Un-Flap-Able…

But un-able to cycle for at least another week.

I just had the un-flapping surgery. It was scheduled for 30 minutes but ended up taking almost an hour. Lots of needles, pressure, cutting, cauterization, and discomfort. A very unpleasant process.

After it was over I asked about exercise and the dermatologist said to wait at least a week. So the entire month of January will be ride free. I’ve written about ‘starting from zero’ before, but after this layoff I’m into negative numbers.

Now all I have are two areas of stitches that don’t need to be bandaged all the time. So life can return to something resembling normal:

Example 1: the flap made it impossible for me to kiss Stoker. Before this a quick buss was the first thing we did upon seeing each other in the morning. Now it has been over a month since I’ve kissed any part of her. Something I intend to rectify later this afternoon.

Example 2: I need bifocals to read and different glasses to see the computer. The flap made wearing glasses in the correct position impossible. Plus the bandage, which partially covered my left eye, impeded my vision and depth perception. I was able to drive but I had to be extra cautious. Speaking of cautious…

Example 3: I now have less to worry about. After the flap failed and came off the first time, I spent the next two weeks in mortal fear that it would happen again. And since December 28 I have been paranoid about getting sick, since I couldn’t blow my nose or sneeze without risking disaster. So I limited my exposure to people the way Dr. Fauci wanted me to during Covid. No lunch out or socializing. Now I can relax about that. Finally I never thought about getting into a car accident when I’m behind the wheel, until I started to visualize what an air bag deployment would do the my flapped visage. Not a pretty thought… and no longer an issue.

So my flap flap is almost over. Supposedly I can start riding in a week and begin the long road back to some cycling fitness. The stitches come out in two weeks and I have been warned that things are going to look ‘lumpy and bumpy’ for a while, as the dermatologist put it. He also said there are things they could do to improve that…I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass.