Marching to church

     Last night we decided to ride to church this morning.  We laid out our cycling clothes. Decided that it would probably cool enough for tights, a long sleeved jersey and a jacket, with some gloves in the pocket.  I checked the forecast, and it said it would be a high of 70 degrees and sunny all day.

     Got up this morning and went outside to do a final weather check.  It was sunny and a bit cool, if it warmed up while we were in church, we would be too hot in tights, so we decided to wear shorts instead, with a short sleeved jersey, and the same jacket plan.

     We had a NW, 30 MPH,  head wind, most of the way and it was cold.  The jacket I had on was not wind resistant, nor was the unlined jersey.   I wisely, put my gloves on before we left,  it's no fun riding with cold hands.  The air was very cold, worse yet when we went down hill.  Even though my legs were working, they became chilled, but not as much as my upper body.  My jacket seemed to suck the chill in, rather than repel it.  Tony said he knew I was cold, because I stopped talking.  Apparently,  that is what I do when I am cold or tired.  He says he can always tell.  I could see gray clouds were rolling in, was hoping they would move through, while we were in church.

      The grass has really greened up, since the last rain.  It is so good to see  the bright patches splashing across the browns and grays that remain.  Lots of gulls flying around by the self milking barn, not sure what they find so intriguing there, must be a food source, likely mice in the fields  The most common gulls in MI are Ring Billed gulls.  Here is a link to some pictures  and other info on Ring Billed seagulls.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ring-billed_gull/id/ac

    Our state also has Herring gulls.  Ring billed gulls are medium sized with a light gray back, and upper wings.  The underpart of the gull is white, and they have yellow legs.  They are opportunistic feeders and lay their eggs in clutches of 3.   The nests are on the ground, in the sand or in tall sea grass,  and are vulnerable to skunks, raccoons and foxes.  Adult seagulls do not have any predators.  They adapt well to nearly any terrain as long as a body of water is nearby.  They are notorious parking lot feeders and have become a "pest" bird on rooftops, in many cities.  Michigan, has a plentiful, seagull population.

     Seemed like we just got warmed up, and church was over.  Time to pedal back home.  A friend had a new, too big,  pair of New Balance athletic shoes that he brought for Tony, and the girl scout cookies Tony had ordered were in, so our ride home was a bit heavier.  The cookies fit in the pannier,  Tony carried the shoes.  For the ride home we put on our rain jackets, because they are more wind resistant.  I wore my headband ear warmers too.  The gray clouds were still hanging in the sky, but at least there was no rain.

     As we rode along, the headwind was now a tail wind, but it was just as cold.  On the back side of hills, there is usually a small area, where it is fairly wind free.  We purposely went up the hills slower today, then we usually do.  At least it gave us a little chance to warm up.

 The poplar trees, are among the first to leaf, and this year was no exception.

The most common poplar, or popple, tree we have in our area is the balsam poplar.  The tree, does well in cold climates and  gets its name from a fragrant (and sticky)  gum it produces, to protect it's buds from insect, feeding.  The tops of the trees can become brittle, or weak wooded, and break easily in the wind.  For this reason, most people do not want them around their homes.  We had to have many on our property cut down, and  they seem to still be abundant.

It is nice to see the fields greening up.

Roadside trees and bushes have young leaves emerging.

I love the color of new leaves.
They are a lighter shade of green and have such a fresh look about them. I call it, "new green."  Sometimes in the winter when I see the trees looking so brown and dead, I remind myself, that really, they are busy.  Busy making twigs and buds for spring.  Dormant trees have 3 phases of rest, early rest, winter rest and after rest.  During the winter, trees and plants  stop all the reactions that require water.  Water in the cells of a plant or tree will freeze, during cold weather, causing the cells to burst, much like a frozen pipe, can. The nutrients needed to make the new twigs and buds, are  gathered, before the cold weather starts, and  over the winter, the trees and plants are hard at work, getting ready to come to life once the warm weather arrives.

     Today, in spite of the March winds that made our pedaling a challenge, we were grateful to be riding.  We rode 16 miles today, putting our total for the last 5 days at 50.  A good start for the season.

