"Green Light.....Let’s Roll."
Those were the last words I said before my bike crash 4 weeks ago. This morning I received the news I’d been praying for since my accident. My doctor gave me the "GREEN LIGHT" to get back into training. Her instructions, "If I'm not having significant pain, it is OK to resume exercise with caution and advance as tolerated."
These last 4 weeks have put me through a roller coaster of emotions with last week being the worst - Anger, Sadness, Frustration, Anxious, Scared and Hopeless.
Not only have I had to deal with recovering from my concussion which has been accompanied by headaches, neck pain and vertigo, but also found out at a recent doctor appointment that there was something going on with my kidneys.
Let me back up a couple weeks. I had gone into the doctor on Friday, January 20th, approximately 2 weeks after my accident because I have developed swelling in my hands and feet associated with pain. I was also experiencing pain in my knees. The doctor had given me a urine test and it was at that time, there was blood and protein in my urine which made her believe that there was possible inflammation in my kidneys and that they may not be filtering as they should. She ordered additional blood work the same day and put me on Prednisone to help with the swelling - IronTy on STERIODS!! Yes!!!
But in all seriousness, it was a little scary. I mean, I was going into the doctor to get clearance for my concussion but now had hit a roadblock. She had asked that I give her an update by e-mail on Saturday, and on Sunday morning she had called me informing me she had received my lab results which "confirmed" elevated protein and blood levels found in my urine, and that she would be referring me to a kidney specialist. Only three days later, I found myself in the specialist office where he ordered more tests; additional blood work, a 24-hour urine collection and an ultrasound of my abdomen.
It's still unknown if all these complications were due to my accident and onset by the trauma or if it was something totally unrelated. So as my head had been feeling better, I was still on hold from any physical activity.
Yesterday, I had my follow up visit to the kidney specialist, where we went over my results. All checked out extremely well. My ultrasound of my kidneys, liver and gall bladder looked great; no sign of high cholesterol or diabetes, but my protein level is still high in my urine.
At this point, the specialist wasn't too concerned and didn’t feel a need to take immediate action. He ordered me to go back to the lab in 2-3 weeks and then follow with him in 1 month. At that time we will revisit options to determine what steps, if any, are necessary to take if protein is still present.
As my appointment came to an end, I felt an enormous amount of relief, leaving me with only one question for him, "Can I exercise?" He responded, "As long your head is feeling okay (no dizziness, headaches, etc.) then you can.” So for now, I will keep my kidneys at my sides and get myself back into training ~ Ha, ha, ha.
Perhaps I will never completely understand why this all transpired, but I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned. Maybe I'm slow to get it at this moment, but I know when the time is right, it will appear to me.
I'm somewhat "surprised" that I'm not a more excited about being released to exercise, but maybe it's the thought of Jared's (my run coach) track workout, or Dan's (my spin coach) killer Monday night spin class or Karen's (my swim coach) 2500+ yards of swimming at Gunderson and Burgess pool. Naaaa, that isn't it at all ~ I’ve missed Coach Ron's (my head coach) positive and encouraging talks after practice, the Team Capitan’s, Mentors, my Iron Buddies and the amazing Honoree’s. I've missed my IronTeam and can’t wait to re-join them!
I believe I’m reluctant because the issue of my kidneys isn't resolved, but more so it stems from my own personal fear of being immobile for an entire month, and feeling like I’m so far behind my team. I can only pray my body will adjust and pick up where it left off. I realize that that part is mental, and something I must overcome.
I promise myself, my team mates, my friends, my family and all the honorees, I will take all precautions necessary so that I don't jeopardize my health or my training. I feel that many people are depending on me, especially those who I’m doing this for. Completing this IronMan is important to me. So with that said I’ll leave you with this message:
IronTy is back! See you all at Spin on Tuesday!
Don't forget to visit my site and make a donation!! Thank you everyone! ♥
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