Do any of you suffer from back pain? If you do...then you KNOW that it can totally wreck you no matter HOW much care you take of yourself in other regards. And if you're like me...popping anti inflammatories or pain meds and muscle relaxers is a big no no.
I started getting regular chiropractic care a year ago because of chronic back pain. I cannot begin to tell you how helpful it was in relieving not only the pain...but ALL of my symptoms associated with a messed up spine. Well, I was without a chiropractor moving here, but I felt fine until a couple weeks ago. 2 months without spinal care started to catch up with me I guess.
Anyway, I finally went to a dr after days of suffering. This had much to do with my "bad" week I spoke of. She prescribed me what? Pain pills and muscle relaxers. YIKES!!! I tried them out of desperate pain relief and just as I had imagined...they made me feel WAY worse. Now I was in pain AND loopy. Not cool. A big no no. Liz doesn't need to be more loopy than she already is. And if it tells you how much pain I was in to break my own health rules then you KNOW I'm not right. Spinal and back pain also cause depression in me, and when I'm in emotional pain, I break my own life rules too.
I went for my follow up visit yesterday to look at my x-rays. I just started sobbing right then and there. He didn't have to tell me...I could See it. Here's what it looked like
It is SO bad right now. So, yeah...I've got scoliosis and I'm headed toward arthritis in my spine. I told him I couldn't afford anything but pain relief. As in...I can't afford to permanently fix things. He shaved $800 dollars right off and 16 weeks of care will be next to nothing. He is going to include electrical acupuncture as well. I'm still not sure if we can afford it, but I have a referral for physical therapy, so maybe if they see the scoliosis, they will pay for more intensive care...maybe even chiropractic.
That is great news, but I am still in quite a bit of despair about the condition of my back. I am only 30 yrs old and cannot imagine things declining. I'm not even half way through my life! I refuse to let this get the best of me. I am so grateful that I take care of myself in every other regard or I can't imagine what shape I would be in right now.
He told me it was great I was doing yoga and should start focusing on pilates too. I need more core muscular balance to help keep my spine aligned. I asked him if the exercises I do are bad and he said NO, they are excellent because they keep my bones and muscles strong which essential in prevention. I do intense exercise but it never feels jarring to my spine. If it ever does, I stop right away. What I have is apparently is a curse in my DNA.
Oh yeah, and I might have to start wearing a back brace to align me as well. Oh my gosh...I feel so OLD! I am just so thankful to at least start getting some pain relief to get back to my old self again. I've been very discouraged. I would appreciate your prayers. Oh...and by the way....part of what aggravates my spine is sitting and typing. Guess I'll have to stand and type. ;)
I'm hopeful that things will get better. One thing that makes back pain worse is despair. I've got to stay positive and keep making healthy choices. If any of you have back trouble I would love to hear what you do to correct it and manage pain.
Alright....I gotta run. I'll have a workout up later and I want to talk about other supplements I love. I cannot WAIT for yoga and exercise this morning. The only thing that makes me feel better is to MOVE
Cheers to health and pain free living!!!
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