THE BIONICTOM

Last Thursday, I have undergone an "ORIF" surgery to reduce the displaced fracture of my left clavicle. The surgery went very well and took about 1.5 hours to complete. For the first time I was brought into the operating room and positioned on the table while being totally conscious. Shortly after that, the nurse anesthetist placed a mask over my face and asked me to take a a few deep oxygen breaths. Obviously, it was not oxygen. So, I started counting my breaths to remember how long would it take me to go to sleep. Well, my "scientific" research reviled, it took five breaths for me to be out cold. And no, the OR tables are not very comfortable.

I woke up  in less than an hour after the surgery in the PACU with a manageable pain level despite electing not to get a nerve block for pain management - it was a good decision. This has also allowed me to better assess my recovery process. So for now, I am restricted to gentle shoulder "pendulum" exercises and elbow/wrist flexion and extension motions. If all continues to heal well past November 9th, I will begin formal rehabilitation.

The "bionic" shoulder which brought my body back into symetry. This made me also realize that the total number of the hardware pieces in my body equals the number of Ironman races in my racing portfolio.

Dressing change time. The surgical site is healing well three days post surgery

This is my rehab for the next week - the "pendulum" circles feel really good.

THE BIG ISLAND THROUGH ANOTHER LENS

We are back in New England and re-living our Big Island experience. We brought back with us many great memories and stories. So, before closing the Kona chapter, I wanted to share with you our few days in Hawaii through a different lens. Without the pressure of racing, Kasia and I had an opportunity to travel the island and soak up the beauty it has to offer. So, here it is through a collage of pictures.

A rainbow that could be seen almost every day in Waimea. This picture was taken from the "dry" side of town. One can almost draw a line where the rain stops.

On our way to the Akaka Falls Park in the northeastern part of the island. Lush greenery and forests, palms and unending views of the ocean.

The palms and the cloudless sky

The palms, the constant winds, and the Kamuela Mountain

"Lost" in the rain forest

In front of the Akaka Falls

The Akaka Falls up close and personal. The water drops further than in the Niagara Falls

A breath-taking view of the open ocean from where the road ends past Hawi - It takes about 30 minutes to get to a beautiful beach down below and surf the waves. This will have to wait until the next trip.

With our Hawaiian Ohana, Alison and Kukui, at the end of the road

 Here we are driving up the Kamuela Mountain to the majestic view of the Island of Maui

It looks like a huge dark cloud from the distance

One of the beautiful art works found on display in Hawi

And the local musicians entertaining visitors

Final moments in Hawi. Kasia is letting it go in the local gallery

Back on the west side of the island. A picturesque sunset over the ocean and the lava fields

And their beauty during the day

And this is my favorite sunset picture over the Waikaloa Beach

Neither of us can bend the fingers for the Hawaiian Aloha. On that day, we had two fully functioning hands between us.

Probably the most valuable real estate off the coast of Kailua-Kona

For a moment I thought it was me climbing that little tree

Or wearing this King's Hawaiian Rules shirt

Back in Kona indulging on some "dragon fruit"

With the former world champion Mirinda Carfre the day before the race. She was one of the favorite females to win the race.

With Lisa Bentley from Canada. She is a multiple Ironman champion and a triathlon icon.

A part of the closing ceremony. An incredible display of art, history, and culture.

These guys were a little taller than us

Volunteering means working. Even the guy on the right was impressed.

Spotting athletes in need of assistance

With two future pro triathletes Rachel and Bryan in the Ironman Village

And with Viktor Zemtsev from the Ukraine. One of the best in the sport among the pro triathletes. An awesome runner.

The final meal in Kona. This place can rival the Lava Java hands down.

In the end, yes, I was supposed to be there ........

.... and bring home one of these. Well, I will have to wait a little longer ;o)

The final look at the Kailua-Kona Bay. Thank you all for your support.

