It started exactly 2 years ago when I was 64 years old. At some point I had decided that I wanted the be a healthy old person so I have been careful about my diet and have exercised regularly; I had been feeling absolutely fine. One day I started feeling an excruciating pain in my lower right abdomen. I wasn’t particularly alarmed as I decided it must be appendicitis which I had thought was easily treatable. However, when I had it checked there were no other symptoms to confirm appendicitis. My physician sent me for an ultrasound; the results were inconclusive. By the time that I was able to schedule an abdominal CT scan I was feeling completely back to normal. When the results came back I had actually forgotten that I was waiting for results. That’s when my physician told me to report immediately to the emergency room at my local hospital. I definitely didn’t understand what he was telling me and didn’t take him too seriously because I was really feeling fine.
The recovery was slow, painful and arduous. I was aware of and appreciated every little improvement. I was always looking back and noted how I had been the week or month before and how much better I presently was. Today…….not even two years later I am back at the top of my game……..and even better.
I hadn’t even taken into account sleeping in a two person tent and the rather basic food. I was the oldest one in the group. I didn’t share my medical background with most of the other hikers. After the first day; just 4 hours of walking up through the Tanzanian rain forest I was thinking: I don’t know, maybe this is more than I can handle. After the first night, when I was so cold and uncomfortable, I thought that I didn’t need to get to the summit, I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. But also, it was so special, such a challenge, such an opportunity and then in my heart and my head I became totally focused. It took us a week to complete our climb. I kept remembering the lesson that I had learned during my recovery. I never thought: look how much more you have still to climb but I would look down and be astounded at how far I had come; how high I had climbed and the beauty of where I was. Little by little, step by step , slowly, slowly I reached Uhuru Peak 5,895 meters – 19,341 feet above sea level. Above the clouds! The climb wasn’t easy for any of us but it wasn’t harder for me. I think that it might even have been easier for me, especially mentally, because of what I had so recently been through.
P.S. Yesterday I had a checkup with my surgeon. After seeing the current CT scan, blood tests and checking my abdomen, he told me to come back in six months. He was thrilled with my triumph!