Revisiting the surgery issue....advice please!
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genie
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 Posted: 01/04/03 - 16:19 Post subject: Revisiting the surgery issue....advice please!
While struggling through my run today, visions of the surgery I still need to have were dancing in my head, and I was wrestling with my plans for 2003 vs. the most opportune time to have it, being as I have been told I'm going to be benched for 6 weeks. I really cannot decide what to do. I have it scheduled now for June 2, which could seriously impact my plans for a fall marathon.
My other thinking is, get it done ASAP, being sometime in the first two weeks of February, blow off Myrtle Beach, be off the last of Feb and probably most of March, and start training for the RW Half, which is my big race of the spring on May 4, leaving me about 6 weeks to get back in shape for that, and then there's Madison three weeks later, although I know I can wuss out and run the 10K there if I have to. At that point I can make the decision as to whether I'll be ready for TCM in the beginning of October and be fully recovered and ready to train come June for an 18-week program or right after RW for a longer one.
There is never an "opportune" time for a runner to be off the road for 6 weeks, especially one who races, no matter how slow they are (and I am)so I just keep finding excuses to put this off further and further while thinking in the back of my head what a relief it's going to be to get it done and move forward. What would YOU do???
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rolling rock
The Pinball
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 17:12 Post subject:
in matters like this, my own philosophy would be there's no time like the present.
i think just the relief you'll get in having it done will smooth over the fact that you are benched for 6 weeks. you've been sidelined before so you know what to expect emotionally. if RR were genie, i would do it the first chance i could get it scheduled.
no matter when it's done, it's going to slam into one of those races you have planned - my God, that schedule is quite full!!!!
i'm a get it overwith person.
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megawill
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 17:44 Post subject:
are you running enough miles or in good enough shape right now to run a half marathon? If not, now is the best time...otherwise you'll interupt your 'half' shape somewhere down the line, why not just do it now and get it over with...stay in shape the best way you can during your lay off and then begin the best training year of your life!
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megawill
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genie
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 18:06 Post subject:
Hmmm....very good points, both. RR, you're right about it interrupting something, I just have to decide which interruption is least desirable. Right now it's RW and then the fall race, if I'm ready to do it. As far as being ready for a half....well, I couldn't run one today, but it's 7 weeks til MB, I've run the course and that distance before, and it's not like I'm going to break any speed records or anything, so I wasn't really worried about having the time to get there with 7 weeks of concentrated, focused training. But....you have a very good point about doing it now before I get into and then kill my "peak" shape and then move on from there. I know surgery will help in the long run (no pun intended).
Sigh. If only I could give up caring about achievement beyond getting my butt out the door and running for "fun" a few times a week I wouldn't care when I had to be benched. But what's pathetic about that is I am the slowest person here so it isn't like I'm racing with any real purpose. 
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omega lambda
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 18:36 Post subject:
Have the surgery done ASAP. Won't the surgery eventually improve your running?
Besides, having this surgery constantly looming on the horizon has got to be stressful. Do it. Get it over with. Then change lanes and keep on driving.
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Cappy
Excelent
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 18:46 Post subject:
What type of surgery is it and how will it affect your ability to run for 6 weeks. Would there be any restrictions on other forms of exercise, (stationery bike, etc)?
If in the long run (no pun intended) the surgery is beneficial to you, I say have it done soon. You can then focus on your running goals once you get the  from the doctors.
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camelia bedelia
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 19:08 Post subject:
| megawill wrote: | are you running enough miles or in good enough shape right now to run a half marathon? If not, now is the best time...otherwise you'll interupt your 'half' shape somewhere down the line, why not just do it now and get it over with...stay in shape the best way you can during your lay off and then begin the best training year of your life!
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megawill |
At least that's what Mega did when he had it done. 
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genie
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 20:05 Post subject:
 at CB!! You gotta admit, it's good general advice though. 
Cap, to answer your question, it is what I had talked about last year, a combination of removal of a large area of cysts and reconstructive mammaplasty. The main reason my doc wants to do anything is the cyst difficulties I've been having (several lump scares which so far have been benign) but also because at my....ahem....size  early detection of breast cancer would be very difficult and there's a high risk of it in our family, so he proposed doing it all at once to solve both problems. So yes, OL...it will, in the long term, help my running after I get off the bench (no high impact, swimming or weight lifting for 6 weeks, for obvious reasons)it is, as RR says, going to be quite interruptive.
