Recovery: Living out "Go slow to go far"

It’s been 2 weeks since my fibroid removal surgery and I’ve spent it sometimes embracing the process of recovery and other times raging at the fact that I’m so much slower at everything.

The surgery was a success and they ended up discovering more fibroids than we initially thought I had. My blood loss during the surgery was minimal, which meant that my post-op recovery got off to a good start!

The first thing I noticed as the anesthesia wore off was how bloated my entire body was after surgery. As I had laparoscopic surgery, they inserted CO2 gas into my abdomen so that the surgeon could see my organs clearly and have better room to maneuver and work. The pain from all that trapped gas felt worse than the pain from the surgery for the first few days. But even with all the pain I refused to take any morphine because I wanted to avoid the extra recovery time it would take to allow my system to process that as well as everything else. Please note that I am by no means advocating not taking morphine post-surgery, I was just fortunate that my pain was borderline bearable, so I felt I didn’t need it. It’s important to always listen to your body and the medical advice you’re given!

I feel like recovery began in earnest this week as I spent most of last week resting. I now go for very slow walks, increasing the distance covered daily. I also do some mobility exercises a few times a day and I can already feel my body getting stronger. The thing I’m struggling with the most is the speed at which I move and my capacity to do stuff. Now let me preface this by saying that I’m well aware that I’m fortunate that my recovery so far has been ahead of the curve, but still, I want more!

I miss the physicality of strenuous exercise, the way my legs felt after a long tyre pull or how my body felt after an intense workout at the gym. But I’m determined to allow my body the time it needs to heal properly so I can avoid being injured or getting a hernia, so I’m learning to embrace zone 1 training.

The whole process has really made me more empathetic to the elderly. How on earth does one deal with diminished strength and mobility when one mind is still as sharp as ever?!

Genny Brown and the Six

In just over 4 weeks’ time I’ll be turning 40!

For years I’d promised myself that my biggest gift to my 40-year-old self would be to have a six-pack again as I did 14 years ago when I first moved to the UK. I held on to the notion that regaining this aesthetic would bring me joy and a deep sense of satisfaction.

Over the years I’ve watched my body and shape go through so many changes. I lost tremendous amount of weight after contracting Lyme Disease and then put on quite a bit of muscle as I recovered and began training again.

I still remember being slightly in awe and horrified at my ever expanding back and bum as I started lifting weights again.

To make matters worse, I was my harshest critic. Constantly nagging myself and asking, “what about the six-pack?” and counting calories as if my life depended on it. Then, a few years ago, I had an epiphany and remember journaling “six-pack be damned, for my 40th I really want a strong and healthy body and to be content in my own skin.”

Thus, begun a journey of self-acceptance and love. I began to understand and embrace the notion that true sexiness has nothing to do with my dress size and everything to do with who I am and the strength I carry within.

With the amount of training that I do, many expect and tell me that I should be leaner or at least more muscular but that’s just not where I am right now, and that’s totally ok. Because besides having to deal with Lyme Disease, I have Fibroids.. ugh!

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that can develop in and around the womb, and I have 6. I refer to them as the six-pack I never wanted. These 6 have been curing all kinds of increasing mayhem in my body for the past 3 years. Sometimes, like today, I look like I’m a few months pregnant due to water retention.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing a bit more about how they’ve affected me, and my chronic Lyme and how I’ll be dealing with them. But for today I just wanted to share a pic of my strong, fibroid-riddled body as a reminder to myself that I am not defined by my dress size or body shape!

I also want to send a massive shout out to everyone dealing with fibroids, endometriosis, heavy periods, pcos, perimenopause, menopause and all the other invisible illnesses that affect our wombs.