16 Days Post Op

On Friday, October 28 I had surgery to excise a Morton's neuroma.  The first week about killed me, as I could do very little.  But this past week, I have been back on the bike, slowly building up time in the saddle and assessing how my foot performed afterwards.

No foot model future for me.

I started off with an easy 45 minute spin 7 days post op.  No problems.  Then on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, I rode for  2, 4 1/2, and 3 1/2 hours.  I had no issues while on the bike.  I was even able to stand and pedal up some of the more steeper climbs; no pain whatsoever. 

I did experience a weird feeling immediately off the bike on the two longer rides.  With each placement of my foot on a hard surface, I had a mild electrical jolt shoot through my surgical area.  Not really painful, but not pleasant either.

Today, I was planning on riding for 2 1/2 hours, but after the first hour, I began to feel a slight bit of pain in the foot on the down stroke.  So I decided to end it early at 1:45.  Upon walking after this ride, there was no electrical jolt or pain ... small victories.

This week while off the bike, I still have a small limp.  The surgical site is tender and thickened = inflammation still present.  Walking barefoot on hard surfaces is still uncomfortable.  I wear my Keen sandals a lot; they keep my foot happy. 

But with almost 12 hours in the saddle, I feel confident that my recovery is going as expected.  Now I know that this is the experience of only one person.  I tend to push the envelope when it comes to proper recovery.  But I am hopeful that my surgical outcome will be as I wanted ... to ride for hours on end, pain free.  And to be able to run down my daughter ... while I still have the chance!

I Can Ride Better Than I Can Walk

It is now 9 days post-op and I went out for my second road ride since surgery.  Kitting up took a bit longer as I gingerly put my left foot into my cycling shoe and adjusted the straps so that there was no tension across the top of my foot.  I hobbled over to my bike, pushed it out the garage door, and stepped aboard.  The most painful part was clipping in as it takes quite some pressure to engage the pedal.

But once in, a transformation happened.  No longer was I a cripple; the bike freed me from the pain of walking.  Pedaling was effortless and pain free; I only felt pressure at the surgery site during the down stroke.  My trusty steed carried me away from the doldrums of the past week and allowed me 100 minutes of pure bliss!

Upon returning from the ride, I unclipped and hobbled up the stairs to stretch and take a shower; oh well, it was fantastic while it lasted.  And it should only get better from here.

6 Days Post Op

My podiatrist said that the neuroma was 1.6 cm long and 0.4 cm wide.  Pretty average for a Morton's neuroma, he commented, but that the widest part of the "little bastard" was right where my 3rd and 4th metatarsal heads touched.  From his description, I imagine it probable looked like a Mezcal worm, you know, that icky little creature in the bottom of certain bottles of Tequila.

My "little bastard."

The hardest part of the healing process is not going hard on the bike.  I have energy to burn and want to stand and hammer.  But I am following doctor's orders ... there will be plenty of single speed sessions soon enough.  As luck would have it, I sustained a mild right hamstring injury at the Berryman Epic.  This has helped to keep a governor on my engine.

At this point, I am not sure if I will have surgery on my right foot.  I will just see how the left goes, get a lot of training under my belt for next year, do a few races, and then make a decision.