Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My crumbling body

I was always under the assumption that your body doesn't start to fall apart until you get older. That doesn't seem to be the case for me. I've been battling shoulder problems for months, but during the past two weeks it's really taken a turn for the worse. I've lowered my yardage totals significantly and cranked up the amount of times I ice it per week, but nothing seems to help.

When I last went to the doctor about it in July, he said it was rotator cuff tendinitis and he prescribed me some meds to lower the inflammation. That didn't work, but after a while, after the meds were long gone, the pain mostly went away, so I kept swimming. But now (especially after the Masters meet on Saturday) it's back with a vengeance and I don't know what to do. I fear if I go back to the doctor he's going to tell me to shut it down. No more swimming. I also fear he will need to x-ray it, revealing a problem that requires surgery, which I cannot afford.

On top of that, my knees are starting to have aches and pains when I walk and go down stairs. When I was heavier, I never had knee issues and ironically, now that I've lost almost 40 pounds, they are starting to hurt. I'm pretty sure it may have something to do with my crappy running shoes or possibly even that I'm springing off the wall to hard when I swim. Just one more problem to deal with ...

I'm only 25, and it's a frustrating feeling when your body is already falling apart. I thought you were supposed to feel like crap when you are overweight and out of shape, but as of late, it feels like the opposite. I'm still a bit chubby, but it doesn't seem fair that I've put in all this work and now my body is paying the price for it. Ughh...

Anyway, here's today's workout. I mostly did kicks, which was slightly new to me, given that I can barely lift my shoulder above my head.

Warm up
100 free
100 breast
Core
3 x 200 kick (alternating free, breast and fly every 25)
300 free (big mistake)

After doing the 300 free, my shoulder was on fire and I didn't even have it in me to attempt a cool down. I'm in a world of shit right now...

Total distance: 900 yards

3 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear that your shoulder is not getting any better and I can tell that you are frustrated. Hopefully you can find out how to make it better. Gordon has had some shoulder problems and really likes his doctor who fixed them. You might ask him about it and get the doctor's number. I could also give you the contact info for the doctor I saw at TOSH.

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  2. Have you seen a sports medicine Doc? I highly recommend Spencer Richards. He's done nothing but great stuff for me. Maybe it's time for a cortizone shot?

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  3. I understand your frustration with your body. I've felt many of the same frustrations this year. The thing that can be especially hard is to have these problems when you are trying be physically fit.
    Its difficult to find the balance between pushing and injuring yourself. Just take it day-by-day and do the best you can.

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