Approaching 6 weeks…check in and question.
Tomorrow I should be getting my cast off for good. Of course I am pretty stoked by this notion. Remarkably, the cast has not been itchy as I thought it would be. The past 3 or so nights have been annoying but nothing too awful. I hit a small puddle in the kitchen Saturday night with my crutch (dogs? Son? I am not sure and pointing fingers will not sooth he situation at all). I went down hard am d I hope with all hope that I was not reinjured. My toes are definitely more swollen than they were pre fall but they are not red or purple. I was pretty shook up yesterday so I went back to elevation and staying put. Today I have gained some confidence back but am still feeling skittish.
i have noticed that across the board it seems like stationary bike exercise is a big part of healing. I have been checking Craigslist and other online sites to purchase one as I there is not a feasible way for me to get to the gym. Anyone have suggestions on what I should look for? I would like something that doesn’t take up much space but also want something sturdy.
Hope you all had a nice Monday 
on July 15th, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Even cheap stationary bikes can help a lot, and some are pretty compact. The only ones I’ve ever LOVED are the $$$ ones they had in my cardiac rehab center. Upright not recumbent — I found it hard to elevate my Heart Rate on a recumbent, and the expert nurse said that was common(!) — and with a big display screen that showed lots of info including my HR, read from the (cheap) wireless chest strap I already owned (which came with a wristwatch that read my HR). I was already recovered from my 2nd ATR, but that bike was WONDERFUL during my transition from “open-heart valve-replacement patient” back to “competitive beach volleyball player”!
It helped that the expert nurse was a volleyball player herself, and she came up with a nice “wind sprints” exercise regimen for me on the bike, to get me ready for the aggressive stop-and-go nature of volleyball.
I’d worry more about getting a bike that can adjust to fit your body, than one that’s especially sturdy. An ill-fitting bike is too uncomfortable to use a lot, but I don’t think many people fall off them or break them.
on July 15th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
BTW, it’s POSSIBLE that there are some ATR patients here who did NOT plant a crutch onto a wet spot on the floor and go flying. . . but I’m not one of them. Super-scary, and definitely to be avoided! During snowy or wet times, I’d always keep a microfiber or chamois cloth handy to try to make sure that my crutch tips AND the floor were both dry.
on July 16th, 2013 at 1:12 am
I had a Schwinn upright exercise bike (replaced with elliptical as per wife’s preference). I really liked it. I especially liked how I could place a book, magazine, (my laptop fit also) on the handle area. Time flew by during workouts. However, I would purchase a good bike overall over any more minor features.
On the crutches note….watch out for public washrooms with tile floors. Especially men as they are better at getting water everywhere but in the sink! My crutch slid on my son’s clothes on his bedroom floor…. I was hopping without my cast. My crutch slid and my body jerked hard. My foot did not touch anything but I felt the whiplash…. close call and lesson learned about walking around castless.
on July 16th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Congratulations! I’m guessing your cast is off by now. It’s scary at first but it gets better and stronger every day. I think a spin bike is an excellent form of therapy and a good investment. My spin bike is an old Schwinn Johnny G that I bought off a friend. It’s sturdy with a fly wheel and very low tech (kinda noisy too) but it gets the job done and I can make enough adjustments that it is comfortable enough for me (but I don’t ride for hours, mind you.) I’d also check Costco and ask at a local bike shop. Hopefully someone else more bike savvy will chime in with advice
Keep us posted on your progress–great to hear from you.
on July 17th, 2013 at 10:46 am
Thanks, Norm & Bionic- I am going to continue my search & research for the bike. I have plenty of time to do so
Will also keep my eyes peeled for potential crutch hazards. Am learning fast to expect it when I least expect it.
Hi Kellygirl
my appt was very late in the day yesterday, but yes indeedy, the cast is off! There was a little setback and I am back to non weight bearing for a while. Maybe I will have ropey Madonna arms by the end of the summer 
on March 16th, 2014 at 6:43 am
Hi Shann
a recumbent bike is really good. I’m looking for one myself. Did you find one? Can you recommend some to me?
on March 18th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
I had a shocking experience with recumbent bikes when I was in Cardiac Rehab following heart surgery to replace a bum Aortic valve: I had just switched from walk-jog exercise (which I didn’t love) to bicycling, which I expected to love because I’m a frequent urban cyclist.
The idea was for me to start doing “wind sprints” on a bike, building up my heart-rate to a target range for a while, then backing off to let it drop into a lower target range for a while, then back up, back down, etc., etc.
They had upright and recumbent exercise bikes, all with nice screens that could display my HR, from my own chest-strap transmitter. I decided to start on a recumbent bike. I pedaled and pedaled, but I couldn’t get my HR up into the higher target range!! I was pumping away at pretty high resistance, but it wasn’t happening!! So I spoke to the nurse who was running the CR program. She told me that lots of people have that problem with recumbent bikes, and I should switch to an upright bike. I did, and everything worked the way it was supposed to! (And I DID love doing cardio-rehab “wind sprints” on the exercise bike! Great prep to return to competitive volleyball, too — including some 2-on-2 indoor beach on the first day I went back to volleyball!!)
I don’t know how this works, and it sounds a bit like magic. (Can I REALLY bicycle forever up steep hills without raising my HR or getting worn out, as long as I do it on a recumbent bike?!?) But it happened, and it may help somebody, so here it is!
(And BTW, I’m not sure if 1shann is still hanging around here.)