A lesson learned...the hard way

I haven't been able to ride in over a week. I haven't felt well for a few months, and have been to a slew of doctors, to no avail. I was starting to feel like a patient on House, but with no smart-ass doctors to suddenly cure me.

This weekend things came to a head, as I slept all day Saturday (sorry for no post, btw) and spend Sunday in the ER. Turns out I was seriously dehydrated, suffering from bacterial infection AND a virus. A few bags of fluids, some steroids and a prescription for bed rest later, I was home and sleeping. No bike rides for ANOTHER week! What?! I didn't know how much I truly loved riding until this week. I also had no idea how much I depended on riding to keep me sane. Not being able to has been terribly hard.

However, I know that if I rode today I would only hurt myself. I am a total 'grin and bear it' kind of girl, waiting until the pain is unbearable to seek help. This incident has taught me that this may not be the best way to live. Had I taken my fatigue more seriously, perhaps I would have insisted that doctors do more tests and figure out what was wrong sooner. I knew that something was not right, but pushed it aside and kept riding and trying to live my normal, busy life.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Andy Edwards, who finally figured out what was going on. Never again will I wait until I can't get out of bed to get help. Our bodies tell us when something is wrong if we will only listen. Occasionally I would ride less than a mile and feel wiped out, chalking it up to not being in shape. Instead of resting, I would push myself harder the next ride.

It has been ridiculously hard to stay off my bike this week and last, but I know it is best. I have great friends who are helping me remember how stupid it would be to get on the saddle, even for a 'short ride' (which is how I justify the ride to myself!). I may not win Triathablog, but sometimes being smart means changing priorities.

Plus, I still have a few weeks to come back and kick some ass! So watch out...who knows how awesome I'll be healthy!?