Refined appreciation

I am getting so strong. I mean, I can do strength things I never could before the PVNS surgery. I am using my muscles correctly, and walking totally balanced- no limp at all. It is an *amazing* feeling. My Bursitis is a TON better, it is hardly noticeable, and the swelling from it is SO much less. Also my skin graft is getting much softer and more flexible. All this work I am doing is... working!

I have PT twice a week, hydrotherapy twice a week, and personal trainer also twice a week. It is incredible that I am doing this all... able to do this all. I am getting stronger each session. I work with leg weights in the water (!), and I can do 50 "frog kicks" in a row (in just a few short minutes). In the beginning, I could barely get to 10 without weights. I spent 10 minutes on a bike machine in PT on a setting that had a fair amount of resistance. There is also hip work on a "balance ball" (very owie, but it works), and having my leg, held by a sling and rope, pull weights attached to a big frame of weights. There is so much more, but I can't explain all the different types of exercises they give me. It works every single muscle you can think of. And in the personal training, we do some endurance, core strengthening, and weight training with upper body, also.

Yes, I am sore a lot. It often feels like the tumor is still there, but I work gently with the pain, and accomplish a lot that way. I am getting so much stronger. Whether or not I still have the PVNS (in either leg) is still an unknown until the MRI on Dec 31st. My mind will be a lot quieter when I get an "all clear".

It is just the most incredible feeling for me to walk STRAIGHT for the first time in 2+ years. I appreciate **every step** when I am feeling strong. Can you imagine walking a block, appreciating every step? Don't take anything for granted. It is all a gift, and can be taken away in a split second. And it takes so much work to get it back... but, getting it back...
It is pure appreciation in it's most refined form.