Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Ragbrai

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Ragbrai

    Hello all,
    I am currently training for RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). Basically, the last week in July, you start out on the western edge of Iowa (the Missouri river. You dip your bike tire in it), then end at the eastern edge of Iowa (and dip your bike tire in the Mississippi). I will be roughly 1 year and 8 months out of my first surgery, and almost 9 months out from the revision. You average about 60 miles per day.
    Has anyone undertaken anything similar since being fused? I am still trying to find a way to finance it, its not really cheap. Anyhow, I was just wanting your thoughts, experiences, etc.
    25 years old
    double 70+ degree curves before surgery
    Anterior on 11/11/08
    Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
    nearly perfect correction
    fused t-10 to pelvis
    with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

    Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
    Broke left rod on 10/24/09
    Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
    Broke both rods again

    Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
    Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

  • #2
    Hi...

    You might want to send a message to Joe O'Brien (president of the National Scoliosis Foundation). His User ID is Joe O'Brien. He rode cross country after revision surgery.

    --Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the tip Linda! Will do.
      25 years old
      double 70+ degree curves before surgery
      Anterior on 11/11/08
      Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
      nearly perfect correction
      fused t-10 to pelvis
      with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

      Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
      Broke left rod on 10/24/09
      Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
      Broke both rods again

      Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
      Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

      Comment


      • #4
        FLT,

        Your amazing! Good luck with your adventure. I hope you do excellent! Hope all is well. Haven't been on in a really long time. Too busy trying to keep up with boys and hockey!

        S.
        Susan

        Diagnosed at 10, Boston brace from 11-13 yrs old.
        50* Lumbar w/ 5 centimeter shift to the left and slight rib hump...
        Surgery Date: April 15 and April 22, 2009
        X-LIF approach for disc repair L5,L4,L3,L2
        Posterior Approach for fusions L5-T5
        Dr. Fox @ Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
        Nice and straight now!!!!!

        Comment


        • #5
          asccbodypro-Thanks for the good wishes! Hockey sure does keep people busy this time of year. Please tell me its the boys playing hockey and not you though! My husband plays, I take pictures, but that's as close as you'll get me to suiting up for it. Good to see you back!
          25 years old
          double 70+ degree curves before surgery
          Anterior on 11/11/08
          Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
          nearly perfect correction
          fused t-10 to pelvis
          with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

          Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
          Broke left rod on 10/24/09
          Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
          Broke both rods again

          Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
          Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

          Comment


          • #6
            FLT,

            LOL, I see you have kept your sense of humor! I neverrrrr go on the ice. I use to skate with them but not anymore, someday perhaps!

            My 15 year and 10 year old play. My 15 year old is a goalie and my 10 year old is center and plays travel. They play almost year round here and we spend 5-6 days out of the week at the rink and then at least 2 sometimes 3 weekends traveling. It's exhausting but well worth it. We love watching them play, have made wonderful friends and it keeps them out of trouble....as long as you don't count the penalty box as trouble ;O) yes even my goalie gets penalties. I just love when I hear "What Mom? He was in my crease!" ya, after the whistle! Oh boys, never a dull moment.
            Susan

            Diagnosed at 10, Boston brace from 11-13 yrs old.
            50* Lumbar w/ 5 centimeter shift to the left and slight rib hump...
            Surgery Date: April 15 and April 22, 2009
            X-LIF approach for disc repair L5,L4,L3,L2
            Posterior Approach for fusions L5-T5
            Dr. Fox @ Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
            Nice and straight now!!!!!

            Comment


            • #7
              I was so surprised to see the heading "Ragbrai" on here then realized it was from a fellow Iowan. I'm very impressed you would take this on. I rode once upon a time--for about 15 miles--ha! It always looks like such fun--the rolling party. I hope you don't have to sleep in a tent though--that could be rough on the back after all that riding. Are you going to homes along the way? That might be an option to soothe the muscles. Good luck! Janet
              Janet

              61 years old--57 for surgery

              Diagnosed in 1965 at age of 13--no brace
              Thoracic Curve: 96 degrees to 35 degrees
              Lumbar Curve: 63 degrees to 5 degrees
              Surgery with Dr. Lenke in St. Louis--March 30, 2009
              T-2 to Pelvis, and hopefully all posterior procedure.

              All was posterior along with 2 cages and 6 osteotomies.

              Comment


              • #8
                Janet- haha, I forgot you were from Iowa too! No less, about 10 miles from where I live! In fact, my husband works in Ames. We are in Huxley. I don't really know all that many people along the way (okay...zero), the route hasn't been announced yet, but it sounds like it will be a northern route. So, I will be camping, but I should be okay. I have a friend that has offered to be my sag service (ie...drive the length with me, and pick my butt up if I break down mentally, physically, or mechanically, though I am fairly mechanically inclined and my bike bag is stuffed with tools should the need arise, so I would imagine it would be a mental or physical break down), and also schlepp all my stuff to the campsite, along with an air mattress.
                I have heard that its a HUGE party (I've never actually seen even a bit of it, I am a California to Iowa transplant, and so my family never really got into it). I am not really a party-er and I don't drink, so I would be in it mostly for the biking and the fun time, also if I could raise a bit of Scoli awareness, that would be awesome too. I am hoping to get a cycling jersey with my xray (rods and all) plastered on the back.
                Also, since I clearly can't bend to bike on a regular road bike I will be taking my trusty Electra Townie..seen here: http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs197...._4757377_n.jpg
                3 speeds...which will be rough, but its got an internal derailer, so it doesn't make that awful "thud" when you shift, I do love that, in fact it was the reason I got this one. Also, easy on the knees because the pedals are slightly forward, and therefore, you can touch the ground with your whole foot when sitting on the bike.

