We had a crazy week! My husband crashed a week ago riding the Monarch Crest Trail near Salida, CO. He slid out in a corner and fell on his hip pretty hard. Nothing that we cyclists haven’t done dozens of times over the years. But he hit just in the right way that it ruptured is L5 S1 disc in his lower back. By the next day he had numbness in his leg and couldn’t lift his foot or toes. We got in for an MRI on Monday and saw a spine specialist on Tuesday. The doctor said his rupture was so severe that he wanted to schedule Greg for surgery immediately. Crap! Greg went in two days later and had a procedure called a lamenectomy. It went really well and he was back home that afternoon.
Now he is on heavy pain killers, muscle relaxants, and stool softeners. What a combination. He takes four walks a day, each 10 minutes long. For the next 6-8 weeks he isn’t allowed to lift anything heavier than 5lbs. He can’t even push a shopping cart in the grocery store or open the windows of our house. That basically leaves me to do everything; clean, shop for food, cook, laundry, house work, and yard work. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem. But now that I’m almost 6 months pregnant my energy level is quite lower than normal. I’m going to recruit my neighbor to help me mow the lawn tonight.
Eventually Greg will be back on his bike. But I think he’ll be going a lot slower for a while. Here’s to pain pills, ice packs, and lots of time on the couch.
Happy recovery Greg!