Today marks the 5 year anniversary of my surgery for rectal cancer that forever changed my anatomy. With presurgery chemo and radiation my body had a lot to adjust to. The process has taken 5 years. After 3 years I could walk without pain. Rehabbing myself - working specific muscle groups when running - changing my dominant foot - throwing a ball against the concrete basement floor and wall - using both hands to balance my body - you never know!
"Learn to be ambidextrous - your body will thank you later."
My later was June 3, 2017.
June 2, 2017 - Best day ever in almost five years. Worked from 6:30 to 10:30 am at church helping host a prayer breakfast that Jesse Jackson attended. I hadn't been able to work that much, without pain, since my diagnosis in April 2012. I was riding high. Volunteering is what I love to do and not being able to do it had weighed heavily on me and I just got a piece of me back.
Still riding my high the next day I prepared to go running but fall down the basement stairs to that concrete floor before I can get out the door.
Broken wrist, broken spirit but I can function because I'm ambidextrous - but bone pain sucks - it really hurts.
Grunt through the summer - pain and more pain. My mental health taking a hit. I ALMOST made it. I didn't even have 24 hours of gloating. "Pride goeth before the fall." I felt like Job/Sisyphus - ongoing theme.
Can't do much of anything. It's a slow process. Something I'm good at by now whether I like it or not. Still having pelvic pain and I'm not doing anything so why am I in pain? I've had plenty of experience of preventing myself from having pain and I can't seem to check off any box that would explain the pain. I'm cranky.
And then the pain is gone. Apparently my body needed to be balanced. I had an adhesion on my left side that did not go away til last October and I had been bracing with my left arm, when getting up, to protect my left side. When I broke my left wrist I could no longer brace with my left hand and had to switch to my right hand. I unwittingly strengthened the muscles on my left side thereby creating a balance but also new pain before homeostasis was achieved.
God is good!
You never know where your silver lining will be...
Peace