Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

It has been 17 weeks since the day I found myself experiencing pain like I've never felt before and hope to never have to feel again. Today, there is still minor pain in my thigh every now and then. It's not constant, and it's not debilitating like it was at the beginning of this journey. Today, I still have some minor tightness right below my knee, but like the thigh pain, it is not debilitating like it had been. I'm so completely thankful for the healing. I've had several acupuncture treatments, which were relaxing. After one treatment I felt like I had the flu. My chiropractor said this might happen. I felt gross for two days. After another treatment I found myself in tears as I sat in my recliner. Just all the sudden crying for no reason whatsoever. My chiropractor said this might happen as well. I see both reactions as a cleansing. My body was in bad shape. I've also had several adjustments to my spine. These, I truly believe, have helped the healing along....

The neurologist told me several weeks ago that I can participate in any activity, that I will only be limited by the amount of pain I can tolerate. She indicated I will live with pain for the rest of my life. This morning I found out one activity that aggravates the herniated disc, bringing back a level of pain I was hoping wouldn't rear its ugly head. We've had a lot of rain over the last few weeks. One day recently I had a river running through my side yard because the drain next to the street simply couldn't handle the amount of rain falling. I figured that particular day I would be in the basement, wet vaccing water. I've not had water in the basement for several years now, ever since adjusting the gutters and down spouts. I knew, though, that the amount of rain that day was going to be enough to send some water into my basement. There was some, but not all that much, and Angel Baby vacced it up for me. Last evening it started raining and it rained all night then al...

That's what Angel Baby said when he walked in after work and saw the wallpaper I'd spent three hours putting on one wall of the dining room. He said something similar about the glasses I chose a couple of years ago when my prescription had changed. "Those are granny glasses," he had said. After the comment about the wallpaper, I told him my choices are my way of making a grandchild happen. So far I've had no luck. Maybe one day. I happen to love the wallpaper and how it has changed the look of the dining room. It adds a lovely touch to the space, breaking up the pale yellow that is on the dining room and living room walls. I love the pale yellow, but the one wall that is now different gives the eye more to look at. One of my favorite things to do now is sit in my chair in the living room and look towards the dining room. The new crystal chandelier and the new table along with the wallpaper have freshened up the space.  Now I'm searching for a cabinet with glas...

I'm learning some days there will be less pain in my leg and other days there will be more pain in my leg. It's kind of like a crap shoot. Although, I am realizing the nights I don't sleep well do have a negative effect on me the following day. Last night I didn't sleep, and today I feel like I'm right back in the first weeks of this herniated disc. It sucks. I've tried not to go down the rabbit holes about herniated discs, but it's hard. I want to know as much as possible about what it is and what can help to heal it. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done to help it heal other than time, and from what I'm finding, time sometimes doesn't make any difference, which is scary to think about. There are moments I'm scared that this is my new normal for the rest of my life. I truly hope it's not. I am able to get out and mow the lawn. It takes me two or three days to do the whole yard, but I'm okay with that. It's not like I ...

I finally got the results from the MRI. While it wasn't what I wanted to hear, at least I know what I'm dealing with and can now make decisions regarding activity, rest, medication. This whole ordeal has really opened my eyes to our healthcare system. My past experiences have been few and far between, mostly just having kids and going through the usual kid illnesses. I've not had to use the healthcare services other than regular physicals, regular eye checks, and regular dental check-ups. My thoughts have always been work to take care of myself by being active and watching what I eat. I stopped drinking alcohol several years ago, but I was not much of a drinker to begin with. I never really liked the taste of alcohol, so what was the point of drinking? I've never smoked. I've never taken drugs. I thought I was doing everything I needed to do to remain healthy. Then one morning in March I woke up to a nagging, sharp pain in my right thigh. I didn't think too much...