Update Addition.... The good stuff!

Hi, so after posting my recent update to this blog I realized something was missing. While it had the basic facts and some exciting news I left out some important stuff, you know that stuff that would perhaps be embarrassing if I included it but the very stuff I promised myself to share as it is a emotional journey as much or perhaps more then a physical one. SO…. Here I am with a addition to the update! HOPE……. So what I left out from the last blog update was some of the emotional things I experienced after realizing I have finally found some professionals I am excited and even eager to work with….. Yes excited. One of the things some of you may know but for the most part I keep to myself is the fact that I pretty much live with pain. I just tolerate and deal with it.

I do not take medication and I try not to complain about it because “it is what it is” …… or is it? While I had resigned to a life of pain, I did not like that idea but I felt so much better then before the weight loss so I was willing to just deal with it. I mean after all I brought it on myself. I figured I was the one who was so hard on my body for so many years so dealing with some pain was just a natural consequence. Again keep in mind I was so very grateful for all the success I have had thus far and seen so many positive changes, so when weighing (punny huh?) that against the pain…. Well why complain, just deal!

For perspective let me fill you in on what kind of pain I am talking about….. Standing, sitting for too long, stairs, walking, sleeping, putting on shoes and socks, picking up stuff off the floor….. Yup you guessed it pretty much always. I have to say for the most part I manage it well but the hard part is how limiting it is… Do you know how frustrating it is not to be able to put socks on? Think about that for one minute…… Or basic walking and going up stairs…. Constantly left behind by others….. This is often humiliating and down right depressing, but I push through, accepting it as it is my life, and I am grateful for how far I have come and continue to grow.

Well at a recent physical therapy appointment I was told several things that not only made me realize my “it is what it is” thinking is faulty but I can and should have hope. Only three appointments into my physical therapy my physical therapist tells me I have strong muscles which she tells me translates to her I will be able to kick these current issues. She continues to tell me how I have great flexible ligaments which will also make my healing easier. Then she adds that my joints are also in great shape. She has a name for my issues and a it is not “life long pain”, she explains it to me, shows me on “skinny” ,the skeleton ,what is happening. She explains the process ahead and that she is CONFIDENT she can help me. WHAT? What exactly does that mean I wonder….. So I ask about what kind of results I can expect. Here is the short version of what I learned about what I can expect as far as results…… I will be having a garage / bake sale to raise money for the bike I am going to buy! Upon getting my bike I will ride it happily without pain! (unless of course I fall… after all physical therapy can’t change clumsy! COL) So after having this discussion with her I went to my car and just sat in the parking lot for a while…. I sat there in shock, Shock that something I had resigned to and accepted as a part of life…. Well is no longer true. From shock I went to complete and total bliss from the HOPE I now had and once had previously let go of. HOPE my friends is everything. I can not wait to walk without pain, to be able to do the daily life things that so many take for granted, and to do them without pain. I am grateful for my renewed sense of HOPE! I am grateful and blessed to have such a amazing Physical therapist who is as excited as I am at the potential I am facing with her help! So there it is….. The rest of the story. Until next time…. Never give up HOPE, and Never settle!

Big Blog Update !

HI , It has been more then a year since I have written in this blog and recently I was thinking about life and my journey and everything I have been through and decided I wanted to do a update. So I have had some recent experiences that are so very different from where I started and my experiences in the begin that I wanted to share them first. Those of you who have been with me from the beginning will appreciate these stories more than others but perhaps for others it will inspire them to go back and read the blog from the beginning. In the beginning I had such a hard time finding supportive, understanding, non-judgmental professional support. I had repeated bad experiences trying to find a primary care provider, finally gave up on that and focused on other support professionals. I finally ended up with a weight management doctor who taught me a lot. I found a excellent trainer who changed my life, but then somewhere along the journey I lost both of them. I would then find a good support in other types of providers, and I figured out I really had to keep advocating for myself until I get my needs met…. What a lesson. Still at times it would seem easier to throw in the towel and just deal, but then something would come through in a positive way. Like the plastic surgeon who did my skin removal, she was great, probably the best care I have ever received and I felt she not only cared but was actually invested in my success and health. Anyway… it was hard in the beginning, but as time moved forward it kept improving.

So where am I at with this issue now……. Happy to say I finally found and secured a awesome primary care provider (after years without one) and she is already hooking me up to other professionals to add to my team to help me become the best , healthiest me I can become. I feel like she really cares and listens, this has become so refreshing as I haven’t felt that from most medical professionals. Anyway I am very happy with my new primary care provider and she is already connecting me to other amazing providers like my new favorite medical professional, my physical therapist. I have a lead on a massage therapist as well, woot woot. So as you are probably figuring out yes, I am dealing with some medical stuff but rest assured it is nothing serious and in fact nothing remotely of concern because a plan is getting in place. Actually my issues are directly related to the weight loss and my body adjusting , well or not adjusting so smoothly to the changes. It is a long story if you really are interested message, email or call me I can explain, short version…… I have a frozen (locked) hip, hence physical therapy and massage. Anyway…. I am so excited because we are having success and there is a very bright light at the end of this tunnel. I am excited because for a few years now after the weight loss I thought I just had to deal with some of these odd little aches and pains and I thought I would always struggle with certain things just because of how hard I was on my body for so many years. I just accepted it…… now come to find out I will have great improvement and likely be pain free! WOW very exciting.

So again I am learning never give up and never settle. I am still discovering new things out about my body after having the excess skin removed and every time it fascinates me. With this latest chapter I look forward to new adventures and checking things off the bucket list that I thought would never come off that list. OH … OH….. And nothing better then a medical professional telling you how strong you are and what great muscles you have, even in your “glutes” ! What?? Did I hear that right? Yup! Oh and how impressed they are with my flexibility! Thank You aqua aerobics! SO… nice to hear those things when you spent a entire life hearing how bad your body is, how broken it is, how much damage you have done to it blah blah blah….. I have great strong muscles AND I am flexible, so watch out!

So there is your update, if you have any interest in more entries from the big blog, let me know. If you have any questions feel free to ask.