Sunday, September 29, 2013

Next?

A Whole New Normal.

Now what?

Ok, so the book is out*, blah blah blah, share the story, blah blah blah, thank you for your support, blah blah, blah. So what's next? I have two choices...I can stay where I am, stalking all of the AN websites and facebook pages looking for the next freshman to the class.

There's another choice....there has to be.

I am boring myself, (and creeping myself out with all the stalking) so I can't imagine what you are still doing here.

I don't know about you, but I missed you!! I need my public confessional, how many times during my journey did I quit drinking? Start eating better? And you never gave up on me.

You are the best.....

So, here's my commitment to you. I have given this a lot of thought.

I won't give up on you either. I'm going to set a better example....if you have seen me in the past few years, you know I've sort of let myself go. I have great excuses. Again with the Blah, blah blah.

Done with the excuses. I'm getting back to work. Better eating, less drinking, more moving.

Today I'm going to start to focus on balance. Mine has been better. I hear about balance issues everywhere, lots of us are falling down these days, and not just my AN brothers and sisters.

Friends, family and strangers are having the same discussion! Today on one of the websites I stalk regularly, someone was wondering if walking could really help with balance.

Here's what I think.

Everyone is different....Walking could not possibly make your balance issues worse, (or could it?)....so imagine if you did not walk? There are lots of our brain chemicals we could not possibly know about that are in our bodies. Getting balance exercise in whatever form (walking, bikings, yoga, pilates, skiing, surfing) is going to maintain, if not improve, our balance.

I don't know how old the person asking the question is, or if the questioner is male or female..I can't tell by the name. (And as for the profile shot, still not conclusive, or that would mean half of my facebook friends are cats and mountains.)

Here's what I know. I'm a 55 year old female acoustic-neuroma-suvivor who loses my balance and almost falls down at least once a week. But, so do other women my age who have not been diagnosed with a tumor!. So for you women who are still concerned about getting dizzy and falling because you had or have a brain tumor, you can't use that as an excuse anymore. I'm calling you out. I'm calling me out. So everyone, get up off your computer, get outside, or go to a gym, or move over the couch in your living room, and join me on another journey. Oh, and for you young, middle-aged and older men, Welcome to our world of light headed-ness, headaches, and insomnia!!

*Now available for sale through Village Books : http://www.villagebooks.com/book/9780615852133

And via Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615852130

4 comments:

Linda said...

I've dealt with the dizzy-fall down routine for nearly all of my life. It got suddenly worse in '76 and by '85, I was mostly down. I had to go on disability in '87. My symptoms are just that, no nice label to put on a folder. It's crappy, it probably can't be cured, or predicted. I know some of the triggers and avoid them. My balance is definitely better as I work in the pool at St.Joe's 2 X a week. But I still fall a lot. In fact, I'm great at it and know that if you don't just go with it and resist, it's worse. Avoid hard surfaces, stairs, and dangerous places. Hug walls, use anything you can hang onto and don't ride a motorcycle or bike. Go with it. Things could be worse ;-)

Marla Bronstein said...

Thanks for your comment Linda. It's true. Things could be way worse!!

Spike said...

Great post here! I'm not finding a way to subscribe to your blog...

Marla Bronstein said...

Are you subscribed now?