Aug 2014 I started having pain in what I thought was my bicep tendon. I don't really remember what caused it but I fought through the pain as I thought it was just a sore muscle or tendon because I trained so often, so hard and so heavy. I had started my new training cycle for the Worlds but soon  it was becoming a hinderance to my training. I was not able to press a dumbbell and I had to tell my coach Molly why. I hated excuses I hated not being able to do something I was supposed to do.

 

Off I went to my chiropractor, he did acupuncture, ART, Ice Therapy, everything he thought he could do to help. I had a few treatments felt better and returned to training. I still was limited on my dumbbell presses, I was getting frustrated but I just eliminated those from my program and worked on other things that did not hurt.

Worlds came and went and I had an amazing meet, 130 Lb meet PR, World records, National Records.  January 2015, Benches for Benefits Meet, National Record, best bencher, Mar 2015 Arnolds, 4 World Records, April 2015 Kettlebell Competition, 1st Place & Candidate for Master of Sport. June 2015 RPS Powerlifting meet, 1st place best overall lifter, 4 world records. I was having a great year, 5 competitions, lots of P.R.'s world records and everything a 53 year old could wish for.

Heck I even found Dr. Ken Kinakin in the spring who worked on my arm and shoulder, it was a temporary fix none the less.

The funny part of this story is I never ever had pain in my shoulder. I never suspected a shoulder injury. I could do all my kettlebell moves no problems, nothing hurt, just certain ways I held my arm and at night to sleep it was aching. (those were the signs and symptoms of a rotator cuff tear), who knew, not me. My shoulders were strong, resilient and to me my best body parts, I had amazing delts and biceps and my shoulders felt great.

Aug 2015 I was training at the EliteS4 compound, helping out with the Clint Darden Seminar then doing some team training on the Sunday when everything changed for me. That pain I had been experiencing came full circle.

This 205 Lb bench press was going to be a P.R. for me, I was tracking down perfectly, I had pressed 195 just before this one no problem. As you can see on my right side at the bottom my shoulder Popped, I felt a tear and the rest is history.

The next day, Monday, I was in line up at the Walk-In Clinic, I knew this was serious, the pain I was experiencing was like none other. They ordered an Ultrasound but could not get me in for weeks. This was not an option for me to wait that long.  They put me on light duties at work and offered nothing for pain or inflammation.

The next day I went to the Hospital and sat in the emergency department and demanded an Ultrasound and to be looked at on a urgent basis. Finally a Dr. with compassion to what I do for living. However, it turned out that hospital does not do the ultrasound I needed but he got me in the next day at a different hospital. This is the week I am supposed to book my trip to Portugal, to compete at the Worlds, I just wanted an answer, was it serious and should I cancel my trip to the worlds.

Wed, ultrasound confirmed serious tear of my rotator cuff and I was told do not book your trip. This day my heart was broken, I was really looking forward to going to Portugal not only to represent Canada and Team Elitefts but for a vacation, a well deserved one at that.

Sept 17th, MRI and results soon followed as the diagnosis was a complete full thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon, there was some bone on bone fusion and the tendon had retracted.

Sept 28th, the Surgeon's office, he showed me on the screen the picture of my torn rotator cuff. He said it was severe and had retracted about 3 inches down. He made some comments about the government making wait times the way they are and he could operate on me in 8-12 Months. I looked at Ken, he said to me, "You won't be lifting for over 2 years"...... I started to cry, this is not possible, I told the Dr. I would find someone else who could do it faster. 5 mins later I was at the receptionist desk on the Urgent 1st Priority list and I have a date for November 5th, 2015.

What the Dr. did say to me this day will change how I approach pain. " He said why did you wait so long to get it looked at ? "I showed him the video of my bench press and he said the pain I was experiencing for the past year was a sign and symptom that could have been fixed sooner had I got it looked into. Now instead of a partial tear I'm here with a complete tear, with a longer recovery time.

Lessons learned here are, never ignore pain, pain is real. Get a proper diagnosis, don't rely on the internet, your pride, or wait times, get that ultrasound, that MRI and prevent those serious injuries that will keep you off the platform longer.

No I am stuck with this:

Full Thickness Tear

Full thickness tears do not spontaneously heal because the muscle pulls the torn tendon away from the bone. It is generally recommended that acute tears in healthy patients be fixed in a timely fashion. This ensures the highest likelihood of a secure repair back to bone with healthy tendon tissue and healthy muscle.

It will be almost 3 months from the time of injury to surgery, that is not a timely fashion in my books but when you don't have choices then you take what you can get. Had I sat silently and waited for the times offered it would be a year or more, I will settle for this as I have no other choice. Wait time suck, injuries suck.

I will be off work for at least two months, in a sling for 6 weeks and no weight lifting for 6 months. This is hard for me, I am an athlete, a coach, a kettlebell instructor, and I live to train. Another tough lesson on the road to getting stronger.

The whole purpose of this log is to tell you NOT to ignore those signs and symptoms of injury, or pain. Get it check by a Doctor to avoid more serious injuries that could have been prevented,

Everyone gets injured at one point in their life or another, heck I have been through major back surgery and knee surgery twice. I will never ignore pain like that again, I hope you won't either.

Read here about my major spinal decompression surgery.

Another back lash to pain and injury is depression, be careful you don't slip into depression, it's easy to do and not easy to get out of.

Stay tuned, 4 weeks from today I go under the knife.

Thanks for reading, thanks for caring and you will see me back full circle in no time !

I am still training, lots of legs, abs, back and a bit on my left arm! The Dr. did tell me if I use my right arm I can damage it worse then I would need an entire replacement so I'm being smart and only doing the training I can do for now.

#driven #teamelitefts #strongher #injuriessuck