A lot can happen in 5 years.  Obviously.  Almost 5 ½ years ago I welcomed my first born into the world.  Yet what hit me lately was that 5 years ago I had major shoulder surgery.

Ok, ok, a little history. I had Asher in June of 2013, by C-section, after a 24 hour labor. Not an easy recovery. Then on Labor Day (ironic, I realize), I woke up and remember that I couldn’t move my right arm.  Now, I had been having shoulder pain off and on for years. I wish I had a great story of how I had hurt my arm climbing some mountain, or rescuing a puppy, but alas, no such luck.  I was a dancer growing up and very physically fit.  Yet, my exercise level went down over the years and was non-existent by the time I got married. I wasn’t overweight and never had to worry about that- blessed, I realize.  I say this to emphasize that while I knew exercise and healthy living was important, after dancing, I didn’t find much I liked, so the effort I felt like putting into it was small.  And while I also knew that exercising might have helped my shoulder, with a busy life (I thought I was busy then- ha!), it was easier to avoid dealing with it.

So, with a recovering body and a 3 month old, God got my attention.  I literally could not move my arm.  And I was in the most pain of any I could remember.  Including my recent delivery of Ash.  Cortisone shots didn’t help. PT was a bust- the pain was crazy.  And so in October 2013, with a 4 month old son, I found myself in an operating room.  The procedure went great- yet the doctor said it was much worse than he thought. Calcific tendinitis had eaten through some of my tendons (mainly caused by good old genetics), and I was the proud owner of a complete sever and reattach of my tendons and some ligaments; accompanied by a bit of hardware. Ugh.

I had a sling and was basically immobile with it for 6 weeks.  Hard for anyone, but with an infant… Yet, once again, God provided.  I had friends come over to help me during the day (my mom was there most of the time, but couldn’t do it all). People provided food for weeks and came over to help lift Ash in and out of his crib and change him.  I still tear up when I think of it, because you know who these people were? Other moms.  Sacrificing to help me. With families of their own to take care of. Amazing!! So, so blessed. But I’ll be honest, it was a really hard time in my life. Figuring out day-to-day logistics for one, as well as lots of mom and wife guilt.

I recovered as fully as expected (after months of PT) and was doing well, and not too long after started my health journey, take a read if you haven’t already.  You’d think that the surgery itself would have started my journey, but I apparently needed a second wake up call, to start my wellness journey.

A lot can change, and has changed, in 5 years.  I’m nowhere near perfect, yet I do have two working shoulders, and health is much more of a focus for me now.  And I’m so thankful I feel great! I encourage balanced health to be a focus for everyone. Especially moms- we often put ourselves last.

If you’ve gone through something similar to my crazy story (like surgery), or if you relate to my hormone crazy symptoms from my health journey post, I’d love to hear about it.  Or if you have questions about my past or current health journey, please ask. It’s so great to not feel alone!! Comment, or reach out to me.

Here’s to your health!

Embrace Life!