Fabulous Friday: It Is Great To Be Alive

I avoid talking about my health, if you want the gory details, complete with MRI images, take a look at May - June of 2015. Once a year, I indulge in an annual update.  May 13th, is the anniversary date of the surgery that preserved my mobility and largely restored the feeling and muscular control in my feet and legs - really everything below the bottom of my ribs.   

So how am I doing? Well.  As I had been told, in time, my body would compensate for changes, and it largely has.  I have fewer - actually few  episodes of pain, and those are generally brief, and I have learned to cope.  I am stronger, more able to move.  I need to be careful not to overstretch or bend in the wrong direction. The feeling in my feet is much the same, about 90%.  My balance is still improving.  I am still not comfortable riding a bike, and I do miss it.  But my walking has gotten better, walking on uneven surfaces much better.  

I am forever thankful that I lived in an area with some of the best doctors in the country, with good insurance, and the ability to pay for what the insurance didn't (about $5,000 in deductibles and copays.) I am grateful that my fun and irreverent local family practitioner realized that what she was seeing when I went to see her, was unusual and insisted that first round of tests be done the same day. Timing was critical, if I had waited a month for tests, it likely would have been a couple of weeks to long. (She insisted that I cancel a work trip I was scheduled to take.)  

Take care of yourself. When something doesn't feel right, or is interfering with life, see a doctor.  It is great to be alive.  To be able to engage in the great adventures. There are no guarantees that we can do what we want for as long as we want.  Things are different than before, but they are good.  Focus on what we can do, and make the most of it. 

So how am I celebrating my lucky day this year? We are finishing up a week in Iceland.