Athletics and Post AN Life

[stoneaxe]

Seal...you need to make some Ahi poki from that yellowfin...nom, nom...

I'm having a blast back in the surf again post op. My balance is almost back to normal...close enough that I can't tell the difference most of the time. Only concern is my left eye not closing during a wipeout. I wear goggles in BIG surf now to prevent damage.

I didn't use to have to worry about that....

I think the worst thing we can do is let this thing defeat us. Rise to the challenge and make the best of it. Everyone is different and I'm real lucky things turned out so well for me but if you don't push yourself you'll soon find that pushing the button on the remote is a workout.....

[leapyrtwins]

Seal -

although we are all different, you are right - at 5 months there usually is still more recovery to come.  Take heart though, it sounds like you are doing very well  

Your balance should keep improving over time and eventually IMO you will be able to get back on your bike.  Once you do, take it slow until you get used to it.

I'm sorry to hear about your headaches; do some research on the Forum - there are lots of posts related to headaches and what has worked for others.

Good to "see" ya,

Jan

[4cm in Pacific Northwest]

 

WOW!!!

DHM

[alicia]

Great photo Stoneaxe!

[Seal]

WOW is right.   Very cool shot from the paddle's perspective.  If you have to wipe-out, at least you're doing it with style!!!    Thanks for that info Jan.   Having read many posts, I just assume that there will be more good stuff to come at six months, eight months, and even a year out.    I have not complaints and feel very blessed.     As a matter of fact, many friends and family have refered to the whole event as miraculous, and I heartily agree.   Hopefully, people can read this thread to see how quickly progress does come.    Sure there are those days of fatigue, dizziness, and headaches, but they are usually harbingers of healing and improvement.    With good rest, the next day is usually a better one.    I did notice a big improvement in August when the whole family just went away for a long weekend, turning off the work stress, iPods, and late night TV.    The quiet and relaxation helped remove alot of stress, and I had a big bounce in improvement from that weekend.    I beleive the minimization of stress is critical to helping the body recover as well.     And Keri, I am a month ahead of Alicia, but I would not want to attempt a 12 hour stint of tailgating just yet.    A couple of glasses of wine seems to be my limit for right now!!!

BTW, on that long weekend, I did get on the shortboard for some serious speed on the windsurfer.   My balance was very good, but my mind said go while my body said no.    At least getting in a couple of runs was a big mental boost.  The worst part though was skipping over the choppy bay waters.   At 25-30kts, that was more than my head could deal with at the moment...............

[alicia]

Let me clarify...there is not much drinking on my part yet...still too nervous of the whole nerve trying to heal issue.  So tailgaiting consists of getting up early, watching the guys set up "camp," sitting in chairs, grilling, and walking a mile to the portapotties!!  So you guys are much more active than I have been 

[Seal]

Well, just to keep the update rolling, this week marked the six month without an AN in my right ear.    I continue to see improvements in overall strength as well as balance.    The headaches seem to be a bit more prevalent lately, but I can handle them.    Maybe its the wine in the evening that Alicia told me to  have with every dinner!!!    However, a good morning dose of caffeine along with a minimal amount of ibuprofren sometimes late in the day, and I'm good to go.    On the athletics, I have still not returned full time yet to biking.     I have done the stationary bike, and the excercise felt good.    However, it did increase the pressure a bit and brought on some more headaches.    So for the moment, I am walking and slowly building up to the point that I can do the stationary bike daily.  Priorities of work and kids (and fishing) continue to take priority at the moment.    So I'll focus on the stationary bike when the real winter sets in for good and the boat is put away for the season.    Offshore tuna fishing is done, but we hope to get out to Block Island for some late season stripers as well as cod fishing.    My ten year old wants to do some ground fishing before the season is over in mid-November.      Balance on board continues to be fine, and walking and turning quickly continue to improve.   So in short, the six month mark continues to show improvements, and I look forward to getting back to daily excersizing once other priorities like kids soccer games, work load, and fishing opportunties subside.     All and all, life continues to improve!

[Seal]

Hi All,

Well the eight month update was not anything worth writing about due to all the yearend and holiday chaos and madness.     So this is the update for nine months post-op.    The few times that I have tried to do some serious cardio type exercises, I end up running into the kitchen looking for  the ibuprofen for the headache that follows.    The higher blood pressure of a good workout seems to give me some decent headaches although they are easily handled by over the counter medicines.    So for a Christmas gift, I received a Bosu ball, and I have already seen improvements in my balance in just the first week of using it.   In this 8 to 9 month period, I also seem to have found some serious improvement again in balance.    Just walking and doing normal everyday activities seem greatly improved for some reason.     This seems to be confirmed by others who have also seem continued improvements in the 8th and 9th months.       So the wintertime right now is a bit of a crimp on walking and/or running, but I intend to bit the bullet and start doing daily spinning (stationary bike) in the cellar augmented by the balance training with the Bosu ball.       I'll update this thread these next few months to track the progress as I drag myself back into shape.    The target right now is a century ride next September (100 mile ride).     With some luck, I should be able to get there.

Happy New Year,

Steve

[leapyrtwins]

Steve -

good to see you    Thanks for the update.

Sorry to hear about the headaches, but good to know you've found an alternative exercise method to avoid them. 

The Century ride sounds like a great goal to shoot for. 

