Extreme Momentum

My shoulder looked a bit like this.

I saw Dr. Hartigan yesterday for a post-op visit. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since my surgery.  The first few days totally sucked with the pain, stitches, and narcotic side effects. I was feeling better, but still really fatigued.

It was weird seeing my clavicle with all of the hardware in it.  Dr. Hartigan rejoined the bone and put in a titanium with seven screws. Check out the before and after x-rays below.  Wow!

I’m always happy when surgeons are happy.  I get to start physical therapy next week and got the green light to ride the indoor trainer.  I don’t think I’ve lost a lot of fitness, I’m just worn out from recently having had an operation. I see him again in a couple of weeks and will post another report then.

Training inside due to my broken clavicle hasn’t really been enviromentally different because of the weather outside.  Biking in muggy, 80 degree weather outdoors is about the same as biking in 70 degree weather indoors. I got smart and bought a cheap Schwinn recumbent exercise bike after my crash in May.  It turned out to be about the same price as buying a gym membership for a couple of months, plus I could bike in the convenience of our basement. I still sweat with a fan going full force and I’ll will be happy when I can move to the regular stationery trainer. However, it’s nice to at least keep the legs moving.  I know I’m losing some fitness, but in a way this is a great mid-season break considering how much training I’ve done.

I had surgery to repair my broken clavicle last Thursday. I’ve spent the few days in a narcotic-induced daze. Thankfully, the pain has diminished, but I’m still feeling fatigued. I should find out later this week how the surgery went and what the surgeon did.  Until then, here’s a picture of my bandaged sutures…