Well, the first two, at least. :) I realized the other day that now, 2 weeks (and a day!) away from surgery, I'm feeling better than I ever have. Ferreal! My thinking has really shifted, from being defined by dysplasia (and the dire consequences thereof) to surgery being merely a brief interruption in what is otherwise an active happy life. If anything, aside from the anxiety of anticipation, what I'm mostly feeling is sadness, as I mourn the impending loss of mobility. But I'm not scared - I'm ready!
Friday's medical extravaganza was wholly successful - as it turned out my time at Boston Childrens (Waltham) went so long I would have missed my blood donation at BI anyhow. I also learned that I have "the strangest veins" ever seen by the kindly radiology nurse who spent half an hour trying to inject me with contrast. First try (left forearm) failed entirely, followed by a collapsed vein (right forearm) on second go, though she did get about 5ccs in before it went, finally getting the rest in through my right wrist, which gave a good sting. I decided to watch the last time around, since I can always use the help getting used to such things. The butterfly needles they use are actually pretty cool, and really helped the nurse work on the angle best suited for injection - apparently my veins are both in a weird place and weirdly angled, such that she was really struggling for awhile there. It all went in just fine through the wrist, though, and they gave me a handy hotpack for the collapsed vein, which really helped reduce the stinging and stiffness.
MRI wasn't nearly as scary as my first, and I had my wits about me enough to ask for a copy for myself, which I'm really looking forward to. They then sent me for x-rays (one less thing to do on Thursday!) because my initial ones (which thankfully still garnered me a speedy diagnosis) weren't the right kind. This time around they took all but one while I was standing, some with my foot at a not very comfortable angle. I had to hook my toes under the edge of the table for the lying down one, also something I would expressly avoid in my general life. Still and all, looking forward to getting copies of those as well, for one so I can finally calculate the actual degree of my dysplasia and for two... well, because I think they're cool. :)
Sunday's yoga class was especially marvelous, and I learned to love reclining big toe pose (perhaps the worst pose name yet) and the benefits it provides. Had a totally weird sensory experience where, when I lowered the leg I'd started with it felt like it hit the floor about 6 inches below my other leg. Sort of like the opposite of when you stand in a doorway pressing your hands against it and when you walk out your arms lift up, you know? Also got into my shoulders really well with some link-your-fingers-behind-your-back business, all of which I was feeling (in the best possible way) yesterday when I played A FULL 18 HOLES OF DISC GOLF! Man, it was AWESOME! Such a gorgeous day and, rustiness aside, so wonderful to get out and about. I was definitely tired by the time we made it home, but not in a lot of pain, nor am I today. Fantastico!
Showing posts with label PMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PMA. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
It's a good thing I'm such a genius...
...since otherwise I'd have blithely contaminated my autologous blood donation with MRI contrast dye. Whoops! I was talking to my dad about it the other day and said "Huh - I wonder if I can donate blood after an MRI?" Turns out no, no I can't! (Add to the bulging "Glad I Asked" file.) So now I'm driving down to Waltham tomorrow for the sole purpose of an MRI that I could have just as easily had within a 10 mile radius of my home. Best laid plans! Hopefully, though, having one less blood donation (I'm still scheduled for one after my pre-op next Thursday) won't pose too much of a problem - if need be, I can just get some anonymous blood when the time comes.
Today, however, the positive far outweighs the irritating, as last night I not only accomplished tree pose while standing on my left leg but I also DID A HEADSTAND! Ehm... except my headstand also involved assistance from Anjali and a wall (not pictured). :) But still, pretty incredible! The theme of last night's class was celebration, and we had a fine time celebrating each other's small accomplishments, including doing this crazy line of tree poses with the person next to you supporting your extended foot. And not one person toppled to the ground! It was splendid.
Today, however, the positive far outweighs the irritating, as last night I not only accomplished tree pose while standing on my left leg but I also DID A HEADSTAND! Ehm... except my headstand also involved assistance from Anjali and a wall (not pictured). :) But still, pretty incredible! The theme of last night's class was celebration, and we had a fine time celebrating each other's small accomplishments, including doing this crazy line of tree poses with the person next to you supporting your extended foot. And not one person toppled to the ground! It was splendid.
