HPChiro Blog

Almost There

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:37:00 +0000

How is it almost the end of February already? We've got flowers pushing up all around town, the lawn is growing again, and bike racing has started back up. Unfortunately my own training has been severely lacking recently, and this isn't the usual cyclist saying they aren't training when they really are. I've had 3 rides over 30 minutes since the end of October. I'm still trying to find a way to get out on the bike more often, but let me tell you a few things that I've been up to:

First and foremost, I've been working on getting the new clinic open. It is located in the Pearl at NW 10th/Marshall and is coming along nicely. I'm not sure that we'll quite hit our target open date of March 1st, but I'm going to try. We'll let everybody with a scheduled visit know with a phone call when we make the change.

We're also changing the name of the clinic to Hosmer Chiropractic Health

View Larger Map
We should have a new web site up in the next few weeks, but as you know these things always take longer than you expect.

Along with the new clinic, we've made a few other changes behind the scenes, most notably using a new medical records system. The new system gives us a new scheduling system online, so we'll stop using the old one as soon as we are in the new space. We'll also have a dedicated computer at the new space for patients to use for scheduling visits, etc.

I'm writing this from Sunriver - memories of past stage races here...I hope to be out at the races soon!

Chiropractic and Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about Thomas Jones, NY Jets running back. He has had an impressively long career, which he attributes to bring proactive with his healthcare, including regular visits to his Chiropractor. The article is here.

Other well-known NFL players including Jerry Rice have opinions about Chiropractic Healthcare:

Athletes of all types, as well as the everyday athlete, can benefit from Chiropractic Healthcare. Call us to schedule your visit today at 503.227.2279, and we'll help you get back to feeling your best.

MedicFusion

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Many of you have already received a registration email for MedicFusion from HPC, so I wanted to provide a few more details about MedicFusion, and how we are using it. MedicFusion is going to replace a few stand-alone products that we use for online appointment scheduling and record keeping, so we are transitioning all of our patient records into that system. As part of that transition, all existing patient records are being moved into the new program.

Registration with MedicFusion is relatively quick and painless:

1. You will receive an email from us linking to your MedicFusion account.

2. A separate email will list your PIN number that is required to register on the site

3. Once you have registered, you will receive one last email asking you to click a link to confirm your account.

If you have any questions or need help, please call us at 503.227.2279

You may have also noticed that the email was from Hosmer Chiropractic Health. We have a few more changes in the works to provide better service for our patients, more details soon!

Chiropractic

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Health & Performance Chiropractic. I frequently write about Health...and Performance, but it has been a while since I've written anything specifically Chiropractic. If you ask 10 people what Chiropractic is, you'd probably get 10 different answers. This reflects the fact that Chiropractic is a diverse profession, and each Chiropractor has their own way that they practice and the type of patients that they work with. This link brings you to a nice summary of Chiropractic healthcare.

In my practice, most people seek care because they are having pain, such as:

Neck and Back Pain
Pain after a sports injury
Motor Vehicle Accident
Dealing with old injuries that were not properly treated
Aches and pains associated with work (sitting, repetitive use, etc)

Chiropractic is uniquely suited to treat these types of conditions because Chiropractors are specialists in musculoskeletal conditions.

Treatment for musculoskeletal conditions typically utilizes Chiropractic Adjustments, Massage, and rehab. Patients are typically given home care programs as well (stretching, strengthening, etc).

When your body hurts, it is time to visit HPC. We can:

Diagnose your condition
Give you treatment options, and explain what is likely to help the most
Provide treatment
Teach you how to stay pain free

Think

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:25:00 +0000

The thought for the day is:
Do Something That Moves You Forward.
(now)

Body Heal Thyself: Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Cancer is a scary disease. Just about everybody you talk to has had a family member, friend, co-worker or even personally suffered from cancer. There has been intense research on this disease, and an interesting result has emerged: sometimes the body heals cancer all by itself. An article from the New York Time s highlights the facts.

I have read another article in the recent past (though I can't remember where or the author) that stated that most people have cancer at least 6 times in their lives, and the majority of those cases self-resolve. A large number also do not self-resolve, based on cancer statistics. I am certainly not advocating that anybody forgo recommended screenings. Instead, I just wanted to call attention to an article that was interesting and hopeful.

