Post-op Update

Hello everyone...

I am finally on the mend and back on the back.

I was mildly surprised when I went to the gym the first time after surgery and weighed in... I weighed in at 171 lbs. I have continued the weight loss and am now down to 168 lbs. I don't know what I did to drop the weight aside from eating very little due to the medications I was one.

I am now back on the bike while continuing my physical therapy. I am now 11 weeks out from surgery and am pleased with my progress, I still can't run, jump or do some other things, but the good news is, I can climb stairs again, I am allowed to start doing some light lifting with my legs and I am preparing for my big bike ride in September. My furthest ride since surgery was a 20 miler on my birthday, May 15, which was only 9 weeks post-op.

I seriously underestimated this surgery. I now understand that the surgery I had done was just about the most that can be done through an arthroscope, without actually opening the knee to fix it. Additionally, I have had to relearn many things that I took for granted, including walking. By cutting the tissue that was causing the issue, the muscle balance and control in my quadriceps changed. Doing stairs was goofy for a while. An additional bonus is that when my knee swells, I definitely know it. I get a golf ball sized lump on the outside of my knee. The fun part of that is that when the knee swells, i get goofy legged because the swelling outside of the joint capsule affects the function of my quads.

Another part of the equation is the blood thinners I take when needed, (3 weeks) after the surgery. The blood thinners increased the amount of swelling and bleeding in the knee which created a set-back. While my left knee has continued to improve, I am not looking forward to having the right knee fixed in September.

I am still making sure to watch my calorie intake and portion sizes, as well as trying to maintain activity as much as possible. Right now my only cardio is walking, cycling or swimming. Little to no impact...

Unfortunately, I believe my triathlon career, (as brief as it was) is over. Unless I continue my trend of just walking the run portions or finding aqua-bike events in the area. Who knows.

I plan to update more frequently now that I am back on groove. The funny thing is, I was reveling in my weight loss until my pt decided to burst my bubble and tell me that it is most likely due to loss of muscle mass, but I have still maintained the weight even as my quad has returned and is close to normal.

My original hope with picking my blog back up was to be an inspiration to someone... I think I may have inspired myself more than anyone else, but it has to start somewhere.

Now for a brief moment of levity. Considering that since December I have lost more than 20 lbs, I still receive the stupid comments of those who are too vain to recognize that we are all different and we all have to work at different levels in order to reach our goals. Some of us naturally have a high metabolism, or better self-control than others, but if you are one of those people, please be respectful of those of us who fight body chemistry, medical conditions and who knows what else to try to maintain a healthy weight or body image. I, in no way, shape or form want to be a waif. I am happy to admit that if I do return to triathlon, at my current weight, I still qualify as an Athena, although a slightly smaller Athena, I am still an Athena with bad knees and competitive spirit, that just wants to be a shining example to the one that matters to me most... MY DAUGHTER!!!

Just remember... You never know until you try(tri)