And I'll be very honest with you guys because you are not a cruelly judgmental bunch, but the scarring potential really worries me. The surgery itself is extensive, a LOT of cutting, 3 hours on the table, but the 3 people I know who've had it are all fine now and happy they did it. But, the doc shows you pics during your pre-op of the best, middle and worse case scenarios with regard to scarring, and they range anywhere from little red lines the diameter of a pen mark, to scary keloid scars, seen here (it's an abdominal scar but it is very similar and there would be several on each side-the top part of the gray pic is the keloid) Scar pic-mid page to something in between. Doctors cannot predict who will develop keloids and he told me you have no way of knowing how it will heal til you do the surgery. I won't apologize for sounding shallow, because being overweight, I have enough to be self-conscious about without adding something else. That's a large part of why I keep putting it off. Everyone's different so that's why they show you it can go one of three ways as far as what it looks like 6 months and then a year later.
None of the ladies I know were runners when they had this done, although one is now, but the two who told me they had exercised regularly backed up what the doc said about a 6 week recovery.
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airehead
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 23:17 Post subject:
Whenever you choose to do it, send me a pm with your address so I can
send you a bunch of gummy bears,jelly bellies, and a card with a cute guy on the front!!
(Ok. That helps me get well--it may not do much for you! )
Good luck, whatever you choose. I think now is better than later--at least
the stress will be over sooner!
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akern
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 23:36 Post subject:
Do it now Genie. I know it's a scary thing but once it is done you can do all the training you want. There is always a marathon going on somewhere when you are ready. I know the scarring thing is bothering you but it's something you will get used to (if it turns out badly) and probably more noticeable to you that to someone else.
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Sandy Cheeks
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 23:45 Post subject:
It sounds like despite your knowledge that the right thing to do is to proceed with the surgery, several emotional issues (fear of scarring, fear or frustration about losing training time) are interfering with your logical process.
What would you tell a friend in the same situation? (I personally think you would be stuffing them in the car and taking them to the doctor immediately. )
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Erstwhile Lurker
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 23:59 Post subject:
Remember Medical Center with Chad Everett? No matter what symptoms the patients had, Dr. Joe Gannon always found a brain tumor.
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genie
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Posted: 01/05/03 - 02:47 Post subject:
Well, I'm not worried about him finding that, EL, brain tumors have to have something to attach themselves to!
Cheeky, you're right, & this definitely isn't about vanity, I wouldn't even be entertaining the idea if there wasn't some health risk stuff involved. The scarring thing is, unfortunately, really the part that's holding me back the most. I already lost most of last year's training and what endurance I had built when I got the stress fractures, and I've seen some of you sidelined over the years after having trained hard for a race you really wanted to run. I know we all survive. (and yes, the gummy bears and cute guy pics DO help!) And the two races I'll miss if I do it in Feb are not key ones as compared to the others.
I told someone this who PM'd me and I guess I can say it in public and maybe you'll understand where the scarring thing is really hitting. Most of you here, male and female, are married or seriously involved with someone who, I get the impression, would support you and vice versa if something were to happen, disfigurement, losing your hair to chemo, terminal illness, something godawful like that, BECAUSE they love you already and hopefully would look past the physical stuff you have going on to the person they care about. When you're single it's a different story. No one knows you that well to get past it, and I know a lot of people tend to shy away from stuff like that. Having someone in my life right now is not of paramount importance, the last one left a lot of nasty scars (no pun intended) and I'm not at all eager to go there again anytime soon. But I might be someday, and that's something weighing heavily on my mind going into this.
Thanks all, for your support and encouragement! It's nice to know we can talk about anything here in a positive environment whether people agree with you or not. 
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copteacher
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Posted: 01/05/03 - 03:20 Post subject:
Gina, have the surgery. Please.
That is all I will say.
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sierra513
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Posted: 01/05/03 - 04:34 Post subject:
Men, please bypass this message
Genie, Please get it done ASAP. The scarring is really not an issue. Three years after the fact, the scars can only be seen if you know what and where to look for them. They are practically invisible and have been that way for at least a year or two. The recovery is very easy. Absolutely no pain whatsoever. The surgery cuts into fatty tissue, not muscle. If scaring is your big issue, dont let it be. It really disappers quickly. If you have an option, go for the skin glue, not stitches. Its much easier, but there is no difference in the scarring. My doc gave me some stuff to keep on the incisions for the first few weeks too. It was to assist in the healing and prevent the scarring issue. It worked very well even though I didnt use it like I was told to. I would suggest that you make sure they also remove tissue from the sides as well as the front. Thats very important too. I know we have talked about this in the past. Please get it done as soon as you can, you will not regret it. It has changed my life in more ways than I can even tell you. ( and it will definately help improve your running  )
PS, If a man really cares about you, it really wont matter, if it does make a difference, you dont need to waste your time on him anyway, hes not good enough for you. This will also actually enhance your physical appearance. You will look better, more balanced and as my hubby says, "perky"
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