Thanks for the congrats on 60-mile ride yesterday! We do take a lot of breaks, so it isn’t like we plow through our long rides all at once, as it is for enjoyment and not a race. John also thoughtfully pointed out that it wasn’t quite a metric century, since that was about 62.5 miles. Whatever…
My legs feel pretty good today, just a wee bit tired, so we decided on a rest day and did not bike to breakfast. Panera Bread bound, though! It is Sunday after all (aka bagel day).
Blueberry. And lots of coffee. I have been drinking water like crazy. Ins and outs did not match yesterday and I think I woke up dehydrated.
I have mentioned bits about the injury progress as it goes, but I thought I would give you all a more detailed progress report on what has been going on. If you are tired of reading about it, skip the next few paragraphs. 
For those that are new (or just missed it), I herniated a disk in my back about 6-1/2 weeks ago, which presses on my sciatic nerve. This caused sciatica symptoms (aka agony) and put me flat out for a few days and slow progress after that. I keep writing about the problems with my leg, but as John likes to point out, my leg actually is not injured, it is the sciatic nerve pain from the disk pressure and it just seems like it is in my leg. Again, whatever… 🙄 It created a deep pain in my thigh and knee, plus a burning sensation at times (underneath the numbness). Lots of fun! This was chronic for weeks, too. Chronic pain sucks.
Interestingly, the disk itself cannot feel pain, so my back actually felt much better after a few days, but the sciatica was the problem. I also had numbness in my knee and into my calf. This numbness is still present today along with accompanying weakness. I have also made a rather alarming discovery that my thighs are now 2 different sizes. My right thigh is a full inch bigger around than my left. I noticed that my pants felt kind of odd with several different pairs, so I measured and found that out. You can actually see the difference, too. Probably some atrophy of the left leg and over compensation on the right. The problem is that the nerve compression just won’t let the muscles fire in my left leg, no matter what I do, so they are weakening. You can’t force that either, although it is coming back slowly. It is going to take time, if the feeling even actually completely comes back all the way, which could be a possibility. Obviously I can bike, but the main reason for that is that both legs work together. When walking or running, there are points of time where the body is supported by one leg at a time, and that is why running and walking have been slow to return for me and still causes some pain.
So, that is where I am at currently. I would say 95% back at this point both physically and mentally. It seems like this injury has consumed so much of my thoughts and feelings for the last month and a half. If I don’t have sensation back in my knee/calf after 8 weeks, then it is time for further evaluation. So, I have had to re-evalute my race season this year and just take it week by week.
Anyway, back to the eats! Blackberries were on sale, so I had some with lunch with my egg sandwich. Also restocked with hot sauce, I might add 😀
Alas, it was back to work for me today. It was quite steady and went by pretty fast. John spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen making stuff today. He is turning into quite the chef!
Dinner time was a quick stir fry using this sauce:
4 ingredient stir fry: Frozen broccoli florets, shrimp, coconut oil, and stir fry sauce. How easy is that? Not to mention tasty!
After dinner, we took a stroll to keep the legs loose. It was quite warm today, too. 80 degrees.
One of the things John made today was a Queen Elizabeth cake as a test to see if I wanted this for my birthday in a couple weeks. He made a half batch of it in a loaf pan to test:
It was really, really good. Not sure if it is birthday cake material, so I have to think about that.
I also need to stay out of the rest of this. I am challenging myself through at least Thursday to eat really clean (or the cleanest I tend to eat at any rate). I am going to try to have as little sugar as possible other than fruit sugar. That means no fluff, no honey, no chocolate syrup on lattes. I will allow myself protein powder, as I need that prior to work outs. Also, really limited bread, as in no bread or wraps or crackers. It’s been a long time since I have done something like this, so it should be fun!
Question: Are you challenging yourself to anything this week?
Wow that is taking it’s time healing isn’t it!!
I’m amazed that you can bike like that with the sciatic
nerve problem 🙂
I do have to say that i love the pic’s of your rides.
Have a great week.
.-= suzanne´s last blog ..Another day another walk!! =-.
lol you KNOW I am challenging myself this week 😉 No joy on my Splenda ban and I couldn’t resist the huge strawberries my hubby brought home but otherwise, no too bad. It’s so day to day with me.
Good luck with your challenge. One good thing that comes out of sticking to it, is when you do finally get to enjoy some of the foods you went “without”, they taste that much better!
I’m doing the same thing. Very clean, low sugar and processed carb until Thursday and lots and lots of walking after my final stage 4 workout tomorrow. I want to be able to indulge a little over the long holiday weekend so I’m having a prep week, as it were.
Good luck!
.-= Andra´s last blog ..No-Weigh Friday =-.
All those problems because of a twist. How unfair. Your injury has made me all that more careful when moving around with equipment at the gym. Hopefully you will be ALL better soon.
Woohoo….awesome ride yesterday!!! I’m also amazed you can do what you do with the injury issues you are still having. Hoping you have a full recovery very soon! I know how these things linger…this darn hip of mine is still giving me some hassles.
My Bday is coming up too…June 10…the big 4-0! When is your Bday??? I still haven’t decided what kind of cake/treat I want. Considering it’s a day before we leave for the cruise I should probably just wait and celebrate with everyone on vacation.
