Day 3, A Love That Would Suffer So Much

6am Uno tourney

Nana stayed overnight last night, to help us out today.  Good thing Nana is a morning person :0)

Trips to the Y, school at the library, and some carpooling. Thanks, Nana! The kids had fun telling me (through near-crying happy tears) about how shocked you were by the insane number of ice cream flavors at Tom's Drive-In... 

"There's vanilla, chocolate, and twist... wait.. what? What a deal!  And in a waffle cone, too?!"

Today was an intense day for me at the Posture and Spine Care Center.  I'm feeling achy in my curve, which is more than fine... and necessary... and expected... but really exhausting. 

I continue to be floored by the level of fatigue in this situation.  I didn't expect this; I'm only responsible for myself on these treatment days (vs 3 little people, as well), I'm not making or cleaning up meals, cleaning, doing laundry, being a referee, teaching school, running errands, or doing any of the other things I typically do all day long... my activity level is drastically lower.  But somehow, I am just wiped.  I guess my body is working hard, even though I feel stagnant most of the day.  Confession: I have yet to take a lunch break in which I don't drift off to Never-Never Land.  Today, there was no stopping it: lock the van doors, grab Gressa's neck pillow and psychedelic fuzzy travel blanket, and kick back. Phone alarm set, and outsville.

I was able to have Andi (one of Dr. D's assistants) take a couple of pix of me in the Itchy Seat (aka the traction chair) today.  My head is in a sling-type thing, with a weight attached to it.

The scolio chair, right now for me, is for 30" at a time, 3x per day.  Its main purpose is to open up the curves and de-rotate the spine! The high-level vibrations speed this process and allow me to strengthen my core muscles in a scoliosis-free way. (I knew this felt like "work"!  No wonder!)

Weight was added to my cantilever today.  Phew.  Prior to today, there was 12lbs hanging off of the right end.  Now there is 15lbs.  I'm still holding the 10lb weight in the other (L) hand.  Unbelievable, how just 3lbs can feel soo much heavier.  It doesn't sound like much, but it's all concentrated on my left rib cage - where my scolio is.  

It feels as though I have muscle knots between my ribs, in the intercostal areas, from the therapy.  And the weight pushes right on that.  At that point, posture is corrected, and needs to learn how to stay that way, so I balance on the vibrating, blue disk.  It hurts, but that's how change will continue to happen! 

Olivia and me, trying to get in a zone with our cantilevers. It looks easy from here - but it's not!

Olivia had weight added to her cantilever today, too.  We decided that was the final straw: instead of rotating through stations on our own, we are now partnering up for the cantilevers.  If one of us is ready before the other, we are waiting until the other of us is ready to begin.  Why?  So that we can finish at the same time!  Once one person hops off and is finished with their lever, those last few minutes alone seem like such a struggle!

Olivia also showed me some video of her doing gymnastics.  I told her about how my Ava was a gymnast, too! Olivia's really hoping to avoid any surgery, as that would mean an end to gymnastics. (A fusion would limit her mobility too much.)

So far: I feel more mobility and less neck pain, for sure.  I want to say that I have less lower back and hip pain, and that my posture is so much better already, too, but I don't want to jinx myself or anything... ;D  I *think* I have another x-ray tomorrow, too, and that makes me entirely giddy.

As I get ready to head to bed to do the 6 hours of treatment all over again, I am so happy, despite my aches and pains. I feel so fortunate and it's really almost surreal.  ANY and all positives that come from this experience are truly a loving response to prayer, from Jesus.

He loved me enough to hang on that cross and suffer a more-than-miserable death.  Of course He would love me enough to answer my prayers as He sees fit, always working for my good.  It's humbling.

Lent - a time to review the passions of scripture and marvel at the unending love our Christ has for us. How undeserving of that love, we pathetic sinners truly are.

Love took him to that cross for us, and that same love kept him there.  Thousand, thousand thanks shall be.

"Christ, the Life of all the living, Christ, the Death of death, our foe, 

Who, thyself for me once giving To the darkest depths of woe-

Through thy suff'rings, death, and merit I eternal life inherit.  

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, Dearest Jesus, unto thee."

"Christ, the Life of All the Living"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZFMy296ULU

This, my favorite Lenten hymn, and sung in church this evening.