Bad News…. :(

So I have some bad news….

Looks like the 2009 fitness season is over for me 

I’ve been dealing with shoulder pain for several months now, and it just didn’t seem to get any better, no matter what I tried.  I was getting ready to start my prep for the summer shows, but the pain just got to the point that I was having trouble making it through workouts, and routine practice was becoming out of the question.  So I finally decided to go to the DR….
and the verdict…

I have a torn labrum.  I have tried conservative treatments and rest, but nothing seemed to help.  I trained through the pain to get ready for the Arnold, NY Pro Fitness and Europa Show of Champions, but continuing to train on it as is at this point is going to cause further damage. 
So….
Surgery is scheduled for july 13th.  The game plan is to repair the tear, and the full recovery time looks to be about 4-6 months…no upper body training besides rehab/PT for 3 months!!

I’m pretty bummed and disappointed because I really felt that the Europa Show of Champions in arpil was my best physique to date, and I was really excited to make even more improvements to my physique for the summer shows.  I even had new music picked out for both of my routines (don’t worry, I will be saving them for next year!).  But unfortunately, this injury has to be taken care of, before it becomes a much bigger problem.  The good news is, based on exam and MRI, my rotator cuff is in great shape and there doesn’t seem to be any other damage (the Dr will see for sure once he gets in there)

My goal is to come back for the 2010 spring shows.  I’ve had some experience with injuries as a gymnast, so I know what it takes to rehab after surgery and get back to the sport, and I have faith that I will come back from this and be better than ever  
My biggest issue is patience, LOL……but I have a great support system and will be taking this one step at a time.  The exercise bike and I are going to become great friends

On a better note, I did finally complete my dietetics internship, and got hired to a full-time clinical dietitian position in the hospital where I was interning. So that will keep me plenty busy for now.  And I will be doing some work for Gaspari throughout the summer, so I will be around   speaking of, I’d like ot thank everyone at Gaspari Nutrition for all of their help and support.  It’s a great company made up of a great group of people, and I’m so happy to be a part of it all!!

I’m also going to Aruba with my boyfriend and my whole family (and i mean everyone, lol…mom, dad, brother, brother’s fiance, aunts,uncles, cousins, etc-).  I haven’t been on a vacation in years, so its going to be a blast!

And lastly, I just wanted to say how proud I am of my boyfriend!!  He competed at the Jr Nationals this past weekend.  It was his first national show, and he worked his ass off to get there.  He is by far the most disciplined contest dieter I have ever seen (way better than me at dieting, LOL) and he looked awesome.  He is still young and pretty new to the sport, so he has plenty of time to grow and make his mark.  Just to get on stage at the national level is a huge accomplishment (especially for the guys), and I am just so proud of him!  He’s got a great future ahead of him.

Ok, well I guess that’s all for now.  I hope everyone has a great summer, and I will try to update this blog here and there to let everyone know how things are progressing.  I’m already planning my comeback for 2010!!