Firsts

2013 was a year of "firsts" for me - but not the kind of firsts that most peops would consider desirable. In 2013 I had my first major breakdown in a Doc's office (Sorry Dr. M!), went on my first anti-depressant, ended up in emerg with my first diagnosis of serotonin syndrome (oh, google it, it's a hoot!), depended on a cane to walk for the first time (UGH!), experienced my first legit 10/10 on the pain scale, suffered through my first drug withdrawal, and finally, received my very first knee cartilage transplant. I'm all for trying new things, especially as we age and complain, "I'm too old to experience anything new," but c'mon....those "firsts" sucked the big one.

Although it's only January 11, I've already experienced 4 major "firsts" in 2014 - good, solid, happy firsts. As my last post described, I rang in 2014 with a huge first - my new cartilage rocked out on the dance floor. That was definitely a turning point in my recovery. In addition, in just the last week, my new cartilage has participated in its first ever yoga class (I love tree. Solid pose), completed its first CrossFit workout (modified, but legit), began briskly walking on the treadmill, and officially entered 'Phase IV' of cartilage implant recovery. I recall laying on my couch post-surgery, reading the phases of recovery, sent to me from an Orthopedic clinic in New York who had some experience with patients like myself. I remember thinking that I would be stuck at Phase I forever: non-weight bearing for 8-10 weeks. It's hard to believe that I've made it all the way to the second last phase of recovery. This phase is characterized by strengthening the knee and building endurance. The thing that excites me the most about this phase of my recovery is that I'm only about 4-6 months away from Phase V: participating in regular sports and activities. Wow. A year ago I was struggling to accept that I may never be able to walk "normally" again and now I'm training with a goal of returning to the regular activities that I participated in pre-knee fiasco.

In addition to all those fabulous firsts, I also have another exciting announcement to make: I have chosen my fight entrance song! Yes! Can you believe it? Right now you're thinking, "What the hell is she talking about?" Well, I'm not really into watching the "fights," per se (like UFC, MMA or even boxing matches),  but I do really enjoy the moment right before the fight, when, tunes pumping, crowd cheering, the fighter enters the ring with his/her posse. Usually, the fighter looks super cool, and I always imagine the adrenaline rush that fighter must experience in that moment. I usually tune out once the fight begins and then contemplate, "If I was a fighter, what song would accompany my awesome entry into the arena?"

Well this week, it suddenly came to me whilst listening to Songza's, "Belligerent Party Rap" playlist. I have it...Ludacris. Obviously. It's badass. It says, "I'm about to kick some ass, in a super cool, I don't really give a damn, kinda way....so get back get back you don't know me like that." I imagine that my UFC/MMA entrance would look something like this (Warning: bad words. Lots of bad bad words)