How to Leave A Comment

A big shout out to Marisa (pictured above) for providing these directions for how to leave a comment. Many of you have been stumped by this, but no longer! Here's what you do:
1. At the end of my entry click on Comments
2. Write your comment in the box under Post A Comment
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Good luck with posting messages - I expect to see more comments and fewer emails! (just kidding, it's fine to send me an email)

This morning I woke up considerably improved. My foot is at a 3-4, which is the best it's been in over a month. My fingers and toes are crossed that this trend continues.

As January comes to a close I can reflect on the steady progress I've made each week. Except for not being able to do leg weight training, I'm back to my normal level of functioning at the gym. I've learned a ton about my condition and the barrage of treatments for it, and I've taken every pro-active measure possible to prevent surgery. I remain bright and optimistic, assuming things will continue to improve in February.

Treatment Updates

ACUPUNCTURE: Just when I was ready to bail on further needle-sticking, Dr. Li gave me hope. I’d been growing more anxious about my appointments for fear of those certain painful needle placements, and I was wondering just how long I needed to give this treatment modality to be effective. At my last appointment I asked how many more she expected I might need to see change. She indicated at least 10 sessions for my condition would be standard, if not more. She told me she had a patient with my same profile a couple years ago, and eventually a break through was achieved, providing her relief from her sciatic symptoms. This bolstered my spirits and I went ahead with appoint #6. This appointment was the best – only a few tender spots with needles, as opposed to pain. The room didn’t feel too hot, and I was able to relax and doze a bit. I’ll continue seeing Dr. Li 2x/wk.

About Dr. Juan Li: Dr. Li, born in the year of the Tiger, is in her late 40’s, married and has a teenage daughter. As you might be picturing, she is a small compact woman, with short hair and glasses. She is from Heilongjiang Province in the far SE of China, bordering Russia . Dr. Li said there are many Russians in her province and that much of the architecture has more Russian than Chinese influences. She returns to see family every 1-2 years. The weather in her province is much like WI weather, so she is not daunted by this cold snap. Dr. Li has lived in America for 7+ years, initially practicing in San Francisco before moving here. She has a good sense of humor and a sound command of the human body. I enjoy learning more about her culture and life, as well as the Chinese view of medicine, for example, I learned the meridian she places the needles along is the gall bladder meridian – it runs from the top of your head to your toes. Who knew?


CHIROPRACTIC: Since I began my “rehab & rest” program for my herniated discs, I’ve seen the chiro 2x/wk for ultrasound, light therapy, adjustments and traction. I’ve had 9 appointments with no notable improvement in my condition – namely the sciatica in the left leg/foot. Therefore, we move into the next phase of chiropractic care. I will be seen once next week and then once every two weeks. They’re not trying to kick me out the door, but since the treatments aren’t making me better, we’ll now find out if they’re at least helping maintain my current status. If I begin to have more or new troubles with my leg, foot or back, I am to call my Chiro for an early appointment. Hopefully, I will be sustained during this period of decreased treatment.

About Dr. Jacqueline Puls: My doctor has been great. She is a twenty-something 2007 grad, recently married and “mother” to two fat cats. Dr. Puls is confident, knowledgeable, warm and compassionate. The whole team at Chiro-Med has been nothing but kind and accommodating. When I called in tears, hiccuping for an emergency appointment, they said come right on in. When I asked to be seen without an appointment, they said come on in. One morning, Dr. Puls came in extra early to accommodate my immediate need. I’m thinking they deserve my famous vegan chocolate mousse pie, don’t you?!

TALES OF SURGERY

In recent weeks, I have heard from many people who have had back surgery or know of someone who’s had back surgery. The stories run from the miraculous (“I wish I’d done it sooner, I was driving within in weeks of surgery”) to the horrific (i.e. botched surgery leaves a guy in a wheel chair). Most of the anecdotes are benign with varying degrees of success in terms of functioning and pain/discomfort relief. How much I can take from these stories and apply to my own possibilities, I don’t know. None of the people I’ve heard about lead as physical a lifestyle as me, so there’s no comparison for me to get a sense of what I could return to after a surgery. While I want to take solace in the good stories of restored functioning, I can’t because those people are just doing normal everyday stuff – they’re not trying to run a marathon, or climb a mountain.

