Breaking the Silent Barriers - Vidya Rajagopal
Featured in this edition of BSB is Vidya Rajagopal who bares it all in her own account of her silent struggle. A forever young girl who loves dancing, listening to music and cooking new dishes, shares with us her journey to hope, good health and happiness after a few mishaps.
My journey to discovering my strength to overcome life’s curves started with a meniscus tear. Being an exercise fanatic, my day always began with workouts. It was during a work-out session at the CC, I heard the “snap” sound when I was performing a kick-boxing routine. I could not stand on my feet. Having experienced an ankle fracture earlier, I was mentally preparing myself for a cast for 4 weeks.
Circumstances, at that time, had me head to India for the recovery. I consulted an orthopaedic doctor who suggested an immediate surgery after viewing my X-rays. Apparently, my meniscus tissue had shattered, and a few fragments had lodged themselves in between my knee joints, making it difficult to bend my knee.
After the meniscectomy and following the 4-week window period to post-surgery healing, I had to start with my physiotherapy. Since my meniscus had to be trimmed, I had difficulty with bending my knee. I faced situations when my knee would lock and I had to wait out for the strain to alleviate before I could walk. After 8 months of intensive physiotherapy, I developed a slight discomfort with my left knee, which is when I learnt about my arthritis. Apparently, my weight gain had placed added stress on my left knee. My fear of pain always kept me in a mental cocoon from which I was afraid to step out. I found it difficult to squat or sit with crossed legs.
Slowly, I began to get back to my exercise sessions. I opted for swimming, which helped me immensely, and continued with my routine of swimming, yoga, aqua-aerobics, and dancing. The intermittent pain and locked knees would often halt these activities. I relied on painkillers periodically.
A couple of years later, I had another curve ball thrown at me. I tore the ligament in my left knee while dancing. Would you believe that? My orthopaedic doctor was surprised to know that I tore a ligament dancing. Left with no choice but to go for a surgery, I had to wait for 2 weeks for the inflammation to subside before the surgical procedure. I had the option of having my ligament fixed from my hamstring, or to wait for a donor. Harvesting from my hamstring would mean that I would be deprived of the spurt of energy, meaning a slow start for any physical activity. Besides, due to the ulcers (arthritis) on my left knee, the surgeon had to file the areas which made it stiff, curtailing a full range of motion. This journey towards healing, following my second surgery, was different. My kids (both teens now) were my support and backbone. They motivated me to overcome my fear and pushed me to surge forward. My husband, who has always been my pillar, encouraged me to do a 5km marathon after my physiotherapy. They kept my spirits up. I started with baby steps. The first challenge was to go alone to my physiotherapy on my crutches. By the third session, I started taking the MRT instead of taxis in order to challenge myself out of the bracket of fear. Taking the MRT and walking to the physiotherapy clinic was scary. My knees would lock or collapse due to the tension of walking in crowded places or gentle slopes. I would take the DTL, transiting to the red line at Newton, till Orchard. Then I’d walk all the way through the subway from Ion Orchard to Far East Shopping Centre, where my physiotherapy clinic was located. I learnt to manoeuvre the escalators with my crutches. That helped my confidence to face further obstacles. I couldn’t explain my happiness of being able to move around solo successfully.
My happiness doubled during my therapy, as I was able to speed up on my cycling and strengthening exercises. It may sound a simple and easy task, but for me it was like starting all over again. My Orthopaedic doctor was happy with my prognosis and suggested some physical activities like swimming. Dancing, running, and aerobics were totally ruled out, so I started with aqua-zumba and aqua-aerobics. It was totally refreshing to workout in water. My next goal was to begin my preparation for my marathon. I still remember my apprehension when I started walking up to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) Summit. My first accomplishment was reaching the ‘Kruing Hut’ after the first steep climb. With every passing weekend, I would look forward to inching towards the summit. Once I conquered the “Sampang Hut”, I was able to reach the summit. It took me about 2 months. My first marathon (rather a walkathon) was a success (I think) as I clocked it at 56 minutes with brisk walking. I remember my own battle within. It was a tug of war between the body and the mind. My body’s impatience to go faster versus my mind’s sanity reminding me to take it slow. This motivated me to go for two more marathons and clocking better timings.
