How To Heal an Injury and Your Mind (Part 3)
Good Friends Make You Laugh,
Better Friends Bathe You
Good supports increase our resiliency, grit, motivation, and mental toughness, which are essential to getting through the pain and discomfort, loss of sport, depression, anxiety, change in identity, and body dysmorphia post surgery/injury.
— Stephanie Lindsey
Supports - you know, your family, friends, coworkers, partner, therapist, gym buds, trainer, teammates…are essential to our mental health. They are one of our biggest investments in life, so you need to make sure they are quality. Otherwise, they can (and will) have the opposite affect on your mental health. Unsurprisingly, these supports are also crucial to when we face hardship (like surgery, injury, retirement, etc.). I can’t begin to fathom what I would have done without my team of supports post-op.
My mom, bless her soul, had to do most of the heavy lifting. I am forever grateful to her as she continues to be a light when all I feel and see are darkness. Unfortunately, this go around, she caught COVID-19 THREE days after my surgery. AND WHEN I TELL YOU IT WAS HARD WITHOUT HER…I can’t even think about it for her or me - I blacked most of this time out. I had to really learn how to be creative as I cared for myself. Fortunately, I was super creative and had enough mental strength to make it out OK. I will also spare you those photos and videos as your girl, was not doing so hot.
I was probably also pretty smelly because I had no way to shower myself until another wonderful support, Wale (seen below), came to bathe me about two weeks after surgery (he also checked in on my mom, such a kind soul - also super helpful he’s a doctor). A shower is truly the most cleansing experience - I felt refreshed and recharged…ready to tackle life after that. Also, bless him for washing my hair.
I also had my business partner and friend, Kate - if you know her you love her - help me get to physical therapy (PT) AND SHE EVEN DROVE ME TO HOUSTON AND BACK to get my stitches out. I could not have survived without these people. Well, I could have, but I would have been so so so miserable.
Another major turning point was my actual recovery team. My physical therapy journey was an interesting one. I started PT at a place nearby and it was probably the worst experience of my life. I am not going to disclose this biz, but let’s just say I was generally ignored, not spoken to, left to fend for myself one day post-op (they didn’t even help me open the door or get me from point A to B while still heavily drugged), and I only did my “homework” never learning anything new during PT. Luckily, I have been in the surgery game long enough to know this wasn’t going to work really quickly. I shopped around for another PT spot and my friend and former trainer from LifeTime recommended Athletico. Going to Athletico was the best decision I have ever made. They spoke to me (wow so impressive), made me laugh (even though I am the funny one), talked to me about my goals, improved my strength, listened to my concerns and adjusted accordingly, and comforted me when I had a hard day. Caesar, my PT, also made it a point each day to say “I’m proud of you, Steph.” That little comment went so far. I felt supported, motivated, and connected. All of this to say, PLEASE invest in quality supports. They are essential to your recovery. The mind body connection is so crucial (remember RAS from my last blog: 5 Tips to Overcome Fear of Re-injury) for healing wounds? I feel pretty good post-op and I truly believe it’s because of Caesar and the whole Athletico team - BTW I still go 1x/week for the community and support. It’s that great!
Good supports increase our resiliency, grit, motivation, and mental toughness, which are essential to getting through the pain and discomfort, loss of sport, depression, anxiety, change in identity, and body dysmorphia post surgery/injury. Knowing you can trust in people to help you when you’ve lost your independence is probably the most innate survival instinct thing there is. We can’t survive on our own. Thanks to my supports, and my prep work in my own mental health therapy, I was able to quickly bounce back to goal setting and getting back into the fitness game. I realized checking my ego was the first goal I had to work on. I am notoriously stubborn and love pushing myself, but this is not the time for that skillset. I also made sure to do all of my PT exercises as often as my body would allow so I could make consistent progress each week. After years of pain and not moving much, I felt I could use my body again - “I’m back babyyyyy!” My depression lifted and I was ready to sweat. Caesar, my PT, even let me incorporate volleyball into my PT exercises - instantly putting a cheesy grin on my face. Now, 6 months post-op, I am lifting 4-5x a week at the gym and even playing some volleyball. My goals are to keep doing PT, FOCUS ON RECOVERY (Normatec, Theragun, epsom salt baths, massages, chiro, stretching, rest), build muscle back to prep for the next surgery (I need to reread this blog series for this - sigh), eat cleaner, and just live my life with my friends by getting out of my tower of sadness (my home) haha.
Caesar and his team at Athletico - so crucial to my recovery and getting back to sport. Highly recommend to anyone in Dallas!
What are your goals for getting back into fitness and sport AND who is going to help you get there?
Let me know in the comments below!
