Know your body and take action

I have been home from impatient rehab now for one week. I am extremely grateful for the time I was given in there especially now that I realize how tired out I get from walking, doing dishes or cooking. I really needed that extra time to gain strength and coordination just to allow me to function at a base level.

This entire experience has definitely taught me to take a minute, step back, access the situation, listen to others, and to stop being so stubbornly independent. If it were my decision, the old me would have been fighting the doctors and requesting to be sent home as soon as possible because I felt "fine." Well, I guess feeling "fine" for the past several months has turned out to not be the case.

People don't listen to the signs that their bodies are sending them. I am a perfect example of a person who did not. It started with back tingling/numbness when I would stand up from sitting down. The tingling would last just for a while but would go away after I would walk around for a while. No big deal, probably just sleeping funny. Then I started to realize I couldn't stretch my right leg as far as my left leg. Ah, I am just out of shape, I need to hit the gym. Then the tingling went to my arm. Um...well it's not happening all of the time, probably just a fluke. Next, when playing a game with coworkers where I needed to throw paper in the trash from a distance, my hand wouldn't release the makeshift ball. Instead the paper ball would fall from my fingers awkwardly to the floor. This should have been the moment I freaked out. The moment that I thought, this isn't right. And yet, I still did nothing. I guess the fear of the unknown was enough for me to ignore the situation.

Luckily, not too long afterward, a somewhat new friend of mine asked me when I was going to explain how I got my limp in my right leg. I knew I couldn't ignore it anymore. Other people were noticing something was up. This was the motivation for me to bring it up to my doctor. And here we are now!

I am now a full believer in a trusting gut reaction, especially when it comes to one's own body. If your body is saying, this feels funny you should probably listen to it. Trust your instinct. But one thing:

DON'T GOOGLE SYMPTOMS! IT WILL ONLY LEAD TO UNNECESSARY WORRY! This is why there are professionals: they give us the diagnosis and prognosis (and there is such a thing as a second opinion). Reach out for help if something doesn't feel right. I know I am happy I did.

Finally, I know that I am saying all of this as an employed and insured individual. There are other reasons that people don't reach out for help, which are unfortunate and sad. Perhaps that will be a subject for another blog post in the near future.