Red, White But Certainly Not Blue

Overall this has been a good week, I’ve felt good more than I’ve felt bad and I’m looking forward to an extended holiday weekend to catch up on sleep & rest.  About a week ago, I began seeing my chiropractor (Dr. Scott) again to determine if my nerve pain is being cause by a pinched nerve or something of that nature.  The last time I visited him was in 2003 so it’s been awhile.  At this point, I’m exhausting all possibilities before I see the neurologist on July 12^th.  Mostly, I’m looking for some relief but I also want to walk into the neurologist’s office armed with information on what has worked and what hasn’t.  My biggest concern going into the appointment is that I’m not going to be taken seriously and that he will tell me its all in my head.  With the MRI not really showing any signs of anything other than mild stenosis (as well as my body aging) it’s somewhat frustrating.  Aside from the numbness & tingling, my lower back pain has gotten quite better.   For close to eight months I had been having beyond extreme pain in my tailbone area – my only relief came from lying down.  Talk about a LITERAL pain in my a**.  I had a hard time sitting, walking, standing.  It was awful (especially because I sit all day for my job as well as in class) but Dr. Scott has been working his magic and the pain has been reduced significantly through adjustments and electrical muscle stimulation therapy. This therapy helps by sending electrical currents deep into the tissue and reducing inflammation and tiring out my muscles so they stop spasming.  Although Dr. Scott hasn’t been able to pinpoint what exactly is wrong, he has concluded that my lower back pain is separate from the nerve pain since the numbness, tingling and pain are still present and has advised me to keep my appointment with the neurologist.  While that was a bit discouraging, (since I was hoping that it would be a simple fix) not having the lower back pain has been the greatest relief right now.  I felt so great after my appointment Wednesday that I was able to run three WHOLE miles!  Granted I had to stop a few times to “wake up” my legs & feet but I finished and it felt great!  I’m taking it day by day and fingers crossed that it continues through the long weekend since we have so much going on!   

The Fourth of July is my favorite time of the year - there’s just something about this time of year that puts a big smile on my face!  Not to mention it’s a time to reflect on and celebrate our Independence.  I’m looking forward to spending time with my family & friends sporting red, white & blue, attending parades, eating lots of BBQ,  playing games and of course, FIREWORKS!   I hope you all have a wonderful & safe 4^th of July holiday.

Until next time…