feelin' good

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my health is a priority in my life and I never take it for granted. I can honestly say that a day does not go by that I don't find myself thinking about my health, my fitness, my nutrition, my energy level and my great DNA I inherited from my parents. I'm not sure exactly why it means so much to me, but it does. Perhaps it's because all it takes is to observe all the sickness, disease, illness, disabilities and lethargy that plagues so many people. I feel so lucky to be blessed with solid, healthy genes. Sure, I get a cold once a year, and until this past year, the flu would bite me in the winters and bring me down for one week. Other than that, I feel fantastic.

My aches and pains are self-induced, from my workouts - the best kind of pain to have! I've got severe pain in my right shoulder, diagnosed as tendonitis/bursitis about a year ago. Overuse I'm sure, from countless hours at the gym over the past 15 years. I have bad hips, a result of a tilted pelvis bone. I also suffer from asthma - so, I take a pill nightly and it keeps my respiratory system under control. These are minor. Very minor. All this pain is manageable and although none of it will ever go away, it's manageable. So when I hear that a friend is suffering from Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, leukemia, or any number of diseases and conditions, I feel so damn lucky. I feel lucky because I know how wonderful I feel when I finish a workout. People that are living with debilitating illness can't experience that feeling of physical exertion. It breaks my heart that they are missing out on one of the most exhilarating feelings that a person can have.

My medical workup is scheduled for this Tuesday at Weill-Cornell. It's all I can think about now and probably for the next 3 days, as I anxiously await my next big step in this process. As I was running on the treadmill today, I couldn't help but think about my body, my internal body - the organs and the blood and my heart and bones. All these elements that magically work together so beautifully to create a being. So many questions were rolling through my head. I was watching the Tour de France on the TV during my run and admiring the athletes and their strength and perseverance. I started to think about my future kidney recipient, and I wondered about his/her state of health: How severe was their condition, could they participate in any physical activity? What were their limitations? Would they even want to exercise, if they could? The cyclists in the race push themselves far beyond their limits as they climb those elevations. What are the daily physical challenges that my recipient has to face? I honestly don't think that those suffering from kidney disease have the pleasure of being active. That, is why I needed to step up and share a part of me that I cherish so much. My ability to give a gift of my good health to someone that needs it will by far be the most meaningful experience in my life.

My daily workouts have been so much more significant lately, as the days draw nearer to my tests. I am so curious to see the results from all this and perhaps I won't be as satisfied as I think I should be. Who knows what they will find in all those vials of blood and that big volume of urine - ew, did I just say that outloud? Anyhow, I'm feeling good, really good, physically and mentally. I'm embracing the anxiety and look forward to my big day of poking and prodding!

Until next time... don't forget to brush and floss!