Exercise with a spinal cord injury

One major struggle for me has been adapting to a sedentary lifestyle. For most of my adult life, I have had the ability to head out for a run. When I need to blow off steam, I always have had my running shoes. Exercise was something that came naturally. The activities I chose kept me fit and healthy.
Today I have to work much hard to motivate my self. I use a stationary bike to get my heart rate up. I have some hand weights to try to maintain some muscle, and I do a series of core exercises to help keep my lower back and abs strong. Soon I plan to begin swimming again. I am waiting for the outdoor pool to re-open for the summer. I look forward to this as I know the benefits will be huge.
I know that much of what I gained as an athlete is still available to me. I know that I can regain much fitness in my heart, lungs, endurance, and muscle.
My neuro wiring is a mess, and I can barely walk let alone run. The concept of being able to race is remote. This is beyond my control. But my fitness is not beyond my control. The workouts may not always be the way I want them to be. But they are available to me. Fitness is my choice. This I am grateful for.

On with the show

So as I am adjusting to life with a disability/injury I am making changes due to my physical limitations. The first thing I need to do is replace the sound system I use for open mikes and other gigs. It is a great system, but it is much to heavy for me. I have come up with a plan make it much more manageable. This means selling the old to purchase a new lighter one.
I also have some triathlon gear that will not be put to use any time soon. Wetsuits and GPS devices are not going to be used for a while. So I have decided to sell these as well.

While selling these belongings, I have become reminded of how different multi sports athletes and musicians can be. When an athlete expresses interest, they say " I will be there at 5PM". This is often without fail. When a musician expresses interest, they say, "I want it! I should be able to buy it the third wed. in June".
I guess this could also be an economic issue.
Both of these traits belong to me.
In any event, the wetsuits and HRM/GPS are sold while the PA remains.................

Trifolk coming out of blog retirement!

It is summer of 2010. I had intended to put this blog to rest, but I have come to believe that the story is not finished. Over the winter I suffered compression to my spinal cord and underwent surgery to repair broken discs in the cervical area of my spine. I am currently 3 months out from my surgery and undergoing physical therapy at MetroHealth in Cleveland.

Triathlon and running are not in the planning right now, but I can dream and use these activities as physical goals. I am using the bike indoors and plan to return to the pool soon. Running is a long way off, as even walking is very difficult due to the nerve damage I have suffered.

My long term prognosis is unclear. Nerves heal very slowly. I was told by my surgeon that the goal of the surgery was to prevent additional damage. A full recovery was not promised to me. I live with symptoms from neuropathy that include: tingling in my hands. feet that feel like they are frozen. My legs are numb, cold or burning. I am unable to walk without the assistance of a brace and a cane. When I switch from a sitting to a standing position I am often slowed by extreme stiffness. I have poor motor control and weakness with my feet and legs. My left foot drags without the brace. These issues are mostly neurological. Structurally I am ok aside from a little extra weight.

My goals are much greater now than ever before. I have every intention of returning to the sport though I know it may take years if this is even possible. I have no intention rolling over in defeat. The will that drove me to ironman remains. I will now return to this blog to update on my progress and struggles as I work toward my recovery. My hope is to one day enter another race report.

Thanks for reading.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion

I never did follow up on the last post. This animation shows the surgery I wound up having about 6 weeks ago. Everything went smoothly and I have been undergoing a lot of physical therapy since then. I spent 17 days in the hospital and was very calm through the whole thing. I thank my family and friends for seeing me through this. I can safely say that I have no triathlons planned for this season. My training now is dedicated toward PT. learning to walk is my big goal.

Surgery

I know this blog has ended, but I thought I should add this. I am in the Cleveland Clinic dealing with an unknown compression to my c4-6 vertabrae. Best case is steroid treatments worst will be removal of a growth and chemotherapy. This should all start today as I am on a presurgery diet.
The problem is unrelated to my sports, but my fitness will help me to overcome this. I am far more nervous right now than I was when I entered the water at Ironman. I hope to post positive results soon.
Thanks Charlie