Ndifumene iiponti ezili-140 zokulwa nomhlaza. Nantsi indlela endibuye nayo ngayo impilo yam.

Umxholo

• Uphengululo lwe

Iifoto: Courtney Sanger

Akukho mntu ucinga ukuba uza kuba nomhlaza, ingakumbi abafundi basekholejini abaneminyaka engama-22 abacinga ukuba abanakoyiswa. Kodwa, yiloo nto kanye eyenzekayo kum ngo-1999. Ndandisenza uqeqeshelo-msebenzi kwindawo yomdyarho e-Indianapolis, ndandiphila iphupha lam, xa ngenye imini ndaqalisa ukuya exesheni-kwaye andizange ndiyeke. Kangangeenyanga ezintathu, ndandisopha rhoqo. Ekugqibeleni emva kokutofelwa igazi kabini (ewe, yayimbi loo nto!) Ugqirha wam wandicebisa ukuba ndenziwe utyando ukuze ndibone ukuba kuqhubeka ntoni. Ngexesha lotyando, bafumana isigaba I somhlaza wesibeleko. Kwakothuse ngokupheleleyo, kodwa ndandizimisele ukulwa nayo. Ndithathe isemester ekholejini ndabuyela ekhaya nabazali bam. Ndenziwe utyando lokukhupha isisu ngokupheleleyo. (Nazi izinto ezili-10 eziqhelekileyo ezinokubangela ukuba ube nexesha elingaqhelekanga.)

Iindaba ezimnandi zezokuba utyando lufumene wonke umhlaza kwaye ndangena kwi-remission. Iindaba ezimbi? Ngenxa yokuba bathathe isibeleko sam kunye namaqanda, ndibetha ukuya exes-ewe, ukuya exesheni, kwi-20s-njengodonga lwezitena. Ukuyeka ukuya exesheni nakweliphi na inqanaba lobomi ayisiyiyo eyona nto imnandi. Kodwa njengebhinqa eliselula, kwakubuhlungu gqitha. Bandibeka kunyango olubuyisela i-hormone, kwaye ukongeza kwiziphumo ebezingalindelekanga eziqhelekileyo (ezinjengenkungu yengqondo kunye nokukhanya okutshisayo), ndiye ndafumana nobunzima obuninzi. Ndayeka ukuba libhinqa eliselula lezemidlalo elalisiya rhoqo ejimini kwaye lidlala kwiqela lesoftball lebhola ekhatywayo ukuze ndifumane ngaphezulu kweepawundi ezili-100 kwiminyaka emihlanu.

Sekunjalo, ndandizimisele ukuhlala ubomi bam kwaye ndingayivumeli le nto idibanise. Ndafunda ukusinda kwaye ndiphumelele kumzimba wam omtsha-emva kwayo yonke into, ndandinombulelo kakhulu ngokuba ndisekhona! Kodwa idabi lam nomhlaza lalingekapheli. Ngo-2014, kwiinyanga nje ezimbalwa emva kokugqiba isidanga sam se-master, ndaya kwi-routine ngokomzimba. Ugqirha wafumana iqhuma entanyeni yam. Emva kovavanyo oluninzi, kwafunyaniswa ukuba ndinomhlaza we-thyroid. Yayingenanto yakwenza nomhlaza wam wangaphambili; Ndibe lilishwa nje lokuba ndibethwe ngumbane kabini. Kwakubuhlungu kakhulu, emzimbeni nasengqondweni. Ndine-thyroidectomy.

Iindaba ezimnandi yayikukuba, kwakhona, bawufumana wonke umhlaza kwaye ndandisekuxolweni. Iindaba ezimbi ngeli xesha? I-thyroid ibalulekile ekusebenzeni kwehommone njengee-ovari, kwaye ukuphulukana nokwam kundiphose esihogweni kwakhona. Ayisiyiyo loo nto kuphela, kodwa ndiye ndafumana ingxaki enqabileyo yotyando olwandishiya ndingakwazi ukuthetha okanye ukuhamba. Kwandithatha unyaka wonke ukuze ndikwazi ukuthetha ngokuqhelekileyo kwakhona nokwenza izinto ezilula ezifana nokuqhuba imoto okanye ukuhambahamba. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo, oku akuzange kwenze kube lula ukuchacha. Ndifumene iiponti ezingama-40 ezongezelelweyo emva kotyando lwe-thyroid.

Ekholejini ndandingama-160 eeponti. Ngoku ndandingaphezu kwama-300. Kodwa yayingebobunzima obundikhathazayo. Ndandiwuvuyela kakhulu umzimba wam ngayo yonke into eyayinokuyenza, andinakuyicaphukisa ngenxa yokufumana ubunzima bendalo ekuphenduleni ukutshintsha kwehomoni. Eyona nto yayindikhathaza yayiyinto yonke mna ayikwazanga yenza. Kwi-2016, ndaye ndagqiba kwelokuba ndithathe uhambo oluya e-Italiya neqela labangamaziyo. Yayiyindlela elungileyo yokuphuma kwindawo yam yokuthuthuzela, ndizenzele abahlobo abatsha, kwaye ndibone izinto endandiziphupha ngobomi bam bonke. Ngelishwa, i-Italiya ibinenduli eninzi kunokuba bendilindele kwaye bendisokola ukuqhubeka nokuhamba kweendawo zokundwendwela. Ibhinqa elingugqirha kwiYunivesithi yaseNorthwestern yanamathela kum onke amanyathelo, nangona kunjalo. Ke xa umhlobo wam omtsha endicebisa ukuba ndiye naye ejimini xa sifika ekhaya, ndavuma.

