"If you say you can or you say you can’t, you’re right." - Diamond Dallas Page
I’ve been hesitant to write this particular post for a few
months now. Once it’s out there it’s out there. It’s nothing super serious of
ground breaking but it will bring another measure of accountability to me. I
want to talk about two things and how God combined them into something new
entirely.
1)
My love for Wrestling. More on that in a moment.
2)
My Chiari 1 Malformation.
In late 2000 I started losing the feeling in my pinky
fingers and my big toes. I noticed my speech impediment getting worse and my
lack of co-ordination was getting worse. I attributed this to having a cubicle
job where I sat down for 8 hours a day and love of technology. I figured the
lack of exercise and ergonomics were the root cause of my problems.
In January of 2001 the company I worked for switched
insurance providers to a much better healthcare plan. I signed up for the best
plan that they had at the time. I then proceeded to seek medical care about my
tingling fingers. I was thinking Carpal Tunnel getting me early. I was wrong. I
spent 3 months seeing different doctors with no real success. They even did a
thing where they strapped my arms down to table and shocked them to watch the
nerves. Finally, with no real success, my Doctor says “Let’s try and MRI might
be a pinched nerve or something.” Late March 2001 I go and get my MRI results
and I remember the conversation going like this.
Dr. “We know what’s wrong with you and it’s treatable.”
Glen: “Great!”
Dr: “Do you have a preferred Brain Surgeon?”
Glen: “I’m 21.”
Dr: “You have a Chiari 1 Malformation”
The rest is kind of a blur from that point until almost
Rougemont on the ride home. You can read all about Chiari Malformations here:
The too long didn’t read version is that my brain is to big
for my skull and there’s some crowding in the back. I had to have a piece of my
skull removed and two of my vertebrate shaved in half to make room. I have a
cool scar you are welcome to look at next time you see me. I have to avoid
anything that will cause an impact on my back/neck/spine. So no contact sports,
no running, no jumping, no excessive heavy lifting, etc. That’s all kind of a bummer
but on the plus side I get to wear tennis shoes all the time! I’m convinced
dress shoes were created by someone who wanted to torture people, possibly during the Spanish Inquisition!
To help improve my life expectancy and ease my symptoms
(pain, migraines, nausea, other assorted GI issues, fatigue, speech, etc.) it
would help if I exercise. However, the exercise has to be no impact and no
heavy lifting. It really only left stationary bikes and swimming. I’m not a
huge fan of either of those so I never consistently found any kind of workout
that didn’t trigger/aggravate my symptoms and that I could consistently make
myself do. File this away for a minute.
I grew up watching wrestling with my papa. I would sit in
his recliner (which is in my living room) and watch the old GCW/NWA with Ric
Flair and Wahoo McDaniel. I’ve watched wrestling on and off ever since. I’m
presently in an on phase for the last year or so much to my wife’s chagrin.
Back in the 90’s one of the more popular superstars was Diamond
Dallas Page aka DDP. I would always cheer for him to hit his trademark move “The
Diamond Cutter” on a member of the nWo. He won 3 world championships and was
inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year.
I read a wrestlers of
the 90’s where are they now? Article on Buzzfeed at the beginning of the year.
One of them mentioned that DDP was now running his own personal training
business.
Page developed a yoga fitness
program after recovering from ruptures to his L4/L5 discs. A few years ago you
may have seen the viral video of Arthur Boorman a disabled veteran who was told
he would never walk again. 15 years on crutches later he lost 140 lbs in 10
months using DDP’s Yoga program. Arthur is now one of the instructors and you
see him in the workout videos.
I was curious but had wasted so much time and money on
different apps /equipment that I didn’t
want to waste more than I already had. A few weeks later we went to Great Wolf
Lodge and they had a kid yoga workout that morning before the park opened. I
joined the kids for it and I really enjoyed it. It was only about 15 minutes. I
looked around for Yoga classes but couldn’t find a whole lot that worked with
my schedule. I thought I’ll check out DDP-Y again and see if I can find a free
lesson or something. I did.
I did that workout a few times and enjoyed it. Tax return
money came in and I ordered the DVD’s which also gave me 3 free months of the
app. I am now 16 weeks into DDP-Y. I have completed the full 13 week beginners
course and I am now working my way thru the Intermediate course. I over all feel
better, stronger, and certainly more flexible than I was before. Best part is
that almost none of it bothers my Chiari. The one thing that does (Cannonball
Rolls) I do a simple modification for.
These are me before.
These are me 16 weeks in.
Back in May I went for my annual Chiari check up. I finally
had an answer for “What are you doing for exercise?” and showed the PA one of
my one legged yoga poses. She was impressed! My neurologics had improved from
the previous year and were the best they had been in probably 10 years. It
really has made a huge difference in my life and unlike most exercises I look
forward doing my yoga.
If any of that sounds interesting to you I suggest you check it out yourself.
https://ddpyoga.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caydaItxbwY&t=3s
If any of that sounds interesting to you I suggest you check it out yourself.
https://ddpyoga.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caydaItxbwY&t=3s
As a fun way to close this story last week I went to
Supercon in Raleigh and guess who I got to meet?
BANG!
Sola Scriptura
Pastor Glen
