Day 5

This is day 5 after the surgery. You'll notice that I'm not as chipper as I was on Day 0.


I had a great day on Saturday going to the Albuquerque Fit meeting and hanging out as the members did their final long runs. Came home and took a nap. Woke up with THROBBING pain in my left bicep that just wouldn't quit. Took some Tylenol and iced it for a while until the worst of the pain subsided.

Had a rough night. Couldn't sleep very well because I just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

This is getting really old. Maybe I'm just being impatient but I thought that once I got the bones put back together I'd recover from the surgery in a couple of days and start feeling better quickly. Not so far.

Looking forward to training again. It was rough watching everyone take off on their runs on Saturday. Sitting on the sidelines is definitely not my forte.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Beer is not Enough!

OK, I can have beer now, one a day. I have to be careful with the Percoset and beer at the same time. The drug packaging says, "avoid alcohol". So I'm avoiding the alcohol. Just not 100% of the time. I figure one won't hurt me.

I am starting to wean myself off the painkillers anyway. I skipped a dose of Percoset this afternoon and I'm going to try to go all night without another dose. I'm not really in a lot of pain. At least I don't think so. I may find out tonight

I'm planning to go into the office tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I'm getting really frustrated. I thought the aftermath of the surgery would be easier, but it's been one exercise in annoyance after another. I'm tired of not training, I'm tired of not working, I'm tired of not being able to do things for myself. In short, I'm tired of having a broken collarbone. Being able to drink a beer is not enough. I'm ready to get my life back anytime now.

For a person who isn't a great typist to begin with, perhaps starting a blog when one only has the use of one arm wasn't the best of ideas...

I see the doctor in 6 days.

Day Zero

Today is day zero of The Terrible Triathlete's second season. After the ignominious end to season number one when I broke my collarbone on the same day I got my official invitation to Xterra Nationals I'm launching season number two with surgery to repair my shattered left clavicle. Above is a picture of my left shoulder just before the surgery.

Xterra Nationals are 12 days away. After qualifying for Nationals in my first season, albeit through a bit of a fluke, I'm sitting up on the couch typing with one hand while still a bit groggy from the anesthesia they gave me this morning before they put the three pieces of my left clavicle back together and secured everything with a plate. Not a great start to my triathlon career.

Here's a picture of my left shoulder after surgery:

I have to stay sitting up or standing for 48 hours. Pain killers must be taken every 4 hours so I don't get behind the pain curve. I have to keep the sling on for a week. That'll be fun! No showers. Worst of all, no beer for 24 hours! There will be beer tonight though.