For the past nine months I have been dealing with back, knee and heel pain. The pain has caused me to step down from teaching Zumba and pretty much everything else that basically requires movement.
I’ve been back and forth to the doctors and treated for a protruding disc in my back, which still gives me problems. Cortisone shots in my knee and heel, which has certainly eased the pain, but has not healed the problem, and received a series of shots in my knee to treat arthritis, which the doctor was convinced was my problem.
Now after nine months of pain, discomfort and shots, finally the proper diagnosis has been made following an MRI, which honestly I should have had months ago. It turns out that I have a torn meniscus (ouch!). As bad as that sounds, the truth of the matter is that I am thrilled to know that there is a real reason for all this drama. Frankly I was tired of going back and forth and made to believe that the pain I was feeling was a normal part of aging. Let me say this, there is NOTHING normal about walking around day in and day out in pain.
Anywho, now that the problem has been identified, it can be fixed. Tomorrow I will be having arthroscopic surgery on my knee to repair the tear. I couldn’t be happier. Not about having to have surgery of course, but for knowing that healing and better days are ahead.
Not only that, but I received a true wake up call about my health last Wednesday when I went to the hospital for my Pre-Admissions Testing. The nurse took my pressure three times…that’s right I said THREE times to make sure she was reading it right. All three times the reading came back the same…HIGH! (166//107, 161/108 & 171/101)…NOT GOOD!!
But here is the good part…the reality of those numbers jolted me and woke me up to the fact that it’s time (actually passed time) to start taking my health more seriously. Yes, I’ve said that my journey is about getting healthy, but for the past couple of years I’ve been doing more talking, wishing, researching and preaching to others than I have been on being actively engaged in eating healthy and exercising regularly. The buck stops here at those horrendous numbers.
When the nurse looked me straight in my eyes and without cracking a smile to remind me that high blood pressure is called the silent killer because just like I’ve been doing, you could be walking around with it and not know it because the symptoms give no warning. It really hit me when my doctor, the same day said to me, “Stacey you have a beautiful smile. I’d hate to have to see just one side of it.” Talk about a brick upside my head.
So, with the onset of all these health issues (back, knee, heel, high blood pressure) in just the short time frame that it took to regain 55 lbs., I am no longer in denial. This weight has to go! And for good!
I am encouraged and inspired to get cracking on what needs to be done to make this happen. I am not concerned with the number on the scale outside of it measuring on some degree my progress. My new concerns and focus will be on my nutrition (eating a clean diet…no more processed foods and once my knee heals, getting back out there and moving my body).
I have too much to do to allow sickness to steal my life. You see when I weigh the consequences of doing what needs to be done to lose the weight against continuing to live an unhealthy lifestyle, I am convinced that the sacrifice will be well worth it. You see, this is really a no brainer for me. I’ll take veggies, fruit and a nice brisk walk over a heart attack or stroke ANY DAY!