It started with a deadlift on Thu Nov 7. 200 lbs shouldn't be too hard, I
thought as I loaded two pairs of 45lbs onto the bar at the corner of the gym
before the jiu-jitsu class. After all, my record was near 300lbs at my last
employer's gym three years ago.
That assumption turned out to be the cause of injury. I struggled to hoist the
weight up at the cost of poor posture. The lower-back pain felt slight and
familiar. I finished the class that day but decided to take a break.
I suspected that things were connected. In the next few days, my morning routine
told me that not only my back was compromised but my left arm suddenly became
weak. It felt like a ligament tear and I could only finish four toe-to-the-bars
before the left side gave up.
That Sunday as Tim and I took a walk in Shoreline park before sunset, I suddenly
started sweating. "Cold sweat?" Tim asked. "I know how that feels." But it was
over before we left for home.
Into the second week, things didn't improve as far as the sun salutation and leg
raises were concerned. The rain came. I stayed indoors reading and writing.
Thu, Nov 14, the bug attacked. My throat felt dry for the first time in a long
while, I felt a bit heady, and breathing through the left nostril was not
smooth. The next day, the dry throat was gone and I was fine again. A chill hit
in the afternoon of Sunday Nov 17. Next, the symptoms were gone but the sluggish
feeling stayed for another three days. Like in the past, my body did not ache, I
didn't have a fever and I felt almost normal except for a running nose.
Nov 22, I returned to the mat. It turned out to be tiring. So I gave myself
another break and trained only three days during Thanksgiving week.
My back was still not 100% recovered but the left arm felt OK now.
