Greetings!
I am most happy to report that I finished physical therapy this week and am now FREE and CLEAR. Well, almost. I am free and clear to go full bore on the bike and weight room. I need to wait one more week before I return to running. But that’s purely precautionary. And yes…. I will be compliant! I don’t need any further follow up at this point.
Thanks Rothman Institute, Dr. Kevin Freedman, and Physical Therapist Lou Tomasetti.
First things first… The knee is progressing quite nicely. I had an outstanding physical therapy session yesterday and while I am only 11 days post op, I am responding as though I am four weeks out. I did great on the bike and elliptical then also did the leg press, box jumps, single leg bounding, and some lateral stepping with a resistance band. I need to report back to PT once next week and once the following week but am free to do everything but run. Running may take about 1-2 weeks, which I’m fine with.
That also means that I have the green light to do Big Climb Philly tomorrow. This is a charity stair climb that I registered for a while ago. Participants will “race” up 41 flights of stairs in Philly. The event benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I’m psyched I can keep this one on the calendar.
And lastly, how is this for the ultimate FU to cancer? Last year I raced an event of some kind at the conclusion of each of my four rounds of chemo. These events included a couple of 5Ks, a duathlon, and two half marathons. Today I found out that my 3rd place age group finish in the duathlon qualified me for a spot at the Duathlon National Championship this summer in Oregon. I’m not making the trip, but simply qualifying under those conditions is all I need. So… FU cancer.
Come check out my Mindful Chatter piece this week for Movement Sports. 3 Keys to a Happy Season.
I’m delivering two nuggets for the price of one this morning. First is the good news that my menisectomy went very well yesterday. It was very short and sweet, as anticipated. Secondly, as most of you know, I’m racing IRONMAN Lake Placid 70.3 in September with The IRONMAN Foundation. IMF raises funds and provides community support for the various host cities where IRONMAN events are held.
The media folks at IMF are also featuring me throughout the year via social media posts. Every Monday, I provide them with a blurb to be used on Facebook, Insta, and Twitter. As we get closer to September, their coverage will pick ups and they will follow me even closer throughout the race. So, if you get the chance, check IRONMAN Foundation on the various social channels. And in the meantime, here is our post from yesterday.
Ortho guru Dr. Kevin Freedman of the Rothman Institute marked his territory and less than 15 minutes later, he was all done. While I will undergo a few PT sessions, I am otherwise free and clear to resume activity. Translation = I’ll take it easy this week but will then be back full steam. So… little to zero interruption to life or training. While I may have a couple of issues or “opportunities” that I manage in my life (knee surgery, leukemia, etc) my blessings and good fortunes far outweigh my issues 1,000 to 1. A little perspective and gratitude go a long way.” @remissionmansteve .
#raceformore #ironmanfoundation#TeamIMF #im703LP #ironmantri@ironmantri #kneesurgery #triathlete
So, here is the deal. I’ve kept quiet on this until I knew what I was dealing with and had clear direction. I’ve had left knee pain for about 6 weeks now. While the pain is starting to lessen, it’s not healing at the rate it should be. I saw the king of ortho, Dr. Kevin Freedman of The Rothman Institute who ordered X-rays and an MRI. The MRI clearly showed a meniscus tear and cyst. This is actually a good thing as everything else looked great and my knees are apparently younger than I am. Dr. Freedman’s exact words were, “whatever you’re doing, keep doing it”.
The repair of a torn meniscus will be short and sweet with a very quick recovery period. This will put be back as good as new with minimal interruption to life or training. Dr. Freedman actually did the same surgery on my other knee in 2008. Back then I was on the bike in a week and running two weeks post op. That was almost 10 years ago. No doubt we’ll be even quicker this time. To say that I’m in really good hands is the understatement of the century. Surgery its scheduled for Monday, May 1st. I’ll keep you posted.
Last week I did an interview for Forever Young Radio. We chatted about life, family, cancer, and triathlon. Come give it a listen.
I recently sat down with Tom Kramer of WCHE radio in Philly and chatted it up about all things multisport, life, and cancer. Give it a listen.
Here is the first submission of my blog column Mindful Chatter for Movement Sports Magazine.
http://www.movementsportsmag.com/2017/03/25/buddha-didnt-wear-a-bib/
Here is a recent interview I did with Trisha Graybill for Organic Living on My New Philly.
http://mynewphilly.com/video/stephen-brown-remissionman-organicliving/
New Movement Sports Magazine Article
I’ve written a new piece for Movements Sports Magazine. Please give it a read if you have a minute.
Click HERE to read.