No doubt there will be more research into those cases that do spontaneously resolve, with a goal of teasing out the variables that seem to facilitate endogenous extermination of cancer.

Things that Work

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:37:00 +0000

This is a new feature that I will do as the mood strikes, "Things That Work". The goal is to highlight just about anything that I feel is worthy of mention and additional attention. It could be a workout, treatment technique, product, just about anything. For my inaugural post, I will draw inspiration from recent workouts and choose Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem:

First, full disclosure. The HPC Racing Team is sponsored by Hammer Nutrition, and HPC also sells Hammer Products in the clinic. That being said, the reason we carry and race with their products is because:

They work
They are "clean" (no simple sugar, junk ingredients, etc)
Hammer does a lot to support athletes

There are many choices out there for endurance fuels and sports nutrition that we could seek to partner with, but we use Hammer because quite simply we feel that they are the best products for both our Health and Performance.

Back to Perpetuem: though the original flavor is still available, it never agreed with my stomach...it does have its devoted fans though, so don't write it off if you haven't tried it. The new (as of 2009) Caffe Latte flavor is fantastic and also has a bit of caffeine as well (25 mg per 2 scoops). I would even go so far as to say that it actually tastes good, which is no small feat for a sports drink that has protein in it.

Perpetuem is my fuel of choice for long base rides because it provides consistent energy, and is very easy. Recently I have also been carrying other things with me "just in case" (flask of hammer gel) but I haven't needed it yet in several rides in the 4-5h range.

My favorite application is to put 2.5 - 3 scoops (depending on when my last real meal was) in each of 3 bottles, and head out for the ride. I usually also take 2 endurolytes per hour in the winter as well. I have had conversations with other athletes about this flavor and we all agreed that Perpetuem tastes best when mixed heavy in a concentrate bottle. If you do 2 scoops in a regular bottle, the flavor isn't quite concentrated enough IMO. Try 3-4+ per bottle, and drink water or HEED (1/2 strength or so) in another bottle.

Hammer has plenty of great information on their web site including product usage, etc, so check them out. We are also happy to talk to you about the products either at the clinic or at races (look for the orange HPC tent, and we usually have Hammer Samples).

Clavicle - Its a Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Feels like it is finally time to put this one to sleep, but I thought I'd do one last update on the clavicle and how the healing process is going. This is how things look 2.5 weeks past surgery:

Overall, I'd say that things feel great and I am happy with my choice to have surgery rather than take the "wait and see" approach on this one. I still feel a bit of restriction in the shoulder joint from the lack of use all those months, but it is minor. I am back to doing all of my regular activities with no pain including Kettlebells and Yoga today. It feels good to be Back.

I've gotten a few common questions along the way, and this being my third clavicle fracture, maybe I'll write some sort of article about clavicle fractures...especially since this injury is so common for cyclists. Maybe a practical guidebook titled, "So you've broken your clavicle, Now What". There are a lot of different potential clinical scenarios, but there are a few big decisions to make early on regardless of what is going on. So, maybe a few tidbits to help answer those questions.

But for now, its a wrap and glad this one is behind me!!!!

Heiser Farms, Today

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:34:00 +0000

HPChiro will be at the Heiser Farms Cross race today. Stop by the tent to say hi! We will also be featuring:

Free Hammer Nutrition Samples, and we will also have a selection of Hammer Nutrition products available for 10% off. Hammer is the best, come find out why.
Sports Medicine Treatment. Cross is hard and we know your body hurts. We can help.
Max, my six month old son:

I didn't make this race last year, but there is rumored to be a pumpkin cannon. They should use the pumpkin cannon as the signal to start each race. This is not simply a scaled-up potato cannon, check this out:

Rapha Gentleman's Race

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:28:00 +0000

HPC fielded a 6-rider squad for the Rapha Gentlemans race, and managed to set the fastest time of the day. The Rapha Wrap up can be found here. There is also a link to the team camera photo sets, and this one is to Team HPChiro. Looks like people are already looking forward to next year.

An Interesting Read

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:30:00 +0000

That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. The story of Jure Robic, ultra athlete.