Learning a few things.

     We learned a few things from riding PALM last summer, and are trying to plan wiser, and pack lighter, this time.  We now know the importance of cycling clothes, they dry faster, and they pack smaller.  We have added a few jerseys, and shorts to our cycling stuff.

We tried 2 different things for sleeping last year, and were happy, with neither.  The first thing we tried was our daughters queen size blow up bed, with a battery operated pump.  It took up the whole tent, and we kept rolling towards each other all night.  2 nights of that was enough.  A friend came and picked it up and took us to the store to look at other options, which weren't many.  We ended up with 2 Coleman self inflating, camping mats.  They were OK to sleep on,  but took a long time to deflate each morning.  However, in the event of a flooded tent, they do float.

This year we are trying the Luxury Lite Cot.  It folds up very small, and weighs less than 3 pounds.  It is pricey, but it has a life time warranty.   The web site says it can be assembled in 3 minutes.  It took us a bit longer than that, mostly because the directions didn't match what had been sent to us.

The cot has a unique support system, with bending supports, that lock into each side of the cot, at regular intervals.  It is sturdy, yet adds only a little weight to our gear.

There were openings for 8 supports, but we had only 4.  I called the company to find out why and to get some clarification on the directions.  They said that they had been experimenting a bit with the model we purchased, and that is why the directions and package contents did not match.  They generously said that if we returned what we had, they would upgrade us to the deluxe model, with 6 supports, at no additional charge. (a $60.00 value.)   There will still  be places to put 8, simply because people sometimes want to move them around.  I was concerned about some  puckering in the cot, but according to the company spokesman, "It is supposed to pucker a bit, that is what helps make it so comfortable to sleep on."

We ordered the mesh cot, which should be cooler for sleeping in warm weather.  If we want to use it in cool weather,  and still have a warm back, we will want to put a pad of some sort on it.  Tony was happy to try it out, and was so comfortable, that he wanted a pillow.  I could hardly get him off of it, when it came time to pack it away.

We bought only one cot, to start with, because we wanted to try it out, before investing in 2 of them.  Now Tony is saying that he wants to buy another before we ride PALM.  That will be determined by our pocketbook.  If we can't afford one this year, we'll add it next year.

We are slowly trying to get all of our gear together for the independent cycling tour we want to do from MI to Bellingham WA, in a few years. (The good Lord willing, of course.)  The idea for the tour started out as something we wanted to do for fun, but since our twin grandsons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, the genetic eye disease, that claimed Tony's vision,  our focus has changed.  Our trike attracts lots of attention, so why not use that to do some fund raising for a cure?   We hope to get some corporate donations,  and perhaps some sponsors to help pay our way.  We are still in prayer about all of this.  It's a lot to take on, and we certainly know, we can't do it on our own. We will need the Lord's blessing and his help, for  all the planning and every mile of the ride.

   3 or 4 years might sound like a long time in advance to plan such a thing,  but we figure that if we do it bit, by bit, the expenses will be spread out.  Our biggest expense will be a new trike.   Yes, I sadi, a new trike. As much as we love Rosie, she wasn't built for this kind of  touring.  She's more of  and around town and country type trike, not up to doing 2 big mountain ranges.  For that, we will need a Greenspeed touring trike.  A very expensive trike, way out of our price range.  Here is a link.  In case you aren't into John Deere green, it comes in other colors.  Yellow seats, show dirt, but are great for making the riders, high viz.

http://www.greenspeed.com.au/gtt.html

We are hoping to find a good used one, that will suit our needs. Used ones can be hard to find, and our needs are quite specific.  We have started a GS savings account, it has a long ways to go.  For those of you that pray for us, would you please add "finding and affording, just the right trike,"  to your prayer list?  Thanks.  We believe that if this tour is meant to be, the Lord will provide the things we need, when we need them, but he also expects us to do our share.

We still have to figure out camping stoves and other things.  There are many camping stoves out there, and having never used one, how will we know which one is right for us?   Since we will be camping along the way, we will need some type of a light weight cart to pull.  We've already learned that it needs to have 2 wheels, or it can cause instability on cornering.

