February 10, 2010 vs. February 10, 2020

It’s been Forever…what’s New since 2010?

IT’S TEN YEARS SINCE NORMAN WAS EVICTED!!!

According to “some friends” I am only allowed to use “Brain Surgery” for ten years as an excuse for WHATEVER missteps I take. I guess my time is up. Last summer, dear reader, I reminded you that just over ten years ago, I was diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma. And I led on that all was well…

Full Disclosure. It is possible that I may not be fully recovered from the experience of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

First of all, let me start by saying I’m really fine… Well…. I think I am. In fact, sometimes I forget I had brain surgery. Then I have a New Normal knack. 😉 (in case you missed my plug for my book, that was it and this is where to get it.

But then…sometimes I’m walking, and I fall down, and I think “is this normal?”.

There was the time this past October. It was the first time my leg went weak and my ankle rolled since, well, since I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my foot at work about 6 years ago. Well, it was the second time in six months that my leg went weak. The first time was when I went for a walk after a particularly hard bodypump class at the gym. (Hard because I added extra weights to the barbell that day.)

This was the first time my ankle rolled and I fell. Well, it was the second time I fell in six months. The first time I fell, I was walking down the stairs at home. I remember I was carrying my computer bag, and missed the last step.

Hold on..that fall down the stairs was the second time I fell in six months, the first time I fell was when I was in my office and …I TRIPPED OVER MY COMPUTER BAG. I fell on soft and very cushy carpet, nothing broken, just bruised. This was, however, the first time my leg went weak. This time in October when I fell down, I thought I may have done some damage…or at least really solidified the injuries from the first two.

That Thursday morning in October, I was sprint walking from my car to the shuttle to get to the airport. It was the dark…while I was carrying my computer bag, my left leg went weak and I rolled my ankle and I went DOWN. (you see a trend here with my computer bag??)

So there I laid in the parking lot for a good long 15 seconds taking stock of feet, hands and hips, before I slowly got up, checking for shooting pains that might indicate a broken bone. There were none, so I walked (slowly, carefully and gingerly this time) to the shuttle. When I sat down on the shuttle, THAT’S when the shooting pain happened. I saw stars and might have screamed out a bit…and took deep breaths as we took the short ride to the terminal when I was able to get off the shuttle and get to my gate in time for my flight.

The flight to Atlanta was fine. Surprisingly, I was able to sit without too much discomfort. When I got to my hotel, I decided it best to google my symptoms to determine what to do, if anything. Believing it could be a torn tendon or something, I called my doctor in Washington, who said it could be a blood clot in which case she warned me against flying. (Did she miss this part that this happened ON THE WAY to the airport to get to Atlanta….) Anyway, she advised me to go to a local Urgent Care clinic.

The clinic took X-rays. I didn’t have any broken bones or a blood clot and I was safe to travel. It was recommended I do RICE treatment and I went on my way. (remember I said I’M FINE.)

When I got back to Bellingham a few days later, thanks to Amar at Everstrong Physical Therapy, and Alex from FitnessEvolution  for a month of physical therapy and exercise options, I’m feeling stronger and have less aches and pains than before I left for Atlanta.

Lest you think that I have gotten to the point where my regularity of falls are decreasing… at the beginning of January, I slipped and fell on a patch of ice. (And no, I didn’t have my computer bag on me.) Looking back, I realized I have been slipping and falling on ice, mud and sand for most of my adult life.

So I remember, not only is this is my New Normal, it’s my Forever & Always Normal.. I acknowledge that I fall.

All.

The.

Time.

Get used to it. I have. (It’s all fun and games until someone breaks a hip.) Which is why I continue to drag myself to the gym. 😉