Seven minutes, 45 seconds

Today’s physical therapy was awesome. I started stretching by myself while Amy took care of something and when she came back to the room she said “Look at you, showing off.” She has this way of making me realize how far I’ve come. It’s good for me. Not like how someone you don’t really know … Continue reading →

A deck of cards

A deck of cards

Sometimes my husband is a genius. I’m stressed, which makes him stressed, which makes us not have any fun together and get more stressed. Tonight, he had an idea that brought us both back to the present. We played Rummy. Just to 500 and just for fun. But it was something completely different from the … Continue reading →

The accessible stall

The accessible stall

A friendly word of advice: When all of the stalls are open and there is no need for you to use the wheelchair accessible restroom stall, don’t do it. I haven’t needed to use said stall in weeks and every time I walk into the bathroom near my office I’m grateful for that. But today, … Continue reading →

Guess what I can do

Guess what I did yesterday? I used an elliptical machine for six minutes! Six. Whole. Minutes. I started out slow and Amy adjusted the machine so all I had to think about was moving my legs. We talked through what it felt like, I adjusted my feet on the pedals so my left hip didn’t … Continue reading →

The levy is broken

When I was barely 16, our town flooded. The Flood of 1997 in Grand Forks, North Dakota was the second time in my life that something that happened to me caused me to go into survival mode. It seems the experience of separating my pelvis during childbirth (officially, the condition is known as diastasis symphysis pubis) and … Continue reading →

Don’t let my situation scare you

Don’t let my situation scare you

A friend I have known for years is expecting her first baby. This is very exciting and I was thrilled to visit with her today. I learned that she is having some discomfort in her back and hips. This entry is for her because as I thought about it I realized had I known someone … Continue reading →

On the move

On the move

I did a lot of walking around campus today. I had an appointment, then lunch, then three more appointments, all over campus back-to-back. When I set off on this string of appointments at 9:45 a.m., I was a bit nervous about how things would go, if I would have the stamina to make it from … Continue reading →

Suffering is optional

I’ve talked here before about the power of positive thinking. It’s tough. But it works for me. Sure, there are people who think you’re a pollyanna or something when you look on the bright side. But the alternative is dreary and dreary is very bad for me. Yesterday, one of the Twitter followers for @SeparatedBirth … Continue reading →

Phase 3

It just hit me that we are not in Phase 2 anymore. Phase 2 was the nickname I gave the period of surgery and after. At the time I came up with it I’m pretty sure I assumed that Phase 2 would last the rest of my life. It was life after a separated pelvis. … Continue reading →

All patched up and ready to go

All patched up and ready to go

There were days I thought what happened to day never would. There were many excruciating days before my pelvic reconstruction surgery to repair diastasis symphysis pubis sustained during childbirth. And on many of those days in the months after our son’s birth in January 2012, my husband and I wondered if I would ever get … Continue reading →