Kufike i "Gym Day" ndavela ndafika phambi kweEquinox apho ayelilungu khona, ndisoyika ukuphuma engqondweni. Ngelishwa, umhlobo wam ongugqirha akazange abonakale, ngenxa yongxamiseko lomsebenzi wokugqibela. Kodwa kwakuthathe isibindi ukuya apho kwaye ndandingafuni ukuphulukana namandla am, ndangena ke. Umntu wokuqala endadibana naye ngaphakathi yayingumqeqeshi wobuqu ogama linguGus, owathi uza kundinika ukhenketho.

Okuhlekisayo kukuba, sagqiba ekubeni sibopheleleke kumhlaza: UGus wandixelela indlela athe wabakhathalela ngayo bobabini abazali bakhe ngexesha lokulwa kwabo nomhlaza, ngoko wayeqonda ngokupheleleyo ukuba ndivela phi kunye nemiceli mngeni endandijongene nayo. Emva koko, njengoko sasihamba kwiklabhu, wandixelela ngetheko lomdaniso ngeebhayisikile ezenzeka kwenye indawo yeEquinox ekufuphi. Benza umjikelo wokuSinda, uhambo lwesixeko esine-16 esonyusa imali yokuxhasa ngezifundo ezinqabileyo zomhlaza, ulingo lweklinikhi, kunye namanyathelo aphambili ophando, ekhokelwa liZiko leSikhumbuzo seCettering Cancer Centre ngokubambisana ne-Equinox. Bekuvakala kumnandi, kodwa akukho nto bendinokuyicingela ndiyenza-kwaye ngeso sizathu kanye, ndenze usukelo lokuthatha inxaxheba kuMjikelo wokuSinda ngenye imini. Ndibhalisele ubulungu kwaye ndabhukisha uqeqesho lomntu siqu noGus. Ezinye zezona zigqibo zibalaseleyo endakha ndazenza.

Ukomelela akuzange kube lula. UGus wandiqalisa kancinci kancinci ngeyoga ehamba equleni. Ndandisoyika kwaye ndisoyika; Ndandisele ndiqhelile ukubona umzimba wam "uphukile" ngumhlaza kangangokuba kwakunzima kum ukuba ndithembe ukuba unokwenza izinto ezinzima. Kodwa uGus wandikhuthaza kwaye wenza yonke into ehamba nam ke andizange ndindedwa. Kwisithuba sonyaka (2017), sisebenze ukusuka kwiziseko ezithandekayo ukuya kwiibhayisikile zangaphakathi, ukubhukuda kwamathanga, iiPilates, amanqindi, kunye nokudada ngaphandle eLake Michigan. Ndifumanise uthando olukhulu kuzo zonke izinto zokuzilolonga kwaye kungekudala bendisebenza ngaphandle kweentsuku ezintlanu ukuya kwezintandathu ngeveki, ngamanye amaxesha kabini ngemini. Kodwa ayizange izive ingaphaya okanye idinisa kakhulu, njengoko uGus waqinisekisa ukuba uyigcina imnandi. (I-FYI, ukusebenza kwe-cardio kunokunceda ukunqanda umhlaza.)

Ukuqina kuyitshintshe indlela endicinga ngayo ngokutya nam: Ndiqale ukutya ngakumbi ngengqondo njengendlela yokuhambisa umzimba wam, kubandakanya ukwenza imijikelezo eliqela yokutya kwe-Whole30. Ngonyaka, ndehla ngeekhilogram ezingama-62. Nangona yayingeyona njongo yam iphambili-ndifuna ukomelela kwaye ndiphilise-ndandisazithanda iziphumo.

Ke ngoFebruwari 2018, Umjikelo wokuSinda wawusenzeka kwakhona. Ngeli xesha, ndandingajonganga ngaphandle. Andithathanga inxaxheba kuphela, kodwa uGus kunye nam sikhokele amaqela amathathu kunye! Nabani na angathabatha inxaxheba, kwaye ndiqokelele bonke abahlobo bam nosapho lwam. Yayiyeyona nto iphambili kuhambo lwam lokomelela kwaye andizange ndaziva ndinebhongo. Ukuphela kohambo lwam lweyure yesithathu, ndandilila ndilila. Ndide ndenza intetho yokuvala kumjikelo weChicago womsitho wokuSinda.

Ndifikile ngoku, andizazi ukuba ndingubani-kwaye ayisiyiyo nje into yokuba ndehle ngeesayizi ezintlanu zelokhwe. Kungoyikisa kakhulu ukutyhala umzimba wakho emva kokugula kakhulu njengomhlaza, kodwa ukomelela komzimba kwandinceda ndabona ukuba andibuthathaka. Enyanisweni, ndomelele kunokuba ndandicinga. Ukuzilolonga kundinike imeko entle yokuzithemba kunye noxolo lwangaphakathi. Kwaye ngelixa kunzima ukungazikhathazi ngokugula kwakhona, ndiyazi ukuba ngoku ndinazo izixhobo zokuzikhathalela.

Ndazi njani? Ngenye imini ndandinosuku olubi kakhulu kwaye endaweni yokuba ndigoduke nekhekhe elimnandi kunye nebhotile yewayini, ndaya kwiklasi yebhokisi yokukhaba. Ndikhabe impundu yomhlaza kabini, ndingaphinda ndiyenze kwakhona ukuba ndiyafuna. (Okulandelayo: Funda indlela abanye abafazi abasebenzisa ngayo umthambo ukubuyisela imizimba yabo emva komhlaza.)

Uphengululo lwe