosis in my hips and a milder form of osteoporosis called osteopenia in my spine. How did I get to this unfortunate state? Apparently my other problem of renal failure and transplant combined with the immunosupressant drugs that stops my bionic kidney being rejected can cause these conditions, bummer eh! Now, exactly six months post breaks I can say that my legs have gotten back to that stage where I feel like I float when I walk, like I'm not walking but gliding and my limp has gone, just disappeared and that feels abfab.

I'm a Junkie
Initially from the accident on and every 4 hours or so and more recently mostly at night I been been taking strong pain meds with codeine, codeine is an opiate, a derivative of opium. Maybe as a result I have lost some kidney function as I was told last week so I decided to go cold turkey on the pain meds. I have recently only been taking them at night or when I've been in pain during the day but it's now day 4 off them and I've suffered, I've had some withdrawal symptoms. Can't sleep, can't sit still, stomach cramps, the trots but the worst is the jitters. Sitting here I would get this overwhelming feeling where I just want to get up and run, to scream, I would clench all my muscles really tight and shake, this feeling would last only a few seconds but I want it gone and today, Saturday, day 4 they have gone and I'm off the codeine. Codeine is a minor drug compared to the really hard stuff and what I went through to get off them was bad enough, can't imagine the torture some people must have to go through coming off the really hard stuff...

So where am I now...
I'm walking normally
I'm pain free
I'm regaining my strength in both my left leg and arm
I'm out cycling
I'm happy because of all the above

What do I aspire to...
To get back on the Sunday club runs and back to the Velodrome.
Regain my confidence on the bike

Lastly
I would like to thank everyone that has given me support, from my many club mates from the North Cheshire Clarion who came visit me and provide me with mags and DVD's and the many words of sympathy and support through the clubs forums, texts and phone calls, from the unsolicited help via email from strangers, individuals who have been through similar and took the time to write out lengthy but very informative and encouraging emails namely Mike. My family, my wife Mel who has helped me through this, help you cannot put a price on...