26 Dec Brian Carroll: I never made it to the meet, I guess I’m not that hardcore….
I never made it to the meet, I guess I’m not that hardcore…
Disclaimer: One of these pics is gross, so I didn’t want it as the featured image. Also, I would have not even considered lifting if the infection/wound was weeping or not closed off and healed up. The ‘gross’ pic was taken 10 days prior to the competition date and I would never put others at risk to infection. If I would have lifted, I would have made sure to take every precaution possible. To give an idea of healing progress, the last pic below shows the progress and it being closed.
I didn’t compete last weekend in Daytona due to a staph infection in my leg that I couldn’t quite shake in time. I literally was on the way to make the 2hr drive to weigh-in with about 4lb to go when my body had enough. I pushed it about as far as it should go without being completely irresponsible. It’s actually a blessing in disguise I never made it to weigh-in at weight, really. Because I would have lifted no matter how I felt (most likely as long as the wound was completely closed and healed), so turning around during the 2hr drive and heading back home was the best call I could have made. Hard to do at the time but easy once my mind was made up.
At this point, it was time to get some meds
I’ve certainly made some very, very, VERY poor decisions in my life and in particular concerning lifting i.e., supplementation, attempts, meet frequency, gigantic weight-cuts, and pushing my body further than I should for someone who wants to truly live after lifting is done. To some, this must sound stupid and foolish but beauty is in the eye of the beholder – we all have different priorities in life, and some may not be or seem very sexy, profitable, or even logical at times but to me, this isn’t to be decided by those on the outside. This is what makes each one of us unique in our endeavors, interests and pursuits. I guess I can make a good decision on occasion – mixed in with some bad ones.
About the bug bite:
About 15-16 days prior to the meet, I realized a bug bite on my ankle was a bit sore and took notice. This is not uncommon in FL, especially when you are near water and fish a lot. We have all sorts of cool bugs, get bitten on the regular and even rare and deadly diseases here – even ZIKA! After about 4 days of it getting better, then far worse, then finally – painful with a sheet even brushing against/touching it while treating with topical ointments, I went to the Dr. and got some antibiotics. I put this off as long as I could, probably too long as I never like to take any medication and knew the possible implications of taking meds prior to a competition but I was pretty much forced to. I’m glad I got on the meds when I did because the next day my bite got much worse and I was unable to walk.
This was at it’s worst, the day after starting the meds, actually
I was a little bit in denial about how much it would affect me, to be honest. I’d like to call it hoping for the best. I’m aware of the associated side effects of some of the stronger antibiotics – lethargy, joints drying out/achy, water retention, random pains, insomnia, and so on – I just hoped I’d be able to ignore them all and proceed ahead. Also, potential side effects which are even worse – more than a few of tendon and ligament detachments are more than loosely associated with the drugs and running/lifting/activities. So there’s that. I pretty much dealt with all of this less the detachments, thank God. I also wasn’t sure if it the wound itself would be ready for extreme pressure. All of this combined came down to a pretty easy last minute decision for everyone including myself.
I was a bit pissed while this was happening and I realized I was going to have some difficulty with this especially considering the success of my training cycle and how I felt about the meet prior to this set-back. But, I made some good progress in this cycle, dialed in my diet, supplements and lifts even better than ever, I just didn’t get to cash it in. So, not a complete loss by any stretch.
At this point the pain was gone
Moving forward:
At this point, it’s been about 3 weeks since my last heavy ‘lift’. I will spend another 2-3 weeks regrouping, moving some blood around and training raw to ensure proper recovery and decide a game plan. As soon as I figure out my plan, I will make a post. The plan as of now is to help at the XPC Arnold and maybe find a meet right before or after the Arnold weekend.
As you can see, at this point, it’s healing up nicely but still a ways to go as it was still really tender. This pic was taken during my weight cut on Wed and was completely closed up but it had already taken it’s toll
Brian Carroll
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