Four Months and Returning to College!

Today I leave for New York to return to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. I am happy and wistful as this period comes to a close. I am excited to get back to school, but it was lovely to spend time at home. I renewed old friendships and had the chance to live with my family once again. This recovery has been difficult, but I’ve had so much support, and I feel incredibly lucky. I’ve also been able to work with expert doctors and physical therapists who have inspired and cared for me in the best possible ways. I will miss them all. I loved going to PT twice a week and seeing them. 

So, I’m doing pretty well physically. My right hip is quite impressive and healing wonderfully, but my left is still holding me back from moving forward quickly. I still have a great deal of pain with my exercises. I am not quite to the place I was in before my surgery—the inflammation is still worse after the operation. I’m sure this will dissipate in the next months. I still have a long road ahead of me. It will be another eight months before my tissues are fully healed. And it’s unknown how much relief I will even have at that point. I just have to do my PT every day and wait.

Currently, I can walk for 45 minutes on flat ground and ride the stationary bike for 25 minutes. These are great numbers considering where I was even one month ago. I’ve been moving the time up in increments, sneakily, to trick my body into allowing one minute more every day until I am where I am with little pain. I can do forty squats and 100 crunches per day, and my exercise routine now takes more than two hours. I feel strong.

At school I plan to continue my physical therapy. I’ve scheduled an appointment with someone in Kingston who Brandon recommended to me. I hope he is a good match for me, and also that his office takes my insurance! If not, I have two others to try. 

I’m a bit apprehensive about my school schedule and my physical stamina. I will be reminding myself every step to take things slowly—slower than I want to take them. If I need to cut some things out of my schedule, I can. I must put my health first, before making money, activism, journalism, socializing, and even classes; if I do this now, perhaps I’ll be capable of so much more later.

Thank you to all of you for supporting me and loving me through this process. I’m glad I had the surgery and took the time off to do it. I feel overall positively about it, and I have hope for the future. I will work hard to be as healthy as possible!

Biking!

Glutes strengthening

Squats

Balancing