Work Athlete

Following up on my earlier post "A painful occupation", I mentioned the constant back pain my job as a CNA has caused me.  I finally put my foot down and said 'enough is enough' and finally went to my doctor for advice and direction.  He prescribed physical therapy for my back and knee.  Strengthening the source of my problem was the key.

Upon meeting the Physical Therapist, we discussed my medical history and asked about my recovery from a brain tumor in my cerebellum.  I mentioned that I had to rehabilitate the whole left side of my body.  He was caught off guard and told me that I definitely recovered very well.  It meant a lot to me to hear that from a professional.  I know there is always room for improvement, but this time I was happy to hear that compliment upon his first impression.

He then moved onto my occupation.  "What do you do for work?" he asked.

 "I work full time as a CNA."

"Ok, a very physically intensive occupation.  I consider CNAs to be 'work athletes' because they have to be in top shape to be able to perform their job safely for the patients as well as the safety of themselves." he replied.

(lame attempt of cut and paste
 with random images)

He brought me to think of how I used to be athletic but swiftly swept that lifestyle under the rug after I had to work at regaining my coordination and balance.  I gave up a lot of the activities I used to enjoy out of the fear of getting injured.  Maybe one day I would regain the courage to try doing those daring things again.

Then the reality of my situation shot through me: I can't expect to run a marathon all the way through without conditioning first. I'm not much of a fan of running because of the hard impact on my knees, but it's the best metaphor I could come up with.  How am I supposed to be able to take care of others if I don't take care of myself.  This is the reason why I was there getting help.  I was tired of the pain.  Something needed to be resolved from this inflamed situation.

He definitely taught me things that will improve my performance on the job as well as the quality of my life.  I feel like I'm back on the path to restarting the things in my life that made free time fun. Conditioned enough to do the things I love.

~LMc