Friday, May 8, 2009
"These stones that break your bones will build the altar of your love"
That's from a Lynn Park poem that Anjali read at the close of both Wednesday and today's yoga class, the theme of which was "cultivating your garden". As such, we tilled the (proverbial) soil of our garden by focusing on the feet, legs and hips, which is just dandy for me! We did some "toe-ga" (yes, that's yoga for your toes) and Wednesday even rocked Hanuman pose (Hanuman's a monkey - no tail necessary to complete the pose), though nobody in the class could master it without some sort of prop under them - I managed with a mere 2 blocks and was quite proud of myself! Add to the growing list of things I can do that heretofore I feared might snap my leg off at the root.
With the theme of cultivating one's garden, we were asked to identify one trait we'd like to cultivate in ourselves and one "invasive" we'd like to weed from our (again, proverbial) garden. I had a little trouble focusing on something on Wednesday, but this morning settled quickly on breathing out doubt and breathing in ease. Ah... am I starting to sound like a lunatic here? ha! Well, no matter, doubt and ease it was, and continued to be throughout the session. Today was the first day a couple of the poses really clicked for me and, though I'm still dripping sweat throughout the middle portion of the 90 minutes, I'm definitely going deeper into my practice (as they say) with each class. When we were done Anjali put out some sort of yoga-based intention cards or somesuch and invited us to choose one. Much as I'm not any sort of fan of divination, I like exercises like this (thinking back specifically to an AmeriCorps end-of-year meeting where I was struggling with a lot of frustration and picked "Delight", which completely turned my attitude on its head). I picked a card with a nice spring green border and discovered that it said "Trust". How fitting!
Hmmm... and I have some ranting to do about insurance, but will save it for another day (when hopefully the issue has been resolved!) so as not to disrupt my Positive Mental Attitude! :)
(I tried unsuccessfully to find an image of the card I pulled, but did uncover this which should suffice for ending this post on a high note. hahaha!)
With the theme of cultivating one's garden, we were asked to identify one trait we'd like to cultivate in ourselves and one "invasive" we'd like to weed from our (again, proverbial) garden. I had a little trouble focusing on something on Wednesday, but this morning settled quickly on breathing out doubt and breathing in ease. Ah... am I starting to sound like a lunatic here? ha! Well, no matter, doubt and ease it was, and continued to be throughout the session. Today was the first day a couple of the poses really clicked for me and, though I'm still dripping sweat throughout the middle portion of the 90 minutes, I'm definitely going deeper into my practice (as they say) with each class. When we were done Anjali put out some sort of yoga-based intention cards or somesuch and invited us to choose one. Much as I'm not any sort of fan of divination, I like exercises like this (thinking back specifically to an AmeriCorps end-of-year meeting where I was struggling with a lot of frustration and picked "Delight", which completely turned my attitude on its head). I picked a card with a nice spring green border and discovered that it said "Trust". How fitting!
Hmmm... and I have some ranting to do about insurance, but will save it for another day (when hopefully the issue has been resolved!) so as not to disrupt my Positive Mental Attitude! :)
(I tried unsuccessfully to find an image of the card I pulled, but did uncover this which should suffice for ending this post on a high note. hahaha!)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
My spine's having a pity party.
Okay, first off let me say that today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (at left) is one of the coolest they've ever had - check it out!
Right, so my reevaluation with Dr. Matt on Monday was a grand success - I've made excellent progress both in Spinal Range of Motion and Spinal Tissue Stress, though my Spinal Cord Tension still lags behind. The pattern I'm exhibiting in the base of my spine, he told me, is one generally associated with a "pity party" (I believe that's the medical term). I had to laugh to myself when I realized that earlier I'd been gazing at the spine model in their office thinking "My poor spine", something I think often these days. But now is the time to toss out that attitude in favor of appreciating my body's resiliency in the face of trauma and how far I've come in the past 6 months of chiropractic care. I asked Matt what he thought about my surgery and he was very reassuring, pointing out that PMA is the most important part of a speedy recovery. And I thought "PMwhat?" before realizing he meant "Positive Mental Attitude". ha!
