Just wanted to make a comment in regards to all the awesome progress in this thread and in others. People are making bigtime positive strides, and this thread is about celebrating that. Man that's frickin awesome

The other side of this, is that anytime we push a threshold, it very typically results in a corresponding rough time when pain and depression and resignation all return, sometimes with a vengeance. In my experience this is NORMAL. So whenever things are bad - KNOW that it is a result of your mind and body adjusting to the new norm you're setting by breaking through your old boundaries. There is no such thing as success without trial and tribulation.

I'm not saying hey - just go ahead and overdo it with reckless abandon (not that most of us could do that if we even wanted to anyway) but...

Just try to measure your progress as objectively and detachedly as possible over weeks and months, NOT several days, because it WILL be two steps forward followed by one (and sometimes even two) back. Net gain is The name of the game.

So when Bio kicks @$$ and goes shopping - she gets 1) the satisfaction and excitement of achievement, and 2) added pain from pushing it harder than "normal." The key is in knowing that the delayed onset pain is from pushing the limits, and that it will pass, and that it will yield a new baseline level that is a tiny bit better than before over time.

Yesterday I managed to walk through 4 stores pushing a carriage. And yes it hit me hard later in the day. I fell into a coma at 5pm from exhaustion. Today I had cold burning pain on my right calf, but I am not giving in to it.

On Sat. and Mon. I was lucky enough to use my friend's pool. I walked and marched in it for over an hour both days. I even walked backwards! It was a joy to walk normally, with minimal pain. I kept to the shallow end for more weightbearing benefit.