Fitness Check In Day 61: The Month of Giving Thanks

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!!!