Progress Not Perfection

Great success. Dr. Vu was very pleased with progress. He cleared me to begin cycling and running again. I can't run real long (his quote was, "don't run in a marathon or anything like that") but I can start to run again. He did not give me permission to swim yet. My next appointment is set for October 6, so he won't see me for another month. The good doctor recommended that I not do Ironman in November. I intend to follow his recommendation but I'll put it right out there... I am not giving up on the concept yet and will reserve judgement until our next appointment. However, I will not swim until he clears me to do so. I forgot to ask him about lifting weights so I'll be sure to ask him that via telephone. This includes core workouts, too... don't know if I'm cleared for that and will ask via telephone. I can now sleep on my back again.

I drove a car yesterday for the first time since August 19. I still have a bubble in my right eye, as reported yesterday. The vision is still very "dirty" in that eye, too. Blurry with floaters and little black dots. My right eye is essentially as it was before August 19... there is a small "blur" dot that moves around and a couple of "spider leg" floaters near the top of my field of vision in that eye.

I have been off physical activity since August 17. 19 days without a workout. 8/18 - 9/5 on my workout log reports those days as *OFF*. I did do a great deal of walking last week and my intention is to do something today. I don't know if it is going to be a run or a cycle. It may have to be indoors. Tropical Storm Hanna is coming up the coast and we have a great deal of rain coming into the area. It is going to rain all day and get windy this afternoon.

Lessons learned...

- I've never been through something like this before. Going through a medical emergency puts a lot of perspective on life.
- Friends and family that are with you when things aren't going well is a really big deal. Thanks to everyone for your love and your prayers/positive karma.
- If something is wrong with you, don't wait... go to the doctor right away.

Something I already knew is how things have a way of working themselves out. On Sunday, August 17, I was signed up to do Patriots Half Ironman on September 6 (today). I was talking to my dad on the phone that Sunday and he told me he was going to be sworn in as a judge on Friday, September 5. This put a big crimp in my plans for that (this) weekend. This eye thing came up which forced me to withdrawl from the race and then Tropical Storm Hanna appeared and cancelled the race anyway. I take my plans to God and he just laughs. I can hear him say, "Be still my child, do the next right thing or at least avoid doing a wrong thing, and I will take care of you. You have nothing to worry about. It will all work out." It always does. Every time.

Reminds me a couple of lines of dialog from "The Godfather", my favorite movie.

Don Corleone: Well, there wasn't enough time, Michael. There just wasn't enough time.
Michael: We'll get there, Pop. We'll get there.