Bionic

Last time I posted I mentioned a possible surgery. I had been experiencing intense burning and loss of power in my left leg at high intensities since March 2010. Writing off the idea of something serious I went through the usual channels to treat the "issue:" massage, PT, stretching, strengthening, and generally flushing twenty dollar bills down the toilet... With no relief in sight I took the advice of Nick Waite and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ken Cherry: the big poobah of vascular surgery at UVA.

August 17th was the first test which involved a ride on the stationary bike until the symptoms presented themselves. Once my leg felt sufficiently suffocated I hopped off the bike and was rigged to a series of tubes and cuffs to measure blood pressure. Still dubious of the whole situation I had convinced myself that everything would be normal, and I would go on to ride with and suffer through this strange ailment. However the Fates had a different plan in store for me. My somewhat aloof and hippie lab tech showed me the test results: the blood in my left leg dropped dramatically compared to the right and recovered to a state far below that of the right leg. Verdict: left leg was fucked, but why?

August 18th, test 2, the angiogram. After being injected with a drug that mimicked the results of "a few bottles of wine" and being sufficiently numbed, a camera tube was slipped up my right femoral artery and snaked into my abdomen. This tube then ejaculated dye down into my left leg and pictures were taken. Dr Cherry visited in the recovery ward with some interesting news. "Well, you have it, and its bad." Iliac Artery Endofibrosis.
Officially: 'a subset of athletes (particularly cyclists, rowers and triathletes) have reported symptoms of leg pain and weakness from an unexpected cause - damage to the arteries of the pelvis, groin or lower leg. This damage, or arteriopathy appears to cause the arteries to stretch, narrow or kink in such a way that during high-intensity exercise the athlete experiences decreased blood flow due to the constriction or obstruction of the artery in the affected leg. This lack of blood flow, or ischemia, causes pain, burning, weakness, and powerlessness during exercise.' Nothing I caused, just happens and it fuckin sucks. The damage to my artery was 6-8 inches in length and was restricting my blood flow by 30%. Too much to patch, the options were limited; segment replacement with an artificial graft. Photo not of my artery, but you get the gist.
August 19th: The Surgery...