Happy pedaling,

Jan

[Keri]

Good for you, Steve. I hope the headaches get better.
That's great about the 100 mile bike ride. Have you talked to Patrick (texsooner)? He does stuff like that.
Keri

[Seal]

Hey Everyone,

Well the count is now 11 months, and I will soon celebrate one full year of being bugger free and an official ANA postie!   I've tried to document a bit of the recovery over these past 11 months with hopefully highlights and lowlights of the recovery process.   I have been doing some indoor spinning on the bike, mounted on a wind trainer.   WIth the winter weather, that is just about normal around here.    Last week I had a big event and biked about 20 miles solo for the first time in over a year.   My wife was more nervous than I was, and I needed about 15-20 minutes of riding until I felt comfortable again with every wobble and bump in the road.     The bike is a titanium frame with those small little tires; so every action has a counter action to it.    To my surprise, I actually felt great after the ride, and of course all my muscles paid the price the next day.    The interesting part was that I had no headache issues after the long workout like I had in the late summer and early fall.    So obviously, there continues to be healing and progress going on inside my big, fat Irish skull.     I do admit to resting maybe a bit too much and not pushing the envelope earlier as I had planned.     But I guess we would all agree with the value of sleep, rest, and letting the body restore itself.     I am still having some headaches, but they seem to be gradually subsiding.     I maybe resort to a couple of ibuprofren every 2nd or third day.    As the weather continues to improve though, I hopefully will get onto a solid biking schedule and continue to work through the process of getting back in shape.    Last summer, I was back to my fishing both inshore and offshore, but that is really not to "aerobic" as sports go.    As I look back to last summer, the fatigue factor was also much, much greater than it is today.     So in conclusion for those newbies, I would have to just say:  be patient.   The improvements, though incremental, do continue to come along.    Hopefully, I can celebrate my one year anniversary with a nice 40-50 mile ride!   One last detail is that work has been intense with the current economic environment, and the stress levels are high which raises the tinnitus, wonkey head, and dizzyness feelings at night.    But I find that good sleep on the weekend with maybe an extra "nappy-po" thrown in can get me ready for Monday morning again.     Nap is good.      Happy Spring everyone.

[Keri]

good for you and happy almost one year anniversary! i hope you get that 50 mile bike ride in. if you have any doubts you might, go to the 'let's run or walk or something' thread in AN community - we're all trying to help each other meet our exercise goals! it works well. when i say something like 'tomorrow i need to go on a long run' and come tomorrow, i'd rather sleep in, the fact that i put it out there really helps.
anyway, i'm so glad about the biking and so glad you've made such progress.

keri

[gman100]

Looks like I'm joining this conversation late, but I'll put in my two cents!

My balance was pretty horrible because the tumor was in my cerebellum, so I couldn't walk without assistance for like 3 weeks or so. However, my balance is getting better and my sport playing is too. Almost two years out now and I feel comfortable sprinting and pivoting and the such. I have double vision due to a 6th nerve palsy and blurriness in my left eye because I need gel in it due to a 7th nerve palsy.  I think those effect my sports playing more than my balance because I don't think I would be that bad if I could actually hit/catch a freakin' ball! Heck, I don't think so, I know so. But I think your balance will get totally better, it only helps to be out there doing stuff.

Oh yea, I can still weight lift like a beast because I don't really need depth perception for that. Don't know if that counts as a sport to you.

Good luck!

[Seal]

Well, what a difference a year makes!   One year ago today, I was coming out of intensive care at Man's Greatest Hospital in Boston (MGH), and I was a postie trying to prove that I could do all the basic requirements needed to get home as soon as possible.       Instead of being unplugged from multiple lines in the ICU, this morning I was on my bike at 5:55AM doing my usual 20 mile morning ride with by biking buddies.      There IS hope and a future after AN surgery.    All you need is some patience and true appreciation for the journey all the way back.      I'll be the first to say that life will never be the same, but on the other hand, I can recite a list of ways that my life has improved as well!!     The biking is still needing some time to get back to near normal, but I also know that at 53 yrs old, the body doesn't bounce back as quickly as it did at  25.    I also have to count my blessings when I compare my journey to one of our regular bikers who is in the struggle of his life with a cancer diagnosis about six months ago.    So I think we all can agree that things are pretty darn good compared to the alternative.

On the athletics side,  I find that my reaction times are pretty much what they were a year and a half ago.    At speed, the biking on those thin race tires seems comfortable, but as the speed slows down, things get a bit wobbly.      Its sort of like what others describe when walking slow as compared to a quick pace.   Granted our balance will never be the same, but all in all, its more than serviceable, and I can say with certainty that I am now doing everything that I did prior to the onset of the AN symptoms back in 12/09.    Right now, I am not in top condition to ride hard with some of my buddies, but as I increase my endurance, I'll post here to give a window on how the progress takes place.     I see that Patrick in TX is doing a big ride soon, and I wish him luck.     Right now, 20-25 miles seems like alot, but I know that will increase through the summer.     I do  find that the bouncing either in the vehicle or on the bike still is a bit rough to handle,   and I  still do not want to make quick head movements either side to side nor looking back over my shoulder.    Hopefully, I will see continued progress with these minor issues as I gain in strength and experience back in the saddle on the bike.   

Till the next update:

Steve

PS: my wife has said no hard core biking this summer -- just more quality time with the family.     I think that includes fishing and hopefully offshore fishing!!!!!   Can't wait for the first tuna filets on the grill!

[sgerrard]

but I also know that at 53 yrs old, the body doesn't bounce back as quickly as it did at  25. 

At 53, Be happy if it bounces back at all! 

Your progress sounds excellent, and I'm sure you will be doing even better next year, after your leisurely summer of fishing and schmoozing with the family. 

Steve