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Because I don't have enough in the way of medical problems, universe?? Yes, this will be long and rambling because...well, it's me.
So as some of you know I have fibromyalgia/cfs, and recently had a couple of surgeries...one to repair a 17 year old torn labram/various tendons in my hip, and one to remove a benign dermoid that had taken over my left ovary.
What some of you may not know is that I walked with a cane for the last three years due to that torn up hip that my doctor's kept saying was all in my head. The thing is, not a single one of the dozen doctors I saw during those three years, INCLUDING my orthopedic surgeon, bothered to tell me that I was using my cane on the wrong side.
It took a nurse catching sight of me using the cane AFTER my hip surgery (I'd come in a week after for a follow-up) to stop me and say 'honey, you're using that on the wrong side, you're gonna hurt yourself.'
Yeah, so slightly miffed over that, and the fact that I did, indeed, hurt myself. Rather badly, actually.
With the hip healed and the pain from that gone, I could finally tell what was actually back pain and not hip pain, following along the top of my pelvis. As it wasn't getting better I went back in and ended up doing extensive physical therapy for a slightly bulging disc and a spine that was a bit out of whack (according to the therapist, I hadn't quite commited to a scoliosis yet). Both of which were caused by...you guessed it: using my cane wrong.
Following the physical therapy, my lower back felt fantastic...better than it has for decades (I was actually able to touch my toes again! Haven't done that since I was fourteen!). However I still had a niggling pain in my upper back and side that felt as if I was constantly twisted or leaning over, even when I was sitting straight.
Some days it was pretty bad but most days it was just a very obnoxious annoyance. Talked to the physical therapist about it and they found they could actually swing one of my ribs up and down. They had me do a couple of exercises but when that didn't do any good, I went back to my general practitioner, who took xrays. Saw nothing, so sent me on to my chiropractor/naturopath. He discovered that my rib was actually dislocated where it joined the spine...a result of...you guessed it. Using my cane wrong. Also, the right side of my diaphragm is partially atrophied and so my right lung fills only to about half capacity. He put the rib back in and has me doing breathing excercises. It's still not perfect but at least we're back on that road.
He also had me try a vitamin regimin for a month hoping to make a dent in my fibro. When it didn't work (might as well have been taking candy for all the good it did), he recommended medical marijuana.
Let me tell you- I've spent years taking different pain meds from 12-16 OTC tylenol or advil a day to prescribed 222s, percocet, vicodin, as well as those 'for fibro' meds like savella, cymbalta, and lyrica. Even the strongest pain meds don't do anything but take the edge off and make me loopy enough to sleep and not care about the pain I can still feel.
Tried a wee bit of MJ and within twenty minutes...ALL my pain was completely and totally GONE. Not a trace of it left. It was absolutely amazing...not to mention I slept like a baby, which NEVER happens. I've been on medical MJ now for about a month, taking it two or three times a week and I've been able to completely stop my muscle relaxers and my prescriptions, and am only taking a couple of OTC pills once or twice a week. Me happy!
Lastly, I've apparently gone and developed a soy milk allergy. I'm a sucker for nutritional shakes, and my favorites were all soy based. Took me a while to realize that about five to ten minutes after I finished one I'd get a weird burn in the back of my throat and a faint, dry cough. Then it started happening closer and closer to my actually drinking the beverage, and I put two and two together. I stayed off the shakes for a while, then tried some straight up soy milk...instant throat burn and cough. I thought it was weird at first since I could still eat tofu without a reaction, but upon reading up apparently that's not uncommon.
Bout a week ago I had a fruit juice mix that I didn't realize had soy in it. This time, instant throat burn and cough, but also my face swelled slightly and got blotchy. Definitely have to keep an eye on my labels from now on.
So, yeah
Good to be back!
So as some of you know I have fibromyalgia/cfs, and recently had a couple of surgeries...one to repair a 17 year old torn labram/various tendons in my hip, and one to remove a benign dermoid that had taken over my left ovary.
What some of you may not know is that I walked with a cane for the last three years due to that torn up hip that my doctor's kept saying was all in my head. The thing is, not a single one of the dozen doctors I saw during those three years, INCLUDING my orthopedic surgeon, bothered to tell me that I was using my cane on the wrong side.
It took a nurse catching sight of me using the cane AFTER my hip surgery (I'd come in a week after for a follow-up) to stop me and say 'honey, you're using that on the wrong side, you're gonna hurt yourself.'
Yeah, so slightly miffed over that, and the fact that I did, indeed, hurt myself. Rather badly, actually.
With the hip healed and the pain from that gone, I could finally tell what was actually back pain and not hip pain, following along the top of my pelvis. As it wasn't getting better I went back in and ended up doing extensive physical therapy for a slightly bulging disc and a spine that was a bit out of whack (according to the therapist, I hadn't quite commited to a scoliosis yet). Both of which were caused by...you guessed it: using my cane wrong.
Following the physical therapy, my lower back felt fantastic...better than it has for decades (I was actually able to touch my toes again! Haven't done that since I was fourteen!). However I still had a niggling pain in my upper back and side that felt as if I was constantly twisted or leaning over, even when I was sitting straight.
Some days it was pretty bad but most days it was just a very obnoxious annoyance. Talked to the physical therapist about it and they found they could actually swing one of my ribs up and down. They had me do a couple of exercises but when that didn't do any good, I went back to my general practitioner, who took xrays. Saw nothing, so sent me on to my chiropractor/naturopath. He discovered that my rib was actually dislocated where it joined the spine...a result of...you guessed it. Using my cane wrong. Also, the right side of my diaphragm is partially atrophied and so my right lung fills only to about half capacity. He put the rib back in and has me doing breathing excercises. It's still not perfect but at least we're back on that road.
He also had me try a vitamin regimin for a month hoping to make a dent in my fibro. When it didn't work (might as well have been taking candy for all the good it did), he recommended medical marijuana.
Let me tell you- I've spent years taking different pain meds from 12-16 OTC tylenol or advil a day to prescribed 222s, percocet, vicodin, as well as those 'for fibro' meds like savella, cymbalta, and lyrica. Even the strongest pain meds don't do anything but take the edge off and make me loopy enough to sleep and not care about the pain I can still feel.
Tried a wee bit of MJ and within twenty minutes...ALL my pain was completely and totally GONE. Not a trace of it left. It was absolutely amazing...not to mention I slept like a baby, which NEVER happens. I've been on medical MJ now for about a month, taking it two or three times a week and I've been able to completely stop my muscle relaxers and my prescriptions, and am only taking a couple of OTC pills once or twice a week. Me happy!
Lastly, I've apparently gone and developed a soy milk allergy. I'm a sucker for nutritional shakes, and my favorites were all soy based. Took me a while to realize that about five to ten minutes after I finished one I'd get a weird burn in the back of my throat and a faint, dry cough. Then it started happening closer and closer to my actually drinking the beverage, and I put two and two together. I stayed off the shakes for a while, then tried some straight up soy milk...instant throat burn and cough. I thought it was weird at first since I could still eat tofu without a reaction, but upon reading up apparently that's not uncommon.
Bout a week ago I had a fruit juice mix that I didn't realize had soy in it. This time, instant throat burn and cough, but also my face swelled slightly and got blotchy. Definitely have to keep an eye on my labels from now on.
So, yeah
Good to be back!
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