For several weeks after seeing Dr. Kurpad and having him mention the “S” word (surgery), I’d been thinking about the reality of needing surgery. While I remained optimistic and active in pursuing every path possible to avoid surgery, I was also on some level trying to come to terms with the idea that it might really happen. I incorporated it into my reality to begin accepting it. During the past 10 days, as I’ve had periods of improved numbness in my foot, and with aunt Shirley’s sense that I won’t need surgery cause I’m such a great healer (I try to excel in everything – hee, hee), I’ve not given surgery much thought. I’m getting better at dealing with and accepting the moment, and not speculating on the future. I’m not picturing surgery anymore. Does this mean it won’t happen? Am I tapping into some accurate intuition? Am I in denial? Or just remaining optimistic?

A Short Message

Today's blog will be a respite for those of you who are tired of reading such long entries. There's not a lot to say today. My foot is at a 6, so it's holding it's own. To clarify about the numbness in my leg and foot - I do feel things. It's not numb to the point of no feeling, just a dulled sensation. If I sat on a tack or stepped on a nail I'd sure as hell know it! The numbness in my leg runs from the bottom of my butt, down the back of the leg only to the back of my knee, and then resumes at my heel and into my foot.

My brother has told me he reads this blog often, and that I better keep it interesting. The pressure is on now not to ramble endlessly about things only interesting to me :) I'll spice it up tomorrow!

Blast from the Past

This morning began as any other ho-hum, winter doldrums kind of morning, but a blast from the past put a spark into my day. The scene takes place in the locker room. I’ve just completed a sweaty work-out, am wearing the skimpy light blue towel the club provides, about to head for the showers when I see a swatch of black hair, and olive skin walk by. Instinctively I call out, “Rosanna?”, and sure enough, it’s Rosanna Ferrucci! (Rosanna is said with an “A” that sounds like “ah”) We were friends in middle school and high school, but it’s been nearly 20 years since I saw her. We shared quick updates on our lives, and will likely meet again in this manner every Tuesday a.m., as Rosanna is committing to an early morning Spin class. We debated about going to our 20th high school reunion this summer – already being sold as a 4-day extravaganza. Guess it’s meant to make up for the crappy 10 year reunion.

Seeing Rosanna helped me forget about my current woes (BTW, my foot is at a 7-8 today), and sent my memory swirling to the 1980’s. As a teen, I was anything but athletic. I loathed exercise and sweat. I was into drama and forensics, rather than soccer or track. I was into rejecting anything that represented the “establishment”, and made this clear by wearing a long black trench coat (see above picture, circa 1987). My diet consisted of Little Debbie products, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway and Vitner’s potato chips that sold for 50 cents per 10oz bag. Despite my horrendous diet and my spurning of physical activity, I did walk almost everywhere I went, so I was not fat … yet.

Those of you who have only known me as a vegan athlete must be wondering what happened? Here’s the rest of the story. From age 16-20, I dated a guy who I had nothing in common with except eating. We ate our way to oblivion, and when we broke up, I was nearly 200 pounds. Unacceptable. My mom was about the same size, and wanted to make a change. We began working out to Richard Simmons’s video tapes in our separate homes, too embarrassed to join a gym before getting into a little better shape!

After a few pounds were shed, we joined a small East side non-threatening co-ed gym (long since out of business), and began getting serious – step aerobics, ellipticals, kickboxing, Spin, weight lifting, etc. I loved the fast results with weights, and loved feeling strong and fit. Seventy pounds were shed within 6-7 months, and my life of embracing exercise and athletic endeavors began. I met Joe at 22, became a vegan, kept the weight off, and have never looked back. In fact, I find that the older I get, the harder I push myself and the more rigorous physical feats I want to tackle. I wouldn’t trade the 80’s for the ‘90’s and ‘00’s for anything!

Mixed Bag

Today is a combination of one step forward, one step back - such is the on-going dance with my condition. One step forward with work-outs. I am safely doing 60 minutes of cardio now - no pain or problems with my back and leg while I'm on the elliptical or afterwards. This means that next week, I can increase it again to 75 minutes. This is not 100% good news for Joe, as it means I'm back to getting up at 4a.m. for the gym. He has enjoyed the respite from this schedule for close to 6 weeks. Poor guy, it's just awful to be an insomniac. I felt really good after my elliptical, core work and upper body weight training - really positive with a sense that I'm getting better. My foot was still hovering around a 5 out of 10, and Aunt Shirley's weekend pronouncement that her gut feeling that I will heal without needing surgery had me feeling especially bright ... then a few hours later, after a 4 day hiatus, my foot's prickliness returned to a level of 9-10. Bummer.

