Day 1

recovery has started.
op yesterday (so it's actually day 2 now i guess :))
nothing much to report really.
some scar tissue around the itb (well derr), meniscus/'mini-arthroscopy' normal.
just removed some of the itb - left the bursa alone.

a bit less mobile than i'd hope.
no pain unless i try and walk on it.
glad i got those crutches on thursday.
also glad i dont have to work a full shift at work until wednesday.
bandage stays on a whole week which is a bit of a bummer.

see the doc again in 2 weeks and then i am hoping he will tell me i can do a light spin on the bike.
baby steps.

thanks for all your supportive comments.

Spoon anyone?

we at mellum are cruel folk.
whenever someone is injured we jokingly suggest they cut the offending bit off with a spoon.
because of course that would be much more slow and painful than a knife.

saw the surgeon last night and we are go.
doing an itb release in 8 days time.
basically cut some of the tendon out so it doesnt rub on the lateral epicondyle (the 'knob').
ballpark recovery he said was off work 2-3 days, gentle exercise bike 3-4 weeks, walk-runs 6 weeks, go nuts 3 months.

so glasshouse is out (both of them), 4 peaks was out anyway (away) and hopefully back for kepler.
did have a grand plan to tie in kepler with a milford track hike with TOH but at the moment will be a bit of a punt booking stuff and hoping for recovery ... will give it some more thought.

huge congrats to whippet for finishing hardrock, and kel badwater.
one day my running CV will simply say .... hardrock.
seems a little far away now but at least i feel like i am making progress in a wierd kind of way.

An update of sorts...

yeah yeah i know i have been avoiding talking about my knee.
was waiting to see how things were going.
the brief version is i have an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon in 2 weeks.

to be honest i havent made any progress over the last 3 months since alpine.
the only time i have been able to do bits and pieces in when cortisone has been in it.
this is the 3rd time i have lost > 2 months to itbfs on the left.
my attempted 4km run earlier this week ended up in me hobbling around for 2 days.
bloody hell!

have been doing a bit of googling since then and had a long chat to the physio today.
plan is to get an itb 'release' where they basically cut the posterior (back) bit out of the tendon and clean up some of the inflammed bursa/tissue underneath.

best case scenario for this kind of thing is off crutches in 2 days and running again in 4 weeks.
and yes i am mindful that thats the best case scenario but dont want to think about anything else ;)
anyway will have a month or so to think about it by the time i see the knee dude, he presumably agrees and i book in for the chop.
might see if i can get some pec and ab implants at the same time.

oh yeah and by the way i put on 6kgs whilst i havent been running and have been away.
(i can see the smiles from here).