cycle on? a surgery question

[coroner]

Hopefully I can get a few more responses here at AF.

Back in April I broke my fibula, had a plate and 6 screws installed. It's been 6 months now and the damn thing is driving me crazy. I'm finally ready to start another cycle because I've finally gotten back most of my strength (was the goal b4 starting another- being able to squat is important to me). The doctor yesterday morning gave me the option of having the hardware removed. Unfortunately he also told me what the recovery would be like: another week on crutches, and another 1-2 weeks in the "boot" (the plastic cast with the velcro straps). After that it would take another 4-6 months before the bone is fully healed, and it would be immediately weakened by ~30% by removing the screws. Of course it would get stronger as those holes filled in. But it would definitely mean no squatting or leg movements for at least another couple/few months.

Just to be clear, the leg/ankle is as (or nearly as) strong as it was before the break right now, with the hardware installed. The hard part of the decision is the fact that I'd have to wait another 6 months to cycleon- and I lost a lot during the period just after the break occurred. I'm anxious to get it back.

I can't decide what to do. Right now I'm leaning toward doing the cycle and having the surgery sometime after that. My concern with this idea is that it may begin to get worse (painful). My only other thought on the subject is that my upper body tends to lag behind my lower body developmentally, just in general; this would be my only arguement for having the surgery now.

If anyone has had this kind of surgery, know of anyone that has, or just has a comment or two I'd appreciate your input. What was the recovery like, etc.
I WILL have the hardware removed. It's not a matter of if just when.

__________________
Night will come, and I will follow
My Ultimate goal: to become so big that I occupy the entire universe!!!!

[DaMan]

It seems like an eternity now.

My experience from tearing my meniscus this summer: GET ALL THE SHIT DONE NOW. I could have had it removed or whatever, but instead chose to have it repaired and was down for 2 months (yeah, not as long as you)... but now that I'm more or less back to normal I'm happy I did it.

Just my perspective... from one gimp to another /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[archive_Killer]

I think I would lean towards having it done and getting it over with. You may find, as time marches on and the date gets closer, that your training and/or diet gets lax, as you know you are going to be laid up for a while. Get it done, cocentrate on the upper body, and come back roaring like a lion.

Your legs can come back better than ever. I wasn't able to train legs for 1.5 years, due to waiting for insurance to kick in and two surgeries, but now everything is fine and growing (well at least my quads, screw those calves and hams, but that is another story!).

A good friend had a similair injury and he never went back and got the screws taken out. He often has pain and complains about it often.

[archive_Bjaarki]

Coroner, I too have known patients post-procedure who did not have the hardware removed. They all learned the hard way that it's unnecessary and risky to walk around with prosthetics you don't need. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but when a bunch of independent voices are all saying the same thing to you, you should probably listen. I would never let gear get between me and an important health matter like that.

With your powers of recuperation, you will be back full-steam in 3, not 4-6, months. Hell, man! That's just a little between-cycle layoff. Concentrate, just as Killer says, on upper body lifts, get your diet nailed down, shop around for the best gear. A few months is nothing!

Bjaarki