This Halloween, my brother and I ended up not walking in the New York City Village parade this year like we had done the past 3 years. The pain and discomfort from the esophagitis was significant and I honestly did not feel strong enough to put on my costume and make that trek to the village and walk the parade route. While it was a bit of a bummer, we made the most of it by watching it on TV with our mama and enjoying quality time as a family which I am thankful for. Watching the parade got me excited for the weekend to take down all the Halloween decor and put up all the Thanksgiving decorations.
Fortunately, I woke up with energy and was able to push past that throat pain to not only take a quick walk outside to get my flu shot, but to decorate the apartment. I had a lot more decorations than I thought, but what I noticed with glee yesterday, was that I have come a long way from September. At the end of September, I could barely get more than a few decorations up before the dizziness and weakness set in. After just 20 minutes, my legs were like jello and I had to lie down and take it easy for the rest of the day. This time, I was up and about for about 3hours moving things around, putting stuff away etc…and the only reason I didn’t finish was because I ran out of mounting putty and was too tired to go outside after dinner to get more.
Today, I was determined to begin DDPY’s Bed to Chair program again and started with Bed Flex I for week 1, followed by a few sit to standing reps and was able to do 15 reps today so I am improving there. Later on, I went out and took my mom so we could get groceries, and when I left her briefly in the supermarket to go to CVS to get that mounting putty, I realized how fast I was actually walking!!!! I am almost back to walking the way I used to prior to all of the issues that have plagued me recently!!! I stopped for a second when I realized it and continued on with a big smile on my face. To think that just a few weeks ago I could barely walk a few steps without getting winded or my legs feeling like they were going to buckle under me! Now, I am able to walk further and faster! I have really come a long way in a matter of weeks and that is definitely something to be thankful for. This month of November, I am going to do my best to be grateful for the things I can do and keep celebrating those wins just as I would do for anyone else.
The challenging part? Being grateful for the things I can eat since that list has shrunk even more. I am going to start the new medication I was prescribed by my new gastroenterologist called Voquezna this week and fingers crossed, I will have no side effects at all and can continue taking them for the 2 months I have been instructed to take them. Am I happy about it? Not a chance. I’m not a fan of taking meds, but I need something now as my condition has gotten worse. I will focus on being as positive as possible and hope it helps me heal enough so I can get off them and continue on a more natural path like Sequoia Soothe that I only just started to take a few days ago and have stopped for now. For a few years now, I have not been able to eat apple pie or pumpkin pie, let alone anything with cinnamon or chocolate to name a few, but maybe by Thanksgiving, I will be able to eat Turkey and stuffing at least, but if I’m not able to, I will focus on the fact that I am alive and can spend time my mama and brother and put my MacGyver brain to work to figure out a way around eating the traditional Thanksgiving feast.
Until next time my Phoenixes! Never Give Up! Keep Going and remember to give yourself grace and that tomorrow is another day!!!
Mind Body Synergylia 