More injections, no improvement

stats of the week: walked 19 km, zwift cycled 33 km, gym 4 h

I had my fourth injection, this time at the L3 vertebra, but it had no noticeable effect. Unlike injections one and two, which caused widespread paralysis for several hours, numbers three and four produced no reaction at all. It felt as though I hadn’t been given an injection. I’m not sure whether this indicates that the injection was not administered as precisely as before. In any case, nothing has changed, and I’m due to receive injection number five next Wednesday.

Now that we’re back in Witten and at home, I can use my treadmill and the Zwift bike again, go to the gym and the sauna, and get support from the physio. With a proper daily routine, I’m hopeful the nerve will continue to improve. I’m now able to jog short, slow intervals of about 300 metres.

We’ve successfully sold our much-loved old Toyota Verso after 13 years and 250,000 km. The car had picked up a few bumps over the years, but unfortunately a particularly large one was added by an unknown neighbour in Mollans just last week. Only a handful of locals use the parking area on the central terrace, yet the person responsible never owned up. In the end, we were able to sell the damaged car, though of course for a considerably lower price.

Photo: The Mollans bump

Enjoyable bike rides on a rainy island

stats of the week: walked 14 km, cycled 93 km, gym 1.5 h

It has now been ten weeks since the disc incident, and I’m still a long way from being able to run again. At least today I managed to jog eight very slow sets of 100 metres.

We had to use our ferry tickets from Barcelona to Mallorca, as they couldn’t be cancelled  and only rebooked for another date. So we drove from Mollans to the port of Barcelona and took the ferry, which gave us a rather turbulent crossing, before enjoying three days on the island. It rained the whole of the first day, but on the following two days we were pleased to fit in two short bike rides. It was cold and windy, and we did get wet once, but being able to ride my bike outdoors lifted my spirits, as it feels like progress.

the week's photos:

The ferry crossings back and forth were both turbulent.

Mallorca turned out to be a rainy island.

On the way back we stopped for a coastal walk in South France.

Days of remembrance

stats of the week: walked 16 km, gym 4.5 h

No news from the health front. The knee area is still numb, even walking is limited due to the pain in the adductor area. No idea to improve the situation, waiting for my 4th injection after returning to Germany.

I was happy to meet my English conversation group. Unfortunately, I could only attend one session. Since it was a bank holiday, we met at the Bar du Pont and played a word game that is known in Germany as ‘Town, Country, River’. We had a great time.

While in Germany, November 11th marks the joyful beginning of the carnival season, in France it is a day of remembrance for the end of World War I on 11/11/1918. In Mollans, the ceremony follows the same pattern as on May 8th, the commemoration of the end of World War II. It is always moving to witness the local remembrance service, especially when a group of schoolchildren shares a few words. After the European anthem is played, the names of all local soldiers who died are read aloud, and finally the children sing the French national anthem.

After the ceremony, everyone gathers in the community hall to share a drink and some snacks. All of this takes place while current wars continue, involving Russia, Hamas/Israel, and others,  and the United States has appointed a ‘Secretary of War,’ who confirms his title by murdering in the caribic sea.

Photos: The ceremony at the local war memorial

Winter has come to Mollans

And Christmas approaches

Back to where the trouble started

stats of the week: walked 10 km, zwift cycled 21 km, gym 3 h

I’ve had my third injection, but unfortunately, there’s been no further improvement. The area near my knee is still numb, and most of the time I feel a strong tightness there. However, there isn’t any real pain, and I’m able to walk briskly for several miles. I even tried jogging very slowly for a few yards.

In the meantime, we’re back in Mollans for a week, the place where all the trouble began. I wasn’t sure if leaving home was a good idea, but once we arrived in our beautiful village, I felt happy again. We’ve installed a new wood stove in the kitchen, which heats our tiny house very efficiently. The weather is lovely and perfect for some sunny walks.

Photos: The new wood stove is working well.

The "fontaine de l'eglise" is already lightened for Christmas

The bridge is the center of the village, complemented by the Bar du Pont, where the residents gather.

More means better?

stats of the week: walked 12 km, zwift cycled 15 km, gym 4.5 h

A week without progress. The persistent adductor problem continues to hold me back, while my back would probably already tolerate a light running session. The third PRT injection is coming up, and I’m hoping for more improvement. The orthopaedist recommends a series of six injections, whereas the radiologist thinks three should be enough. I hope that in my case, more really does mean better.

With a touch of wistfulness, I look towards New York, where the interAir team is at the marathon without me for the first time after seventeen years. And yet, I’m not sad. Everything must come to an end, and last year I felt I’d reached my physical and mental limit. The New York weekend is extremely demanding, and it no longer offers anything new to me. In any case, who even wants to travel to the United States anymore? A country where people are arbitrarily detained from the streets and deported . A country that elected a narcissistic man-child as its president, one who orders the killing of foreign citizens without trial. Instead of giving him the Peace Nobel Prize it is time for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant. Though given this president's power, that may be too much to ask.