Re: You know when Superman goes flying through the air with his arms out in front?

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Just been. Didn't take long at all. Senior Reg did it, consultant radiologist stuck his head round the door just in time to see the positioning of the needle and said "beautiful." SR managed to squirt the first load of steroid all over me, including my face. I wanted to say "I usually insist a man buys me dinner before he does that" but thought better of it. Inserting the needle into the joint had several fleeting seconds of lots of pain, which made me flinch, but he was saying that helps them know they're in the joint.  My leg is far more painful now than it was during the procedure - moving about and changing position is really sore just now so I am having a nice sit down with Gnomeo & Juliet.

[BrianI]

Well done on the swimming! And hope the steroid injection works!

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Ouch.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Happy anniversary to my broken pelvis.

Be careful on ice, people. 

[Wowbagger]

What's the assessment of the steroids almost 2 months later?

And best wishes to your pelvis, EG. I'm really sending it the best vibes I can currently muster.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Sorry Wow, I missed your question.

Took about two weeks for the injection to kick in. Then had 2-3 weeks of being almost pain free, and when I did have pain it was much less than it had been previously. Since about mid-December it's been wearing off. Mostly the pain isn't as bad as it was before the injection, but I have had a couple of bad days, caused by activity that aggravated it. I'm going back to see the surgeon on Thursday so I'll discuss with him whether it's worth doing any more.

[Pedaldog.]

I get the injections occasionally and they are a help overall. I would speak to the Medic about repeat injections as there seems to be some sort of limit, whether that's just individual doctorers I don't know, that says no more than two a year.
Might be a local NHS ruling I suppose but it could be to do with potential negatives?

[Wowbagger]

I understand that too many steroids can have nasty side effects, one being loss of bone density and another being poorer skin quality.

[andrewc]

A friend was on long term steroids for various stuff, mainly asthma.  He had _very_ delicate skin, and bruised very easily.  Not ideal when you are a martial arts student.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Had my review appointment with the surgeon this morning. Told him how the injection had gone and he feels that confirms his diagnosis of the beginnings of osteoarthritis in the joint. He's hopeful it'll be a slow progression. We talked about repeating the injections - the effects are not cumulative, and I feel the NHS really isn't getting value for money for them with me, so we've agreed not to do any more. He was delighted to hear about the swimming and the weight loss - 12lbs up to Christmas - and is encouraging me to keep active. Repeated what I already knew - use the painkillers as and when I need them and before activity I know will aggravate things. He doesn't feel he needs to see me again at this stage, and it's quicker to get a new appointment than a review one, so he's discharged me with instructions to go via my GP if and when I want to see him again. If I can get more weight off and get lucky with a slow progression, I'm hoping it might be 15+ years before I have to go back.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Well that sounds good, mostly.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Well, not really. I'm developing arthritis and there's nowt to be done about it. That's not good at all. If I'm lucky it'll progress slowly and there are things I can do to help that, but that's the only potential good bit. 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Last week I decided the risk of ice was probably gone for a few months so got the bike out. Wednesday last week I cycled to work - 2 miles, to and from a visit (5 miles round trip) and home again - 2 miles. A measly 9 miles and I was so sore for the next 5 days I could have cried. Yesterday I cycled to work and back (4 miles round trip) and today I'm so sore I'm thinking about limping over the road to Stores to get a stick. Anti-inflammatories and co-codamol are taking the edge off it but not relieving the pain entirely, and the quality of the pain is changing. The usual, constant pain is a dull ache. Since last week the pain has been sharper, with stabby episodes and a horrible grating feeling in the joint. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to cycle again without significant pain and difficulty walking afterwards, and I'm finding that really upsetting. Not just because of the pain and difficulty walking, but because the only sensible thing to do is to limit my cycling. I don't think I'm ever going to manage a cycle tour, and if bobb and I want to do cycling holidays in the future, it's going to mean choosing a fixed base and doing small day trips from there rather than moving on, because if doing even under ten miles causes such pain I struggle to get on a bike again for a week, we'd never get anywhere. 

