I'm not sure I've ever talked much about my medical health... I've had many surgeries in the past 10 years.
9 to be exact.
1 on each elbow, 1 major spine surgery in which they placed 2 titanium rods and 3 subsequent surgeries due to complications (because my body doesn't handle being cut on well), 3 knee surgeries.
I've been having a lot of knee pain and instability and will be seeing a specialist next week... I figure he'll probably want me to do physical therapy.
I also began having really bad lower back pain... I'll spare you the story, and jump to the diagnosis: osteophytes and arthropathy, which is basically tiny bone spurs due to disc degeneration due to mild arthritis... C'MON! I'm not even 26 yet! Shouldn't there be a rule that states you can't have arthritis until you're at least 30? UGH!
Anyhow, I began Physical Therapy yesterday. The goal is to strengthen my core in order to better support my lower back, because right now the only thing keeping my discs from slipping is that I have a titanium rod holding most of them in place. Yikes
Right now I am hanging in there, but the back pain came fast and furious and knocked me almost totally out of my workout routine. Most movement is fairly painful, and the one workout I can manage, Zumba, is painful because of my unstable knee. I began attending aquatic classes a couple times a week instead of my normal R.I.P.P.E.D. and H.I.I.T. classes, but I still have pretty bad pain. I can't seem to catch a break.
I suppose that now, aside from Physical Therapy and taking up Pilates, my only way to lose weight is eating even better. Doable, but tough for the emotional eater who loves to snack and never leaves food on her plate. But, I can do it. It will take some work on, but I can do it.
Furthermore-- you can exercise ALL YOU WANT, but if you never change your eating habits you'll never hit your goal and stay there.
I see this as a challenge... I can. I will. Watch me.
