Vacation, and Recovery...

I went on vacation for a week. All the way to Vancouver. And it was AWESOME!

Firstly, on the drive there, we'd stop the car every hour or so to get out and stretch, so we wouldn't be too stiff when we got there. About halfway there, I stretched my hips and back to the point where for the first time in FIFTEEN YEARS I was able to touch my toes. I know that's one of the nine possible points on the Beighton scale, and I used to be able to do it easily, but after years of "pain avoidance" and tight muscles, I lost the flexibility in my lower back. Apparently 5 minutes of stretching repeated throughout the day is all I needed to touch my toes... Yay me!

Next, there was the concert. Also AWESOME!!! I saw Rammstein! And they blew up EVERYTHING. Seriously, fire, fire everywhere, and I'm glad our seats were as far back as they were, or else I don't think I could have handled the heat.

After that, there was walking. Lots of walking. I walked until I got a blister, then I walked some more, and kept walking until my hip suddenly decided it'd had enough... Then it was bed rest for the next day and a half, and walking with my cane on the one trip we had to take.

After that, we went to Osoyoos, and attempted a swim in the lake... Which was stupid, because it's way too early in the season, and the water is incredibly frigid... But our hotel had a pool, and we took full advantage of it. Which brings up an odd point... During everyday activities, my left shoulder is mostly useless, and my right shoulder is mostly fine. In water, my right shoulder is almost useless, and my left is mostly fine... I found it odd... Swimming around, and it's the pain in my right shoulder which makes me stop.

Through all of this, I found that being at sea level, with all the extra oxygen makes it so much easier for me to breathe while I'm exerting myself (and when I'm not). I didn't have any problems catching my breath walking up hills, or over long distances, like I usually do. And something else about Vancouver, whether it's the weather, or being at sea level, or the humidity, my pain levels were so low. Practically non-existent. And when things did hurt, they healed a lot faster too. The hip pain from over-exertion took a day and a half to heal, and I've had similar injuries before which have taken weeks to even start to feel better.

Now on to the recovery portion... Made it back to Calgary in one piece, but I fell asleep in the car, and really tweaked my neck. It's been six full days of agonizing neck pain, with really stiff muscles. And my left shoulder is seriously annoying the crap out of me right now. Oh, and inexplicably, my twitching and falling have made a comeback.

And the best part? We're moving over the next couple of weeks.