As a kid I’d love to swim, and it’s a love that has never faded with time.
What has faded is pain free joints, limitless energy, total tolerance of cold air and cold water, and the ignorance of the need for willpower.
Some days are so easy, but more are tough: I am so tired and way too busy, my feet are cramping, my legs are heavy, my shoulders ache, my goggles leak, the water reeks of chlorine, and the lanes are crowded.
But I push through- Olympics are not in my future, neither is long distance swimming, but swimming strengthens and calms my legs inflamed and weakened from my CAR-T therapy.
Like all exercise, it improves my energy and my sense of well- being. The longer distances get to be meditative. A soul soothing, non-emotional, non-intellectual endeavor.
And if Stan Kurtz can cover hundreds of miles, I can do my 10 or 20 fifty-meter laps in the Olympic pool.
If he won’t say no in much tougher circumstances, either will I. See his video here.
Tomorrow I will return to work as a family doctor. I have been out since February when I left for Seattle for my CAR-T therapy. Looking forward to seeing patients again, but not to the ridiculous paperwork and regulatory burdens.
Let’s see how my swim regime holds up under the strain of being back in the clinic.
I am not good at keeping my life in balance. Hoping to do better in the future.
The next big decision is whether to stop my ibrutinib- I will blog more on that soon, but right now, I am just enjoying that I have managed to swim almost every day that I have been home since returning from Seattle the end of April. Even wore out my old Speedo.
Stay strong. We are all in this together
Brian