After 9 weeks, I’m finally back on the bike! OK, it may be bolted to the floor at the gym, but it’s a bike nonetheless. That’s right - I’m back, baby! Yesterday I renewed my lapsed membership at the local gym and began the next stage of my recovery that involves additional weight machines, the treadmill and, of course, a stationary bike. After a 15 minute warm-up on the treadmill, I rode 7 miles on the bike topping out at 20 mph. It felt so good to sweat as a result of hard work rather than a restless night’s sleep, heavy medication or the unseasonably warm temperature of a hospital room. I also noticed that the tightness of my left hip flexor muscle which leads to a limp, if I don’t stretch it out adequately, is not an issue on the bike at all. I found that I’m able to pedal smoothly and quickly which feels like pure freedom even when bolted to the floor. I now know for sure that I will ride again.
This is a big week coming up. I will have both an MRI and CT scan done tomorrow night at Beth Israel and then follow up with my shoulder specialist on Wednesday. I was pleased to find out last week that I’ve not suffered any significant nerve damage from the accident. The EMG test was a thrill – electrodes, shocks and needles – yet the results were outstanding. The doctor was able to ascertain some lingering trauma from two herniated discs I suffered several years ago, but I was glad to learn that my current shoulder weakness is not tied to a nasty nerve problem. The growing consensus seems to be a rotator cuff tear of some magnitude, so we’ll see. Hopefully, the MRI results will not be invalidated by all of the metal in my shoulder. I should have a much better sense of what lies ahead on Wednesday. I’m also excited to be returning to work on a part-time basis this week. Onward and upward!