Tour with The Baby Leg

Progress. It comes in baby steps. Especially when you have what I call "my baby leg." I'm lucky. 12 days after surgery I was walking. 15 days after I was able to negotiate an airport and rock a show. The pain is still real, but it's more fatigue than pain, but the discomfort is real. I'm lucky, already over the crutches hump, walking, and working/living. Life is good. I'm starting to think cyclocross season isn't out of the question.

Baby Leg:



-- Post From My iPhone

Knee

Most of you know I hit a tree snowboarding in late February.  In fact that's all well documented in this blog.  What hasn't been documented is my surgery to repair my ACL.  I arrived in Durango the day after the Dusters last Ski Tour Show, did a pre-op appt, got some tips from my Physical Therapist and went under the knife.  I drastically underestimated how invasive the procedure would be.  It really fucked me up.  Massive swelling, dead leg (they did a nerve block on the whole thing) and incredible pain (I'm not man enough to pretend like it didn't hurt).  After the relative ease of my initial injury (I figured if I could walk on a broken leg, a little knee surgery would be nothing), the magnitude of the situation post-op overwhelmed me and I freaked out.  First four days were terrible, but then I saw my Physical Therapist, Tiffany, an old friend and wife of Hap, Durango banjo and mountain bike staple.  Tiffany got my head straightened out and started using machines, ice contraptions and her skills (oh, science...) and I immediately started improving.  I'd intended to return to Nashville last Wednesday, but all interested parties decided that wasn't the best idea, so I decided to stick around an extra week and join the band in Houston for the start of our CD Release Tour (Things That Fly hits 4/20/10).

This week has made all the difference.  Pain has almost disappeared, swelling has come down ( I wish I would have taken pictures...) and today I took my first shaky but unassisted steps.  I've not set any goals, though it'll be nice when I can roam the stage again.  Cyclocross season will probably come and go without me getting bloody and muddy; I may just be the drunk guy this year.  I anticipate getting back on skis (maybe snowboard, since it's soooo much easier, thank you very much!!!) by Ski Tour, though I doubt I'll be dropping into the Big Coulior.  Everyone's been really supportive and I think I'll be stronger than ever.  They managed to pull a massive chunk of my patellar tendon to use as a template for my ACL, the knee may ultimately be stronger than before.  Time will tell, but I'm just happy to be up and not in pain. 

It's going to be a great summer.  Festival season is almost upon us and Sarah and I are subletting a place in Lyons, CO for the months of July and August.  Life is good and ibuprofen is my new best friend.  Also, I would like to personally thank Ska Brewing for starting the Canned Beer Revolution.  I love you, Ska.  Can't say how much talking about myself I'll be doing, guess you'll just have to check in periodically.