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 48 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 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 have been challenging times to work through, this is one I am sharing with you.
Throughout the years my shoulders have taken a toll from training. Back in the day, surgery was quite different than today. It was common to wake up in pain after a procedure. I would go into the bathroom, look in the mirror and see what I would call a fish line sticking out of my skin. I would get tweezers, pull it up and snip it. The remainder would retract beneath the skin. Then there were tune up surgeries. I looked at them like my maintenance. Rehab was always faster than the Doctor expected. I never went to therapy. Even being out of surgery for a brief time, the Dr. would allow me to go back to the gym and exercise. This is different from the training. Exercise is firing the muscle just to keep the tone. The reps were high with exceptionally light weights. Total reps per set were 30 to 40. I was fortunate to heal amazingly fast my entire life. Over the years the surgeons stated I was a freak and a genic anomaly.
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 on 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. This would advance my recovery. I trained in pain every day, preparing, and building up the muscles, to achieve 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. I asked the surgeon to reserve the operating room. He agreed provided my right shoulder was strong enough and able to perform daily functions. My surgeon tested my strength after 3 month from the procedure. I passed the strength test with flying colors.
My Recovery Was NOT Easy!
My first replacement surgery was in September of 2019. I was back in the gym in weeks. I regained 152 degrees of motion on my right shoulder! Since my recovery was so successful, he performed the second surgery 4 months later! Within weeks, I was back in the gym again. I regained 153 degrees in the left shoulder.
I Was the First!
I underwent these surgeries 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 the first person he allowed to leave the hospital just two hours after each procedure. All my doctor's previous patients having the same procedure stayed in the hospital overnight.
Life After Surgery
After a full year of healing both shoulders, my surgeon gave me 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 15 years and I have no plans of stopping! Most adults only train or exercise 97 days per year. My total for 2023 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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