Last spring I took a bike maintenance class, but I will  also need to take a trike specific one.   Some things are the same on bikes and trikes, but other things are very different.  Those of you that know me, know I am far from being mechanically gifted.  Did I mention we will be relying on the Lord when we do this tour?

Our daughter recently sent us a blog about 2 blind people that are riding a tandem bike across the America's.  It's been interesting to read.  The tour that Tony and I want to do seems like small potatoes. when I see what this couple is taking on.  I remember when Tony's vision was at the same point, the captain of this team is experiencing now, and I'm telling you, there is NO WAY, (even if you paid me money!)  I would have ridden behind him on a tandem bike.  We had one at that time, and after  Tony smashed it into the tree in our front yard, he was not allowed to captain it at all.  Here is a link to the blog Two blind to ride.

http://twoblindtoride.org/

When I started writing this today, I was figuring I would get a head start, and consolidate this with our next blog entry.  On thinking on it a bit more, I decided to just post it as is.  Thanks for sharing a piece of our dream with us today.  With God, all things are possible.

Initiation day.

     We had a short day at work today, I needed to go to the grocery store, but since rain is predicted for the next 2 days, we decided we would rather ride.  Temps today were in the high 70's, with a light wind.  Even though our weather has been much warmer than usual, the March winds have prevailed.  I will say, they feel much better when they are warm.

   Tony got the water, while I gathered the snacks.  It seemed odd to be putting on sunscreen instead of layers of clothing. A 30 percent chance of rain was predicted, so at the last minute, I went back in the house and grabbed our rain jackets.

     Today seemed like a good day to head into LeRoy, and ride the trial.  We have 4 miles of hills between our house and town,  a good mix of riding terrain.  If we take 18 Mile Rd back home, it makes a 20 miles, the last 6 are quite hilly.

    It took us a few minutes longer to do the 1/2 mile of gravel to the paved road. Because of rain last night, we had a harder time getting traction on the hills.  With rear wheel drive, our trike doesn't do well on gravel.  We were glad when we got to the pavement.

      An Amish  man was  riding a recumbent bike, and pulling his little girl in a trailer.  His son was riding along side of him on a regular bike.  Smiles and waves were exchanged as we passed.   A horse, pulling a small,  open buggy, trailed behind.  Normally, when we meet an Amish buggy, the horse gets very nervous.  Perhaps because we are so low to the ground, they view us as a possible predator.  It's easier for all, if we just stop riding, and sit quietly, until the horse passes.  The horse we  met today, didn't seem to be the least bit concerned about us on our trike, so we just kept riding.  Perhaps the horse was accustomed to having the recumbent bike around, so we weren't a threat.   Cars coming from each directions.   Things don't usually get so congested, on our country roads, but since we were going one direction and the Amish the other,  there was a mini traffic jam.

The 3 billy goats gruff weren't in sight today, and the 3 dogs that usually bark at us as we pass there, weren't outside either.  Most likely the homeowners were still at work.  The dogs will have to bark double at us next time we ride by.

When we rode past marshy section, the peepers were really loud. To me, the sound of the peepers sounds like  sleigh bells, lots of sleigh bells,  in surround sound,  and very loud.
For those of you  that dont' live near spring peepers, here is a link to a little serenade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SM6leUVorY

I tried to put copy and paste some info on peepers in here, but I can't get it to show up, can't seem to get rid of the box the info was in either, so please accept my apologies.

     We saw a man  casting with his fishing pole.  All he had managed to catch was a the tree in his front yard.   Making the best of it, he and his son were pulling and reeling, trying to get it down.

     After a stop at the post office, we hopped on the trail, glad to find it clean and clear of trees and debris.  It didn't look like the snowmobiles had torn it up too much, over the winter.   It is nice to be able to ride along and not be concerned about traffic, but overall, we prefer road riding.  It seems there is more to see.

