Re-Re-Rehab

No I'm not stuttering.

Most things in life are cyclical, from the seasons to the days to our moods and so forth, and I really do try to accept and enjoy the nature of things. One aspect of my life that I don't enjoy being cyclical is my health. Right now I'm on the upswing: it feels great. The Prednisone I took last month worked wonders (I *heart* that drug) and I was able to breathe much more easily. I was able to go from being a listless couch potato with no energy back to my spunky self.

I love rehabbing! It's so encouraging to be able to add more minutes on to the treadmill each week, or an extra set of reps with the weights. It doesn't happen overnight but any improvement is always a good feeling. This week I'm up to 35 minutes on the 'mill with 18 of that at a 3% incline. My goal is to be back to 30 minutes of incline, which will probably take 2-3 more weeks. It's so nice to feel energized after exercising, rather than feeling like I need to lie down and take a nap. Isn't that how exercise is supposed to be?

When I told Joe I am up to 18 minutes he said, "soon you'll be back up to 30", to which I replied, "yeah, then I'll get sick and have to start all over again".

Unfortunately, that's true. I'm not one to dwell on the bad stuff and I don't often think about getting sick, but I do admit to dreading the "next time". It's so discouraging to lose stamina and strength after working so hard to regain it, in addition to feeling sick. Ah, this is the fate of a cystic, I suppose. A cystic cycle. ( I sense a clever play on words here, but can't quite get it to work out. Paul?)

So I rehab. And get sick. And re-rehab. And get sick again. Then re-re-rehab. And so the cycle continues. That's life. For now I'm going to enjoy the upswing of and hope I get to stay at the top of the Ferris wheel for a long while. The view from up there is amazing!