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November 24, 2013
November 24: Strength
The last two months have flown by for me. There have been days when I hardly think about what I've been through. I'm working, working out, and spending time with my lovely wife, daughter, and cats. My life is slowly returning to normal.
The biggest improvement has been my physical strength. My nagging injuries have subsided, which has allowed me to do my normal strength training. The goal that I've set is to do 10 pull-ups. I'm currently about 9 short. To reach this goal, I am lifting weights, doing pushups, running on the treadmill, rowing, and taking part in the 30-day plank challenge. I had my final 1-on-1 session with my personal trainer. He has given me a lot of ideas for exercises and a boost of confidence as well. I am going to join my lovely wife's training group, Team Chocolate. They have a team cheer and everything. Hopefully I can keep up with them!
My neuropathy is still an issue. If I don't take my medication on schedule, I get fire and compression in my right hand and foot. I bumped up my dosage a few months ago, but my tolerance is still building. I might need to increase it again. I have an appointment with my neurologist in early January, so I'll discuss it with him then.
My sensitivity is slowly improving. I'm trying to retrain my sense of touch, but it continues to be a long road. My foot seems to be making more progress than my hand. Walking, jogging, and especially balancing are easier every day. My gait is still a bit awkward, but less so than just a few months ago. My fingers still have a ways to go. I'm using them to type poorly right now, so that's something. My proprioception is still off. Because I can't see them, putting each finger into its hole in a glove is tricky. But I am a lot more confident with it in general. I am even comfortable holding up to and including my third vodka in my right hand.
My mantra has been Strength. It has been so for a long time. When my lovely wife and I traveled to India a few years ago for a yoga retreat, one of the exercises was to choose one word to express what we wanted to be, what we aspired to. Others chose words like compassion, or love, or kindness. I chose strength. Of course, one always wants to be strong, but I'm not sure I had ever outwardly expressed it in quite that way before. Saying it out loud made it more real, more purposeful. It was with that in mind that I approached all aspects of my life.
My friend Joe went through a spinal surgical procedure similar to mine. He is a geek, a mountain biker, and a tremendous artist. His work is bold, emotional, and inspirational. I commissioned a piece of art from him because I knew he understood what I went through and that he could express it in meaningful way. I asked for a depiction of a skull and cervical vertebrae, with emphasis on overcoming trauma. He put together this amazing work of art:
The splattered paint symbolizes the inherent disorder and chaos in the world, while the crown symbolizes control over that chaos. The italicized font is meant to suggest a medical diagram you might find in an old textbook. Each cervical vertebra is labeled as well. The piece is called "Painless III," and I've added the subtitle "Strength."
Check him out on Twitter, Instagram, and Flickr if you like.
Posted by jon at November 24, 2013 8:05 PM