The Village
I’ve always been aware that we - humans - are reliant on each other whether we want to be or not. Whether it be surviving the ravages of life as hunter gatherers or lost souls in the modern matrix of capitalism, we need each other. But it wasn’t until my son came into the world that I truly began to understand. The weight of caring for new life is unreasonably heavy for anyone on their own (I can’t fathom the plight of single parents in the modern world). Sometimes, maybe most of the time, we only learn after we have lived.
My son taught me that I need other people. I like to believe that I’m super resilient and able to handle just about anything the world throws at me. Maybe I am… sometimes. Whatever the case, the joke is on me anyways, because real strength is found in relationship.
I started seriously considering this surgery a few years ago, about the same time I started actively building out my support systems. This growing understanding that I simply can’t bear all this shit on my own led me to seek out a team of health professionals. It’s expensive and time consuming to receive professional help, but I can promise you, with the right team, the return is tenfold.
I feel overwhelming gratitude for the people who have been on my team leading up to and in the wake of this surgery. It’s no coincidence that I’m doing exceedingly well in recovery. In fact, I know, without a doubt, that all of my “luck” is simply the outcome of talented and caring people sharing a small part of themselves with me.
Kellie Kreitzberg
I’ve spoken to a number of therapists over the years and have generally had a positive experience from talk therapy. I’ll put it this way: everyone should strength train and everyone should chat with a therapist. It’s that essential. Yet, the immediacy and profundity of Kellie’s approach completely changed my perspective on what’s possible.
She is well trained in somatic modalities, something that I certainly would have poo-pooed a few years ago. In fairness, Lacey has been trying to convince me for more than a few years that somatic therapy might in fact be more effective for managing chronic pain and depression than simply finding novel exercises and getting better at grinning while I bear it. So really there are two lessons here. Listen to your wife and respect your nervous system.
Kellie has helped me create a more open conversation with pain of all sorts and was instrumental in helping me craft a loving plan for how I entered and exited the trauma of surgery.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/kellie-kreitzberg-eugene-or/717620
Sean Dorman
It’s pretty easy to find a physical therapist - even a fairly well trained one with legit acronyms at the end of their name. However, it feels like a small miracle when I find one that is truly gifted at problem solving and providing the appropriate combination of activity modification, manual therapy, and exercise prescription.
In a world of mediocre, Sean is a fresh breath of excellence. I’ve seen him regularly for about a year to help manage the barrage of issues I manage being a 40 something “high mileage” athlete. He always gets to the bottom of what’s going on. Better still, he’s friendly and clearly interested in the details of not just my physical issues, but the rest of my life. A doctor with exceedingly good communication skills and a sense of humor, Sean is the guy I want telling me what to do.
Just a couple weeks out from surgery and he’s already helped me make leaps and bounds forward.
https://tensegrityphysicaltherapy.com/staff/sean-dorman/
Cris Rubini
Simply put, Cris is a massage therapist, but that’s an insult to the alchemy he works on the table. I’ve studied under yogis who exist in truly elevated and subtle states of consciousness. The acuity of their perceptions are often bordering on the level of magical powers. Cris is THAT in touch. The first time I laid on his table, he brought me to tears doing almost nothing. Since that time, he’s helped me find ease in my body and peace in my heart even things have felt fairly grim. I won’t even begin to try and describe what he does, because, I honestly don’t understand most of it. But know that it works. This ain’t no Swedish sports massage! It’s something way better.
https://www.ourobodywork.com/about
Ananda Stiegler
Last winter I ended up in the ER with a nine millimeter kidney stone. Sparing the details, I’ll just say it was heinous and that I ended up needing two surgeries to resolve the situation. Neither the Urologist nor my PCP could provide much meaningful explanation for how/why I ended up with a massive stone. They also weren’t really able to provide much advice other than “drink more water”.
Unsatisfied, I reached out to Ananda for another perspective and I got exactly what I was looking for. She took comprehensive labs, got loads of background information, and figured out answers to questions I’d had about my health for years. She was able to solve a digestion issue I was having, which was also directly linked to the stone growth.
She’s helped improve my recovery from hard physical training, mood and sleep. I honestly feel about 5 years younger than I did before I started seeing her. That’s not a joke.
I’ve had exceedingly manageable swelling patterns since the surgery. Ananda crafted a plan that has worked wonders without slowing down the actual recovery. Powerful anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) actually dampen the recovery process, because some inflammation is necessary for tissue regeneration. I haven’t taken a single Ibuprofen the entire time. It’s great.