I get bored with some things pretty easily. — I change my hairstyle on a somewhat regular basis. Luckily I’ve been with a great hair stylist for over 25 years & he’s always up for trying something new. — One of the best parts (IMO)of CrossFit is the wide variety of workouts & there’s always something to improve or practice. I have not been bored with workouts in the last 4 years. I did find many of the other forms of exercise I’ve done in the past a bit too repetitive after a period of time. — Even with my former job as a zookeeper, the routine of the day eventually soured me on the job itself. As much as I loved working with animals, it lost its appeal.

Then there are the other times I am mad at interruptions = forced changes. I have been eating the same thing for breakfast for many years. I’m not even sure how I started with this, but it’s what I like better than other options. After our house fire we were re-homed in a townhouse while our real house underwent renovations. We had sufficient but minimal cooking equipment in that kitchen, but wasn’t enough for me to make my breakfast. {yes, I realize this is a super minor problem in the grand scheme of life.} This was when I realized how much I liked my usual breakfast and for those months I had to tolerate other things.

For both cancer surgeries and my broken foot I’ve had to change my routines at home and the gym. Each situation was different but had similar frustrations. Normal routines like showering, cooking, my ability to help with dog care, and even driving were disrupted. Activities of daily living (ADL) were much harder or not possible. Now I try to remember those times just to appreciate being able to move and do normal things… simple things… like walking to campus for work or the gym.

But… always a but… now I’m super scared of the changes & interruptions to come because of my NETs or treatment. I’ve mentioned before how much I rely on my workouts, not only to maintain my strength and health but mentally I need the distraction. It forces me to only think about surviving the WOD. I can forget about everything else while I’m in the gym.

One of my many medications (don’t remember which one) can cause joint pain. Supposedly this is just pain, not deterioration, so I’ve been pushing through ongoing shoulder pain for a couple weeks. For the last week+ I’ve been having elbow and knee pains too. It’s rare to move my arms without flinching first. I’ve avoided mentioning this to almost everyone because then it’s real. I’ve been using the open gym time for extended warmups help get through the WODs. Another medication can cause heart issues by thickening walls. No idea what this would feel like if it happens, my hope is to avoid it by keeping in shape. And I won’t rehash here what I’d face with tumor growth.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to avoid these things or if they are inevitable. Will these be interruptions or forced changes? Every new ache, new body sensation causes angst because if something goes wrong again, what do I do? It’s hard to get this out of my head when I experience any discomfort. When it happens during a workout – my time to forget things – $*** hits the fan in my brain. My coping skills at these times need work, I’ll leave it at that.

How will I deal with being ‘kicked out’ of the normal gym routine again? Our coach: “as long as you come back more times than you get kicked out, you’re good”. Will it be possible to come back next time?