It's Worth It

I am so happy to report that my leg is healing nicely following my injury on the treadmill a little over four weeks ago!  I saw the doctor on Wednesday and he told me I could wear the leg immobilizer at my discretion, if I felt the need (which I don't!) and he also told me that I can get by on just one crutch.  I've been flexing my knee and while it's a long way from having the range of motion I had before, I'm seeing daily improvement and walking is getting better by the day.  Best of all, he told me that I could resume driving as soon as I felt I had the strength needed, and I'm now there :-).

When I think about so many individuals who are permanently disabled due to injury or birth defect, these last four weeks of immobility seem pretty paltry.  I'm so thankful for the healing that has taken place, and I'm also thankful that I made myself follow doctor's orders (at least for the most part).  It wasn't always easy!

Why is it that our human nature so often leads us to think that somehow we know better than the experts?  We're given expert advice from someone who has the knowledge and credentials to know what they're talking about, but then some of us (I'm talking to myself here) think that we can be selective in following that advice.  We view the advice more as a suggestion.  I have to be honest and admit that I didn't always use the crutches as instructed because I found them inconvenient and, in my words, "more trouble than they were worth."  I used them if we were out and going to walk a distance, but I didn't use them around my house.  (I WAS compliant in using the leg immobilizer, because I understood the need to keep my leg and knee straight while the fracture healed.)  When I was tempted to push the envelope and not wear the immobilizer or leave the crutches at home when we were out, I reminded myself that the doctor really knew a lot more about what was required for healing than I did, and I knew I wanted to get better as quickly as possible.  I understood that following his advice, which I didn't always want to do, was the best and fastest way to get me to my own goal, which was back to normal without any complications.

Two things kept me fairly compliant:  a desire to be off my crutches and immobilizer and back to driving by the time we leave for our trip to Dallas on July 4, and a fear that not following doctor's orders could lead to a set back, perhaps even the need to be in a full cast.  Because I had a goal and a realistic concern, I made myself do the things I didn't want to do.

Hearing from the doctor that the x-rays show things are healing very nicely, having him tell me that I didn't need the immobilizer and could start driving made all of it worthwhile.  He also told me that I should be pretty close to normal by the time we leave for Dallas :-).

Our weight loss journey has many things in common with this most recent journey of mine:  we are put in a position where we've been given expert advice, advice that if followed will bring us to our goal.  We have to choose whether or not we're going to follow that advice or whether we're going to try and outsmart it and follow our own path.  If we choose to follow it, we will definitely be doing some things that may not be our first choice.  We'll be eating some food that, while tasty, certainly isn't gourmet and nothing like our own home cooking.  We'll choose to not eat the aforementioned gourmet food and home cooking, even though that's what we'd rather do.  We may be drinking lots more water than we ever have before, and we may be incorporating exercise into our lives even though we'd rather watch TV or be on the computer.  We choose to do all of those things, and more, not necessarily because they're the things we want to do, but they are the means to get us to where we want to go.  This is a proven program and it works - IF we choose to work it.

There were some times over the past four weeks when I wasn't having very much fun sitting in one place, but getting a good report from the doctor made it all worth it.  When you reach your goal (and you WILL reach it if you stay on plan!), every choice you're making now will be worth it - you won't have a single regret!

As always, it comes down to the choices we make.  Stay focused on what you REALLY want, then choose wisely :-)