Monday, February 8, 2010

Living and Being Me

Journaling lately has not been easy for me. Nothing terrible going on here in West Michigan, just very busy with family and finally I am on the way to a bit of healing for myself. I have been driven way too often lately by back and leg pain that comes from a congenital hip problem. I've tried medications and all they seem to do is simply mask the problem, so I'm really stepping outside the box after 6 six years of dealing with the problem and getting a huge amount of healing from three alternative sources.

The first has been a class I'm taking in Qigong and Tai Chi. It has made quite a difference in my flexibility in doing some of the simple everyday things like climbing stairs and getting down on my knees which has been an almost impossible task but hard to avoid if you're a gardener like me. Once a week with following days of practice with a DVD my teacher recommended I am much improved.

But the biggest problem for the past few years has been the pain which has slowly crept in and and made my daily life miserable. The good thing is that it's beginning to fade. Beginning with acupuncture (The non-needle kind) I am really seeing a difference in the amount of pain I'm experiencing, and I'm also working with a chiropractor who has been the second half of my returning to the activities I haven't been able to actually do in years.

It's become a long journey because this problem didn't come about overnight and it will take an equal amount of time to work through and right a lot of wrongs I've done to myself over the years. I have to admit with utilizing something other than pain meds I'm doing better - I love the feel of being even just a bit the old me again.

Buona sera a tutti!

9 comments:

  1. I can empathize with the pain you feel when getting down on your knees. I have a torn meniscus in my right knee. It is very painful to get down on my knees. When the walking gets painful, I pop a few ibuprofen. That takes away most of the pain. It sounds like you are on the road to road to healing. My wish for you is continued healing in the weeks to come.

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  2. Linda, I wish Ibuproven would take care of the pain!! The pain meds I've taken lately were too nasty in the side affects and I am glad I'm not using them much any more. Hopefully with the new "treatments," I will be able to eventually get rid of them all together.

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  3. I love tai-chi. I just ordered a DVD yesterday from Amazon as I gave my previous ones away to friends in hope of getting them involved. Best wishes for getting better. And thanks for stopping by today.

    Stephen Tremp

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  4. I love it too, Steve! I have a DVD for the days I don't have class and really love the Qigong for stretching before and after the class, too.

    I love your blog, and though I don't always have much time to do much but look but am enjoying your journey to getting your book to that best seller list!

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  5. That's terrible Ciss, but it sounds like it may be on the wane. Pain of any sort can be crippling, let alone the chronic type. You are wise to seek those alternative treatments, trail and error is the tried and true way to find a solution.

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  6. Elizabeth,
    Thanks, I am working toward that very end.

    Robert,
    It is on the wane and it sure feels good to get around better!

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  7. I've been trying to get back to yoga, it helps my back as well, although, I don't have anything like it sounds you have, thus, I hope you continue to get better.

    Dorothy from grammology
    grammology.com

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  8. Dorothy,
    I know this will continue to be that ongoing healing - I was reminded of that today as a huge high went through before a storm as I hurt like crazy. I don't believe in that kind of healing (though I sure want to!)! But I can get around so much better and my normal day is almost back to what it was 10 years ago and that is a real gift!

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