#253: Back on the Road

Jake and I went for a walk today. We did a half-mile loop around a couple of blocks here in the neighborhood. I thought we kept up a pretty good pace, and I had no trouble breathing. It was nice to break a sweat from actually moving for a change. Most of my sweating this summer has been from near-death experiences. I think this is the longest I've walked since I got sick. I'm looking forward to stretching that distance to a mile. Might even be running before long.

The eating adventures continue. Last night I had an insane experience. I made myself a bowl of grits. That in in itself was a treat. While I wore the oxygen hose, I had to stay away from the stove to prevent setting my face on fire. Now that I can go out there, I can do a lot more experimenting and discovery. For example, and this is the insane part, last night I discovered that grits taste like fried chicken to me. This makes no sense. It's as if strawberry jello tasted like onion rings. I should be so lucky. Actually, that tastes pretty much like strawberry jello. But the grits thing really made me laugh. It got me wondering if it is my mouth or my brain that's playing tricks. Now if I could just find oatmeal that tastes like a nice piece of fillet.

The doc has me doing neck stretches. He is concerned that my surgery site will stiffen up if I don't start moving it around. It's hard to tell what it feels like since I have a big nerve missing in there and much of the right side of my neck is numb, but I can feel the limited range of motion. It's hard for me to tell if that's from stiffness, or if it's because of the muscle they took out of there. I know that my right arm is limited, especially when I try to lift it to the side. That may never come back, but I think I can strengthen the muscles around it. My friend C is a personal trainer and we're going to start working on getting me back in condition as soon as the doctors give me the OK. I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym.

In the meantime, a half-mile walk feels like a pretty good start.

Peace,

Pennsy