Announcing my retirement from professional gymnastics
Now that the April 1st stuff is out of the way....
I have been really slacking with this lately...usually I would say that I haven't had much going on, but lately its been too much...
Life
Bob turned 5 this week...yes yes I know, it goes SOOOOO fast....So I hear.....im still waiting for time to switch from "prison sentence" to "amusement park roller coaster"....Not to imply that I dont love being a parent and love hanging out with bob....I just never get the feeling that time is just flying by...In fact I feel like I have plenty of time to do all kinds of stuff he may of may not like. Over the winter I started taking him to the rock gym near me. I really like the idea of the rock gym...lifting weights bores me even tho I know dam well its good for you...I am not afraid...more like TERRIFIED of heights...so combine no climbing skills and holding onto the wall for dear life (bc autobelays do that "let you fall for a split second" thing) and its a hell of a workout. Bob is mixed on it...He has my fear of heights and while he has climbed to the top of the wall, I can tell the hight scares him...somedays he loves it, somedays hes not into it...but its something to do indoors.
For his 5th bday @humanvice hooked me up with his sons near new 20" hotrock....This worked out great as he was starting to get a little big for his 16" and while I would take him on trails with it, he couldnt rollover too much.
First ride...I have a few upgrades planned for this thing....currently its 2lbs HEAVIER than the my scalpel.
Skiing
I have to say, for a long time my love of skiing has wained.....well not so much skiing, just skiing in the tri-state area...I would hop on a plane right now to hit snowbird if I could....But two things have really helped change that...one of course has been getting bob on skis. Its been a great way to spend time with him over the winter and he's improved to the point where I can take him around and let him do the dumb stuff my dad would yell at me for...Like skiing off the side of the trails, thru the woods, etc....Friday we got my mom back out on skis after a 35 year hiatus
My mom used to ski with me alot when I little...but then my sister was born, she broke her ankle at killington, and eventually the kids ski day was a day where my dad would take us out and she could unwind after managing us all week...Anyway, she did great and it all came back to her pretty fast. My son could not get enough of trying to show off for grandma....and quite frankly, I might have had some fun showing my mom that in the past 35 years I graduated from snow plowing to being able to ski backwards.
In addition to skiing with bob...
@Norm learning to ski has been fun to be a part of. He's been improving and
@Dominique and I are far less bored waiting for him to get down the mountain now
Kidding aside, going skiing solo around here is just not something im all that interested in doing anymore...but having people to go with makes a huge difference.
Addisons
Have you ever heard of addisons disease? Until ~6 weeks ago I hadnt either. So quickly summed up:
Addison's disease is a disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. So if you know me, I may have mentioned to you about how my wife gets ill 2-3 times a year and needs to be admitted to the hospital for IV fluids....This has gone on for many years now...Over time, every year my wife has become weaker and her energy level has gone down. She would bike with me on occasion, but then that became too hard, as did snowboarding....She always has had issues with vomiting...but it doesnt really effect her....Back in the day when we used to drink and play drinking games at parties, she was the champ at puke and rally. She literally threw up just about everything she ate while she was pregnant with my son....after my son was born she has gotten worse. When she would get a fever, start vomiting, then in short order would need to go to the ER bc her electrolytes were dangerously off...he creatinine levels in her kidneys were so high, she was at the verge of kidney failure....This started to become a regular occurrence anytime she got sick....Eventually she started bringing IV kits home with her. After a day or two of fluids, she would be fine again. Im guessing over the past 5-7 years she had been admitted to the hospital at least 1 or twice a year. In the past year tho, it had gotten worse...she was struggling to eat at all, her energy level went from not wanting to do anything like walk the dogs, or hike...to just not doing anything period. I was becoming increasingly worried....Additionally...any of you who have kids know what its like when the "team" at home suddenly has a member who is no longer pulling their weight...it causes alot of stress.. Like I would leave for work and she would be asleep, then I would come home and she would be asleep....So we started going to more and more doctors...She had every gastro intestinal test known to man performed as everyone though it was an issue with her stomach. Nothing was found. Her primary doctor had no suggestions....They really were stuck on her not eating properly and her stomach shrinking as a result......MEANWHILE. After chatting alot about all of this with
@Dominos..she did something im embarrassed to say, I didnt even think would be worth it....I mean my wife is a nurse, her mom is a nurse, as is my mom as are the countless people she works with everyday....oh ya, shes also been admitted to the hospital for this countless times and had 8 million tests run... Allison just simply looked up her symptoms on webmd and came back telling me about addisons disease...when i read about it, I agreed that she like NAILS every symptom. I mentioned this to my wife who thought it was absurd....Kinda like when she's telling me what wrong with the car...I get it...However,
@Dominos also convinced me that I need to go with her to her doctors and talk to them myself....So about 2 weeks ago the situation reached a turning point when my wife got sent home from work bc she could barely walk around...Her boss told her she could go on leave, or be fired...so we went back to her primary again who ordered her to have bloodwork done. I mentioned addisons to him...he didnt flat out tell me to STFU and go back to fixing cars and bikes...but, I wouldnt say he was receptive. So at midnight that night, the doctor calls my wife and tells her that her bloodwork results are really bad and she needs to get to the ER for IV fluids right away....she reacted to this news by not telling me and going back to sleep. The next morning, we get up and go to the hospital.....Her blood pressure was down to 74/48 and to say she had people worried was an understatement. So when the attending doctor came in, I again mentioned addisons....even as my wife is telling me I have no idea what im talking about...which is correct of course. However, this time...for whatever the reason (I like to think its bc I opened my big mouth), they decided to actually test for it.... Well guess what...that was exactly what was wrong with her. So after a day or so of IV fluids, this cortisol medication.......she was like a new person. She came home from the hospital like popeye after a can of spinach....she cleaned the whole house, ran the leaf blower for 2 hours, cooked food, went hiking......its just staggering the turn around. ...Like the downturn has been so gradual that I havent been noticing how many things she had stopped doing. Then overnight, shes back to her old self times like 5. I just feel like there has been a lot of time and quality of life lost, its sad really. But its so nice to have her back and feeling healthy again. I guess a good lesson is to do your research and dont assume that doctors know everything....Honestly, if not for
@Dominos suggestions, I have no idea how long this would have taken to figure out.