We have all heard that people walk into a pond, a pole or even a car while looking down at their phones. In my case, I crashed my shoulder into a wall. Only I wasn’t staring at my phone, but turning around to talk to my son while existing the kitchen. The impact was strong, but luckily no damage was done (at least I thought so at the time). We both laughed at mom’s clumsiness and called it a day.
The next morning, I went to the office and worked out at the gym, a normal and productive day. However, as I was getting ready to leave work, there was a stabbing pain at the back of my shoulder. I thought to myself: “Did I pull a muscle? Well, it will go away. No big deal.” The pain began to travel from the shoulder to my chest. By the time it was time to eat dinner, I found out that I had trouble swallowing. It didn’t occur to me that this may have something to do with the shoulder bump.
I have a standing private dance lesson with my instructor Kyle on Thursday evenings, and so I took an Advil and went to the studio but warned him of the discomfort I was experiencing. We agreed to take it easy until I felt better. At the end of the lesson, my body warmed up and the pain vanished. “Maybe after a hot shower and a good night sleep, I’ll be as good as new in the morning!” Sadly, reality hit Friday morning. I had to take Advil every 4-6 hours to be able to sit in a chair and do my work. The situation went from bad to worse on Saturday. I crawled out of the bed with a hunched back, and there was something heavy on my chest which made swallowing more difficult. Finally, I picked up the phone and called the doctor. Luckily, Dr. Prete had an opening at noon. “Perfect! I’ll go see him right after dance!” A few minutes later, a nurse called and inquired about my symptoms. And then another one phoned with this message: “We suggest that you go to ER right away. Chest pain isn’t something to be messed around with.” By this time, I had figured out why I was having the issues even though my husband pointed out that the chest pain might have little to do with crashing my shoulder into the wall. Still I didn’t want to spend my Saturday in ER. “Okay, I will go to ER if it gets worse. Otherwise see you at noon!” I assured the nurse.
Kyle and I worked on my smooth and rhythm routines for the upcoming showcase. We practiced the solo without the lifts. By noon, I was sitting at the doctor’s office waiting to be diagnosed.
“I’ve got a few messages from the nurses. You are experiencing chest pain?” Doctor Prete walked in with his usual calming smile and an almost unnoticeable hint of concern.
I repeated my symptoms once again.
“So you have been dancing for 2 hours and are feeling okay?”
“Yes!”
He glanced at my dance outfit and then turned his attention back to the iPad.
“I am going to have the nurse come back to perform an EKG. First thing first, let’s make sure your heart is okay.”
To everyone’s relief, my heart was better than okay.
“I’ll also order blood work and X-ray. Blood test may reveal inflammation, and X-ray will tell us whether or not there are bone fractures. I don’t think so based on the examination I just did, but just want to be on the safe side.”
“Are you going to tell me to stop dancing if there is fracture?” I asked cautiously.
The good doctor gazed at me for a second. “Does dance make you feel better or worse?”
“Better, of course!”
“Then keep dancing.” He grinned. “The problem with fracture is that there is nothing we can do about it other than waiting for it to heal.”
Mother’s Day arrived. I was able to walk straight from the get-go, a very positive sign. Monday found me waking up with a bad headache, although I was able to sit through the day without any painkillers. Other than a tight chest, I started to enjoy a taste of normality on Tuesday. That afternoon, the X-ray report was released indicating no bone fractures.
When Kyle found out I was doing much better, he responded with, “I am glad to hear that! Now can I try to lift you and see how that goes?”
I wasn’t completely sure. But the showcase was 4 days away and I recalled the panic on my face when I descended from his shoulder the last time we tried it. “Okay! Let’s do it!”
We ended up doing a few rounds of lifts. My confidence grew and I was amazed at how my body mended itself in just 4 short days! We delivered a performance I was proud of at the Diva Dancesport Showcase.
Being active and maintaining a positive outlook has helped me stay happy and fit. In this case, I danced my way back to health. I promised myself that I’d keep dancing for as long as I could walk. And because of the commitment, I think I’ll be able to walk much longer!