     One of our front disc brakes was rubbing and vibrating.  If I held it with my hand, it rode along, without a care, but the minute I let go, it was back at  it again.  I didn't have the right size allen wrench to tighten it, but when we got to Tustin, the hardware store was still open,  so I stopped  to see if I could borrow a wrench.  Ou friend Denny, happened to be working, and  helped me figure out where to tighten it.  One screw was almost all the way out. Cotton picking, road vibrations, and pot holes.  We have already lost a brand new, rear bike light, this season.  That gives us a total of 3 or 4 now.  We are replacing it with something inexpensive, until we figure out a better way to secure it.  We are tired of leaving dollar bills beside the road.  Can't help but wonder, who finds these lights that fall off of our trike.  We certainly don't find any that come off of others.

We chatted a few minutes, mostly about the weather, especially since it was looking more and more, like rain.

We were about 2 miles up the trail when a few drops hit us.  I stopped and got the waterproof jackets, out, by the time we got them on, it was raining quite a bit.  It continued , let up a little, and then really let loose,  it was pouring down, hard, hurting our skin.  I found it difficult to  to keep my eyes open.  Some thunder, but with nothing but woods on both sides of us, there really was no place to seek shelter, so we kept riding, for 4 miles,  until we got to Pibb's in LeRoy.  By the time we got there we were soaked.  My jersey, under my rain jacket was even wet.  I suspect it was from water pouring down my neck.  While we were riding, Tony gave me his hankie so I could wipe the water off of my face, and see to ride.  I had forgotten the rain covers for our helmets, we had our hoods up, so the top of our heads were dry, but the front was drenched, and made a lovely waterfall across our faces.

After taking our rain jackets off, we decided to order some supper, while we wanted for the storm to pass.  A couple, that ride recumbent bikes came in and sat at the booth next to ours.  We had a nice visit about biking and the trail.  He is the one that maintains the section between LeRoy and Tustin.  He had swept it the day before.  The section between LeRoy, to the underpass, will be paved in April, but then there is no money to go  further.  What a disappointment.  No idea when, or if, funds will be available to complete that  section.  Many, including us, have been waiting for a nice paved, trail ride to Reed City.  Once that is done, there will be nearly 100 miles of smooth, non road riding.   Currently the part between LeRoy and Reed City is limestone,  with some sections of gravel.  Our friend told us,  he is planning on printing up a map of paved roads to Reed City,  at least then the option of riding on pavement will be available, and people will know where to go.

Sure hoping that someday, the distance between Cadillac and Grand Rapids, will be completely paved. Here is a link to a map of the  Fred Meijer White Pine Trail.   Fred Meijer foundation gave a generous grant to be used for trail paving, one of the stipulations to receive funds was that before a section of trail could be paved, the community around it, has to agree to take on the responsibility to maintain that section of trail.   The trail is built on the former railroad bed, and prior to paving was gravel and limestone, with some grassy parts.  The grant is used up.  Many sections of the trail between Big Rapids, and Grand Rapids are paved.  Here is a link to more info on the trail.

http://www.whitepinetrail.com/map

By the time we were done with supper, the rain had stopped.  We were still very wet, so much so, that I had to wipe, where we had sat, off with paper towels, before we left.  Our jackets were nearly dry.  It had cooled down some, and because we were wet, it seemed  cooler yet.  We were glad it was only 4 miles to home.  Since our trike doesn't have front fenders, we still got a lot of road  spray as we pedaled along.  

No pictures for the blog today, I didn't get any taken. before the rain started.

We rode 18 miles today, all but 8 of them, were very wet.  Our rain initiation for the  riding season is over.  

Time to rock and roll.

March 21, 2012

 A beautiful first day, of spring, although it felt more like summer with temps in the 80's.  We headed to Petoskey to pick up my orthotics and my biking sandals.  Such a pretty day for a ride,  when we drove up, 2 weeks ago, there were huge snowbanks, today the trees were practically ready to leaf. What a dramatic change, and very out of the ordinary for northern MI.  We usually don't have buds on the trees until May.  Many, including us,  are concerned about the fruit trees, which are almost ready to bloom.  The bees aren't here yet to pollinate  them, and April, and sometimes May, can bring some pretty frosty nights.  Sure hope the apple and cherry crops aren't devastated by such unprecedented spring weather.  We have already been praying for the fruit farmers.

It didn't take long to get the orthotics, they fit perfectly into my biking sandals, and I will be able to wear them with my regular shoes too.  It felt good to walk around in them, I'm eager to try them out on the trike.   I have to break them in a little at a time.  Starting out with 2 hours and adding an hour each day for about 8 days or so.  I may need to bring them back for adjustment, but I sure hope I don't.  When we were done picking up the orthotics, we headed to Roast and Toast for lunch.  Love the food, and the atmosphere,  there.  It reminds us of some of the places we go when we visit Belligham WA.

Time to stop talking about riding, and dreaming about riding, lets get down and "Rock  n' Roll!"  When we got home, we put on our gear and off we went.  Here is Tony,  patiently waiting for me to get the last of the gear stowed, so we can go.  As hot as today was, we made sure we had electrolytes in our water.  Ddin't take the camelbacks along, because we weren't going very far.

 Winds were about 30 MPH, which gave us a work out, but it felt wonderful to get out on the road again.  Such a feeling of freedom and the warm weather is a real bonus.  I rode in shorts and a sleeveless jersey.  Usually in March, we are dressed in layers.

The self milking barn, isn't complete yet, but it has doubled in size over the winter.  It will hold 450 cattle, and cost over 1 million dollars to build.

 The cows will come in to be milked when they want.  They will be milked by robots, and while they are being milked they will receive a reward of grain.  The first milking takes the longest, because the lasers scan the cows udders, sending the information to a master computer that controls the robotic milkers.  The next time the cow comes to be milked , the robot will"recognize" her and make the necessary adjustments.  All of this is supposed to be less stressful for the cow, resulting in healthier, happier,  cows and better milk production.Not sure how all that will go, but I'm thinking this new self milking barn will be pretty smelly to ride past.  It's on the route that we take to church, and since it is the only paved road that goes there, we have no alternative, but to ride past it.  I feel sad for the neighbors, that will live next door to it.  Perhaps self milking barns aren't as smelly as other barns, but even self milked cows poop, and poop stinks, so I can't imagine that it will smell good.  I'll let you know more about that later in the season.

Coming into Dighton, I couldn't help but notice that the Willow tree on the corner is already leafing.   Quite an unusual sight for the month of March.

     

From there we rode onto church, where we stopped for a bathroom break and a snack.

     I'm not very good at doing self portraits of us, but I gave it a try anyway, hoping the more I practice, the better I will get.

      Last fall we got new  Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.  This was our first ride with them on the trike.  Our old tires had 90 pounds of pressure and these have 70 pounds, so we weren't sure if we would notice a difference or not.   Maybe it is just our imagination, but it seemed to us, that the new tires were easier and we sure got a smoother ride.   These tires are supposed to be more resistant to  punctures.  They are certainly harder to get on and off, so I hope we really do have fewer flats.

     After our break we started for home.   Many gulls were in the fields, and we saw a Tom turkey, out strutting his stuff.  He was too far away to get a a good picture.  A cow gave a moo as we rode past, and a rooster crowed.  Went past the sheep, but didn't see any lambs.  Heard lots of peepers in the ponds and marshes.   It was so great to be out, experiencing the symphonies of spring. We smelled a skunk, but that goodness, we didn't see it, saw a few dead snakes along the road, already.

T I think he orthotics are going to work out well.  They don't make the neuromas go away, but I  can ride without pain.  It was so worth the trip to Petoskey to get them, I think they will make the riding season, much easier on my feet.  I still had a little bit of numbness, but when I wiggled my toes a bit, it went away.

Wonderful ride today, our first 16 miles of the season are behind us.

Getting ready

     Tony and I took up snowshoeing this year, hoping to keep our legs in shape for riding, but our snow was so hit and miss that we only got out 4 or 5 times.  It was great exercise for us and we enjoyed the beauty and the magic of the snowy landscape.

     Over the winter, we decided our trike needed to have a name.  After all the flat tires, we had last season, we were tempted to name her, "Flat Tire Flossie," but decided it would be best to put that era to rest.  So we settled instead, on the name , Rosie.  It fits the color of our trike, and where we live.  So if you hear me refer to Rosie," you'll know who, or what,  I am talking about.

