Last night I slept without the slings again. I slept really well, getting 5.5 hours of deep sleep, according to my UP24, which is more than I was getting on average before my injuries. 

When I woke up twice during the night Laura did not even wake up which made me happy. For almost two months she has been waking up several times per night to help me. As I have become more independent again that has lessened by the day.

As has become routine, I went for a walk with Laura and Sasha, again with no slings on. It feels good to let my arms hang and get used to the feeling again.

After coming back from the walk I knocked out three sets x 15 squats with my hands on the counter again which makes me happy. It only takes 7-8 minutes to complete but feels like a marathon when in the middle of it.

We had another follow up with the ortho surgeon today. As many of you have seen by now, I no longer need to wear slings! That means that beyond the scar on my head, I can finally feel like a normal person again.

Before leaving for the ortho surgeon I asked Laura for my wedding ring so that I could start wearing it again. When everything happened she took my ring, wallet and keys. 

I could have gotten my ring back at anytime but going to the surgeon today to have my slings taken off seemed like a great day to start wearing my ring again.

I still have several limitations between my shoulders and my head. I have to go back in 4 weeks for a check in with the neuro surgeon and another 6 weeks with the ortho surgeon. 

Starting next week I will be transitioning to active physical therapy three times per week for the next 12 weeks. My ortho surgeon thinks it could take between 8-12 months for me to regain full mobility in my shoulders.

While I am hoping to regain full mobility sooner, I do understand that it is a process. I have come very far but I am still in a fair amount of discomfort on a daily basis. 

That timing works well for me as that is when I hope to participate in my first Spartan Race. 

With appointments over the past two days, Laura has begun her transition to working from home. It will likely be a challenge for her, as it is for everyone when they first make the move, since she has never worked from home before. Hopefully I will be able to impart my 3.5 years of experience on her.

I published a new Built Unstoppable article on the five relationships that continually need to be cultivated. This is based on my experiences over the last few years and what I have learned going through this journey. I hope that you will check it out.

I spent the early afternoon working on the new Built Unstoppable feature that I will be launching in nine days. I am excited about it and hope that everyone else will be too. 

Both my physical therapist and neurosurgeon thought the stationary bike would be a great way to start working back up. 

Fortunately we have a stationary bike at the small gym on our property. I headed over there and knocked out the stationary bike for 20 minutes. Have I mentioned how much I dislike the stationary bike?

Beyond working out again for the first time in nearly two months, it also gave me a chance to try getting dressed myself, take my pre-workout and post-workout supplements again. 

When Laura left for the afternoon I realized that I had not thought through all of the steps necessary to go workout. I was so focused on the ability to go ride the stationary bike that I did not consider the need to get changed into workout clothes. 

I could not get everything on without help (compression shirt and compression socks) but did manage to get myself fully dressed for the first time.

I did not realize that I had missed taking my 3:00p pain pill so we’re going to try going from one pill every six hours to one pill every 12 hours to see how I do. 

While continuing working myself off of narcotics is exciting, what is even more exciting is that will mean no waking up in the middle of the night for the first time since this journey started.

Inspired by Jason SurfrApp admitting that he is addicted to social media and Brian Solis publishing a Facebook update about his frustration with his Facebook stream, I decided to take charge of my Facebook account today. 

I started to organize my Facebook friends into different lists; go through the 150+ friend requests that I had sitting there because I did not want to just select “Not Now” and several other updates. 

I will likely publish my experience, if it would be helpful to you, to provide a roadmap for others who may be interested in taking control of their Facebook streams.

Tonight Laura and I enjoyed a nice, quiet and normal dinner at home.

The last couple of days have catapulted us far. We are starting to feel normal again in several areas of our life. 

Sure, we still have to deal with physical therapy and there are many things that I can’t do for myself yet. But, pushing through many of the little things and being able to accomplish them by myself are all huge.