Day 26 of the challenge is here, and I truly hope everyone is still with me and realizing by now that this isn’t just about movement. It’s about building a habit. At this point, it shouldn’t feel like something you have to “remember” to do. It should feel like part of your rhythm, your day. Any kind of movement is better than none.
I did get movement in today, but it wasn’t traditional. And honestly, it won’t be for the rest of the challenge unless I start feeling better.
Last night, I ended up in the ER with chest pain that had been building since 9am. I tried everything stretching, resting, distracting myself but the pain started radiating into my shoulder and back. So I finally gave in and went in. Better safe than sorry, right?
They even called a code heart on me when I arrived, which was terrifying. But thankfully, after hours of tests, blood work, a CT scan, X-rays, EKGs you name it they determined it wasn’t heart-related. Everything looked great.
Turns out, I have something called Costochondritis an inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum, specifically the costosternal joint. It causes sharp, alarming chest pain (on the left side, for me), and it gets worse with deep breathing, movement, pressure, or even coughing. It's not dangerous, but it feels scary.
The pain is still very real, and healing can take days to even weeks. I was told to rest and I mean real rest, which is hard for me. I’m not great at slowing down. But this is actually the second injury in this area recently, and now they want me to follow up with my primary care doctor to see what’s going on. I wasn’t even doing anything intense when it happened. It’s confusing, and frustrating.
To be honest, these past couple of weeks have been a lot. Ever since Father’s Day, I’ve felt like I’ve been getting knocked down over and over again. I’m trying to stay positive, to keep my chin up, but sometimes life just gets heavy. And I have to admit that I haven’t been showing up as much lately because I’ve needed space to rest and deal with some very personal things I won’t be sharing here.
But I am showing up for myself in the ways that matter. I’m trying to give myself grace. Trying to let healing happen, instead of forcing myself to power through like always.
If you’re in a hard place right now too, please know this: you’re not alone. Things can and do get better. Let yourself rest. Give yourself the same grace you would give a friend. I'm trying to do the same.
I’m thankful, I’m grateful and I’m also human. Things are tough right now, but I’m still here.
Hope you all had a gentle Thursday. Sending love and hugs. 💛