 The warm weather arrived early this year, but I have been waiting for my orthotics (and cycling sandals, that had to be sent in with my foot castings,)  to arrive.  Although it is mid March, we have had July weather, which is enough to awaken the urge to ride, in any cyclist.  However, since our  tandem trike, sits only 18 inches from the pavement, we could get seriously injured if our feet slip off of the pedals, so we ride clipped in.   For us, no cycling shoes, means no riding.  Remembering my mothers saying "A watched pot never boils," we tried to keep busy, using the time to clean up the trike and get it ready to ride.

    Wanting to make sure we didn't have a repeat of the flat tire saga of 2011, we loaded Rosie up, and headed to Terra Trike.   Rain was predicted for our trip, so we got Rosie on the trailer, and into the garage, the night before.  Our preference would have been a sunny day, but we had to do what fit in our schedule, so off we went.  Terra trike is about 90 miles from where we live, we wanted to make sure, ALL the metal shavings were out of the rims, so felt the trip was necessary.   We had asked the technician to rinse the rims out with windex, to make sure all the shavings were out.  Our hope is that along with blowing it out with an air compressor, using the windex, would pick up the metal shavings ,  which could then be dumped out.  The windex,  alcohol based,  would evaporate,  not leaving any moisture behind.  The proof it worked, will come in the form of no more flat tires.  We are hoping for the best.

     When the tech had the back rim off, he could see that,  when it was drilled, a great mangling had taken place.  It looked as if a drill had been stuck in the rim and pulled forcibly out, or perhaps the hole had been punched through, instead of drilled.  Anyway, the event, was causing the Aero Heat ,Velocity rim to crack.  The cost of a new rim?  A  $125.00.  Since we had the rims drilled at our local bike shop, the previous summer,  we decided to take it back there and see if they would replace it, at no charge.  They took one look at it, and said, yes they would.  I think the willingness to help,  is the difference in dealing with a local, small town, bike shop, versus one in the city.  Things are more personal in small town America and customer service, still matters. A new rim has been ordered, and thankfully, the crack in the rim we have now, isn't bad enough, that we can't ride.

     We are trying something a bit different with keeping hydrated this year.  We bought 2, 70 ounce,  camelback, unbottles, with bite valves on them.

  I can strap them on the back of our seats and bring the tubing right over our shoulder.  We will keep our electrolyte  water, in our caged, water bottles.

    At the end of each riding season, I clean all 10 feet the chains, give them a good lube, with Bo-Shield T-9,  and make sure Rosie has a good wash and shine.  That way, come spring, she's all ready to roll.  However, since our trip in the rain, involved a gravel road, she had to be cleaned up all over again, including the chain.

 Sand on a chain is equivalent to washing fine china with sand, so even though it's not my favorite job, it had to be done.

    The frame was filthy too, so the wash and shine routine from last fall was repeated.  Now we are really eager to get out on the road.

     Once again, we will be doing the Pedal Across Lower Michigan bike tour.  Better known as PALM.  This year, over 750 riders will be starting in St Joseph MI and riding 290 miles across the state.  From there we go on to Paw Paw, Battle Creek, Perry, Leslie,  Ortonville,  and ending in  New Baltimore, which is on the shore of Lake St Clare.   My niece and great niece from SD, will be joining us for this great adventure.  We are hoping that we don't end up with 5 rainy days, like we did last year.  Regardless of the weather, we will be relying on the Lord to get us through our training and the tour.

Our warm weather is supposed to hold throughout the week, we are looking forward to picking up my orthotics and biking sandals in a few days.  Meanwhile we will have to settle for taking walks and dreaming of biking.  Rosie will be in her usual spot in the garage, waiting for action.

  Stay tuned for the official start of our 2012 cycling adventures.  Let the games begin. 

 

Update..you might want to skip, if you aren't a cyclist

     It's been a long winter, but riding season is here, and it seems to have arrived in capital letters.  I can hardly believe that it is March 19, and I am sitting here in shorts, with the windows open.  Yesterdays temps were 40 degrees higher than normal, and today, it is at least 75 degrees.  Our warm weather is supposed to continue until next weekend.  All the ice is already off the lake.

