Comments on: Spoiler

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:10:21 +0000

I had a similar operation done by state of the art methods about ten years ago which means they are probably about ten years out of date by now. I waited six weeks to get it done because they thought it was a sprain and it turned out to not be a sprain. According to the surgeon, waiting minimized my chances for a good outcome, and although I think he was hedging his bet, I still don’t have the range of motion I have in the other wrist.

I say don’t screw around with it.

By: steves

steves — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:37:56 +0000

i vote for amputation.

By: KT

KT — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:57:22 +0000

Fatty, I thought up an alternative for you just this morning:

**** Ride all those rides on a unicycle. ****

Viola! You don’t have to worry about leaning on the handlebars and making your wrist hurt!

Performance bike is having a sale on bikes and they’re including their unicycles in the sale! Go for it!

By: Co

Co — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:53:18 +0000

Dear FC – Think of this situation as what you would counsel Susan to do. If you do it truly, you will make the right choice. I know this because my husband uses this rationale on me. I am forever after him about preventative medicine, so I can’t argue when he asks me to do what is best in the long term. Also, there are amazing joint-support items (even better ones with a prescription) that might let you have the best of all worlds – a permanent solution that does not interfere (for too long) with your ability to help your family and ride!

By: MIdas_Run

MIdas_Run — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:43:33 +0000

Fatty, put LOTOJA on your schedule.

By: jarocco

jarocco — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:33:17 +0000

I started this out with all kinds of advice but erased all of it. I can’t imagine any hand injury and repair knocking you out for a whole season. Pity me. Given all the snow and ice we have in Wisconsin, I will be lucky to get wheel on pavement by June. This is not an exaggeration. Add to that, the fact that all the snow and ice has left huge potholes in most of the roads. I don’t think even mountain bikers like potholes. So, get this thing over with. Schedule the surgery. And within 6 weeks you’ll be back on the road with a whole lot season left. Good luck.

PS: I started reading your blog about a month ago. Love it. Also made your Best Ever Cake twice. Love that even more.

By: Bluenoser

Bluenoser — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:44:50 +0000

Fatty, I ended up somehow in another post. So I’m going to cut and paste this again for you. So if you see it somewhere else you know what happened.

-B

Okay fatty I know you donâ€™t pay much attention to us canucks but listen up. I have Dupuytrenâ€™s disease. They call it the the â€˜Disease of Northern Europeâ€™. It takes the descendants of Northern Europeans. What happens is that the sheath underneath the skin on your hand shrinks and your hands close up into two fists. Enough said.

My Doc who is now retired operated. They cut your hand open and cut out this sheath and free up your tendons. There are two ways to do this. Knock you out for three hours with all he complications that come with it or take a nerve block.

For a nerve block they go in through your armpit and find the nerves to your hand and freeze them. Works like a charm. You are awake the whole time and watch what they do and donâ€™t feel a thing. The best part is there is no recovery room. You get up put on your cloths and go home.

What they do tell you to do is donâ€™t move a thing after the three hour operation for two days and keep it up on your shoulder. And then a week after soak it once a day in hot hot water for forty-five minutes.

Thirty stitches and after I did what they said, was up and riding my bike in three weeks after the operation.

Do what they tell you and youâ€™ll be fine. Donâ€™t be the doctor and listen.

-B

By: mark

mark — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:58:41 +0000

BTW, see if they can get you in sooner rather than waiting until the 17th. Get in, get approved from your insurer for the surgery, and then have them put you on the waiting list for surgery cancellations to get the soonest possible date in the OR. Do this, and you may have the operation complete by the 17th and be ready to ride by RAWROD.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:56:00 +0000

I disagree with your dear sister. I skipped soccer season last year and suffered through cycling season with a torn up knee. Finally got it fixed in October and only wish I’d have done it sooner. I was back on the bike within a week.

During Lotoja last year, my knee hurt so bad climbing strawberry summit that I was virtually in tears when I got to Montpelier. I took advil at the rate of 4/hour (yes, 4/hour–I found with my higher metabolic rate that the effect was worn off within an hour) for the rest of the race and managed to survive. But I would not recommend overloading on NSAIDS over the course of that many long rides.

By: axel

axel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:50:05 +0000

don’t worry too much about the wrist being a spoiler. the real problem comes from the ‘war against doping and each other’ that is .

remember that you participated in the leadville 100, just like (unjustly??) convicted doper Floyd Landis, the one person that UCI and ASO both dislike. This of course causes you to be blacklisted at all of the events listed above, so they can maintain the reputation of being tough against doping.

the only exception is the casual ride out of moab. that one you’d still be eligible for. Then again, the BLM will probably be out there to arrest the repeat offenders that do these kind of covert races.

So, your prospects for this season were bleak to begin with, what’s a little surgery…