Another step forward occurred at the chiropractor's office. I was authorized to continue on with a more advanced core work-out, and my traction weight (this is the strength of pulling on my spine) was boosted to 60 pounds. When I began 3 weeks ago, I was at 40 pounds.

And one more step in the right direction was confirmed at Dr. Li's office. She thinks I am coming along nicely - having longer periods of time with decreased numbness in my foot. And, I think my foot is already better after her treatment - maybe down to a 6 or 7 (or is it the chiropracty? Hard to pinpoint what in particular is helping me).

Now let me tell you some more about my acupuncture experience: It DOES hurt sometimes. There are certain sensitive spots that actually hurt quite a bit when she places the needle in, or it may not hurt when she puts the needle in initially, but as she pushes it further, or adjusts it, it's like YOWZA! (the needle near my achilles today was a real doozie) Once all the needles are in place, and the electrodes transmitting impulses along the course of my sciatic nerve are turned on, she turns out the lights, puts soothing music on, and leaves me to lie there for 30 minutes.

In theory this is supposed to be relaxing, but for me, it is anything but. I must lay perfectly still, which is very difficult for me. The room is quite warm, bordering on hot at times (since you're lying there half naked, the heat is cranked to keep you warm), so I sweat, and I hate to sweat. I asked her to turn the heat down once, but then I froze, so I bear with it now. I lie on the table staring at a series of 3 acupuncture maps of the body, but everything is written in Chinese, so I can only guess at what it means. I check my watch constantly, the minutes drag on, I want to be done. The best part is when she removes the needles and I know I don't have to return for 2-3 days. But, return I do, because this seems to be helping, and anything beats surgery!

Time

That Damn Dio. Meowing non-stop this morning. Waking us up far earlier than we wanted to be up. And what's he doing now? Sleeping contentedly in the warmth of the towels in the linen closet! Interestingly, Dio's predictable weekend morning wake-up call, was absent yesterday. Perhaps it was his birthday present to Joe!

Yesterday marked one month of my leg, heel and foot being numb. Reflecting on the past 30 days, I can see I've had many coups, such as returning to the gym, and having some improvement with my heel and foot for the past 72 hours. Today, I'd rate my foot as a 4 or 5 out of 10. The safe core work-out my chiro gave me has produced a core of steel in the past 3 weeks. The routine takes 30 minutes every day. While I always worked core before, and it was strong, I think I've reached a new level of strength. I'm holding the plank position for 75 seconds each of the three times I do it in my core regime. Next week, I may be up to 90 seconds. You try it! (and make sure your butt isn't pointing into the air)

Since the theme of today's blog is time, have you noticed it's staying light after 5p.m.? This is a hopeful thing. Winter seems interminable when January hits. There's this long, cold, dark expanse of time with no time off work, and months of waiting for spring, or vacations. You have to look for small milestones to help the months pass, and create fun as a distraction from cabin fever. Joe's birthday is one highlight - gives me something to plan for. My birthday is exactly 6 weeks after his, and Valentine's Day is smack in the middle of them, so these events hold my focus. The Sunday closest to my birthday is when we set the clocks ahead, so we have more daylight, and this is enough to get me through 'til spring.

It's important to look back in time to see how far you have come, what has changed, and where you are headed. Think back to January 2008 - what was going on in your life? What were you preparing to do with your year? What did you hope for in 2008? What are your dreams for 2009? In January 2010, what do you want to say you accomplished in 2009?

Happy Birthday Joe!

Today is Joe's 39th birthday - 1:04 p.m. to be precise. Joe demanded out of the womb three weeks early because he's always hated the month of February! He's quite pleased with this birth date, as he likes even numbers, and likes 24 in particular. Joe has a personal theory that odd numbered years aren't as good as even numbered years, but his theory doesn't seem to play out so accurately in real life.

Joe was born in the Chinese year of the Rooster. He is an Aquarius, which happens to be my favorite sign. Whenever I meet someone and like them instantly for no reason, they're usually an Aquarius. Many of my closest friends are Aquarius's. After Aquarius, Virgo and Cancer are my next best signs. Joe's not the typical Aquarius, but then again he's not the typical anything (you insert the word).

Joe was 23 when we met. Except for longer hair, a beard and more muscles, he's pretty much the same guy he was 16 years ago - in a good way! Today I'll dole out a birthday gift every 2 hours, make his favorite meal (African Stew - veggies & tofu in a peanut butter sauce) and serve up a favorite dessert (can't say what it is yet, in case he reads this blog before he eats it). It's 0°, and we're both happy NOT to be running the Frosty 5k for the Waukesha Janboree (a winter festival) I'd been pushing for a couple month ago. Instead we'll pad around the house luxuriating in the time that is not assigned to any task but enjoyment :)

P.S. My foot and heel remain at a 4!