Almost There

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:07:00 +0000

For those following my recovery, a quick update. I've been able to work and ride for a while now, but many activities caused shoulder impingement. The impingement was gradually getting worse, so I've been looking forward to my surgery for several weeks. Certain activities I was unable to do (running, kettlebells, many yoga poses) but most things I could do with only mild discomfort. Sleeping, however, has been uncomfortable since the original crash, so going on 4 months now. I am hoping that after a few days I can start sleeping on my right side again.

So, anyway, here is the hardware that came out yesterday:

Ladies and Gentleman, I present the clavicle hook plate in Stainless

with Titanium screws. This delightful arrangement was both a blessing and a curse.

How do I feel about my choice? I will write something else up in the next few weeks once I feel like the final cards are on the table...there could yet be a few surprises. But, for now I think that I made the right choice. The plate allowed me to work and ride. This particular plate is very stable and you don't need a sling for long...but it requires a second surgery which adds expense. On the plus side, with the hardware out, you have your best shot at everything being "normal" again at some point (hopefully soon).

Article Summary: Low-Carbohydrate Nutrition and Metabolism

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:21:00 +0000

I came across this article recently, and thought it was interesting for a number of reasons:
"Low-Carbohydrate Nutrition and Metabolism" Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:276-84

There are many articles out there that talk about the role of carbs in the diet: low carb, high carb, the Zone, etc. What is a person to do? How about read a review article like this one and see what the conclusions are. I am particularly interested in this topic because there seems to be a number of endurance athletes out there that have a hard time "losing that last 10 pounds" or something along those lines. Most endurance athletes also tend to over-estimate their energy replacement requirements after workouts, and basically pig out after long and difficult workouts. The outcome of these patterns is the same as it is in the rest of the population - over-indulgence leads to adipose acquisition, the nice way of saying you're getting fat.

If you are interested in losing some fat and fine-tuning your nutrition for better health, read on about the role of carbohydrates in weight loss and health.

Introduction:

Both a historical perspective and nutrition and recent research point toward carbohydrate (CHO) restriction as a likely candidate for weight loss and decreasing incidence of Type 2 diabetes.
Pre-agricultural peoples had diets that were low in CHO, while modern diets are high in CHO.
Numerous health problems (heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes) arose with the shift to high CHO diets, especially containing sugar and flour.
Low CHO intake (50-150g/d) is associated with lower glucose availability which leads to changes in insulin and glucagon concentrations that will direct the body away from fat storage and towards fat oxidation ("melt away the pounds" ed)

Basic Physiology

A marked reduction in CHO intake leads to a general change in metabolism from a "gluconcentric" (glucose/sugar) to an "adipocentric" (ketone bodies, fatty acids) one. This is good because fat "burns cleaner" and most of us have abundant storage (ahem).
The astute reader might say, "hey, don't some of your tissues NEED glucose, like the red blod cells, retina, lens, brain". Well that is true, and the body provides - it is estimated that the body can maufacture 200 g/d of Glucose in the liver. So you've got that going for you, which is nice.
Another astute reader might say, "wait a minute, isn't a low CHO diet like starving yourself, and you'll burn muscle?" In true cases of starvation, you will burn muscle. However, if you adjust your diet appropriately (increase protein intake, electrolyte intake, more on that later) you should be OK.

Appetite and Satiety

Seveal studies confirm that there is a spontaneous reduction in caloric intake when CHO intake is restricted to 5-10% of caloric intake.
Foods with high insulin response (CHO) are less satiating, and that supporession of insulin with octreotide leads to weight loss.
A calorie is not a calorie. Different substances cause different effects in a living system, and it appears that a calorie of fat or protein is not as likely to make you fat as a calorie of CHO.

Low-CHO diets and exercise

Submaximal endurance performance can be sustained despite the virtual exclusion of CHO from the human diet. Intramuscular enzymes adapt to sustain energy levels for exercise.
There are additional concerns for athletes (as compared to a non-athlete or somebody that is limiting CHO due to Diabetes etc)

there is time needed to adapt to the diet (2-4 weeks)
electrolyte supplements are needed in most cases
protein supplements are needed in most cases

The ketogenic state that occurs with low carb diets (LCD) can use up sodium and potassium. It is recommended that the athlete supplement to meet this need (sodium 3-5g/d, potassium 2-3g/d)
To maintain lean body mass and performance, 1.2 to 1.7 g of protein per kg per day is needed in the diet (divide lbs by 2.2 to get kg)
High-intensity and anaerobic performances may be limited by lower muscle glycogen conditions (e.g. this diet is not recommended for sprinters in competition)