                Susan-That is hilarious! When they grow up they still do that. My husband plays on a C league adult team. Its not uncommon to hear a 50 year old whine "BUT they got in MY WAY!" haha. Hubby is a defenseman. http://www.likeafoxphotography.com/i...46619851-2.jpg He plays year round as well.
                25 years old
                double 70+ degree curves before surgery
                Anterior on 11/11/08
                Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
                nearly perfect correction
                fused t-10 to pelvis
                with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

                Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
                Broke left rod on 10/24/09
                Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
                Broke both rods again

                Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
                Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi fierce
                  how..how...how on earth does one sit on a bike with fusion to pelvis....one of the things keeping me from going ahead with surgery is needing fusion to pelvis!

                  best of luck in all your adventures...you sound very courageous!!

                  jess

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    jrnyc- you get a cruiser style bike! :-) I can't ride a road bike or a mountain bike anymore, but a cruiser is just fine.
                    25 years old
                    double 70+ degree curves before surgery
                    Anterior on 11/11/08
                    Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
                    nearly perfect correction
                    fused t-10 to pelvis
                    with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

                    Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
                    Broke left rod on 10/24/09
                    Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
                    Broke both rods again

                    Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
                    Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Me too a former bike rider, way before back pain and especially way before I found out I was 80 + degrees...Ha! Now we have a motorcycle and my husband says until I get pain relief I can't ride with him. Darn it! I am so looking forward to riding with him - I'm sure hoping I can after surgery. I keep telling him we might have to get a more comfortable bike - of course, he's all for a new bike. Ha! I love this husband of mine!!!! In my former bicycle days my hubby and I would ride 100+ miles all in one day and we would have a blast. I began having a lot of cramping in my hip, though, and that kinda lead into the back pain shortly afterwards, though, so the bike rides quickly came to a halt and we sold the tandem. But, we sure did enjoy it!!! Now my husband has found a bike with a motor (motorcycle) and he's much more into that now.
                      Rita Thompson
                      Age 46
                      Milwaukee Brace wearer for 3 years in childhood
                      Surgery Mar 1st - 95 degree thoracic curve
                      Surgery by Dr. Lenke, St. Louis, MO
                      Post-surgery curve 25-30 degree

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Fierceliketiger...do you mind me asking how you broke your rods??? I'm kinda new, and will be having surgery in March..and am wondering how that happens. Congrats on the great adventure you are undertaking! That is so awesome! I can't wait to get through my surgery then on to setting new boundaries and goals!!!

                        Laura
                        Laura
                        62 degrees
                        49 yrs. young
                        Surgery 3/31/10 with Lenke

                        Before and After pics
                        http://www.flickr.com/photos/13749126@N06/

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          You go Girl! My bike riding days are over or so I thought. I will have to look into the Cruiser style bike sometime. I was only aware of the recumbent style bikes.
                          Sally
                          Diagnosed with severe lumbar scoliosis at age 65.
                          Posterior Fusion L2-S1 on 12/4/2007. age 67
                          Anterior Fusion L3-L4,L4-L5,L5-S1 on 12/19/2007
                          Additional bone removed to decompress right side of L3-L4 & L4-L5 on 4/19/2010
                          New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA
                          Dr. Frank F. Rands735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/butterflyfive/

                          "In God We Trust" Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Radiogirl- I had an area of non-union. So my bones didn't fuse at one vertebrate. The problem with that is that because it was solid above and solid below the area all the little micromovements that a person makes put pressure on the rods at only that level (because it was moving and everywhere else was not). That caused the rods to break. They say its like bending a paper clip back and forth a ton of times, eventually it just goes. The second rod broke months after the first, they said that was because of the non-union, but also because of the stress it took on after the 1st rod broke .

                            RitaR-I would love to ride a motorcycle someday, but I absolutely love my bike too. I was up to 30 miles per day when the broken rod starting causing problems (I started riding after the break, so it wasn't that). I had only been riding 2 weeks before I hit 30, so I feel reasonably certain that I will be able to do this. I re-checked it. They average 60-80 miles a day, and one day they do a "century loop" (100miles).

                            Loves to skate- a cruiser is basically just your average bicycle. The kind where you actually sit, not lean forward. Think a child's first bike.
                            Here is a pretty good diagram of my bike:
                            http://www.cheekytransport.com.au/wo...1/flatfoot.jpg I sit a lot straighter than the man in the diagram, but the concept is the same.
                            25 years old
                            double 70+ degree curves before surgery
                            Anterior on 11/11/08
                            Posterior on 12/2/08 with titanium rods
                            nearly perfect correction
                            fused t-10 to pelvis
                            with a hemi-vertebral osteotomy at L4

                            Broke right rod at L4-L5 on 06/26/09
                            Broke left rod on 10/24/09
                            Revision surgery on 11/5/09 with vitallium rods
                            Broke both rods again

                            Had posterior than anterior revisions on 03/11 at the Twin Cities Spine Center
                            Declared "FUSED" on 12/6/11

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I haven't road a motorcycle for years - but I think after surgery I will appreciate the fact of not having to peddle up hill. Ha! And, I would love to ride with my husband more than anything. He's afraid to have me ride with him now for fear something would happen that would not enable me to have surgery in July. So his excuse is he is waiting until after my surgery. Maybe he's hoping that I will be bionic then, I don't know. I kid him about that. He's so wonderful with all of us, I don't know what I would do without him. He's so encouraging to me.
                              Rita Thompson
                              Age 46
                              Milwaukee Brace wearer for 3 years in childhood
                              Surgery Mar 1st - 95 degree thoracic curve
                              Surgery by Dr. Lenke, St. Louis, MO
                              Post-surgery curve 25-30 degree

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X