Cycling
After a while I got fed up with walking, so the next summer I tried my hand at cycling. My old bike was still there, but it proved useless, since I was losing balance and even fell several times. I protected my head with an ice-hockey helmet (a remnant from my 'previous life'), but I soon realized that in my case cycling came to mean tempting fate (and I was definitely the last person who should be tempting fate). So I more or less decided that it was better to drop the idea, but in reality I could not bring myself to do it and I continued to look for a solution that would put me back on my bike. I asked my bicycle repair man to add a small side wheel on the right side. I felt much safer, but I still fell from time to time. So I quit cycling and did much of walking and even more of driving; in other words, I became a bit lazy, which definitely was not good for me.
Four years on I returned to the idea of cycling and had my bike turned into a sort of a three-wheeled vehicle. But it was unmanageable, and even my kids (all skillful bicycle riders) managed to steer it only as far as the nearest bush. So I continued to rack my brains thinking how to improve my device, and the following year I asked the repair man to make for me a completely new bike with side wheels. The bike frame was also adapted to make easier my climbing on and off the bike. I can now ride it safely despite my disability (I can use my right leg, but my right hand is dead), but from time to time I still come up with an idea on how to improve some thing or another. Fortunately, the repair man has always shown understanding and met all my wishes.
I'm quite tired after riding long distances, but I feel in great shape. I had played sports since my early childhood, so I missed recreation after the stroke. Slow walks cannot substitute that kind of physical activity.
I consulted the neurologist, Dr. Anton Grad, about my activities. He is delighted to hear that I'm so active and he was first to congratulate me on my cycling feat. I regularly check my pulse when cycling. It does exceed 130 beats per minute on steep terrains, but otherwise it stays within limits. Dr Grad explained that the faster heartbeat during physical strain is nothing to worry about if it returns to normal when the strain is over. It proves that I'm in a good physical shape.