Obesity

Efficacy of LCD for weight loss has been established in 6 outpatient randomized controlled trials.
LCD reduces fasting serum triacylglycerols, increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease LDL (low cholesterol.
Take Home - low CHO diets are good for improving risk factors for disease (obesity and blood markers of cholesterol levels)

Dose/Response

One study took 10 city-dwelling Australian aboriginal men with type 2 diabetes and had them live for 7 weeks as hunter-gatherers. At the end of the study, there were significant improvements in weight and fasting serum glucose, insulin and triacylglycerol concentrations.
When the subjects returned to their previous urban lifestyle, the weight and diabetes returned.
This type of study has been done with other populations with the same result.

Other Therapeutic Potential

May be useful in both epilepsy, narcolepsy, heartburn, dermatitis herpetiformis, insulin resistance.
Decrease in inflammatory markers such as C-Reactive protein, plasma serum amyloid A.

The take home message that I got from this article is that there are a number of potentially negative health consequences from eating certain carbs, especially sugar and flour. Although exercise may be protective, your 3h endurance ride is not a free pass on the CHO gravy train.

If you are trying to lose weight, and you are not an in-season sprinter, cutting carbs may be something to discuss with your healthcare provider. In my own recent experience (low activity level due to broken collar bone) following this program helped keep me from gaining fat despite relatively low activity levels.

Please note that this is a general discussion, and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. If you would like help with your nutrition program, we can help.

Pain on the Peak, Rapha Gentleman's Race

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:28:00 +0000

It was a long day for everybody who participated in the Rapha Gentleman's Race - some 120 miles and over 7 hours of riding. A sea of bikes filled the patio of Rontom's:

All of these bikes were ridden hard today!

Some info about the race can be found here, though it is for the 2008 edition, hopefully 2009 details, photos and results will be up soon.

Laura and I did some treatment on the riders after the race.

I don't even want to think about how sore this particular rider is after a full 120 miles in the Champ-Sys bibs. Ouch

Tired, but happy. You're supposed to be happy now AC

Earlier in the day we set up a tent at Pain on the Peak. We had Chiropractic care, Massage, and some HEED and water on ice.

Laura works on a lucky athlete after their race

It was a great day, thanks to everybody that stopped by and said hi at the tent. We'll post our schedule for upcoming races that we will do treatment at soon.

Plowing The Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:29:00 +0000

I was reading a post on the Wattage Google Group the other day, and one of the posters used a phrase that I thought was particularly insightful. It went something along these lines: "...you have been plowing the fields since March, but never stopping to allow things time to grow."

The discussion was about periodization vs. using the PMC in WKO+ for management of your endurance training. In my mind the two go hand in hand - both elements of the classic periodization scheme along with the PMC yield better results than either alone. I view Periodization as your overall plan for what you are going to do and when, and the PMC as a way to manage things more specifically so that you maintain an appropriate training load and arrive at your key races in peak form.

This goes right along with another article I wrote on training and recovery - still one of my favorite concepts to make sure that each endurance athlete I work with understands as it is the very foundation of fitness improvement...miss this concept and you've missed the boat.

Upcoming Flu Season, H1N1

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:31:00 +0000

May experts are predicting a strong flu season this year, and there are some basic steps you should take in order to be prepared. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only the young and old that are prone to serious flu infections - people of any age and health status are vulnerable.

For more information about the flu, flu shots, and how to be prepared, visit the Red Cross Website. Scroll down the page for various other information sources.

In normal summers, hospitals typically do not see any flu cases. This year, by contrast, there were a steady stream of flu cases, again suggesting that this may be a bad flu season. There is also a lot of buzz about the H1N1 ("swine flu") variety, due to its potential virulence.

Simply trying to stay healthy is not enough. Common steps like frequent hand washing and covering your coughs are helpful. Though some people avoid flu shots, you may want to consider getting a flu shot. Current recommendations are to get an early vaccine this year (my local Safeway is already offering them), and then maybe a second one later in the season plus the H1N1 vaccine when available. Though there are risks to vaccinations, they are typically considered to be small, with the benefits outweighing the risks for most people.

