Training Log Archive: boyle

This was my first seven cache day (while yesterday was only four DNFs). I found two without GPSr (1CRHN and QXH3) but did not find one I sought with GPSr (9d9). Because the Hornets Nest was swarming with soccer people, my adventure was limited: 176AN and TH8X. I used one of my three pair of TRXII, three retired pairs which will likely not be returning from the COCs in Fundy park.

Y7GP
MHN6
WE1C

My knees were too stiff for physio today.

My retired shoes for going to work are soaked from GCing.

follow-up with surgeon
10h15
my questions:
- x-ray
- MRI (stale, right knee)
- waiting time
- recovery time
- running (2 years rather than 20 years, BM, monthly)
- reattached ligaments
- physio ($)

I was so nervous about my consultation with the surgeon that I
mistakenly went to the doctor's office a day early.

Today I learned that I have varus knees (bowlegged), especially on my
left leg, which predisposes me to things like a meniscus tear. [I'm not
comfortable learning something completely new each time I visit a
medical professional.] The doctor demonstrated by drawing a line from
from my hips through my knees to where my ankles should be (and they're not there). However, I wonder how much of the bow in my left leg is due to the medial side of knee now having no cartilage.

In today's visit, the doctor spoke only of running. In the previous
visit, the doctor spoke only of NOT running. Why I am getting mixed
messages?

He presented the same two surgical options as during the first consult,
HTO (high tibial osteotomy) and/or half knee replacement. The HTO is
an old school procedure with a not-so-great history. The surgeon provided a decent power-point pitch of his successes with an improved HTO procedure (using curved wedges) on his Inuit patients. However, none of those patients were runners so the doctor couldn't discuss the changes in their stride patterns etc. The doctor observed that I was not a medical
student but that I might look for different work.

The big benefit of the HTO is that there are NO limitations on
activities for your knee once it has healed. The bad side of the HTO is an
extended recovery period. The surgery is more invasive than the half knee
replacement. Historically, some HTO surgeries have gone very wrong.
The HTO may only last 10-15 years and then the half knee replacement would be necessary.

The half knee replacement is a much more straightforward procedure with
very little recovery time. However, the half knee replacement (and the
HTO) surgery cannot be guaranteed. Each patient reports a different
level of satisfaction with the procedure.

In the mean time, I will undertake a meniscectomy surgery in November
to remove the gristle that was once the medial meniscus. The doctor gave me a word picture to help my head around physics. He'll be removing the stone that's in my shoe, iritating my foot. I'll be able to walk the next
day and could be running within two to ten weeks - that all depends on me. Physiotherapy may not be required. The scope will allow him to see how the bones (and the arthritis) are doing. I may get a couple of years
out of the knee after the scope and then we'll schedule one of the
other options.

The doctor's office will contact me in October with a date for the scope.

The rain cut short the workout and I suspect that the water wasn't good for the wheels.

GC16Y88
GCKM95

Embrun to Russell to Embrun with lots of extra play along the way including GCTYB9: I recorded the effort as 2 (even though 1 is probably more accurate) because some of the kilometres went by in less than 3:00 and because I haven't paid the AP premium to use the variable effort.