Have You Thought of Natural Pain Relief?

 Pain.
Pain..........pain....................pain............pain.........pain...........pain.......
pain, pain,
pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,pain,
Pain Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


     Everyone has pain and when we do, whatever pain it is, feels like the worst we've experienced.  Most of our pain is short lived.  Give it a little time to heal or to allow the medicines to take effect and most diminish within days or weeks.  Chronic pain is a different ball game.

 It never leaves.  Ever.  

     There may be days that are  more tolerable than others, but anything can cause it to intensify.   Then it feels as if little can be done to reduce it.  That is without taking a prescribed pain reliever and who wants to pop narcotics for the rest of their life?   I, for one, do not. 
      I understand too much about pain.  Living thirty-five healthy years, at age thirty-eight, I can no longer summon memories of what it felt like to live pain free.  Visions of a time when I could run or jump with the kids in the yard come to mind, but when I see my feet hit the ground, I physically cringe.  I can only associate those activities with the pain it would cause me now.  Even while watching movies, I find myself reacting in this same manner.

     Trying to give an explanation of how intense my pain has been has been a trial for me.  When asked, I just cannot find the descriptive words to encompass it.  I may never.  I fancied myself a good sympathizer before my collision and now realize some experiences are beyond words, beyond comprehension.  I lived it and there are moments when even I cannot believe I came through.

    
      With the dedication of my physicians, they have compressed my agony to severe discomfort.  I had to take it from there.  Doctors can only accomplish so much with what they have to work with and if I did not want to continue with narcotics, then I had to research other options. 

     So how am I accomplishing this?

     I want you to know that if you suffer from chronic pain, there are options, but you must be diligent in your efforts.  You may understand already that if you suffer from this condition that you build up a certain tolerance.  If your pain lowers to a certain level, you are elated.  Humans have a tendency to become lazy.  When we feel better, we stop doing what makes us feel better.  Then what happens?  We feel bad again.  Then we scramble to start again what made us feel better in the first place.  So why not just make it a life habit and stick to it?

     I exercise many habits each day to minimize my injuries.  I do not allow myself to become stagnant in my own care.  I grasp too well that when you let pain have control, it takes twice as long to reign it in.  

     Acceptance is my first defense.   I cannot move forward if I am not mentally and emotionally prepared.  

     Diet.  I eat well and I eat healthy.  I minimize what I call 'heavy' foods.  (gravy, fried)  I look for detoxing foods.

     Vitamins.  I take a herbal detoxing vitamin that is a combination of fruits and vegetables. Greens

    

        
   Exercise.  Activity is a double edged sword for me.  I need it because my body will seize up and become rigid without it.   Too much and I am resting on the couch for days.  Pilates  cycling and farm work.

     Meditation.  I don't sit cross legged and 'Ohm' in the middle of the living room, that's for sure.  With four kids, I'd never hear the end of those jokes.  I do, however, sit in a quiet place, with my legs elevated and mentally motivate myself to overcome the deep aching that takes place with humidity or over-activity on my part.

    Curamin.  This herbal supplement is known for its ability to balance the body's natural inflammatory response.   I use this as my main pain reliever.  I must take the maximum dose and take it daily.  

     Rhus Tox. This is actually poison oak.   I know!  Odd, I thought, especially since I am allergic, but I have had no side effects of rash, etc.  This, I use for my arthritis.  Rhus Tox is a homeopathic remedy.  Homeopathic means that you are using a small amount of a natural substance to treat an ailment that the substance would normally cause.  Foods for Health

    The combination of those last two supplements have been helping me since February and rarely do I even have to ingest an Ultram.  Unless I over do it.

     SMILE.   That's the most important habit of all!  Luckily that comes naturally for me.  I welcome the lines that have developed around my eyes, it lets myself and others know that I've lived a life full of happiness.  Smiling, in earnest, is uplifting.  Just try it for yourself.  If you smile repeatedly, you feel something grow in your chest  and it is impossible not to have your spirit and emotions improve.  It may not decrease your pain or fix the situation you are encountering.  Do it anyway.  What is does, is helps you handle it better and smile lines are much more attractive than frown lines.  Yes?

Smile On!

Pilates: A Tool to Help Me Keep Walking

     For the three years that I have been recovering, I've heard from my surgeons and physical therapists, "Core and glutes, Carey, core and glutes."   Meaning, I  needed to strengthen these muscle groups in order to walk and stay walking.  There has been one big problem with that.  By the time I have been released to start working on this after each surgery, I had to gear up for the next one. 

     Irregardless, I would always try.

     I spent the majority of the first sixteen months after my collision in a wheelchair and many months of the second year using a walker or a cane.   It was no small feat relaxing my body from the wheelchair shape it became accustomed to.  My surgeon also relinquished the information that if I gained thirty pounds, I would be sitting back in the seat of my metal friend that rolled me around.  No pressure there, right?  Luckily my parents blessed me with good  genetics and so far I have not had to work on the weight issue.  The nausea that comes with my medications adds to that factor as well.  

      Realizing that many of the exercises my therapists were giving me were Pilates, I purchased a few DVDs for home use.  To this day I still cannot perform many exercises standing, so I prefer Pilates on the Mat.  Although I need to gain muscle strength around my injuries, bulking up with it is not an option for me.  Muscle is heavy and adding too much would get me closer to that thirty pounds I do not want to see.

     Difficulty is an understatement to how hard it is to stretch my body back out after each surgery.  The first year of therapy trying to accomplish this was impossible and as I recall, painful.  To the confusion of my therapist, I would  expel a laugh/sob sound as he torqued my body into positions it clearly did not relish.

     I am not one to wait on progress so using the DVDs at home helped propel me forward at a faster pace.  Each of the DVD sets I purchased came with three sessions.  Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.   For the first time in my life, I was a Beginner.  Physically, I could do anything I wanted before my injuries.  I, now, have many limitations.  Mentally, this has been a huge challenge and acceptance issue for myself. 

     Pilates builds strength without excess bulk.  Long term use creates a sleek, toned body.   It improves flexibility, agility and economy of motion.  It can even help alleviate back pain.  This has been an obvious innovative and safe choice for me.  
                                                         Body Wisdom
     Now that I have been blessed with what is hopefully my last surgery for quite some time, I have been released to start engaging in physical activity.  Pulling out the DVDs, I participate in 30-50 minutes of Pilate's each morning.  After the first two weeks, the pain of stretching out my muscles decreases and I start feeling the benefits.  It's pretty rough at the start, but having been through this on multiple occasions, I ascertain that I must push through if I want a certain percentage of mobility.  At least up to my standards.
 Windsor Pilates
     Admittedly, I was mentally frustrated with Pilates at the start of my recovery.  The types of exercise that I engaged in BEFORE, were high impact and very physical.  No longer able to jump, squat, run or even walk fast made the Pilates decision easy.  Moving beyond the beginners phase and into the intermediate and even short advanced sessions, I comprehend that Pilates can kick my butt just as much as that P90x DVD.  

     If I continue to live a healthy lifestyle and preserve my body strength, then I will enjoy 8-10 more years before I must consider another surgery or handicapped apparatus.  It sucks a little bit to think about or maybe it sucks a lot, but we are finally talking in years instead of months.  

     Working hard is ingrained in my personal being, along with persistence and perseverance.  Knowing I will never have it easy keeps me in my place.  Apparently it is going to keep me healthy as well!  Exercise has become as much a mental thanksgiving as physical.  If you happen to see me working out on the playground equipment near my child's sporting practice or riding my bike around town, I am not only creating natural muscle but mental as well. 
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