High-Risk groups for flu infection are pregnant women, infants and the elderly. Those that come in regular contact with the aforementioned groups are also recommended for vaccination. Healthcare workers are also recommended for vaccination.

Before you leave for Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:32:00 +0000

This doesn't have anything to do with my usual posts, but here are some practical suggestions that might minimize some stress and decrease the likelihood of problems at your house when you are away at a race or vacation. Exciting, no. Practical, yes:

Ask the post office to hold your mail - easy to set up a mail hold on the USPS web site.
Stop newspaper delivery.
Adjust your thermostat. In the summer no higher than 85, in the winter no lower than 55. Most programmable thermostats have a "hold" function you can use to set a constant temp rather than using your regular program.
Set automatic timers for your lights to mimic your usual patterns.
Unplug electronics such as computers, TVs, microwave.
Turn off water supply to toilets and your washing machine.
Let your security service and/or the local police know your house will be empty.

trade bike for cowbell

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Things have been quiet for a while with the clavicle...just doing my rehab and counting down the days until I have surgery to remove the hardware. My 2-month follow up with the ortho was this past Wednesday. We took some films and discussed things and it looks like the plate can come out in late September. After that, no racing for 1 month until the screw holes fill in and things are strong again. So, that takes me to November. There are some good classes that I am taking in November, so that would take up some of the weekends. Which means that I won't be racing cross this year. Bummer. I'll be out there at the races with a cowbell instead of a bike starting with Pain on the Peak. In the meantime I'm out riding most days, just short rides during the week and a long one on the weekends. Once things settle down a bit I should be able to get back to regular training, the goal date is after my surgery. Looking forward to the 2010 season.

Selecting a Sports Chiropractor

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:59:00 +0000

One of my friends sent me this article and I thought it was a nice explanation of key things to look for when selecting a sports chiropractor. I like the article because it sets out some of the things that you should look for, and also happens to highlight the way I practice as well. Here is the article:

Selecting a Sports Chiropractor

Green Means Go

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:34:00 +0000

I don't have any good pictures from this visit to the ortho yesterday, just good news. Healing is going well and we went through some basic range of motion tests to make sure that things were moving well and nothing was getting hung up on the hardware. All's good. I was cleared to ride outside with two recommendations:
1. don't race
2. don't crash

I think recommendation 1 is negotiable, and so hopefully I can get back in shape in time for cross. The plate comes out sometime in October.

So I ended up doing my first significant ride outside in what feels like forever today. It was good to get back out there. This whole thing has made me re-discover what I like best about bikes. Riding. Racing is fun but in the end it comes down to just getting out and going for a ride.

Field Trip: K&K Forgeworks, Portland, OR

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:31:00 +0000

I took a field trip last week to visit with Fergus of K&K Forgeworks in Portland, OR. Fergus has been helping with a number of projects, including a rack for our kettlebells at HPC, and most recently development of some soft-tissue mobilization instruments. The instruments are being developed for instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques. The goal is to come up with a set of instruments that have the weight, feel and ergonomics that suits our needs. Healthcare providers have been using these types of techniques for thousands of years. The old school technique is called Gua-Sha. Newer versions of instrument assisted soft-tissue mobilization include the Graston Technique and Sound Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization.

Fergus in his element.
There are a lot of ways to hurt yourself in this place.

Originally, I was there to check in on our design for a kettlebell rack, and also fine-tune some of the edges on some of the instruments that we had been working on...Fergus suggested that I give it a try myself, and fine-tune some of the edges:

Using a a grinding wheel to fine-tune edges

It was a lot of fun working on the instruments, and learning a bit about how various grinding and polishing tools work. I emerged with all my fingers, vision and hearing intact...looking forward to my next opportunity to get back in the shop and work some more on the next prototype. More ideas to try!

I get by with a little help from my friends

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:21:00 +0000

A broken clavicle really isn't that big of a deal. Really. It is uncomfortable, but you're basically able to get out and about and do what you need to do. The only thing I'd really like to be doing that I cannot currently do is ride my bike on the road. I could be riding the trainer...but lets leave it at that. I could, but will not. Unless I get really desperate. For now I'm happy taking my first significant break from the bike in close to 15 years, watching the Tour, and enjoying time with the family.

