This is hard

I'm still afraid of things. The difference is that, now, I don't let fear stop me.

This month has been much harder than I thought it would be.

March is our busiest month of the year. It is our biggest revenue month. It's not even halfway through the month, and we've blown away all our numbers. We have fewer people on staff. So, everyone is working harder than they've ever worked. I can't figure out how they do it. They get everything done. (Superhero team).We are building product to get up on the website at a crazy rate. Corporate taxes are due on 3/15. OH! That's today! One level of our house is being remodeled. As is normal, some of the projects were delayed or dates had to change. I'm having surgery this week. That means, I'm working ahead. 

The surgery is there, looming over me. I wish so much that I could have had it done earlier in the month. 

It's hard to stay focused on workouts knowing that I will not hit the official training again until the beginning of April. I think Liz knows this, so she's had me going full steam ahead. Run tests (which I dominated). Bike test #4 which was another smashing success. 

Keep me busy, so I don't have to think about it. 

I have researched. I have talked to my surgeon. Liz and I have a plan. This will be my first surgery. I've never even had as much as a broken bone. I've only been to the hospital to deliver widdle babies....and visit people.

It's been really hard to find athletes who have been through this. Not because there aren't many but because most people don't write about it. MOST people (I've found) are being treated for the regular hernias that everyone hears about. "Oh, you have a herniated disk?" No. It's completely different. "Oh, I've had a hernia repair. It takes months!" No. It's not that kind. Trust me. 

An umbilical hernia is very different than the other hernias. This is something that I got back in 2012. It is has never been painful. It has never stopped me from doing anything. The reason I am getting it fixed is because it is time to get it fixed. They don't even have to be fixed. They are mostly cosmetic. However, they can cause problems down the road......15-20 years down the road. 

The difference between other hernias and umbilical: my surgeon wants me to move the next day. Then he wants me walking and going up and down stairs as much as possible. I have core exercises to start the day after surgery. I have other exercises to start as soon as 48 hours after surgery. I'll post all of those as soon as I start them. I'm supposed to take as many walks as is possible during the day.

I've read blogs from people who have been through the same type of surgery. I have a great idea of what recovery will be like. Honestly, I'm not even worried about that. 

It's just the feeling of having this thing looming over me. I want it done, so I can start the recovery process. 

I've wanted to write, but I didn't know what to say. After reading 2 particular blogs of athletes who have had this surgery (a runner/swimmer and an ultramarathoner), I realized it's important for me to get everything posted because someone else might stumble across my blog looking for information about recovery time. That's important because there's just not that much information out there. (Oh sure, there are a lot of stories out there from bodybuilders, but what about triathletes? I was only able to find a few people who asked questions. Then, there was no follow up. No information about their recovery process).

Now that I'm thinking through this, I see this like a test....just like my run and bike tests. I've prepared as much as I can. I've been talking to Dina regularly. I know how I need to change my nutrition during recovery. I know what supplements to add to aid in recovery. (I'll go over that too, but it might take a few days depending on where my head is).

Overkill? Possibly, but I feel better knowing that I am doing everything that I can do.