I may have missed something here but why not have an MRI scan and then make an informed decision based on the results of that. Simply having a scan doesn't commit you to following an invasive surgery route does it? I had an MRI scan a few months ago just as a precautionary checkup following minor surgery 2 years ago, this was all quite painless and took less than 1hour all in.
Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Like I said if bashing on fails, that's what I'll most likely do. In my experience though it's not really that simple to get an MRI. What with covid and all I'd have to go private and, to do that, I first need a referral from my GP, then clearance from my health insurer, then a consultation with the consultant to whom I've been referred, then an MRI and X-ray, (if that's what's recommended), then a follow up meeting with the consultant and then whatever the consultant might recommend after that. And that's forgetting for the minute the complications caused by covid and visiting hospitals and me even wanting to.Originally Posted by bigfella
Also in 2019 I had a very big year of private healthing following a running fall, slipping on sheet ice (during the Grizedale Trail marathon in February) and although I bashed on and finished the race I knew I'd really hurt my lower abdomen, pronging myself on the sawn branch of a small tree, and had in my own view probably given myself some sort of hernia too. To make things even worse about a month later I peed blood after a long run in the hills.
Anyway long story short that all resulted in two different and really quite long running private health referrals, a shed load of consultations, two MRI's, two lower abdomen ultra sound scans, half a dozen finger up the bum prostate examinations, several blood tests, two cystoscopies (video inspections of the bladder and prostate and yes the camera takes 'route one' up the willy to get there), one prostate biopsy gathering expedition (all clear thank god) and an operation to repair two quite big hernias for which I now have two 6cm really impressive scars. I think I prefer the bashing on option this time round, at least for a while
Last edited by Fellbeast; 05-03-2021 at 03:04 PM.
Fair enough.
Been there with the prostate check, cystoscopies and then several ops to remove offending growth and other abnormalities in the kidney, all via 'route one' so no impressive scars in my case. Recent MRI was to confirm that all was still in order. As far as Covid goes, visiting the hospital seemed safer and less stressful than our fortnightly supermarket shop.
Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Haha brilliant a fellow cystoscopy vet - I had one with local where I was actually watching the video and one under general. Good times, good times.....
But no irrigation of your colon? I enjoyed mine while thinking that Princess Di and other fashionable Chelsea ladies pleasured themselves with one regularly....a shed load of consultations, two MRI's, two lower abdomen ultra sound scans, half a dozen finger up the bum prostate examinations, several blood tests, two cystoscopies (video inspections of the bladder and prostate and yes the camera takes 'route one' up the willy to get there), one prostate biopsy gathering expedition (all clear thank god) and an operation to repair two quite big hernias...
"...as dry as the Atacama desert".
Haha they could’ve thrown that in and I wouldn’t have even noticed. Colon irrigation schmirrigationBut no irrigation of your colon? I enjoyed mine while thinking that Princess Di and other fashionable Chelsea ladies pleasured themselves with one regularly.
It's probably already a slow motion car crash, Stolly, you just don't know it yet. I can see you making all the same mistakes that brought me to my knees on various occasions, but looking at what i'm reading here you're going down with the ship. I don't think there's a lot left to say save for the fact that my own learning has not put me in a ivory tower from which to pontificate, but that it has wasted years of my life.Thanks for the feedback , some really good points made. I do have private health cover through my work and could relatively easily get a referral, get an MRI etc and move on that way and to be fair that is still very much an option. But if I can sort it out by 'bashing on', my chosen way of trying to get over injuries and whatnot since time immemorial, then that's even better. My relationship with the hills, and running in them, is fundamentally quite primal and, like some Japanese soldier still fighting world war 2 30 years after the event on a tiny pacific atoll, I'm drawn to the concept of bashing on
There's also a recognition that if I go the MRI way my chances of getting to the starting line of the LL100 in July are probably diminished, and with such a fantastic event and the huge huge numbers that try to get into it each year, I'm trying to maximise my chances of getting to that. And yes I'd rather get there as a bruised and battered and just about able to go pony as opposed to only turning up as a supremely trained and beautifully athletic thoroughbred. And yes if I do make it I realise that the actual event itself might very well end up to be a slow motion car crash for me
There is also a running mentality issue though and, although I run to satisfy lots of things, my main reason for running is to be out in the mountains, wilderness and weather and experiencing it. A year of plugging and chugging away in the hills and just being out there is far more fun to me than spending ages in recovery, recuperation and some sort of high brow training plan before going out again.
None of this is particularly explainable to be honest, and for sure doesn't stand the test of logic or even common sense.
Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent
So the recovery, if you can yet call it that, continues. I’ve stepped back from running for a bit and am just carrying on with the bike and daily walks. Last week was a big week for me cycling and, as positives go, the biking is definitely a great success. It doesn’t hurt, I can really push things if I want to and there’s not too much in the way of knee reactions after. Running less so but feck it I’m still trying.
A pretty good day today with a walk round the river and another longer walk over Whitber Hill to Hull Pot and back, maybe 7 miles all told, and my knee didn’t much mind at all.
Still just about in the game
So, at long last, I may have perhaps, just maybe, turned the corner. My knee now no longer hurts in bed at night, something it continually did do for about 8 weeks non-stop, I can do pretty much the same set of knee mangling flexion exercises each morning on both my left and right knee with very little pain or discomfort (to be fair one of the exercises hurts both of my knees a bit
I can really push hard on the cycling front, both on tough hill climbs (which we have plenty of around here), and cogs fully loaded sprints, and in terms of cycling distance too, and I'm now doing this with very little knee reaction afterwards. Not huge numbers yet I know but, from strava, not really having cycled much at all for over 40 years until 22 January this year, I've put in about 250 miles and 22,000 feet of ascent. Cycling is now going to be a pretty big thing for me going forward - honestly my first ride on 22 January was so rubbish, I was wobbling, I didn't use the gears properly, I was scared going down hill whereas now, well, you'd think I was born on a saddle...
So, all in all, my game plan, with the help and guidance of my physio, is at long last paying dividends. Its been to push back against the injury and build up resistance to the hyper sensitivity that was causing the pain, whilst trying to exercise with not nearly so much impact on the knee if I can. Yeah my first attempts at running haven't been great but, in the round, they're all part and parcel of getting my knee better. Which it definitely is compared to what it was.
The other thing I also now need to work on is my weight. I was really super fit and relatively light (for me) last summer but towards the end of last year I was probably eating (and drinking) too much what with working from home and covid and all. Since not being able to run on 8 January, things have definitely gone (literally) pear shaped but, with the planets starting to align hopefully on the injury recovery front, I'm now on a healthy eating campaign going forward. I was 12 stone 11 on Monday morning and my aim is to shift over a stone of that over the coming few months.
And as for actually running? Well I'm hoping to do a big walk in the hills this weekend and also a big cycle ride, see how that goes and then just maybe have a crack at a run next week and see how we go from there
That all sounds very encouraging - great to hear you've turned a corner.
Good luck with the weight loss. That should probably help your knees too.
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