2020 - is it over yet?

 2020 got off to a reasonably good start. Although I had gained back some weight during the fall, I was getting back on track. I was seeing a physiotherapist for knee pain. I had my first appointment with a naturopath. I had registered for another Epic Life Challenge. And I had signed up for the TC 10K walk.

And then, at the end of January, I went to the medical clinic to get a prescription renewed. That’s when things rapidly started going downhill.

The clinic doctor suggested bloodwork as I hadn’t had any done recently. That revealed an overactive thyroid - hyperthyroidism. In investigating that, they found two thyroid nodules. I was sent for a routine ECG which led to a 3-hour stay in emergency because of a heart arythmia. This led to heart medications and monitors and being told not to exert myself. Other than short slow dog walks, exercise went out the window. I was now waiting for an ultrasound to find out if I had any permanent heart damage and a thyroid biopsy to find out if I had cancer. Before either could happen, the COVID crisis began and medical procedures were put on hold. It was early June that I got the all-clear on both counts. That was good news but within a week, I had something new to worry about - my daughter was having vision problems and migraines. It was a stressful wait as she got tested for such things as a brain tumour or aneurysm. They eventually diagnosed a swelling of the brain and are trying medications but it is not healed or solved yet.

By then, not exercising, adjusting to the new reality of COVID life, minimal social connections and being chronically stressed had led to the return of old coping mechanisms and regaining nearly 50 pounds over a 6-8 month period. Old joint pain returned and pain, stress and feeling like a failure (yet again) led to deteriorating mental health. 

As my 59th birthday approached, I knew I needed to make some significant changes to improve my physical and mental health.