Turns out my pelvic sway is also gone, though it was still evident at my first reevaluation at the beginning of the year. For better or worse I think this change can be credited to the increased discomfort (or at least change in comfort) in my right hip, which until now has been protected by the sway. I haven't really let myself entertain the notion of an RPAO next year, instead focusing on how this shift (and the attendant benefits to my alignment) will aid in the healing process post-op.
I had a very nice massage yesterday with Jennifer, though for some reason it was really difficult for her to access the psoas and iliacus on both sides like she usually does. Instead she spent most of our time working on my left shoulder, pointing out (or rather confirming) that the shoulderblade doesn't quite sit right on that side. She found a staggering amount of tension in the lat(issimus dorsi) and again in the teres, which we'd done some work with before. (I love this diagram!) When she got to the iliac crest I involuntarily started to squirm. It's amazing how much tension we can carry in our bodies without even realizing it! I'm feeling pretty dandy today, though - definitely sore on the left side of my back, but looser than I have any recollection of being before. Looking forward to yoga tonight, when I can give my new range of motion a spin!
I've been thinking a lot since my conversation with Dr. Matt (who says he's not a counselor of any sort, but I know otherwise!) about what exactly I'm afraid of and, perhaps not surprising to those of you who know me, it's really about loss of control. For the past year I feel like I've really taken charge of my life, and now five weeks from today (shit, just realized it's Wednesday!) I'm basically flinging myself off a cliff. However, in honor of my new "PMA", I will acknowlege that I have a lot of cushioning, in the form of my parents, my friends, the knowledge (and dare I say wisdom??) I've gained since my diagnosis, to break my fall. Matt says the spinal cord tension is in part a result of the fight-or-flight response, which makes us curl in on ourselves. Given those two options, y'all know I'm not going to chose flight!
Right, so my reevaluation with Dr. Matt on Monday was a grand success - I've made excellent progress both in Spinal Range of Motion and Spinal Tissue Stress, though my Spinal Cord Tension still lags behind. The pattern I'm exhibiting in the base of my spine, he told me, is one generally associated with a "pity party" (I believe that's the medical term). I had to laugh to myself when I realized that earlier I'd been gazing at the spine model in their office thinking "My poor spine", something I think often these days. But now is the time to toss out that attitude in favor of appreciating my body's resiliency in the face of trauma and how far I've come in the past 6 months of chiropractic care. I asked Matt what he thought about my surgery and he was very reassuring, pointing out that PMA is the most important part of a speedy recovery. And I thought "PMwhat?" before realizing he meant "Positive Mental Attitude". ha!
Turns out my pelvic sway is also gone, though it was still evident at my first reevaluation at the beginning of the year. For better or worse I think this change can be credited to the increased discomfort (or at least change in comfort) in my right hip, which until now has been protected by the sway. I haven't really let myself entertain the notion of an RPAO next year, instead focusing on how this shift (and the attendant benefits to my alignment) will aid in the healing process post-op.
I had a very nice massage yesterday with Jennifer, though for some reason it was really difficult for her to access the psoas and iliacus on both sides like she usually does. Instead she spent most of our time working on my left shoulder, pointing out (or rather confirming) that the shoulderblade doesn't quite sit right on that side. She found a staggering amount of tension in the lat(issimus dorsi) and again in the teres, which we'd done some work with before. (I love this diagram!) When she got to the iliac crest I involuntarily started to squirm. It's amazing how much tension we can carry in our bodies without even realizing it! I'm feeling pretty dandy today, though - definitely sore on the left side of my back, but looser than I have any recollection of being before. Looking forward to yoga tonight, when I can give my new range of motion a spin!
I've been thinking a lot since my conversation with Dr. Matt (who says he's not a counselor of any sort, but I know otherwise!) about what exactly I'm afraid of and, perhaps not surprising to those of you who know me, it's really about loss of control. For the past year I feel like I've really taken charge of my life, and now five weeks from today (shit, just realized it's Wednesday!) I'm basically flinging myself off a cliff. However, in honor of my new "PMA", I will acknowlege that I have a lot of cushioning, in the form of my parents, my friends, the knowledge (and dare I say wisdom??) I've gained since my diagnosis, to break my fall. Matt says the spinal cord tension is in part a result of the fight-or-flight response, which makes us curl in on ourselves. Given those two options, y'all know I'm not going to chose flight!
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