The One Day In 3 Years That I Felt Good...I Do Something Stupid!

This story is for you @rebeccaryan. Your last comment to me reminded me of this horrible incident. I hate to keep saying this but it's necessary so new viewers will understand, so here goes.

I was diagnosed with MS in 2013 which turned my life upside down. I will spare you the long story but if you would like to read about how it came about, here is the link where I tell the details: https://steemit.com/story/@bluelightbandit/how-it-all-began-part-i-and-ii

I was extremely active prior to being diagnosed and when I was diagnosed, I became extremely lethargic. I spent most of my time in the bed and had absolutely zero energy and motivation. The first medications that they put me on made me feel horrible but had a low risk of developing PML, a disease that is likely to cause death. I put up with taking this medication for around two years just because I was afraid of getting PML. My neurologist suggested taking the other treatment because it would make me feel better. I had enough of living the way I was and needed a change. I decided that I was going to take the risky medication. My reasoning for it was that I would rather live for 5 years and feel good than to live for 10 years and be miserable.

So after signing my life away and every release form you can think of, I started taking this new treatment. At first, I couldn't tell much improvement and was kind of disappointed. I wasn't feeling sick all of the time like I was with the previous treatment but I wasn't experiencing the boost of energy like was described to me. But I was trying to be optimistic and was planning on giving it a chance.

Out of the blue, it hit me! It was a beautiful summer day and I felt the best that I have in years! I was so excited and happy, I was like a little kid at Christmas! I literally didn't know what to do but I wanted to do something! Before I started my law enforcement career in 2000, I was really in to shooting guns and archery. I had shot guns all my life but shooting a bow was new to me. I didn't know if I would like it or not so instead of buying all new equipment which is really expensive, I bought a used bow to test the waters with. It was like crack cocaine and I was hooked after the first shot! I mean I was in love with shooting this thing! Every spare moment that I had, I was shooting my bow. I had gotten really good with it and could pull off some pretty impressive trick shots. I absolutely loved my new hobby! After getting started with my new career, my free time went to hell and I can't recall ever shooting during that 12 year period. So guess what I wanted to do on this special day where I felt so good?

Great guess! I wanted to go shoot my bow! I went and opened my case and got slapped in the face with disappointment, which I'm pretty used to. My bow was useless; the strings had dry rotted and the cams were rusty. This was a very old bow and wasn't worth the amount of money it would have taken to fix it up. So off to the sporting goods store I go with a pocket full of cash! After picking out the one I wanted, getting it set up, getting little goodies for it and about 800 dollars later, I'm off to the house and can't wait to get there.

(One of the "goodies" I had to have, a nice trigger release)

I had all new gear, even a new "Block" target and was ready to go! This was the first time that I have ever shot a high performance bow of this caliber and also carbon arrows which are pricey as well as fast so I was a little nervous. I didn't want to take a chance on missing the whole target and be out of 12 bucks so I started off at about 15 yards away. BOOM! Awesome shot! The feeling that I got after that first shot was so amazing, I will never forget it! I had been lying in the bed doing nothing for about 3 years and hadn't shot a bow in about 16 or 17 years and oh boy did I feel alive again! That's the best way I can describe the feeling, I actually felt ALIVE!

And after a few shots and adjustments on the sights, it was like I had picked up where I left off and immediately started moving further back. I was so happy!

(30 yards away)

I was having such a good time, I decided to celebrate and enjoy some nice cold adult beverages while I was shooting. (For any Safety Sally's out there concerned that I was drinking while shooting a bow, everything was perfectly safe and no one was around.) So I'm having the time of my life, shooting and drinking and just enjoying being mobile and active. I ended up shooting for several hours that day before I eventually quit. Hell, I didn't want to quit . Can ya see where this is going yet?

If you haven't seen where it's going yet, you will now. This bow is set at 70 pounds which is a lot. It takes quite a bit of strength to draw the bow back before the let off. My wife is strong and she couldn't even pull it back even half way. I hadn't shot a bow in 16 or 17 years. I had been confined to the bed for the past few years with absolutely no physical activity. I ended up drawing that bow back probably a hundred times.

The next day I'm stuck in the bed again and can't friggin move! My entire body was so sore, it felt like I had been run over by a truck! The worst part was my shoulders, I jacked them up royally! I was so miserable and in so much pain, it wasn't even funny. I just new that I had torn something. After a week or so of seeing if it would get better, I had to go to the doctor. I ended up getting cortisone shots and an order for physical therapy. I started therapy and got to the point where I felt like I didn't need them anymore and I could do the exercises at home myself. Fun fact: Right after that day is when I had extreme RA set in on both my hands so bad that I could barely use them. Sad Fact: I haven't gotten to shoot my bow since that day. I had to come off of the MS medicine that finally started making me feel good because it made the RA worse and also my chances for PML were rising. Just my luck, as soon as I started feeling good I had to come off of it. But anyway, @rebeccaryan made a comment to me on her blog that reminded me of this story, so I thought I would share it lol. Hopefully someone will read this and learn from my mistake. I should have stretched and warmed up and more importantly, I should have quit shooting after about 6 shots. My shoulders are still jacked up after uhhh, about a year I think. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to check out my story of "How it all began". https://steemit.com/story/@bluelightbandit/how-it-all-began-part-i-and-ii