51 Days and Counting...

Today, as with other days, I have some good news and some bad news.  Which would you like to hear first?   Speak up...I can't  hear you.  Okay...bad news should always come first, right?  

The bad news is that my elbow is killing me...okay, so maybe it's not killing me in the literal sense...but man this thing hurts!  I have been hitting the weights the past two days, as I decided I would just deal with the uncomfortable feeling, so that I could get back on track to achieving my body fat goal.  The funny thing is that it doesn't really hurt when I'm training, but man...an hour or two later...very painful.  The tendon that was originally damaged still hurts, but honestly...the surrounding muscles that have now begun to compensate for the injury, hurt more. 

Okay, on to the good news.  Oh wait...there's more bad news.  Up until just recently I was seeing my physical therapist at least twice a week, just to keep the elbow somewhat healthy, and minimally painful.  My insurance from work was awesome!  I only paid about $7 each visit...that's right, $7!  However, due to the financial crunch that we are all feeling, the fire department that I am employed by, elected to change insurance carriers in light of the fact that we were going to take a 30-something percent increase to our current plan.  Unfortunately, the new plan is nowhere near as good as the old.  Instead of paying the average $7 per visit, I will now have to pay $40!  So, as you can see, my employer saved a great deal of money by passing on the expenses to the employees...oh well, sign of the times huh?  Oh yeah...there also used to be no limit as to how many physical therapy visits I made throughout the year...now, only twenty visits!  Amazing.

So what does this mean?  It means that I cannot afford to get regular treatment for my elbow anymore.  I am supposed to be receiving another injection in my elbow sometime in August.  Hopefully, the injection will help to alleviate the majority of pain and swelling in and around the joint...and reduce the compensatory muscle activation, which will reduce the pain I feel every time I flex or extend my elbow.  At that time I will make a few appointments with the physical therapist in preparation for my race.  After that...it's some serious time off so that I can heal.

Are you ready for the good news?  I found out yesterday that Ellsworth Bikes (as of yesterday) was processing my replacement frame!  Until then, my old bike got a nice makeover with many of the parts from my new bike!  As soon as my new frame comes in, I'll swap them all out again...it's fun!