Currently, my routines include brisk walking, yoga and swimming. I just completed my first trek to Mt. Panti a couple of months back, finishing the trek in the stipulated time. Now I am looking forward to my next conquest, Mt. Nuang and I hope to add a few more to the list. Besides my treks, I have joined a group of enthusiastic Sunday walkers and we explore various green patches of the island each Sunday. The group walks and the company, keeps me looking forward to more.
I do face slight knee pains, but the thrill is in overcoming those fears and not submitting to them. Challenges, I have realised are somethings that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. The secret is not in fighting them but to simply find a new way to stand. I look forward to continuing my walks and discovering small joys of life during them. Being a mother of 2 lovely brats and having the most wonderful partner in my life is a bonus. Each time is a new discovery and a new achievement. All these small curves and blocks in my life helped me overcome mountains of self-doubt and fear and hence I believe – Yesterday was HISTORY Tomorrow is a MYSTERY, But Today is PRESENT, a GIFT, enjoy it. Vidya Rajagopal – A survivor virajmohit@gmail.com
A couple of years later, I had another curve ball thrown at me. I tore the ligament in my left knee while dancing. Would you believe that? My orthopaedic doctor was surprised to know that I tore a ligament dancing. Left with no choice but to go for a surgery, I had to wait for 2 weeks for the inflammation to subside before the surgical procedure. I had the option of having my ligament fixed from my hamstring, or to wait for a donor. Harvesting from my hamstring would mean that I would be deprived of the spurt of energy, meaning a slow start for any physical activity. Besides, due to the ulcers (arthritis) on my left knee, the surgeon had to file the areas which made it stiff, curtailing a full range of motion. This journey towards healing, following my second surgery, was different. My kids (both teens now) were my support and backbone. They motivated me to overcome my fear and pushed me to surge forward. My husband, who has always been my pillar, encouraged me to do a 5km marathon after my physiotherapy. They kept my spirits up. I started with baby steps. The first challenge was to go alone to my physiotherapy on my crutches. By the third session, I started taking the MRT instead of taxis in order to challenge myself out of the bracket of fear. Taking the MRT and walking to the physiotherapy clinic was scary. My knees would lock or collapse due to the tension of walking in crowded places or gentle slopes. I would take the DTL, transiting to the red line at Newton, till Orchard. Then I’d walk all the way through the subway from Ion Orchard to Far East Shopping Centre, where my physiotherapy clinic was located. I learnt to manoeuvre the escalators with my crutches. That helped my confidence to face further obstacles. I couldn’t explain my happiness of being able to move around solo successfully.
My happiness doubled during my therapy, as I was able to speed up on my cycling and strengthening exercises. It may sound a simple and easy task, but for me it was like starting all over again. My Orthopaedic doctor was happy with my prognosis and suggested some physical activities like swimming. Dancing, running, and aerobics were totally ruled out, so I started with aqua-zumba and aqua-aerobics. It was totally refreshing to workout in water. My next goal was to begin my preparation for my marathon. I still remember my apprehension when I started walking up to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) Summit. My first accomplishment was reaching the ‘Kruing Hut’ after the first steep climb. With every passing weekend, I would look forward to inching towards the summit. Once I conquered the “Sampang Hut”, I was able to reach the summit. It took me about 2 months. My first marathon (rather a walkathon) was a success (I think) as I clocked it at 56 minutes with brisk walking. I remember my own battle within. It was a tug of war between the body and the mind. My body’s impatience to go faster versus my mind’s sanity reminding me to take it slow. This motivated me to go for two more marathons and clocking better timings.
Currently, my routines include brisk walking, yoga and swimming. I just completed my first trek to Mt. Panti a couple of months back, finishing the trek in the stipulated time. Now I am looking forward to my next conquest, Mt. Nuang and I hope to add a few more to the list. Besides my treks, I have joined a group of enthusiastic Sunday walkers and we explore various green patches of the island each Sunday. The group walks and the company, keeps me looking forward to more.
I do face slight knee pains, but the thrill is in overcoming those fears and not submitting to them. Challenges, I have realised are somethings that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. The secret is not in fighting them but to simply find a new way to stand. I look forward to continuing my walks and discovering small joys of life during them. Being a mother of 2 lovely brats and having the most wonderful partner in my life is a bonus. Each time is a new discovery and a new achievement. All these small curves and blocks in my life helped me overcome mountains of self-doubt and fear and hence I believe – Yesterday was HISTORY Tomorrow is a MYSTERY, But Today is PRESENT, a GIFT, enjoy it. Vidya Rajagopal – A survivor virajmohit@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment