I am feeling my age. Interestingly, through my 40's and even a bit into my 50's, I felt as if I were aging mentally and spiritually, but not so much physically. But then I hit 60. BAM! The Zumba and similar cardio-dance classes that I enjoyed at the local gym caused pain in the ankles, knees, and hips. Reluctantly, I gave up the "great-fun-but-more-impact-than-my-body-tolerated" classes. I continued my yoga practice, and turned my attention to walking. I thought of walking as my meditation-in-motion time. I could walk for 2, 3, and sometimes even 5 miles with no problems other than, occasionally, needing a place to pee when there wasn't one to be found.
But then walking became a problem. My left hip became more painful with each passing month. I felt betrayed by my body. I had thought that if I just stayed active and took care of myself my body would last until I no longer needed it.
I had another think coming.
The hip pain became more severe: I couldn't walk; I couldn't sleep well; I couldn't stand long enough to enjoy preparing a nice dinner. I was having problems enjoying playing with my grandsons. Although this sounds dramatic, I started feeling as though I couldn't look forward to the future with so much chronic pain.
Of course, I made my rounds to doctors, specialists, getting X-rayed and scanned. I tried massage, chiropractic care, cortisone, and platelet rich plasma treatments. I tried resting more. I tried doing more yoga to help with stretching and strength. Nothing helped.
Head hanging, I knew that I had reached the end of my non-surgical options. In February 2021, I had total hip replacement surgery. I confess that because I was a reasonably fit yoga teacher prior to the surgery, I thought that I would bounce back with little problem.
I had another think coming. (Sound familiar?)
I was unprepared for not only the pain, but also the fatigue and sense of being unwell. The recovery was harder than I expected. My body felt traumatized. My very soul ached.
My journey inspired me to create a YouTube Channel for others who may also be facing recovery from surgery or simply just a general sense of unwellness or unfitness. Debbie Kell - YouTube The video format was fun to produce, and we'll just have to wait and see if it meets any needs "out there." But I wanted to be able to think out loud about things - something that short video clips don't allow.
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I am pleased that you are commenting and sharing your perspectives. Your comment will be reviewed by the moderator and then released for the public. Namaste. Debbie