Adventures in Physical Therapy (Ryan Blog Excerpt)

**NOTE--Ryan had to come home from his mission a month early due to an injury he aggravated in his back playing basketball on his P-Day. It was pretty severe, and he had to be flown home immediately to have emergency back surgery. We met a month after his surgery...bowling, as noted in the previous blog...he had to go to physical therapy after the surgery, so he was outlining his day at PT in this blog. At this time he was still living in California with his mom...he would come down on the weekends to take me on dates.** PAM

June 19th, 2007

Today was exciting! I headed out to Loma Linda for my physical therapy, just like any other Tuesday, but this would be no ordinary visit. I knew this would be the case when I had pulled into the parking and was greeted by an illegal immigrant trying to sell me a balloon for my girlfriend. I politely explained to him that no woman in her right mind would even consider being my girlfriend and that he would have better luck selling balloons over at McDonalds. Honestly, do I look like someone that would buy a balloon in a hospital parking lot? Come on!

Today they had me in the pool. Which meant I had to go to a different building. This is never good. I wandered up down different hallways for what seemed like years. By the time someone notcied me, my clothes were all raggedy, my beard reached to my waist, and I put Tom Hanks from Cast Away to shame becasue I was talking to my swimsuit.

So I finally found the pool, and it was time to change. Now, I am no Matthew Mcoughnehey, but when I stepped out onto the pool deck in my swimsuit, a couple 60 year ladies whistled at me. Yeah, watch out ladies, grrrrrr. After striking a few poses for my fans, it was into the pool for the hard stuff.

The hard stuff kicked off with walking from one end of the pool to the other. Step, step, step...whew, it's rough. After 10 minutes of that, it got worse! Sidestepping *cue scary music*. Step, step, step...You know, sometimes life is difficult, but hey, what can you do?

After warming up and doing some stretches it was time to pump some iron...err...foam. Pool weights are made of foam. I am no stranger to lifting wieghts, so I thought it would be easy. I was dead wrong. I not only had to lift weights and focus on my own excersises, but I had to keep an eye out and dodge an old curmudgeony man that looked just like Pintel from Pirates of the Carribean! He was like a misguided pervert whose soul purpose was to bump into people. That made weight lifting quite a harrowing ordeal. Fortunately, he never touched me :D

Then that was about it, after using the "weights" ... I think they are more like floats, it was time for me to do a few more excersises, then shower, change, and go home. I barely made it out alive. I get to do it again in a couple days!