From wreck to success - part 2

The anti-inflammatory medication was strong and quickly gave amazing results.  I soon went running, just for a mile, but it felt so good. Life was valuable and urgent. 

I was sent to a merry-go-round of various doctors and diagnostics, all with their own tests. Not much came out of that, results were diffuse and mysterious except a back MRI that showed a slipped disc, some degeneration of the spine and pressure on the sciatic nerve, but nothing extreme. I was also sent to physical therapy which did not help. All the medical efforts were time consuming and expensive; general inflammation and back pain is difficult to diagnose and treat. I soon stopped going to specialists.

I loved my work as a geologist in the oil industry, (but I am not sure my work always loved me), and I was soon back at full schedule and more. A high manager had heard about my collapse, and he personally contacted me with his own back pain story and advice: to self-treat with McKenzie exercises. It worked and I still do the exercises regularly to keep my back healthy.

With a feeling that I might have limited time being relatively healthy, I joined a gym and started to go to beginner yoga classes. I was disturbed how my mobility had deteriorated over the years, as a young girl I was very agile. I could not even sit cross legged anymore. I sucked at the balance exercises. It took over a year to recover some reasonable agility, and I have ever since incorporated yoga in my training program to maintain balance and flexibility. I also swam, participated in zumba, ran and biked short distances. 

I started to play harp as a complete beginner at 55, and I am not talented. This was something I had wanted to do for a long time, but it had not been urgent enough to act on. I am still not a good student, but better than those who cannot play at all, and each year, I play better than the previous year.

At age 60 (2018), work had reached a new level of stress and to protect my health, I decided that my best option was to retire. Then, I did next thing on my bucket list: a triathlon. First race was a sprint, and it went well, so I was hooked, and I never looked back.

At my first triathlon

My diagnosis is still uncertain. I have symptoms, but they come and go and the more I train and take care of myself, the better I am. Well-rounded physical training in appropriate amounts have allowed me to do things that were unthinkable 10 years ago; a half ironman, swim over the Arctic Circle, mountain biking races, cross country skiing, all at a reasonably high level for my age. The hip and knee pains are not getting worse but getting better with the training. And at age 65, I am still getting stronger.

I don't need to win, but it is nice if I do. If I am last, I am still faster than those who did not turn up. And when I train sports, or practice harp, I am not the best, but I am getting better and with time, there is a significant improvement. Works for me.