I brought Ava with me again, on Friday. She really wanted to come (and had done 4 math lessons on Thursday to build her case), and I also wanted her x-rayed. It was really nice to have some alone time with her! Also, we listened to Francesca Battestelli on the way there (her choice) - a nice change of pace from scanning the radio, or the "Frozen" soundtrack.
Ava and Olivia talked some more this time; here they are exchanging ipod numbers so they can stay in touch. :) Well, Ava's doing the digit-swapping, while Olivia works hard on The Vibe.
We had the same routine as last Fri., and it's exhausting.
I did not have another x-ray; I will follow-up in June, and that will be for a day and half, to have the office treatments again. In the meantime, I am supposed to be using the cantilever 4x/day, for 20" each time.
Oh dear, I thought I was already being taught patience, but it turns out Boot Camp was only the beginning! Now I need to fit in 80 minutes of this, every day. It's challenging, not just to find the time to do this, but to figure out how to feel well enough to do it! Most Busy Mamas I know (including myself) don't sit down all that much (ever) during the day, and as I go about my daily stuff, I am typically feeling really tired and achy in my back - pretty much the antithesis of "up to withstanding another venture." So. I am trying to remember to sit or stretch for just a few mins prior to hopping onto the blue disk for the therapy. That seems to be helping. Hmmm... maybe I'm supposed to be slowing down a bit, anyway... and getting more sleep... ;D I think I see this all coming together. :)
Yesterday, after only about 10" of being on the disk, I started to get really nauseous. Weird. I finally couldn't ignore it, and had to end early. Same thing the next time, and the 3rd time. Ugh! I had started having a migraine on Fri. night, while trying to watch, "Saving Mr. Banks" with Tony and Ava. I thought maybe the nausea was just an extension of that. But then I started to wonder if my blue disk was the problem; the one I'd brought home with me was much more deflated than the others I'd used. The result was that I wiggled and balance-checked much more frequently.
Today I just couldn't stand the thought of repeating the flashbacks to morning sickness again, and decided to see if we could inflate it somehow to see if sea-sickness (or blue disk sickness) was the issue. I'd looked at this immediately yesterday, but didn't think I had the right attachment to inflate it. Turns out the right 'attachment' for inflation is my husband simply blowing air into it. ;) He inflated it and I haven't had any other problems with nausea! Yay.
I also needed a major boredom buster to get through this. I decided to start the "Lost" series. I've never seen one episode, and it goes for what, 6 seasons or something like that?? Between that and Dateline NBC on Hulu, I should be good until near time for my follow up.
I got a CD with all of my x-ray images on it, and viewed my neck x-ray for the 1st time in awhile. (The last time was when doing traditional chiro a few years ago.)
The healthy cervical spine should have a nice curve (lordosis), as below.
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| (not my x-ray - for pupose of illustration, only) |
My cervical spine (neck vertebrae) no longer have a curve. In fact the curve is somewhat reversing (kyphosis, giving forward head posture) near C6. Without going into too much detail, losing the natural curve in the cervical spine causes all sorts of issues - some which I'm experiencing now (muscle strain in neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, headaches, pinched nerves, TMJ issues), and others that may occur with further degeneration/arthritis. It's a non-option to NOT continue chiropractic care, and Dr. Dovorany's recommendations.
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| (my x-ray) So. How do I feel about Boot Camp? |
*It was more challenging than I anticipated. And I'm more sore than I expected to be. I have an understanding of why this is, however, and it's necessary. I'm trying to re-train these muscles that have been slacking off for years!
*I didn't expect to (or necessarily care to) make friends. But I did. :)
*The outcomes were different than I expected, but satisfactory to me. The end result is that I gained 8 degrees.. so far. The way I see it, is that neuro-muscular training is BY FAR the best option for scoliosis. No, I'm not ever going to have a straight spine. But, if I avoid surgical intervention, it's Mission Accomplished, in my book!
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| Day 1 of Boot Camp ~ 3.31.14 |
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| Boot Camp, Day 8 ~ 4.9.14 |
*I will continue to search for pain control. After this experience, I'm convinced that my worst pain is due to my right SI joint that is in a constant "locked up" state. This is directly related to my scoliosis. I am going to look into dry-needling for some potential relief, once I can gear up to search for help, yet again!
*I never expected to get teary on the last day. But I did. Spending all day for 2 weeks with awesome people you won't see anymore, does that to a person. Dr. D, Andi & Amy, and the other Boot Campers all added such value to this experience!
To me, every degree earned back, is added insurance against a surgery - a surgery that has no guarantee whatsoever, in fact, has around a 40% failure rate, and a very high rate of complications.
I will fight for every degree.
But now, I am more ready than ever to return to my life. I'm ready to incorporate my new needs into this chaos and get back to being a wife and mom!
My family were such GREAT SPORTS!
I love them so!
Thanks, too, to so very many for all of the prayers, food, calls/texts, playdates for the kids, and support & encouragement through the past two weeks. It's appreciated more than you'll ever know!
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| The Last Day! Top Left/Bottom Right: signing the, " I Survived BootCamp" poster Top Right: BootCamp crew! Mira, Olivia, me, Kim Bottom Left: Dr. Dovorany and me Middle: Olivia and me |
"Free to Be Me" ~ Francesca Battestelli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSQjSdU8VA&feature=kp
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