Is This A Logo??

Is This A Logo??

Saturday 14 September 2013

Update on Riot's Explosive Situation

So...just a brief update (no nothing to do with my underwear), on my medical condition...and to answer a couple of questions people had about the injury (see my last blog post). 

"What is the vastus lateralis?" - What??  You don't have Google??  Anyways, it is one of the quad muscles...it's the outside one. 

"What exactly is a HUGE tear?" (Yes, this was asked by an engineer) - In my case the tear is 16cm x 4.4cm x 6.3cm.  (To the person that asked the question...ask your spouse, I am sure she/he would consider that enormous.) 

"How would you not know you had a torn muscle?" - According to Lois I am rather insensitive on occasion.  According to the doctors I am dangerously insensitive when it comes to  recognizing pain...and this has caused me medical problems in the past. 

"What is the wing speed of the South African Sparrow?" - What???  Get outta here!
 
 
 

Not really sure what that is all about...but EnglishJim likes the cat pics...
 
Anyways...as far as the update goes...when we last left our glorious story, I was dealing with the huge hematoma as a result of the untreated muscle tear.  The doctors prescribed ice, rest, Tylenol, and to consult with a physiotherapist to make sure the muscle heals with minimal scarring.
 
My hematoma didn't quite look like this...but close...

 
 

So rest I did (and am), ice I did (supposed to be for 15 minutes at a time but I applied for 40 minutes to an hour at a time attempting to get the hematoma to shrink faster), and booked an appointment with a physiotherapist. 

So at the physiotherapist, a couple of days later...once his jaw came up from the floor upon seeing the hematoma...he said that "Not much we can do until we get that hematoma under control...and regardless of what the doc said, it looks infected, it looks inflamed...and you have given yourself serious frostbite from overicing, so now the skin is damaged."  

Well...just great...but I soon had proof that he knew what he was talking about.  That night as I was talking to my ma on the phone, I felt something wet running down my leg (no, although I am old, that is not something I commonly experience)...and looked down to see a milky line running down my shin (again, no not a normal thing)... 

So, a mad dash to the bathroom, where I whipped my pants down (stop it!!), just in time, as the hematoma that had just started leaking burst open, and gushed its contents into the world.  Yes it was infected, yes it was inflamed, and the release of the pressure build up felt amazing...other than the torn muscle, I had mobility in the leg again.
 
At least it wasn't quite like this...
 
 
 
 

Or this...



 



This one is for EnglishJim....


 
 
 
 
 
This one makes no sense...I just think it's funny...
 
 
 
 
 
Anyways, to make a long epochal saga of a story (see what I did there?) just a bit longer, the next day I called the doc to see where I should go from here...was I ok to leave this as is...it was still draining some..etc.  Apparently, a hematoma breaking is a rather bad thing...so a rush to the doc.  The opening in my skin was about the size of a quarter (yeah, I know, gross...sorry...I didn't make the story...I'm just telling it...???)...(and why is Fig strangely excited by this???) 
 
Coulda been worse...
 
 
 
 

Anyways, the doc and nurse stuffed the wound with medicated gauze (yes...does not feel nice at all), in order for it to heal from the inside out.  And I will have to return regularly (twice per week) to have this packing replaced (oh yay...).  I am also, once again, on antibiotics.  However, now that this is taken care of, I can focus on repairing the muscle (still a 4-6 wk process), then hopefully get back to training.  (Also, now that I am somewhat mobile I can properly get back to my day job!).  As it is, I am volunteering, working the registration desk at the race I was scheduled to race in this weekend;  Short Hills Cycling Club's Garden City Classic.

 


Also...a couple of great new sufferlandria videos are out this weekend!!  I will tell you what makes them great on a future post, and keep you up to date on my recovery...and whatever the hell else comes to mind. 

Stay posted!

 

1 comment:

  1. I also found it strangely exciting. (don't judge me)
    Can't wait to see the new Sufferfest vids!! Now, get back you your regularly scheduled healing

    ReplyDelete