3 years ago, I had a freak blood clot in my leg that my doctor said could have killed me. ☠
Before the clot, I'd injured myself on a run. Broke my 5th metatarsal. It's called a Jones Fracture. The day before I was supposed to have surgery, I was at home in my boot and my leg started throbbing. It was a weird feeling I never experienced before or since: at once sharply painful and yet with no feeling in my leg. I called my wife. She's a medical provider. I asked her, "is this normal?" She asked me if my leg looked red or felt hot. It didn't. "You're probably fine," she assured me.
Still, something felt off so I emailed my doctor to let him know what was happening. 20 minutes later I got a call back from my doctor. "Dude, go to the ER. You could have a blood clot." Hours later, at the ER, they did a sonogram of the leg and sure enough they found a clot! And they told me it looked like it was starting to travel! 😬 A traveling clot can be extremely dangerous. It can go to your lungs and cause a stroke. Lights out.
I was put on blood thinners, making surgery out of the question. My foot would have to heal naturally. It was a huge bummer because it meant I would have to give up running. I'd picked up running during the pandemic and stuck to it for 2+ years and saw real gains in my personal fitness. But my podiatrist told me that Jones fractures are notorious for reinjury so no running for the time being.
That brings me to today. 2 weeks ago my company had a reorg and I was unfortunately impacted. Losing a job that you love is incredibly demoralizing. But you know what always made me feel better no matter what I was going thru? Going for a run. So, last week, I laced up my shoes for the first time in 3 years and did my first run. Then I did it again the next day. And again the day after that. And as you can see I suck and I'm slow, but I feel better.
Losing a job can throw you into a tailspin. All of a sudden you go from feeling in control to feeling rudderless. It's super important to take stock of the things you can control during your search. I can make time for a 30 minute run every day. The hardest part is getting out the door but I know that once I get moving I will feel better, guaranteed. It's way cheaper than therapy (which is important now that we have to save money).
If you're dealing with a job loss, or some other hard stuff and want to talk, hit me up. Happy to talk.
PS if you're ever injured and your spouse is a medical provider and tells you that it's nothing, it doesn't hurt to get a 2nd opinion! 😅