.-= Barb´s last blog ..MS Ride, Training & Date Nite =-.
It’s June 5th 😀
Welcome to the dark side (aka the 40s LOL). It’s a good decade.
I’m going to try and eat to see a loss this week even thought I’m out of town.
I’m sorry you’re still having problems with your sciatica. I’ve had pain in my hip any time I try and run and I’m vexed with that.
We’re too busy being healthy to be in pain, right? 😛
Have a great week!
I am VERY impressed with your recovery so far. Actually faster than a lot of people I’ve known.
That cake–YIKES that looks delicious. That would have to be 5 miles from the house to keep me from eating it!
Good luck with the sugar reduction. I think it is the best thing I am doing right now. And…you didn’t mention bagels…(tee hee)
.-= debby´s last blog ..Everything Takes Time =-.
I think my recovery was all based on activity and listening to my body, but not babying it. I didn’t want to know how long it took other people, as I didn’t want that to really influence my perception on what I could do.
And bagels – those aren’t bread silly girl, they’re just delicious. That’s still happening LOL!
First congrats on the ride! I have to go read all about it 🙂
2nd…I am glad you are getting back to yourself and feeling better! I hope all the rest works out SOON!
Can’t wait to hear all about the clean eating this week!
.-= Janna´s last blog ..Quality Friend Time = Just What I Needed =-.
I am amazed that you have a whole inch difference in your legs – I never knew that could happen. I hope your hernia heals soon and that you can get back to having two legs the same size and feeling up to running and walking. It is great that you are still able to do the biking. Good luck on the clean eats this week!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Sunny Sunday =-.
I AM!
I am declining.
say NO NO NO THANK YOU
to something which COULD be potentially good for me (workwise)but would take lots of time investment to find out
time that would be stolen from my FAMILY SLOT.
wish me luck.
.-= Miz´s last blog ..Living not blogging: the HUSBAND HOME edition. =-.
Good luck! Those can be the hardest decisions to make.
Sounds like something I could challenge myself to do too. I’ll have to think about a challenge for myself as it’s not something I have done for a long time!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Weigh In Day =-.
So glad you are almost all better.. UGH to injuries!
OK, that bagel looks so good!!!! I wish you luck on the limited bread & such this week.. A braver person than I!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 I will challenge myself with the workouts (and did today already) but not gonna give up bread unless I compete again, I am trying to do a photo shoot & that ain’t happening OR if someone wants to pay me big bucks!!! 🙂
Yahoo for bday time. Can’t wait to hear how you celebrate!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Blog Award; Picture of Me (OH NO!); Workout Top Review =-.
I went on an 8 mile bike ride and barely made it LOL!
That cake looks delicious!
.-= April´s last blog ..Dinner on the water =-.
I had frozen blackberries in a champagne punch yesterday. They were so tasty. I love berries. Plus they are very good for holding off inflammation.
Challenge for the week: Get the house in order (for my girls birthday party) so I don’t have to kill myself on Saturday.
My challenge this week is to stick to my workout schedule and not skip any which I’ve been doing way too much lately.
I never buy blackberries, they grow in the wild nearby my house and I always get them there. I do love them however.
.-= Fran´s last blog ..A day in my life: Monday May 24, 2010 =-.
Sorry you are still having bouts of pain.
I am challenging myself this week to not step on the scale every day.. I started this last Friday so I have made it 4 days now! And my focus is on healthy eating. I washed out a jar yesterday I am going to try your breakfast in a jar. I bought some fresh blueberries to try.
.-= julie´s last blog ..Fat to Fit Blog Hop. =-.
Queen Elizabeth cake!!! Ohman, that stuff is SO sweet, and so delicious. I thought I’d rid my house of it, and then I went to my Nana’s the other day and she pulled a piece out of the freezer and forced it upon me!! Okay, maybe not “forced,” but you do not say no to a Nana holding cake.
I think you’ve made amazing progress on your injury Lori! I can’t even begin to fathom what chronic pain would be like. I think of all the things that could happen to me, some form of chronic pain is what I fear the most.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Cottage Country =-.
Wow, I hope your injury heals completely and soon. I think that might be a good affirmation for both of us!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..Spring Challenge and other updates =-.
I’m really sorry for your injury and subsequent pain, but if there is any silver lining, it’s that you’ve helped me be less afraid about what I’m facing right now with my knee. I keep thinking (and I know this is irrational) that I’ll wake up from surgery and be 300 pounds again. My muscles will forget how to behave. I’ll never ever ever work out again. But I turn my thinking around when I read how you’ve overcome your injury and soldier on despite the pain. Like I said, I truly am sorry you are going through this, but please know how very glad I am you are writing about it. Helps me feel safer, less scared, if that makes sense.
.-= Lynn Haraldson-Bering´s last blog ..“Some Day” Always Comes (and another giveaway inside!) =-.
That sucks you are still dealing with your injury. 6.5 weeks would make me batty!
Challenge this week is to take it easy in prep for my HM Sunday.
I’m glad that you are so close to 100% recovered – that was a scary issue, especially with not knowing a real good timeline beyond “rest” for healing.
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..A Little Bragging… =-.