Short and Sweet

Hi Guys,


I'm tired, so this will be brief. It's exhausting having medically related appointments 4 nights of the week after work. Sets me way behind schedule, and by the time I get home and eat, it's time to go to bed so I can hit the gym in the wee hours, and start the whole rat race over. Now I know how my aunt Shirley feels with all of her chronic medical issues and her multitude of medical appointments. She may be retired, but her medical appt's are a full time job. Thank god my condition won't be long-term.


Good news: For the past 24 hours my foot and heel have been better. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most prickly and bothersome (which is where it's usually at), I'd rate my foot and heel at a 4 right now. When I shared this with Dr.Li, my acupuncturist, this afternoon, she was pleased and said in her broken English, "Should have come see me first!" I'm encouraged, but know I could wake tomorrow with it back to a 10.


I look forward to a restful weekend. Tomorrow is Joe's birthday. It will be a bitter cold day with windchills hitting -20°, so we'll just hunker down at home. Here we are a couple January's ago (a much balmier January then!).

Running

First, let me share that nothing has changed. Same ol' same ol'. I did have a nice massage after work today, which has me feeling tired and relaxed. Now on to running....

I hated running while I ran, but I also knew a piece of me loved it – the challenge, watching myself improve, sticking with it no matter what – the toughness of mind. I loved that. I have dreams about running now that I can’t. It’s with sadness, envy and hope that I stay connected to the running world. Reading Runner’s World keeps me in the know, and inspires me to be doing great races next year.

When I see or hear someone running on the treadmill at the gym, I have a quick pang of desire to be doing it too. A month before I got laid up, I’d had a VO2 Max test and was given a great, specific plan for each running work-out that would help me increase my lactate threshold, meaning, I would become a faster and more efficient runner. I was 2 weeks into that program when I was told to put running on hold. So when the treadmill is in use, I long to be working my VO2 program.

It’s running outside and in races that I miss the most. When I see winter runners, I hunger to be out there too, sweating in my new winter gear despite the chill. Wearing crampons on my feet if necessary! Certain dates make me feel wistful. For example, 2/14. I was planning to run an 8K race as a way to kick off the half marathon training season. Joe, as well as my friend Denise, have begun running in preparation for the May Half Marathon we were all scheduled to do. Now I have to live vicariously through them. My vision is to be back in the game, running better than ever next year at this time. BUT, if I had to choose between being able to run or to backpack (many people have asked me about this), I would take backpacking in an instant! (Hope that declaration doesn’t take away from today’s blog - I don’t want to give up either!)

TNT

TNT = Traction and Training.

Let me tell you about traction at the chiropractor’s office. It is not fun. I lie down on the roller bed, and a heavy canvas-esque harness is secured under my butt, and around my waist. The straps around the waist are Velcro. The straps must fit me tightly between my hip bones and rib cage. With my short torso, there’s not a lot of space in which to do this. This is also the narrowest part of my body, so it’s hard for the doctor to get the straps tight enough. Once they are tight enough, I imagine it feels similar to being in a whale bone corset. My stomach and intestines get smushed to smithereens, and it’s difficult to take a deep breath. There is a strap underneath me, attached to the bottom of the harness that lines up with my spine. This strap gets fed into a metal yardstick looking implement towards the foot of the roller bed (a roller bed is a chiropractic bed that has rollers underneath the surface that roll up and down your back when turned on), and the doctor feeds it through until she’s happy with the amount of weight being used to stretch your spine. Once she’s happy, I lie there for 10 minutes, as the bed expands and contracts the strap. When the strap is contracted, I get pulled down the table a smidge, and feel like my guts will get pressed to my backside. When the strap expands, or loosens, I scramble to take a deep breath before the next tightening. This procedure is meant to help decompress the vertebrae, which would take some of the pressure off my herniated discs.

