hmmmmmmmmm. Prior neck injury??

Well, today is the Kentucky Derby. You know it's spring now. . . I wish I had a fancy hat to wear in recognition of the race. But it is raining and in Ohio that is a sure sign it is spring. The world exploded into the most gorgeous color of green (absolutely have to wear green today). The air smells differently ~ the ground is soaked ~ new green shoots are pushing their way up through the ground. A perfect day to put on some old boots, overalls and a rain jacket and work in my perennial gardens.

And hey my body feels good enough to do this ~ so I believe I will undertake that. I missed the jazzercise workout I could have participated in this a.m. so I am going to visit my exercise room ~ use the ab lounger (it actually is pretty fun and seems to work). . . hang upside down on my inversion table (feels sooooo good on my back and neck) . . . .lift a few weights ~ use the universal machine . . and hey~ I'm fit.

I seem to have cleansed myself of the effexor for the most part. I don't know if I am doing so well on that front because of the cymbalta but I'll take whatever brought me to this point.

As for fibro ~ a friend told me yesterday that she was told there seems to be an indication (how wishy washy) that prior neck injury is shown in many (?) fibro sufferers. I personally as an 11 year old was jumping on a bed and fell off backward and landed on that larger neck/spine bone that joins the neck to the spine. Was told by a chiropractor when I visited him during my college years that I would have trouble walking or moving properly when I reached my 40's if I did not continue to get therapy ~ I was having trouble with my neck/shoulders/arms freezing up due to my posture of both studying and working on a large newspaper typesetting machine. Hmmmmm. He may have know something. thanks Dr. Hedges . . should have listened to you.

I was told when the fibro symptoms first started 11 years ago that the MRI revealed (not the MS that I feared I had thanks to my 1/2 sister who has MS told me I did had) but a lot of arthritis in my neck for a woman my age and unbelievably awful sinuses. . . . So let's talk about that. . . getting a diagnosis.

11 years ago when this seemed to have started for me (and it was after an awful painful flu I had that my whole body ached and ached and although all the other symptoms resolved as they do ~ many of the body aches remained especially aches in my pelvis, hips and ankles). I went to many doctors then to try to find some answers. None were ever given that made any sense ~ as a matter of fact I ended my search for a diagnosis feeling worse because of the lack of diagnosis and hearing something in the doctor's tone that said ~ there's nothing wrong with you. . .

They tested me for arthritis, Lupus (I have a cousin with Lupus), MS (as I said my father's oldest daughter has MS), parvo (ruff-ruff I'm not a dog though), etc., etc., with no results. I had some kind of electro or nerve conduction studies. . ..I finally gave up & have lived with it. . . .started running again because I was determined whatever it was I could make go away with exercise. I have had periods when the pain was not as bad a other times but simply kept quiet about the pain and discomfort. Who wants to hear it?? So years pass ~ sitting for long period has always been difficult since then. Had some transatlantic flights that were particularly uncomfortable ~ got lucky one time and got upgraded to First Class (yea!) and that made the long flight a bit more comfortable.

So fast forward to a few years ago. I have experienced not always lifting my feet in my walking like I should since the pain started ~ not a foot drag (as my dad had with his sciatic nerve problem) but point being I trip because of it. 'Caused me to trip on an uneven sidewalk a few years ago ~ was wearing the cutest little wedge sandal ~ stone cold sober ~ and sprained my ankle sooooo badly. I'm explaining this 'cause this was the beginning of renewed pain for me. Thought it was because of the different way I was walking ~ wore a boot for almost 3 months (doc thought I also broke a bone but could never find it in the x-rays). The ankle still 'causes me a lot of pain. But after that ankle sprain of exactly 2 years ago this weekend ~ remember it 'cause I had spent the day in the yard cleaning out my perennial gardens as I am about to do this weekend) . . .was happy and felt good about what I had accomplished that day. Was walking down the sidewalk in the short north. . .turned my head for a minute to look in the window at a pair of shoes and this spot on the sidewalk (that I have since witnessed people trip & fall . . ..) jumped up and got me. I could not catch myself and landed in the most painful way.

So after that ~ after the boot came off. Pain everywhere. Arms ~ back ~ legs ~ aaah. The craziness of it all. No physical therapy (no insurance for this injury unfortunately). . . and have tried to pull myself through it. Spent that late summer and fall riding my bike a lot for exercise (first ride though I wrecked of course and banged up my knee ~ what a clutz). . .

Now I see that what I am doing presently is the best. The jazzercise workouts target each area of your body ~ and I feel like for the first time in years I have some control over my health.

Enough for now. I'm going outside (: