Onwards and Upwards No. 2
Hello my healing team,
I hope this update finds you well.
Sorry for the quick turnaround on updates. Just got a bit of info to share. As promised, please find below a link to the website of my Kinesiologist Nanette Abbott. She has posted a link to the podcast of our discussion on her radio program on 88.3 Southern FM. It goes for an hour. For those that can spare the time to listen, and not fall asleep half way through, please feel free to provide feedback.
http://www.newleafkinesiology.com.au/newleaf-media/podcast
An update on my shoulder. I met with the amazing Professor Choong today to look at the recent MRI and X-ray scans of my shoulder. In my 6min 30sec $150 consultation, Prof. Choong gave me a happy pat on the back for my efforts in successfully reconstructing the humerus bone. The bone is in great shape but does have a cyst (blank empty dead space) in the bone where it is still healing. The cyst is located where they did radiation therapy, hence it being dead. This will repair naturally over the next 12 months. So in all………another great result!
So now I just need to kick the fatigue. I will get this across the line with time. With that being the case, I hope to get back to work at GHD early next year!! Really looking forward to being able to get back to working at a great place, alongside many great people. Until then, I dont think I will have too much to report about my health, but would like to continue to send updates to you about my thoughts on random wellness topics. I have added an example below.
Some of my recent thoughts on exercise.
I hope I didn’t lose you when you read the word exercise. I have recently returned to the gym in an attempt to rebuild my cardio fitness and strength. I lost all of my fitness and strength with my time sitting in hospital and sitting waiting for my body to heal, especially my shoulder. At the moment, every time I try to run around with the kids, I get tired. When I try to lift my daughter Georgia up for a cuddle, I struggle. When I try to play on the monkey bars with Riley, I cannot. I just don’t have the strength in my arms and body anymore. Therefore, my time at the gym is an enabler. It is to help me do the things that I previously could. It is to help me heal. It is to help me beat cancer. It is to help me live.
I was exercising at the gym and it began to hurt in the way that all sustained exercise can. I was thinking about how I can make it more manageable. How do I push myself through to the end of the one hour session. I began to think of my consultation with Prof. Avni Sali (Integrative Medicine – http://www.niim.com.au/about/professor-avni-sali) where he suggested that there are both physical and mental wellbeing benefits to exercise. The physical is the obvious. The mental wellbeing comes through the personal satisfaction in knowing that you have achieved, but also in the down time that you give your mind while exercising. It can effectively equate to meditation. It is mental rest which is critical to wellness and you can give your mind a rest while exercising. To enhance that rest, I disengage the mind by either counting, repeating a simple mantra or positive affirmation. The counting or mantra occupies the mind, allowing it to rest while your body works. I repeat a simple saying like “you can do it” or “just get on with it”. When reciting a mantra, I find that the hour of exercise is quickly over.
Exercise doesn’t need to be a gruelling, sweat inducing, gut wrenching undertaking. If you start exercising, you can make it what you want……….the only thing you have to do is start.
Don’t you just love the photo of my niece Pip!! Very cute!
Take care.
Geoff
