one step closer!

....returned to work after a few days r&r and saw mr cohen a week after the op, to check the entry wounds had healed! the tiny (1cm long) scars belie the real damage to the shoulder, which mr cohen gleefully showed on colour photographs!! i'll have to get them scanned so that i can share it with you all ; )

although the shoulder must be healing, i still have to keep it in a sling : ( things have been a little slow working with one arm, but getting by : ) driving to work has kept me off the bicycle, which is good and bad - after my incident with the a council van driver on the kings road just before the op was a simple reminder not to cycle with one arm! but it has removed one element of my training.

so i have joined virgin gym on the fulham road have already had three sessions; working on the cross trainer, cycle machine and been working the leg press/ extension/ curls, plus some abs work and stretches, so great to be getting physical again. and next week i am planning to walk to work too!

i'm booked in with pure sports physio on october 12th, so only 2 weeks now before i start using my right arm again.....it's already been 6 weeks since my crash and 3.5 weeks since the op, time really is flying by.

need to find a lock-up for the bike and set up a small workshop with a proper work bench to carry out the regular services and maintenance on both the 950 and 400, though i'll still need 'some' help from paul at brackens along the way i'm sure. oh,forgot to mention that i received a certificate for my mechanic's course, i passed!

great news on the home front, the sale of capton went through since my r&r and the girls have all moved to malmsbury. so tonight we had our first sunday lunch together. it's brilliant to know they are all just down the road.

so on that positive note i'll bid you goodnight, hope you had a great weekend!

tobesx

r&r

since leaving hospital on friday i have been in devon for a little r&r and taking my daily concoction of drugs; co-codamol, diclofenac (you were right steve!) and dihydrocodeine. as much as i have enjoyed watching a few films and playing ps3 games, i think the dogs are as bored as i am ; ) i need to get physical and need some fresh air!

my consultant said that my shoulder was in a bit of a mess, that the whole layer of cartilage in the socket had come apart from the bone and needed to be stitched back, as well as the repair to the bone and general clean up. but he was pleased with the work....if he was happy, then i guess i should be, only time will tell.

jago, cheers for your email, i will reply shortly, but it brought a smile to my face to think about the next races and possible moroccan rallies in the new year, thank you for the encouragement!

mum and the girls have been brilliant, cooking, waiting and general support with the basics. and whilst trying to pack the house, it looks like they should exchange on the sale of the house after nearly 4 years of trying!!!

my good friend ronnie young very kindly helped me out with the bike on friday, retrieving it from the recovery garage and finding a suitable secure space for it. had loads of messages and emails, thanks everyone.

kevin, i've been looking at those shoulder supports, they look great, and perfect for both skiing and enduro, thanks for the links.i might try your one out and see it fits with the other protective gear i wear.

currently reading race to dakar, some useful info on the training front; like the fact charlie was riding 8-9 hours a day in the welsh hills 3-4 days a week with simon pavey! although it seems that he did not have much racing as part of his training, i can see that i've got a serious amount of work to do. so when i see my consultant on friday i will confirm that i can start at the gym and work on the rest of my body's fitness until my shoulder is ready. i'm thinking spinning (that's on bike for those comedians among you!), cross trainer (use one arm) and yoga/ palates.

right, gonna get off me backside now and take the dogs for a walk around the field.....

On the road to recovery!

i'm sitting in my room in the princess grace hospital overlooking a beautiful church, waiting to be given my backless dress and tissue pants....can't wait!

mum has come with me today, she was up anyway looking after my sister millie who was in the same hospital yesterday to have an acl op. mum's reading heat and i'm tapping away at the keyboard whilst listening to supertramp - she'll be heading off soon to nurse millie.

if all goes well i will be out of here tomorrow morning and then mum's ambulance will take millie and i down to devon where nurse polly and sister courtney are awaiting their duties...going to be waited on hand and foot for a few days r&r ; )

missing chobe, i left her in devon at the weekend with polly and courts and the other dogs (murphy, pod and tumble), so she's having a holiday.

i am having a 'shoulder stabilisation' op by mr brian cohen. on reflection, his strong advice not to race last weekend was probably right, i can't even use my arm to push up from sitting in a chair! i'm a little worried that my arm muscle is rapidly losing strength, so will be working on the rehabilitation as soon as i can, although i have been told it will be at least a month.....but i have been told i can start cycling in a gym as soon as i feel ok, so last week i popped into virgin active on the fulham road to check out their facilities.

talking about when it rains it pours, i received a call from my neighbour in the country to say that my motorbike had been stolen! the police had found it in a hedge in the next village, but i don't know what condition it is in yet, the police system is pretty slow. although locked away and at the bottom of a garden, they had gone to great lengths to break in, removing two huge locks, cut the chain attached to the bike, but they then just dumped it in a hedge a few miles away, they didn't even bother to hide it?


during one of my conversations with one of the pcs, it seemed that i knew more about the situation than he did and i laughed, oh boy was that the wrong thing to do "what are laughing at?" he said in a matter of fact tone, "oh, i am terribly sorry, i did not mean to cause offence" i replied "no offence, but do you know how are systems work?" i didn't tell him it was because i seemed to know more than him about the situation, i just said "i am just trying to remain upbeat as my race bike has been stolen and i am going into hospital tomorrow"........i hope to hear back later today but will be going via the cottage on the way down to devon tomorrow. i hope mary is ok, she seemed unphased by the whole thing, but i would like to make sure.

my uniform has just arrived.....stockings this time too!!

i'll let you know how i get on...