“When it comes to getting healthy, patience is a virtue”. This is a quote I have heard time and time again. Over the years there have been different events in my life that caused me not only to see how true this statement is but have also forced me to seek out the help of doctors and search in books to find something that worked for me.
What I didn’t expect was how little help some doctors can be. Something which was disheartening but also forced me to take the wheel. The story of all this is long so for my first post, I will focus on my most recent issues that have caused me to sit on the sidelines.
In 2023, I went in for a routine mammogram and they found what were calcifications in my breasts. My left being the one that stood out. So when they said the wanted to rule out cancer, with a biopsy I said okay. Just hearing the “C” word caused panic and I wanted to find out right away whether I had it or not. Not once did I think maybe I should get a second opinion. I wasn’t really nervous about the biopsy, just the results. Little did I know this breast biopsy would turn out to be a nightmare with consequences I had not seen coming.
This sounds dramatic and it doesn’t happen to many people, so this is not to discourage anyone from getting one as they are common and with experienced people, an easy procedure. The 28th of September I went in and they poked around but the pain was bad, I felt the needle going in despite the local anesthetic and wanted it to stop. When I thought they were finished, they told me they had to go back in because they didn’t get enough tissue samples and I for one did NOT want to go back so I said fine. They didn’t give me much local anesthetic because the pain was sooo bad when they put the needle back in, I thought I may pass out. Afterward I was told it “may bleed a little down the side, but that can happen and it’s okay”. That evening a gush of blood came out and my left leg looked like the movie Carrie. I was freaking out and the only thing that helped me was the Ujjayi Pranayama breathing I had come to rely on until we made it to the emergency room. I was told this incident while it can happen, is rare and only occurs when they go deep into your breast and take a lot of tissue samples. Afterward, my entire breast was black and blue for weeks and I was not able to open a door or move anything heavy due to the possibility it would bleed again. The pain was soo bad I wasn’t able to do any of those things anyway. I couldn’t even pull the covers over me or put on my socks. Thankfully I worked from home and I was at least able to do that. What I didn’t realize was that these weeks that turned into 2 months, would lead certain areas to tighten and others to atrophy. My plantar fascia popped November 28th and I was in a ton of pain I could barely walk. Luckily, it wasn’t anything that required surgery, just physical therapy. After I finally started to heal from this, the ligaments in the toes on right foot tore after trying to begin exercising. Now, once again, I was sidelined and using a walker. By this time my boob had healed so I was able to put weight on my arms to get around but it was rough.
After that started to heal, I sliced my thumb with a faulty box cutter, and then after that I got Covid in June of last year. After all of this I figured, great, now I can get back to DDPYoga and my strength back. Then I had an appointment with a gynecologist and although I did express my trepidation of getting blood drawn after have 10 or 12 vials taken out to test for any vitamin deficiencies, I relented so I could find out my hormone levels to see if I was enter menopause (lovely). However, as luck would have it she could not find my vein and had her colleague come in to draw my blood. She also could not find a good vein so she put the needle on the side of my hand where the cephalic vein runs. Holy HANNAH that not only hurt, but I had a bruise and pain that lasted for weeks where I couldn’t do any exercise AGAIN. I mean REALLY…
After those weeks past, I attempted to start up my workouts again, but after doing a few sessions of DDPY, I noticed some pain in my right bicep and shoulder which only got worse. Off to the doctors yet again and I was told I had a bicep tear, bicep tendonitis, bursitis, shoulder impingement and he stated my muscles were atrophied. Come to the present day and while my bicep has healed, I am still dealing with the shoulder impingement and overall muscle weakness. But, press on I have on my own since physical therapy is costly even with insurance. All this has led me to begin documenting my experience, my road to healing. Not only to hold me accountable, but in my documented struggles, maybe I can inspire or help someone push through their own struggle and obstacles, whatever they may be.
You are the author your own story, so take that pen and write your happy ending.
Mind Body Synergylia 