Transforming Health: My Path to Fitness and Recovery

I’ve been off the grid for a couple of months while working on myself and improving my mental and physical well-being. I had a nice long talk with my doctor before he left to move out west. I’m still crying on the inside. I had finally found a doctor who listened to me and actively tried his best to help me. That is so hard to find, as I’m sure many of you know!

I was not in a good place because of my chronic illnesses, and it was only getting worse.  It was a struggle just to get out of bed; I just wanted to sleep all day. Going up and down the stairs became so difficult for me; I was worried I would fall down them. Even when I had a “good” day, I would overdo it and send myself into a fibromyalgia flare-up for the next several days, minimum. This, in turn, made me scared to do anything, feeling that it would send me into a flare-up. Because of all of this, my depression and anxiety were only getting worse, despite my medications. 

My doctor had to confer with several other doctors because he was unsure of what he could do to help. When he got back to me, he let me know the feedback he received from the other doctors. 

Here’s what we learned. The less that I did, the worse I would get. I was losing muscle and mobility (and just gaining even more weight, that I DID NOT need!) I’m 5’ 8” and I weighed in at a little over 300 lbs. I was not feeling good about myself. The worse my mobility got, the less I wanted to move around, which was making my mobility worse…yes, a vicious cycle, indeed. Mobility is a “use it or lose it” situation, and this is what I was experiencing. It was so disheartening.

So, my doctor gave me the “hard” advice that he knew I wouldn’t want to hear, but I trusted him, and so I faced my fears and I did what he suggested. I’m really glad that I did. It wasn’t easy, by any means, but it has been worth it. 

I’m now working out, meditating, and doing household chores daily. It’s been a difficult road, but I’m getting stronger and doing more each day, AND I’m not having any fibromyalgia flare-ups! It’s been a while since I’ve had a flare-up. FYI, I’ve also lost 12 lbs since I started following his advice. Fingers crossed that this continues. 

I’ve also been sending my resume out, attempting to find a job that is not a WFH position. I find that I miss going into work and seeing the same people every day. Who knew? I’ve had a couple of interviews, but so far that’s been all. I’m scared (terrified, actually), because starting a new job is difficult enough, but as someone with multiple chronic illnesses, it’s even worse. Stay tuned to find out how the job hunt goes, and hopefully, how going back to a full-time job works out for me. 

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