The surgery was faster and I was very calm since I knew the routine. There were only two differences. This anesthesiologist didn't like to put you out. In all my outpatient surgeries, I was told "you will be awake but feel nothing" and I black out instantly. This was the first time to be asleep yet hear conversations in the background. It was so strange..a little creepy too but still a pretty good rest! I was in the recovery room less time too. In fact, I kept being awakened by the HR monitor alarm which sent nurses charging in when my HR dropped below 40 beats a minute! It would scare me and my heart would jump over 40...Oh, false alarm.. the nurse would leave, I'd sleep 5 minutes and the alarm would go off again! Apparently my Resting HR is about 37! I told them I was a triathlete and that 40 was normal so that must be where they set the minimum! If you want further information about Dr. Berenter, here is his website . He also has a video on a REAL surgery without any blood! Check it out here!
I had no extra bleeding, so no extra bandage changing, and just some throbbing a couple nights. It was pretty uneventful. We drove to Tempe, Arizona on Sunday morning with my right foot in an aircast resting on the dashboard. I iced Thursday to Saturday. This time I did take one pain pill at night the first two nights because the throbbing woke me up. But otherwise I was pain free. I was completely ready for the aircast by Sunday with no pain whatsoever. I knew that standing for my IMAZ volunteer shift wouldn't be any problem. I was so grateful to get a speedpass. The speedpass wristband is earned by working a volunteer shift that specifically states SPEED PASS in the description. You have to sign up on the first day volunteer slots open which I did on July 1 at noon. It typically is a "hard to fill" position. Earning it means I am not waiting in line at 3am to buy my entry for IMAZ 2014 on Monday morning. I have head of line privileges so I basically just walk up and get my ticket in front of thousands in line. All I need is a green band, my ID, my credit card, my USAT card. In return, a get a little piece of paper!
Pretty cool! My shift actually only lasted from 8-9:15pm because my water station #1 was the cutoff mark at 9miles for 2nd loopers. After the dreaded headlights arrived, we knew there were not going to be anymore runners. I was so thankful runners were pulled off the course just before our station so I didn't have to witness that horrible scene.
Monday, I awoke at 7am, and was registered by 7:30am. SWEET! Let the training begin...
I know the foot routine..ugh.. no water on the foot for first 2 weeks until my stitches are removed. Then, I wear the aircast another 2 weeks which means 100's of miles in the lounger spin bike at the gym in the meantime. Another 2 weeks later, I will begin running again. It also means basically soup and salad for months to lose this extra 10 lbs I have packed on with two vacations in 6 months.
So, fast forward 3 weeks from surgery...my hopes are coming true and this recovery is faster than my left foot which had the hammertoe fusion. I have far less swelling and don't even ice it, so I'm pushing much harder and sooner. I couldn't swim until the knots were removed BUT I started on the elliptical by week 2 and it felt great. I'm also out of the lounger bike and now in the upright spin bike in week 3. I feel almost normal with bike, elliptical and swim workouts now. The timing is perfect for removing the stitches because Dec 1 is the beginning of the NCC USAT 3 month challenge. Julie, my coach, headed up a 100x100y swim on Dec 1 to kick off the swim miles and I achieved my first 5k in a pool on Dec 1! That is 2 weeks 3 days post surgery! Granted I was tired after the long swim but my foot felt amazing since it was soothed in the water for 2 hours!
Although I didn't spend too much time at IMAZ13 this year, I did REALLY get the tri bike bug...Black Friday sales were already boasting their screaming hot deals. So, my Honey awarded me an early Christmas present and we drove straight to Moment Cycle Sport after I bought my IMAZ14 ticket! My tri bike fitting said I really fit better in the Cannondale Slice vs Cervelo so I bought one on sale with deep discounts, used my Reynolds and Quarq powermeter, and applied the savings to upgrade all the components to Durace. My little beauty has been appropriately named RACHEL ROCKET because I gave Rachel, at Moment, the go ahead to make it the best it could be as if it were her own bike. Rachel has supported me since the first day I inquired about triathlons at the Moment shop. She is an awesome mentor! Now I can only hope she will give me her incredible endurance and speed as well! I will be taking my RR for a 20 mile spin only 3 weeks 3 days after surgery! Then Sunday, I will go a little further as I adjust to the Tri position. Isn't she a beauty??!!!
I had my 4 week (minus 2 days) check up this week and Dr. Berenter is very happy with my fast progress. I learned that he is one of the few podiatrists that uses dissolvable hardware and he has been using it for 18 years now with fantastic results. Maybe that is why I have had virtually no pain. The screw material is made of the same product as dissolvable stitches, but just poured into a mold. I am ready for a spin class now that I can fit into bike shoes. My next goal is to begin running at the 5 1/2 week now. For now, I am pushing myself on the elliptical, hoping that I haven't lost too much of my running base.So I reflected on my goals for 2013 since my year is basically over. In 2012, I decided after IMAZ volunteering, that I wasn't ready for the Ironman journey. Mentally and physically, I knew it wasn't the right time. I decided to train smarter, build confidence, and repair both feet in 2013. I accomplished a lot in 2013, besides two successful foot surgeries/recoveries. I completed 2 Ironman 70.3 races, 1 marathon, 8 half marathons, 3 Olympic tri's, an inaugural race called Jump Aquathlon and 2 cycling events - a metric century and a 50miler in Mexico. I am so happy that I improved greatly in all three disciplines. It's been an awesome building year. 2014 is looking even better with a great job, a coach, a true tri bike, 3 70.3's, a couple marathons and hearing Mike Reilly tell me: YOU ARE AN IRONMAN on November 16, 2014!
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