In this Update:
- A 30-Year Reunion
- Adding a Sled
- Puppy-Sitting!
- Funky Health
A 30-Year Reunion
Between Ralf’s surgery and bumpy recovery, and freaking COVID, visiting his family overseas had become an impossible task. Ironically, the last time Ralf has been to Germany was for my ADR back surgery in April 2018. In hindsight, I am so grateful that my immediate pain relief and swift recovery allowed us to travel the two hours by train to see his brother and (then baby) niece. That trip was between my discharge from the hospital and having my stitches pulled, and even though I had to take frequent breaks to lay or sit down, we had a great time. Little did we know that it would be the last time that Ralf was able to travel – until now. With that being said, since Ralf could not go to the mountain, the mountain ended up coming to visit us: Ralf’s cousin, who he hadn’t seen in over 30 years, came to Florida with his girlfriend for vacation and decided to stop by in Orlando for a family dinner. That was absolutely amazing, and those two hit it off as if no time had passed at all. We ended up meeting at a Bahama Breeze by Disney Springs, which was close to their hotel. The evening started out with a minor hiccup, when we were seated outside while we waited for Jürgen and his awesome girlfriend Taiba. Jürgen texted Ralf that he had arrived but was nowhere to be found. Ralf was getting worried that he may have given the wrong address to his cousin but as it turned out, they were also seated outside – in a completely different section. After some back and forth, we all figured it out and united at our original table. Sitting outside was a plus, despite the heat, and we spend four hours together that evening. Let’s not let 30 more years pass before we meet again, shall we?
Puppy-Sitting!
Speaking of visitors: we had the adorable Wasabi over for summer camp! Fortunately, our landlord approved us doggy-sitting the Wasabster while his mom and dad went to Vegas. Our Poncebear went to “summer camp” at Nickolas and Sharon’s many times, so Wasabi used to be his part-time brother. Wasabi is now a senior puppy as well, half blind with arthritis, but he is happy and such a good boy, it was so nice to have him over. It’s been three years since Ponce passed, and we haven’t had a four-legged fur baby ever since.
Adding a Sled to our Garage Gym
Ralf’s hips, especially the right, had been an issue for a while now. He is so diligent with his workouts, trying to stabilize them, it feels quiet unfair that he always get these curveballs handed to him. So we invested in another piece of equipment for our home gym: a sled! Pushing an object against resistance is actually a very beneficial exercise, and we used to do that while we were still doing Crossfit. However, this sled by Torque Fitness has wheels, using magnetic resistance, as opposed to metal skate scraping along the asphalt (I am sure our neighbors and the HOA appreciate that).
The first workout (and test of our patience) was assembling the sled, which I can proudly say we mastered without major issues.
Now the time had come to test-push the sled up and down our road: a workout indeed, especially in the Florida heart! But it does make a difference in Ralf’s hip, so it’s a win in the books.
Vero Beach Getaway
Finally this month, Ralf and I went on our long-planned weekend getaway to Vero Beach, which was my latest birthday present. The last time we were there was in 2018, a few months after my ADR surgery. With Ralf’s diagnosis and associated struggles, travelling and staying in hotels is more challenging now, but overall, it all worked out fine. Ralf requested the same type of room (ocean front, corner room, with the bullseye window) – it was perfect!
We had a very nice time, hanging out in our cabana, soaking up some sun, and swimming in the ocean. In fact, I got a boogie bord and had some fun with the waves – the water was pleasantly warm, and I spend a good amount of time afloat! We also witnessed an impressive front moving in, with gusty winds and amazing cloud formations!
The only thing that we had to postpone was our fancy dinner. All the changes were a tad much, so we played it safe and ended up eating fantastic homemade gnocchi at a local Italian place…!
We even had the best Ceviche at this Peruvian place on our way home. That was a worthy end of a great weekend.
Funky Health
Granted, ever since early 2019, life has been stressful, almost non-stop: Ponce passing, Lourdes passing, Ralf’s cancer diagnosis, still having to finish MSN program, Ralf’s surgery at Moffitt, the global pandemic, being a frontline worker in the ED during COVID Wave One and Two, starting a new job in simulation/education, Karl-Heinz’s stroke and associated struggles, traveling back and forth to Germany during a pandemic, hip surgery, getting bullied out of simulation job, starting yet another new job… to be continued. I suppose, it’s not surprising that the stress would leave its mark, eventually. In my case, I ended up with hair loss, hot flashes, and amenorrhea that started beginning of 2021, which was in addition to my increased anxiety and depression, topped with a torn labrum in my right hip. “Stress-induced, premature menopause” was my diagnosis. Awesome. I admit, I really, really struggled with this. It feels like you lost part of what makes you a woman. Silly, maybe, but undeniably another irrevocable life event that has left its mark. At least my back is still fine, and my hip (although not perfect) has not been an issue either.
After reviewing my labs, I decided to try a supplement to get my progesterone up. That was in September 2021, and it made a significant difference. Those viscous hot flashes calmed down, my hair stopped falling out in strands, and my eyes weren’t dried shut in the morning. Since I still need to monitor my labs moving forward, I finally had an appointment with a GYN, even though my latest labs weren’t back yet (they took forever to be processed). However, that was pretty depressing and a waste of time and co-payment: apparently, menopause-related symptoms are “part of being a woman”, and they only monitor labs if you are on actual hormone replacement therapy. Sorry, that is unacceptable! I think I will stick to my plan for the time being, and I hope my supportive PCP will continue to order my labs when I need them. However, I will keep searching for my best long-term solution, which means finding a GYN, who actually takes menopause repercussions seriously.