Chapter 2: A Shift in Priorities

Physical therapy is never easy. I had experienced physical therapy once before just after surgery on both of my feet. Honestly, I didn't remember much from that previous experience so I really didn't know what to expect. Any physical therapist worth their salt pushes you, this I knew. There was one other truth I knew as well, if I expected to get better and work back toward a normal existence, I was going to have to work and do whatever it was the physical therapist told me to do.

My goal was to go to physical therapy at least twice a week, with three times a week being optimal. I began to look forward to my appointments. If I missed an appointment, I felt disappointment. I would schedule my appointments so that I could meet with the PT as much as possible. Even if I was going out of town, I would try to work it in before I left.

This is a far cry from what I had been doing. Just like many mothers and wives, I had put myself last for years. I would cart the kids around to their various activities, sacrificing any of my own activities to make it work. I would work around my husband's schedule and activities to make sure everything "worked" for the family. In order to help bring in more income for our family, I pursued higher level degrees. Basically, I had taken myself off the priority list. I told myself that it was necessary.

Now I was forced into putting myself back on the priority list. If the kids needed to go somewhere at a time I had a scheduled appointment, they had to work out rides. My family was beginning to work around some of my needs. What was interesting to me was that they didn't mind. They just wanted to see me "whole."

Just doing basic things was difficult at that point. I could tell that I was gaining strength as I progressed with my workouts. I looked forward to those physical therapy appointments even though I was exhausted after each one. When the time came that my insurance wouldn't pay for any more appointments, I was sad. Physical therapy had become one of those positive moments in my life. How would I keep progressing without the help? Could I do this on my own? All I knew was I didn't want to quit. I had started something big, something positive, something life-changing that I didn't want to end. I kept hearing the voice of my PT, "You need to do something the rest of your life."