Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Free speed

Heads up...this post gets a little graphic, so if you are squeamish, close this link now!

At 6am on Monday morning, I checked into UBC hospital for the first surgery of my life (wisdom teeth don't count!).  As someone who spends countless hours training and exercising to be in top form, the prospect of being operated on was pretty terrifying...so I was more than a little jittery when my sister dropped me off.  Mantra of the day:  be tough.

The issue?  A uterine fibroid, not so affectionately named Freddie, that had grown to about 8cm in diameter.  These kind of tumors are typically not malignant, but can cause issues if they grow too too big.  For a small and active person, toting around a tumor the size of an orange is pretty damned uncomfortable, never mind racing full distance triathlon.  Freddie was a real jerk and had to go.  
Freddie, the jerk.  Live and in person.  Buh-bye!
After a number of false starts and second opinions over the past few years, I was fortunate to find an incredible female surgeon, well-regarded in the field and extremely understanding.  In particular, she was open to trying minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures and she was appreciatively sympathetic to my preference to continue to have the option of having children.  Of course, in medicine there are no guarantees, but she promised to do her best.     

The nurses, residents and medical staff at UBC hospital were incredible.  I was made to feel at ease  right up to the point that they walked me into the OR, and for that I am so appreciative.  Needles, IVs and operating rooms = scary.    

When I woke up in recovery, I had several nurses fussing around me and there were tubes everywhere.  I asked the resident if everything went fine, and she told me there were complications that forced the surgeon to abandon the laparoscopic procedure and perform a laparotomy instead (aka abdominal surgery).  I was later told that I had lost nearly a litre of blood during the procedure (about 1/4 of my blood volume), which is needless to say a pretty good reason to get 'er done the old fashioned way.  The good news? Freddie is gone.  

So while the recovery will take a little longer than I expected, I am grateful to be back home and starting the process of getting strong.  Being healthy is truly a gift, and I am so very, very excited to spend my days going forward without that jerk Freddie hanging around.  He was never a very good running partner. 

So, in closing this chapter and starting the road to recovery, I thought this Freddie-related clip was so very appropriate.  To Freddie the bad-ass fibroid, I bid you adieu and eff you!
  


Thursday, November 8, 2012

38.

By the end of this week, I will have 38 years of experience at this life thing.  So, in honor of those years, here are 38 things I know to be true....

1.  Cupcakes are a food group.

2. Dogs are good people.  Even if they do track mud and throw up on your new bedding.
A face only a dog-mom could love.
3. The things you have done matter not. The things you are doing matter more.

4. Unabashed pop music is entirely appropriate on a running playlist.

5. Green and leafy is actually pretty tasty.

6. Running in the rain is fun.

7. Three things one should be able to say, and mean: I am sorry. I love you. I was wrong.

8. Nothing is impossible.

9. All the cool kids wear sunscreen. #lilywhite

10. I may be a tax nerd, but nerdy is sexy.

11. Germans are damned good engineers.

12. The best things made of carbon are not diamonds.

13. A magic transformation happens when you swim at 5:30am!  By 7am you are guaranteed to feel like you can conquer the world.

14. Soda water, not vodka cocktails.

15. It’s okay to say I love you. Often.  Even if the person you say it to squirms.

16. Anything done with a smile hurts a whole lot less.
Kicking it to the curb in St. Croix. 
17. Food can be function…but it can also have soul.

18. If you are honest, you never have to remember.

19. The glasses and braces you had when you were 13 may go away.  The pimples never do.

20. Don’t regret mistakes, just learn from them.

21. Everything happens for a reason.

22. Show appreciation.

23. Training is training. Racing is racing. And sometimes jogging is simply the best!

24. Grace trumps arrogance.

25. Surround yourself with genuine, smart and kind people, and give no time to those that hurt you.

26. Laughing at yourself is awesome.
Stuck upside down?  Oh well.
27. Buy sh*t local. Even if it is cheaper on the internet! 

28. Ignore anyone who belittles you. Great people will never bring you down.

29. Being different is just...different. Embrace your individuality.

30. Alone is not lonely.

31. Training never hurts less. You just get faster (sometimes!)

32. Be unreasonable in committing to your goals.

33. Age is boring and irrelevant.

34. Wearing good shoes is worth every cent.

35. Have an excellent massage therapist, chiro and physiotherapist on speed dial.

36. Life is too short to wear uncomfortable underwear.
Kona undie run.  It doesn't even LOOK comfortable...but those boys are pretty cute. ;)
37. One glass of delicious wine is better than a cheap bottle.

38. Don’t dream. Do it NOW!

XX