[Feline]

Last week I decided the risk of ice was probably gone for a few months so got the bike out. Wednesday last week I cycled to work - 2 miles, to and from a visit (5 miles round trip) and home again - 2 miles. A measly 9 miles and I was so sore for the next 5 days I could have cried. Yesterday I cycled to work and back (4 miles round trip) and today I'm so sore I'm thinking about limping over the road to Stores to get a stick. Anti-inflammatories and co-codamol are taking the edge off it but not relieving the pain entirely, and the quality of the pain is changing. The usual, constant pain is a dull ache. Since last week the pain has been sharper, with stabby episodes and a horrible grating feeling in the joint. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to cycle again without significant pain and difficulty walking afterwards, and I'm finding that really upsetting. Not just because of the pain and difficulty walking, but because the only sensible thing to do is to limit my cycling. I don't think I'm ever going to manage a cycle tour, and if bobb and I want to do cycling holidays in the future, it's going to mean choosing a fixed base and doing small day trips from there rather than moving on, because if doing even under ten miles causes such pain I struggle to get on a bike again for a week, we'd never get anywhere. 

Could it be worth try a recumbent to see if it doesn't cause the same problem? Sounds like a major problem, sorry its not healed well 

[LindaG]

Last week I decided the risk of ice was probably gone for a few months so got the bike out. Wednesday last week I cycled to work - 2 miles, to and from a visit (5 miles round trip) and home again - 2 miles. A measly 9 miles and I was so sore for the next 5 days I could have cried. Yesterday I cycled to work and back (4 miles round trip) and today I'm so sore I'm thinking about limping over the road to Stores to get a stick. Anti-inflammatories and co-codamol are taking the edge off it but not relieving the pain entirely, and the quality of the pain is changing. The usual, constant pain is a dull ache. Since last week the pain has been sharper, with stabby episodes and a horrible grating feeling in the joint. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to cycle again without significant pain and difficulty walking afterwards, and I'm finding that really upsetting. Not just because of the pain and difficulty walking, but because the only sensible thing to do is to limit my cycling. I don't think I'm ever going to manage a cycle tour, and if bobb and I want to do cycling holidays in the future, it's going to mean choosing a fixed base and doing small day trips from there rather than moving on, because if doing even under ten miles causes such pain I struggle to get on a bike again for a week, we'd never get anywhere. 

Fixed base with short rides out can be wonderful fun. Me and Crusty have done this a few times and it's a great way to explore a new area, especially somewhere full of lanes like Somerset.

It's a real bastard what's happened to your hip Kirst. So sorry. Big hugs.

[barakta]

Seconding a recumbent idea although they're not small or cheap and I know you live in a flat...  I know what it's like to have bodyfail

Also is there any merit in starting back even smaller increments?  I find I can only do a few k <5 miles when I get back to recumbenting after time off, I regain fitness reasonably fast but it is little and often to build back up (boringly) and interrupted by constant creative ways my body is failing on me.

[LEE]

You know when you hop up on a kerb, by yanking up sharply on the bars? 
Yes?
Well you know when sometimes the handlebar clamp isn't tight enough? 
Yes? 
Well you know that when your handlebar clamp isn't tight enough, when you yank on the bars they just swivel round, meaning you hit the kerb full on and collapse in a sprawled heap on the kerb? (because your feet were locked into your SPDs and your hands came off the bars)
Yes?
And you know you check around to see that nobody saw you fall, because that would be embarrassing?
Well nobody saw it.......result.

Bloody (literally) elbow and ribs hurt a lot though.

Motto: Check your handlebar clamp is tight.


It was just about the most pathetic and slow-moving of any bike crash in history (apart from one about 25 years ago when I did almost the same thing and broke my arm)

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

A recumbent just isn't an option for as long as I live in this flat, and to be honest, not very practical in terms of doing work visits by bike when I never know until I get there what will be available for locking the bike to.

I don't know how much difference doing shorter distances and gradually increasing them will make. It's the being on the saddle that causes the problems, not the pedalling, because of where the fracture was and where the arthritis is now. Even sitting on an unpleasant seat at work can leave me sore and limping for the next day or two.

[barakta]

*nods*  That's frustrating.  How do you get around for work now instead?  Do you drive or use buses etc? 

[hellymedic]

Is a 'noseless' saddle more painful? Have you tried one?
Pedalling is less efficient but it could be a temporary fix.
(There again, it might be worse...)

[Arellcat]

A recumbent just isn't an option for as long as I live in this flat, and to be honest, not very practical in terms of doing work visits by bike when I never know until I get there what will be available for locking the bike to.

It's the being on the saddle that causes the problems...

A couple of thoughts spring to mind, K.  I have a Moon Saddle that you could try out on your bike; it's a crescent-shaped thing that only your sit bones touch, and so completely noseless.  It does require a fairly upright riding position though, which is why it never worked for me with my weight-on-the-arms habit.  But the reason I bought it is the reason I like my recumbent bikes so much.

The alternative is to pop into Laid Back Bikes.  David has a Bacchetta Giro 20 in at the moment which might fit the bill; it's fairly compact, and has a choice of seats.