"ORIF" IS THE ANSWER

Back in New England after a long trip home. Again, a huge thank you for the avalanche of get-well wishes I received from many of you over the last week. Despite the accident, Kasia and I had a great time in Hawaii  and we definitely plan to return to the Big Island next year.

So, after the first round of medical visits I am pleased to report that the healing process is well underway. Yesterday, I had a wound evaluation and dressing changes visit with my primary, and today had a long-awaited and anticipated meeting with my orthopedic surgeon. And the verdict is in............

The many shades of tan

And the soon-to-be fifty shades of purple

Next Thursday, I am scheduled to undergo an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) surgery on my left displaced mid-shaft comminuted clavicular fracture. In this procedure, the surgeon will use a contoured plate and several screws to connect the displaced ends. This procedure will significantly increase the likelihood of the union and assure bilateral clavicular symmetry. We have also discussed a non-surgical treatment option but the risk of a potential non-union and a likely loss of strength in the left arm and shoulder tipped the decision scale to the surgical procedure. So, if all goes well, I will ad more hardware to my body next week. It will join the metal plate and seven screws already in my left ankle from an injury about 20 years ago.

A picture-in-picture. The prognosis for a full recovery and the maximum functional outcome seems to be very good

A SHOCK FACTOR

Aloha and thank you all so much for the numerous emails, calls with best wishes and words of encouragement. I will write back to each every one of you as I regain my faculties in the left arm. I have never been a fast typist using both hands, but now, I am even slower typing with only my right hand.

We have been having a great time here with our friends and I will write soon more about our experience on the Big Island. However, in this abbreviated blog I wanted to share with you the state of my condition, as well as the condition of my equipment following the accident.

  Helmet crack number one. Right in the center of the helmet. HELMETS SAVE LIVES.

Helmet crack number two. Split the face protector shield and took a big bite out of "POLAND"

And a little dent. I can't get enough of looking at it. Thank you GIRO HELMET

The trisuit I wore qualifying for Ironman Hawaii. Yes, I also wore it on this faithful day on Wednesday. Needless to say, I will not be wearing it any longer. Together with the helmet, it will go to my Ironman Shrine

Before the first dressing change I realized the extend of the injury. Yes I left some skin on the road from Hawi. It joins the skin from my right side which I left in Nice, France

SO CLOSE, AND YET, SO FAR

I am writing this blog with very mixed feelings, because yesterday afternoon my dreams of racing in the Ironman World Championship this coming Saturday came to an abrupt halt when I crashed on my bike training ride. I suppose, I will probably never know what and how it had happened other than I had ended up in the local hospital with bruises and a broken left clavicle.

Athlete #538 will not open this packet for Saturday

I want my family and friends to know that I am OK and recovering well from the accident. All my cognitive, motor, and sensory functions are intact. It is, nevertheless, a bittersweet day knowing that my plans for this Saturday have been altered in such a way, but also knowing that I will be fine and back on the racing circuit, again. They do not call us the Ironman for nothing. Right?

Before going any further, I must say that I am most fortunate to have such great family and friends. I know, this news has upset Kasia, Damian i Ania, but on the flip-side, Kasia is due to touch down in Kona in a few hours. My deepest words of thank you go to Alison, Kukui, Nani and David, my host friends in Waimea. Words themselves will not describe how I feel and how grateful I am for their hospitality and support. THANK YOU SO MUCH for being a part of my family.

Thank you to all of you for your kind words and best race-day wishes :o) I will keep you posted and continue to report from the Big Island. Its a beautiful day out there, today, but the wind is especially angry today :o) I can hear it laud and clear outside the house, as I write this blog.

I had to stop an take this picture on my way back from Hawii. Nothing but the lava fields and the Pacific Ocean

Hawii, a small, but a famous town to the world of triathlon. The bike turn-around is right here

And this is a less glamorous picture - though all smiles. Trust me, helmets save lives :o)

What a majestic view of the mountain taking from Alison's front yard. Through it goes another passage road to Hawii. I was up there on my training run earlier that morning

So, Mahalo, Aloha, and stay tuned :o)