I Have Never Done Easy
My life has been a physical one since childhood. I was a multi-sport athlete my entire life. I have spent over 44 years in the gym maintaining a healthy physique. The only time I have been away from the gym is when recovering from an injury – even on vacation I train at a gym! Over the years, I participated in several body-building contests. Although I never won, competing was the adrenaline that fueled me.
Hard Times Were No Stranger To Me
Throughout my life there has been many difficult times to work through, this is one I am sharing with you...
I had the bad habit of driving with one hand on the wheel, and in 1988, I was involved in a T-bone automobile accident. A car ran a red light, and I tensed up a few seconds before the impact, and that destroyed my left shoulder.
In 2006 fate dealt me another blow to the right shoulder with the same type of impact. I have undergone a total of 17 shoulder surgeries over 30 years to repair the damage done by those two car accidents. Both shoulder injuries were similar, and so were the recoveries. I always rehabbed and went right back to the gym.
I Felt An Explosion In My Right Shoulder
In 2018, as I finished my work out and put the weights down, I felt an explosion in my right shoulder. I returned to my surgeon, who told me I no longer had rotator cuffs in either shoulder. I required reverse shoulder replacements in BOTH. My surgeon said I was in “Crazy-land” surgery territory.
Pre-Surgery Training Began
My surgeon advised I wait a year to do the surgeries. He started me on pre-surgery weight training to help me build muscle for the procedure, which would help with my recovery. I trained in pain every day, preparing, and building up the muscles, to get the best result from the surgery. My surgeon explained this was a recovery surgery and that patients only get about 90 degrees of movement back. All I said was, "This won’t be me". I was confident in my hard work and knew I would be healthy enough to undergo BOTH surgeries back-to-back, so I asked my doctor to schedule the surgeries 4 months apart. He told me he never had a patient be strong enough and ready for the next surgery that quickly. I said I would be ready and asked for the operating room to be put on reserve. He agreed provided my right shoulder was strong enough and able to perform daily functions.
My Recovery Was NOT Easy!
My first surgery was in September of 2019, and I was back in the gym in just a few weeks. I regained 152 degrees of motion on my right shoulder! Since my recovery was so successful, he performed the 2nd surgery 4 months later! Within weeks, I was again back in the gym. I regained 153 degrees in the left shoulder.
I Was the First!
These procedures were performed when I was in my sixties. I was the first to have both shoulders repaired only 4 months apart and since I was in such great shape, I was allowed to leave the hospital just two hours after each procedure. All my doctor's previous patients had stayed overnight at the hospital after their replacement surgery.
Life After Surgery
After a full year of healing on the left shoulder, I was given the green light to go back to training. The results have been phenomenal, and I am in better shape than I have been in the past 10 years. In addition to the gym, I have been an avid cyclist since 2002 – where I was competitive and strong on the road. I have also been teaching a tough, road-worthy spin class at the gym for the past 11 years and I have no plans of stopping! Most adults only train or exercise 97 days per year. My total for 2021 was 343 days. None of this was ever easy. I Don’t Do Easy is a statement promising commitment to achieve any goal. Success is not an easy path, and I learned that the hard way! My journey has been challenging, and I want to spread I Don’t Do Easy as one of the famous, catchy slogans that get you out of bed every day!
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