Yipee!

I got the stitches out of my toe/foot this afternoon and got a clean bill of health from the Doc. It was the first time I've seen the Cankle since pre-operation, and it wasn't a pretty sight. The cut runs along the top of the toe, from about half way up the big toe, half way up my left foot, running along the first metatarsal and the tendon that runs the thing. There was a lot of thread holding that thing together - must have been a 3" long cut.

The doc manipulated the toe a bit, watched me walk around, and then asked some questions. Turns out it's pretty unusual for people to start walking on their foot the day after the operation, and it's really unusual to have the range of motion my toe is now blessed with, around 90% of normal motion, with some rehab still to go, just 9 days after the procedure.

It's not pain free, in fact it does sort of hurt like heck. I told the doc "it feels better now that the stitches are out but it does still feel like the toe is very broken." He said, "good, that's exactly how it's supposed to feel." Past experience tells me that the bone is going to hurt for about 5-6 more weeks, so there's going to be some riding in pain, at least for a while.

I'm not quite ready to put on the cycling shoes just yet; the broken toe part hurts a little but the cut - the angry red ridge of Frankenstein scar tissue which is still knitting together - burns when I sling on regular shoes. I suspect it will be okay to ride in a day or two, perhaps Friday. I can't wait.

Until then, I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that not everything about riding is peaches and cream. For his part, Lance Armstrong tells us tonight on Universal that Monday's Giro stage was his "hardest day on the bike. Ever."

Lance and Popo Catch Up Before Giro Stage 16 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

That's good. We wouldn't like cycling as much if it wasn't so hard on us.