Ups and Downs

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I last posted here. In that time, some things have changed, others haven't, and in both cases, not everything has been for the better.


One thing that hasn't changed is my sweet tooth. Man oh man, do I like sugar and all things associated with it! My particular weakness is soda (or pop, depending on where you are and how you grew up). Thankfully I haven't been hassling with Mountain Dew for quite a while, but other varieties still call out to me. No, seriously, they're speaking to me and are mad when I don't pick them as my beverage. It's really quite scary sometimes.


On a more positive note, my flexibility is improving, thanks in large part to the work at physical therapy. I can now bend over at the waist and come just a few short inches from touching my toes. In that regard, I'm probably at least as flexible as I have ever been. For those of you who were also educated in public schools, do you remember gym class where they measured your flexibility by having you sit down with your feet against a box that had a sliding ruler on top? You then had to bend forward like you would to touch your toes and see how far you pushed the slider. I think the best I ever did was to get within 5 inches or so of where my toes were hiding beneath the ruler. One other thing they've been working with me on at therapy has been the flexibility in my hamstrings. The therapists are thinking that with how tight my hamstrings have been, they were a primary element in my herniated disc in the first place, and that continued tightness would be a precipitating factor in future potential injuries. Getting those stretched out has been a challenge, but progress is being made there, too.


Abi and I haven't been very good about getting out and going for walks. In fact, she and I have only gotten out for one real walk since I started this blog, much to my shame. I know that excuses are excuses, but I'm still going to put mine out there. My current work schedule involves me getting up between 0400 and 0430 so that I can head out the door at 0530 to report for duty at 0600. I then get off at 1430 and am home by 1500. After spending some time together, doing our devotions (when we're being good), and getting supper taken care of, it's already 1830 or 1900, which means it's pretty much time to get back into bed. I'm thinking to experiment a bit and push bedtime to 2000, but seeing as it's already 1910 as I write this, that'll have to wait until tomorrow. Thankfully there are opportunities for me to get some walking in at work. The distances aren't that much, but it is movement, and that's something, even if the walk down the hall is just to somewhat offset the package of Ding Dongs I'm going down the hall to purchase.


With that, I ought to sign off and try to get a good night's sleep. I've been tired this week, and with the possibility of picking up two extra shifts over the weekend, I need all the rest I can get.

Physical Therapy

I had my four-week follow-up appointment at the orthopedist's office yesterday. In the time between visits, I've improved 85-95%, at least in how I feel. No surprise (to me, at least; others with a less optimistic view of traditional medicine might be surprised), he didn't recommend surgery, the verdict I was wanting. What he did recommend was physical therapy, and I had my first appointment yesterday afternoon.


First of all, I didn't realize that PT was something a doctor could actually prescribe. I guess you learn something new every day. And second, PT is expensive. I'm going to PhysioTherapy Associates, which must be affiliated in some way with Mercy Hospital. It's $100/session and the therapist wants to meet three times a week for three weeks. Thankfully I can pay half the cost per week and be billed for the rest, which should get us through until our taxes are finished.


My lower back is somewhat sore from being worked on, but it's that kind of sore you experience from exercising, so I'm not worried about it at this point. The first goal is to work on my flexibility, particularly in my hamstrings, which have always been tight but are ridiculously so now. One advantage of going to the therapist is that she has leverage when it comes to many of the stretches. Another advantage is that she has already shown she will push farther than I likely would on my own; not in a painful way, but enough to get a more effective stretch. When Abi is feeling better I want her to come to at least one of my appointments so she can see what is being done and do the same for me at home.


I have a few stretches to be done at home, and I'm looking forward to the increased flexibility. My goal is to improve enough in three weeks that I can stop going and continue on my own, or, at the very most, go once every week or two for a few weeks for some follow-up and direction.