Sylvie Guillem Quotes

Towards the end of 2003 it was hard to get through training - and the darkest point was when a doctor told me there was a possibility I could end up in a wheelchair.

My knee has always given me problems. But it got to the point where I actually had to start giving up things. And I hate that.

It's very difficult to advocate for yourself while you're in excruciating pain.

I shake all the time. It's exhausting and causes chronic pain in my joints and muscles. It is also the only life I have ever known. I use yoga, dance, nutrition, and breathing to help manage my symptoms.

There's not a day that goes by that I'm not in pain. Multiple joints and things that I experience on a daily basis. It can be very frustrating sometimes and painful, but I'm very blessed.

I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

I have been suffering for so long and didn't even recognize it. I just stopped doing so many things that I used to love to do due to my pain.

If I'm going to have to deal, as I get older, with arthritic pain, I don't want to get into opiates.

I'm pleased to say my knee feels a lot better. It's still not back to normal, and I don't know if it ever will be, but I'm learning to deal with it instead of expecting it to be like it was before.

I fell and broke my pelvic bone in three places. So, I'm still sort of an invalid now.

Rock and menopause do not mix. It is not good, it sucks and every day I fight it to the death, or, at the very least, not let it take me over.

But, then again, I had to stop because there was too much pain or too much trouble. After I retired I still had one more elbow surgery just to be able to do normal things.

I can't dance anymore. Total knee replacements. I can't do anything anymore.

I have a form of Parkinson's disease, which I don't like. My legs don't move when my brain tells them to. It's very frustrating.

The biggest problem has been exhaustion. I've spent about 6 of the last 14 years completely bedridden.

My spine healed incorrectly. There were long periods when I'd be perfectly all right, and then there were many other times when I wasn't, when my back would give out and throw me down to the floor amid waves of nauseating pain.

I've never experienced chronic pain myself, but I have known many people over the years who have.

When you have an injury, you are hindered a little bit.

I felt something in my hip but I thought it was something little. It got worse and worse over time, to the point where I couldn't sit down. That's when I knew something was wrong.

Any athlete will tell you that it's the most difficult thing in the world being injured.

The truth is my dad was a lovely man who had to retire early from his job as an engineer because he had osteoporosis. It meant he was forced to wear a harness and could hardly breathe.

There's days when my body's better than other days. It still gives me problems. But it's very manageable. Rehab is forever my friend.

My mind still wants to do everything; my body can't anymore. My mind would want to continue until I was 100.

Since the attack I have undergone over 250 operations to improve my physical functioning.

It's all been a blessing, just being able to focus on my health and redouble the efforts on recovery. It's been a long path. I still have chronic pain.