The "go for it" summer

 Hey Friends,

Can you believe that summer is almost over? It definitely FEELS like the middle of summer here in Cayman, where the humidity index is still in the 90's and there's a thunderstorm at least five times a day!

We returned back to Cayman after 2 months at Candle Lake, Saskatchewan. For the first time in about 13 years, I experienced a "go for it" summer. 

We are taught that pain is an indication to stop an activity. If something really hurts, you probably shouldn't do it, as it might be causing further damage. When I was diagnosed with my cartilage disease about 13 years ago, I was given a list of activities/movements that I needed to avoid in order to slow the process of the disease. I was told no torque movements like swinging a golf club, racquet, or paddle. I was told no high impact activities like jumping or running. I was told to limit the number of steps I was taking in a day. I was told to stop when I felt pain, elevate and ice. These restrictions and warnings were forefront in my brain for the past 13 years. Although my disease progressed and I endured surgery after surgery, I didn't want to be the one responsible for making things worse. 

Now that I have two prosthetic knees, things have changed. 

My right knee continues to be "off." We know that it's larger than my left, and the size is limiting my extension and causing pain. My super awesome team of therapists and doctors have assured me that I can't make it worse. This is just how it is. I was told, for the very first time in 13 years, to "go for it" this summer. My physiotherapist, who worked through my kinesiophobia (fear of movement) with me, suggested that I pick and choose what I'm willing to experience pain for. For example, I hate running - so no sense in causing pain doing something that I don't like. On the other hand, he suggested I might sacrifice some pain to play pickleball, a sport that I've been longing to get back into. 

So that's what I did. I went for it!

I played pickleball with Kayla and her friends. Initially, I thought that I was pretty awesome because Kayla and I were winning all of our matches, but once I played singles and began losing horribly, I realized that Kayla was the reason that we were winning all of our doubles matches. Haha! She's got really long limbs!

I surfed as much as I could. I really enjoyed some morning surfs with my besties, the Hunters. And I loved witnessing my little bud, Harper (age 6), learn how to surf independently, singing our favorite song, "The Sign" the entire time (90's pop. A girl after my own heart!)

I two-stepped, I polka-d, I "Kirstie danced" (tipsy happy jumping with a lot of upper arm action) the night away at Farmfest with my super fun aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

I fully participated in shark week festivities this year, completing the incredible shark cage relay, winning the Can Jam cup with Linds, and dancing (jumping?) the night away on the back of Rick's boat with some of my favorite people in this world! ("To the window - to the wall!") ;) 

I went on long walks, long bike rides, and long stand-up paddles through forests and creeks. 

I tried new workouts that incorporated some jumping and lunging (2 things I was told NEVER to do previously). 

I even E-foiled for the first time! Our friend, Matt, brought over his E-foils and I was able to quickly get up and even fly a little, watching fish swim just below the surface. I loved it so much that I demo'd a board as soon as we returned to Cayman!

Yes, I hurt after each of these activities. The pain now radiates into my hip because my entire right side of my body is "off" with this ill-fitting prosthetic knee. But you know what? It was totally worth it. It felt good. I don't feel like I "lost" 13 years of my life, but man, parts of it were definitely on hold. My 30's, when most people still feel limber and agile, were a bit of a mess for me. I learned some life lessons that have shaped who I am today, but let's be honest, I missed out. I intend to make up for lost time. 

You know what was even better than having a "go for it" summer? Sharing it with my people. 

One of my greatest fears about moving to Cayman 10 years ago was losing these strong and meaningful connections with friends and family back in Canada. There's something so fulfilling about returning after a year away and picking right back up where you left off with the people you love. Whether it was serious in-depth conversations about family and work, silly, laughter-filled chats about diary entries from 2001, or just sitting quietly with the people you love and watching the geese float by, every interaction was gratifying. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, but I know we'll pick up again next summer (or...come and visit! Anytime!)

Paw patrol killed it for the second year in a row. They traveled like pros and thoroughly enjoyed their summer at the lake. Stevie spent hours on the deck "hunting" birds and insects (and there were a LOT of insects this summer, unfortunately). Dilbert loved his long morning walks and the fresh air. Our return to island was a bit messy with canceled West Jet flights and rerouting that added about 8 hours to our trip, but the pets were troopers and hung in there for a long journey! 

We're back into our island routine and I have begun a new and exciting part-time temporary job in addition to my work with Achieve Cayman. I am covering a maternity leave for a speech-language pathologist with HSA (public health). I'm seeing a diverse group of patients (mostly adult) with a variety of diagnoses such as voice disorders, stroke, dementia, brain tumors, etc. I've only completed my first few weeks, but I'm absolutely loving it! My brain kicked into high gear, attempting to remember the neuro anatomy and treatment plans for each diagnosis. It was a bit scary, super challenging, and felt very rewarding. I feel like I'm going to be a very well-rounded clinician through this experience. I'm excited to continue this position a few days a week until December. 

There's the update! I hope everyone transitions nicely into sweater weather and pumpkin spiced everything. 

Cheers!

Addendum:

Ironically, my "go for it summer" ended abruptly this week with an injury. I know what you're saying, "It was the pickleball! It's the damn pickleball." No, no, it wasn't the pickleball that got me. I literally hurt myself standing up. Wednesday, after a full day of patients (and too much sitting), I went to stand up to leave at the end of the day and my body could not reach vertical status. Pain seared in my lower back/hip, and I awkwardly tried to play it cool in front of my new (and much younger colleagues). As everyone said their farewells for the day, I didn't want to alarm my new co-workers, so I pretended to search my purse for my keys to remain in the hunched over position that I was only capable of achieving. So, you know, I searched for my keys as I said goodbye to the other therapists, searched for my keys as I painfully descended the stairs, and searched for my keys as I bid the security guard a good night. I drove home hugging my steering wheel, with my face barely over the windshield, hoping to remain anonymous. Thankfully, I have a great chiro who was able to put my SI joint back into alignment. I will start again with Physio this week. Apparently, I'm at the age and fitness level where my joints just randomly fall out of place whilst performing regular human functions like standing. Awesome. I'm definitely not 100% yet (maybe 25%), and the only thing I'm "going for" is gentle pool stretching. I'm sure there's a lesson here...like go for it, but maybe like go for it-ish? I'm not sure but will keep you updated.