It's like having July, with no leaves on the trees.

     Those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, may recall that I was scheduled for foot surgery in November of  2011. Due to my Dad being seriously ill, the surgery didn't happen and I am continuing to have foot problems.

     Blog readers that aren't cyclist, may want to skip reading this blog  entry, and move onto the next one, entitled, Getting Ready.  The purpose of this post is for other cyclist, some of whom,  may have the same foot issues, I do, and find the information, helpful.  However, if you want to read it, go right ahead.

     The  multiple, bi-lateral,  neuromas I was dealing with last  season, are still with me, and that is my biggest concern for  successful riding this year.  I am currently undergoing sclerosing treatments for Morton's Neuroma. (MN)  Rather that write the whole explanation out, I am simply going to cut and paste it below.


Sclerosing treatments for MN involve the use of a mixture of a local anesthetic called marcaine, and anhydrous alcohol. These two ingredients are combined to create a 4% alcohol solution. .5 cc’s (one-half of a cc) is injected into the nerve a few centimers proximal to the tumor. The 4% alcohol solution creates sclerosis (scarring) within the nerve tissue which chemically inactivates the nerve. This prevents the transmission of the pain sensations that are associated with MN.
There are a number of different protocols used in sclerosing treatments for MN. The protocol I currently utilize is a series of 5 bi-weekly injections. At the end of the 5thtreatment, if the patient has had any noticeable improvement, anywhere from 7 to 10 (total) bi-weekly injections are given, depending on individual patient response. 
If there has been no improvement or response after 5 sclerosing treatments, I do not recommend any additional injections. These patients can either live with the pain/disability of the MN, or can contemplate surgical excision. 


     I just completed the second set of shots.  My podiatrist doesn't do more than 7 of them.  They are spaced 2 weeks apart, and I get one in each foot.  My doctor  is very gentle, and the needle is so fine, that the shots don't really hurt very much.   That in itself is a huge relief, especially since I had my self psyched up and dreading them, very much.  They don't hurt as much as a shot from the dentist does. 


 Immediately   after the shots and for the rest of the day, I feel like I have a big wooden block on the bottom of each foot, and I walk like I do too.    I get a small bruise at the injection site, and the spot feels itchy for the next 24 hours. 


I think the shots are  starting to help, I am feeling a small difference in my feet, more so in the right foot than in the left.  I am hoping the shots will take care the MN.  Unfortunately, the injections,  don't make bunions go away, so I will still be facing surgery, which I am hoping to put off, until mid October, 2012. 


   I have also located an excellent sports medicine physical therapist, which is about 2 hours from where I live.  I was very impressed with him from the start.  He talked to me on the phone for about 20 minutes, when I made my appointment, and when I saw him, he spent 90 minutes observing the way I walked,  sat,  measuring, etc.  When he made the molds for the orthotics,  he explained that he doesn't have his patients stand to get a mold of the feet,  because the body weight, flattens the foot out, and can put it in the position that is causing the problem.  He did the castings of my feet, while I was sitting n the edge of a table with a bolster under my  leg.  He held my foot in the desired position and them wrapped it with fast drying, casting gauze.  To assure the right fit,  my cycling shoes had to be sent in with the foot castings.  


     We paid an extra fee to put a rush on the orthotics. figuring that biking weather would be here for sure by then.  2 days prior to my visit to the sports medicine PT, we had a huge snowstorm.  12-22 inches of heavy wet snow fell across the northern part of the state. 


 We got about a foot and were fortunate to not lose our electricity.  Many were without,  some, for up to 5 days.

     To make a long story short, the PT forgot to check the rush box, and the orthotics were not done within 10 days.  No cycling shoes, no biking, and of course that is when the weather began to warm up.  Within a week, conditions were great for riding.  We saw people out cycling, however, we were not among them.

     The orthotics and my cycling sandals are supposed to be here, by Tuesday, March 20th.  Hoping that is what really happens.  We are more than ready to ride, hoping that winter isn't coming back for a very ,very, long time.