It happened every year… it was always the same. Last year, like many before it, I attended the New York State Marching Band championships in Syracuse. I go almost every year. I have only missed a few, the year I had back surgery, once when I had another obligation. My nephews and now my niece march with the West Seneca High school band and we would take the three hour road trip to see it. My sister and brother in late have six children so,we will be with the band many years. I always went with my sister and her family. After all, our parents are all gone and I need to be there to cheer our kids on. Family is everything to me. It’s a great day of fun, music and highly competitive.
And every year I would get all decked out in my band clothes and off we would go. I would not do much the day before or there would be too much prior pain. The trip was fine, but it was the physical aspect that was so challenging. Post back surgery, weighing well over two hundred pounds and being less than five feet takes its toll. As my Hashimoto’s raged on it got worse with prolonged physical pain and just how hard it all was. If you have never been to the Carrier Dome, it as a lot of walking but the thing is it is all uphill. You park and have to walk uphill to get in. The stairs into the dome are steep and uphill. Everything is a steep incline. Everythinggggggggh….
I would be huffing and puffing and breathing hard and then the pain would come. My family was patient. No one ran ahead, but I held them back. They know it and I do too. And once the pain took hold, it didn’t let go. The climb going down no better as my back would just spasm for whatever reason of crazy contortions to get down. The seats are uncomfortable in any auditorium at that size and you have to sit all squished up which merely adds to the pain. It was definitely an eight Advil day. Each year, I would sit at that event and tell myself that next year I had to lose some weight and things would get better. I mistakingly assumed the weight would alleviate my symptoms but actually the loss of symptoms has alleviated my weight. Who knew? Umm…. Dr. Jack knew.
I would promise myself things would change.
Every single year, at every event I would do the same….class trips….graduations….sports events…family parties…showers….weddings…. But they all ended the same, diet attempted, diet failed. And then I usually added on ten pounds. I was a mess.
Well, last year was the beginning of change for me. I had only been with Dr. Jack a few weeks. The band had an early time slot that day, so we decided to spend the night in Rochester where the band was staying. I had dropped maybe fifteen or twenty pounds by then. And I was still very new to the whole experience, and scared. I didn’t want to mess up what was a great beginning. I ate dinner before we left and I was feeling a little better than I had before physically. I wasn’t taking any pain relief and I had lost a few symptoms, too.
My family had brought some snacks for the hotel and I didn’t partake, it was all good. When we stopped for breakfast I had a nutritional shake. I managed through the day to just be okay and find salads to eat, that were awful. but told myself that this year I would go prepared. When we got to the dome, I still struggled but it was different and I noticed right away. The climb was a little easier and the pain much less! And I remember as I sat there that I kept thinking that this year…..if I could just hang on for this year, my life would be totally different.
Is it? AMAZINGLY DIFFERENT!!! I am naturally awake without my alarm. I have done some stretching exercises. Took a shower. Had some water and whole food supplements. We are stopping for breakfast on the go. I have packed my meals so I have good food that’s on plan ready to eat all day and extra snacks in case temptation knocks at my door. I had to order smaller clothes and my band jacket from last year, fits both my nephew, John and I, comfortably in it. I will order a new one next year when my weight settles itself somewhere naturally. It won’t look pretty today but it’s kind of like my badge of a year’s work!
I have lost over a hundred pounds and every single symptom I had. I ran around yesterday doing all my weekend chores without pain. Last year, I was weepy telling Dr. Jack how hard it all was. But he is the voice of reason in my head. He kept promising me to just hang on, that if I just kept pushing forward it would all get better. And he was true to his word. This year when they announce, “West Seneca, you may take the field in competition,” I will be thinking about the last many years and how different today is. I will enjoy the show, pain free, symptom free and freed from the extra person I carried around every day. The seats will fit better, my clothes better and I know I will enjoy it all so much more as I am finally living the life I always dreamed of! And guess what?? Next year? It’s going to be even better!! I can’t wait!
Thank you, Dr. Jack. Thank you for today!! And West Seneca, bring home that Governor’s Cup!! Take the field! It’s yours!! Just like Aunt Chris is taking those steep hills! This year? I own them!
Hugsssssss,
Chris
This is the best!!! xoxo