Training Log Archive: Swampfox

Woke up this morning to a renewed Laramie winter wonderland. A reprise of the (much bigger and colder) snowstorm that took place on the same weekend last year. Spring time in SE Wyoming!

Neal Barlow was up this weekend streamering and looking over control locations for the O' Fest, and while he got a lot done on Friday, he was shut out yesterday by dense fog and rain up top that lasted 100% of the day, and I imagine with all the new snow on the ground he headed home this morning. But once he gets done re-jiggering courses and controls based on the work he did on Friday, he should be sending me updates and then, once the weather gets back to spring, I expect to be heading up top and doing some walking around with a map in my hand, and hanging streamers for Neal.

Somewhat ironically--in light of the snow--it was just on Friday that aspens and other smaller trees started budding out leaves.

I have noticed two other odd things going on since la crash.

1) Normally, when I put my contacts in, I can wear them comfortably as long as I like. Even on those rare mistaken occasions when I have foolishly assented to doing one of "those" 24 hour racy things. But for the past few weeks, I've noticed that quite consistently by around the 12 hour mark, my contacts start to feel like they drying out and they start to irritate, and they either have to come out, or I have to re-moisten them. For the life of me I can't see what this could have anything to do with a bike crash, but there it is.

2) Since winter moved on about a week or so ago, I've spent a fair bit of time outside in the yard doing light gardening work. If I stoop down to pull out weeds or whatever and stay down for more than, say, 30 seconds or so, and then stand up, I am getting the most intense head rushes. Very odd, and I hope this isn't a sign that hemoglobin has dropped over the past few weeks. I know it was okay when I went to the ER for shortness of breath (because of blood tests run then), but I don't know that it was okay by the time I left (because I swear they took more blood for all those tests than a whole swarm of hungry vampire bats would have.) Plus. surgery afterwards must have meant at least some amount of blood loss. If I *have* dropped to the low end of acceptable hemoglobin levels, well, the blood thinners can't be helping matters.

Well, now it's 16:48 and it is snowing like it is winter all over again! But that didn't stop me from finalizing my "indoor" designs for the first three "Daze" of the Rocky Mountain O' Fest. I would be there's a pretty decent chance I won't have to move a control, once I inspect the sites in the field. But you never know, and especially it could be some trees have come down on top of a control site, rendering said site undesirable.

Breathing so far feels better today, and I set a new PR with my friend the spirometer of about 3250 ml. Which makes me wonder what volume would have been normal for me pre-accident.

2 walks today, the first in the early afternoon, thinking I better get out then as possible rain/t-storms was in the forecast.

The second walk was longer, something over 1 1/2 hrs, and part of the walk included a swing over to the hospital so I could sign up to see my medical records. And, now, back home, having just looked over several reports, I have learned something new: I had been told on my initial visit to the ER after the bike crash that I had 3 broken ribs. That's almost nothing--ha!--because it turns out the actual toll was 6 ribs, all on the left side. That goes a long way to explaining why inward bending, left sided jumping jacks have been hurting so good.

Strangely, there seemed to be an awful lot of bees flying around today. Could there be any chance that was linked to yesterday's crash on I-80 of a truck bearing millions and millions of bees? Nah, surely not.

C • Keep your eye out for a cluster 1

Breathing didn't feel as good today, but it's very difficult to know whether it's perception or reality. Walked for about 1 1/2 hours on what was a very pleasant day, with a high of 71F--the warmest day of 2016 so far.

I spent some time reading more about PEs (pulmonary embolisms) which on;y reinforced my sense that the area is fraught with unknowns in terms of how long it takes to clear away clots or even if they will ever be completely cleared away, and in terms of the possibility of recurrence. My original thinking--without knowing hardly anything about the subject--was that since the clots in my arm were undoubtedly the result of trauma from the bike crash that once my body had cleared them away that I would be over and done with it all. But from what I read, it appears that's not necessarily the case, though the odds do seem to favor that outcome. Another thing that seems clear is that different doctors might likely treat identical PE cases very differently.

C • Clots 11

Warmest day of the year so far--67F. And walking around outside, it actually *did* feel warm. I walked today in two pieces, for a total time of somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. Quite nice.

The day's big (ha!) achievement was shaving entirely with my left hand for the first time since the crash. I was able to do a passable job with my right hand, but it always took much longer and I was less sure in the movements.

Today marked 4 full weeks since I crashed. It's gone by quickly so far. The daily headaches I had been having most of this time have disappeared, which is good. Now if I could just get my mojo back!

C • mojo? 2

Most stellar spring day we've had so far this spring. Temps nearly reached 60F, and nearly all of the snow in the valley melted, leaving higher ground white rims to the east (Laramie Range) and south and west (Snowy Mountains), while the higher mountains to the south in the Rocky Mountain National Park stand out like 100% white snowy sentinels.

I took advantage of the conditions by taking three walks and gathering a small amount of aluminum to be recycled into Ford F-150s, which are apparently selling like gangbusters.

I also took a drive out along the Happy Jack highway, where even the open prairie was still 99% buried in snow. It looked to be melting fast, however, and I would guess much bare ground will emerge tomorrow.

Some signs of small--ha! very small--progress: last night I used my left hand/arm for the first time since crashing to cut celery. And this morning I used my left hand/arm for the first time since the crash to use a fork to eat with, so say goodby to the right hand/arm for those things.

And I guess that's the way it's going to be. Just gradually picking things back up day by day things I can do again with my left arm that I would normally use my left arm to do.

C • left handedness 6

Hmmmm, came in under the G this morning, well under, in fact, which I took as a sign from the gods that I was meant to breakfast on waffles this morning, which I did. They say a well disciplined kitchen is one that is always waffle ready, and I can only agree.

Took two walks in the afternoon, planted tomato seeds in between, and road the trainer for a whopping 15 minutes after dinner. I think my deep breathing is still being rib limited, but then there are those embolisms, too. Are they gone yet? If they're not, then how will I know? There remain some mysteries to this healing process. But it is fun sometimes to reflect on my new status as Titanium Man!

If the polls are to be trusted, it looks like Cruz is going to crash and burn tomorrow. And it makes me wonder what in the world they could have been thinking in Cruz World Headquarters last week as they were strategizing Indiana. They could have gone after Trump in the one area where he is clearly weak and vulnerable, which is his teensy hands. But instead they choose to bring on Carly Fiorina as ther winning move???? Man. Highly paid consultants must have been involved on that one.