So, back to the title of my post, a sincere thank you to everybody that has stepped up and helped me get by! Dr. Noel Snodgrass and Dr. Martin Hughes have graciously provided the muscle for treatments that I cannot do with the broken wing.

It has been a while since I've been able to do regular posts, as I migrated my web host from my Evil Big Box host to local, friendly AcornHost. Besides being local, AcornHost also uses green source energy. Along the way, there were the inevitable bumps in the road...so another thank you goes out to Kristin Wille, who put my web site together for me, and managed the switch to the new host. Yet another thank you goes out to Matt Haughey...he set up this blog for me in the first place, then graciously helps me fine-tune it as needed.

I was doing regular blog posts about the clavicle injury and missed a few milestones with the web migration, so we'll pick that back up here. I had my first follow-up post surgery a week ago friday, and everything looked good. The surgeon told me to go ahead and take off the tegaderm and steri strips:

The scar is tiny! I was expecting
an earthworm sized line.

While we were there, we took an x-ray to see how everything was coming together. He explained to me how things looked when he went in to do the surgery: more pieces than we could see on the initial x-ray, but he was able to pull them all together:

Clavicle hook-plate doing its job.

My next follow up is in a week, so hopefully I'll get good news at that visit too. My main limitation at this point is to keep the elbow below 90 degrees and no lifting anything heavy. I am really really hoping that at the next visit I am cleared to ride outside so I can start at least riding to work again.

The Waiting Games

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:53:00 +0000

Waiting Game 1: Waiting for all the bugs to work out of the system so I can post photos again...I migrated my web site from one host to another and there are always hang-ups with this type of thing.
Waiting Game 2: Waiting for the clavicle to heal! I had a follow up with my ortho last Friday. He took an x-ray...will post it when the blog is back to 100% but for now I can't upload pix...and everything looks good in there. He explained a bit more about what he found during the procedure (more fractures) and what he had to do (cut some muscles, Ug). Right now the clavicle itself feels fine, it is just the deltoid muscle that is painful as it has been cut, and feels like it is being impinged by the plate. Right now I think that is the only thing keeping me from feeling 100%. But, that is probably a good thing b/c if it felt great, I'd probably be using my shoulder more than I should be.
Waiting Game 3: Every day, waiting to see the Tour, and hoping that nobody spills the beans about what happens in the stage. Yesterday, at the office, somebody let it slip by saying that the break stayed away for the finish...he tried to cover it up and say he was just kidding. That worked until I was actually watching the stage, and with 5ks to go realized that he had let that vital detail slip. ARG!

Finally Feeling Better

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:47:00 +0000

We're at day 5 after surgery, and things have taken a turn for the better. The pain is down significantly, and I no longer need the prescription medications. I have my first follow up with the ortho on Friday...hopefully he'll tell me to get rid of the sling, and that I can start doing some basic ROM exercises. We'll probably take some x-rays at that visit to see how everything is looking, so I'll post a picture of them if I can.

As an aside, there has been some news in the press recently about acetaminophen (tylenol). Evidently, it is the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the US with about 56,000 cases each year. Most of the cases seem to occur because people combine medications and don't realize that they are exceeding the recommended maximum daily dose of acetaminophen (4 grams). This was interesting because the medication I was taking for pain contained 325 mg of acetaminophen, and at recommended dosing I was getting 3900 mg of acetaminophen per day. If I had taken any extra tylenol, I would have exceeded the 4 gram per day limit.

All medications have warnings on them, the problem is that most people do not read them. In my post-surgery haze I might not have either...but my wife is an MD and she made note of this .

Anyway, remember that just because something is OTC doesn't mean that it can't be harmful if you exceed labeling recommendations.

Plan = healing

noreply@blogger.com (Seth) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Day 2 after surgery is much better than Day 1. Day 1 was spent mostly watching TV and feeling useless. Every time you move it hurts. The pain killers make you sleepy and so reading doesn't really work. Very thankful to be feeling much better today.

So, the surgery itself...according to the surgeon went well. There were evidently more pieces in there than were evident on the x-ray, including one stubborn piece that would not go back together. The surgeon said he expects the healing tissue to help pull it back where it belongs, so fingers crossed on that one. My follow-up appointment is in a week, so we'll know more then and I hope to have an x-ray to post that shows the hardware.

Typing is difficult so I'll end it here, thanks again for all the get well soon wishes.