Training is going well. Training for what?? I guess the more technical term is that my return to the gym is going well. I’ve been taking it slow to see how my body reacts and feels. Of course I’m not running, but I’m getting back to my old ways with the elliptical. I typically spent 90 minutes on the elliptical if I wasn’t getting the power-packed cardio from running. When I returned to the gym 2 weeks ago, after being out for 3 weeks, I knew it would be prudent to start out with 30 minutes of cardio only, to see how my back and leg would handle it. I’m both proud and embarrassed to say I’ve been able to increase my time to 45 minutes. Proud because a month ago, I could barely move at all, embarrassed, because 45 minutes is only half of what I usually do. I know I should be thankful to be doing anything at all. So, 5 days I week I’m on the elliptical for 45 minutes – next week I’ll up it to 60 minutes. I’m working upper body 3 days a week and my abs/core 7 days per week. I miss my walking lunges, Bosu ball squats, dead lifts, etc. As I look at my legs slimming out from their usual muscular cut, I wish so badly that I could work them more. But (and here’s a saying I bet y’all haven’t heard in a while) if wishes were horses, beggars would ride!

Year of the Ox

Had my third treatment with Dr. Li today. She seemed encouraged that I had a brief period of improvement with my foot. Although the lessened numbness only lasted one day she said that was a sign of positive progress. There are a few spots in my left butt cheek, where she asks me as she places the needles, if I feel tingling down my leg. I don't. This means that the channel or meridian is closed. If it were open, which is a good thing, I would feel the tingling down my leg with those needle placements.

Dr. Li is from China, and studied in China in the late 70's and early 80's. She's probably in her mid to late 40's now. She told me there are approximately 100 graduates from her acupuncture school practicing here in the United States, 3 of them here in WI. Her graduating class had a reunion in Las Vegas in 2004 - she and her classmates have dispersed around the world. Some are practicing in Australia, Russia, Canada, etc. Dr. Li speaks Mandarin, so I need to hit up our Mandarin speaking friends to learn how to wish her a Happy New Year next week. If you're not keeping up, Monday, 1/26, will begin the Chinese New Year of the Ox - you're an Ox if you were born in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998. If you or someone you know are an Ox, you can learn more about your sign by clicking on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox_(zodiac)

Thoughts

Hello Everyone,

It's a Monday alright. It was a busy and late day at work for me while battling some rogue nausea. I hate nausea. In fact, when I was crawling to the bathroom in pain a month ago, I was thinking, "at least I'm not nauseous!". Though it was a busy day, it's a slow day on my news front. And you all can sing the refrain with me: No change in my leg of foot. Anyone musically inclined? We could put that chorus to music for a catchy lil' diddy.

So here's the thing. When I have no news, I will throw out useless thoughts and opinions, okay?

Thought: Tomorrow will be an exciting day in history as Obama is inaugurated. I feel lucky to witness this significant moment in American history, and have a sense of optimism and hope that I haven't felt in 8 years.

Opinion:The 4th judge on American Idol? I don't like her. She's got a mean edge, seems defensive, out to prove herself or something. She's gotta go. Tell me again why the producers felt we had to mix things up? And hey, how 'bout the 2 guys from Milwaukee (friends, one whose wife just died) who made it through to Hollywood? They were cool, they weren't overweight and they sang good. Finally,some decent representation for WI! (in case you haven't been keeping track, WI typically gets represented on shows by some obese, tooth missing person who can't string 3 words together).

Frank Caliendo

Joe's early birthday surprise was meeting Diane and Bill downtown for Volcano Tofu at the King & I, and catching comedian Frank Caliendo at the Riverside Theater. Most of you know we're not ones for going out, unless it's for a hike, so this took a lot of stick-to-it-tiveness. And yes, it was hard to part from the never ending, very bad Farrah Fawcett/Ryan O'Neal movie we got sucked into mid-afternoon, but it was a fun evening and a nice break from the same ol', same ol'.

My leg - specifically the back of my thigh, the back of my knee - remains numb to the same degree. It's been this way for close to 4 weeks now. It's only numb - no tingly or prickly feeling. If I had to, I could live with it. Most of the time I'm not aware of the numbness.

My foot - specifically the heel, ball and 4 small toes - have returned to their usual degree of prickliness after yesterday's brief decrease in numbness. The heel hurts if I touch it, though it doesn't hurt in shoes. It also hurts when I lie on my back in bed at night to read. The most maddening part of my foot is the tight, pins and needle feeling just below the 2 toes next to my big toe. This is an annoying sensation that feels like I'm walking on a bunched up sock. It also makes it impossible to walk with the normal foot strike of heel rolling to toe, which is why I continue to limp, though I am no longer using the cane.

This upcoming week includes 2 visits each to the chiropractor and the acupuncturist, as well as my monthly massage. As always, I hope one of the treatments will offer the break through I need!

Tidbits

1. Great News! We were granted our backcountry permit request for a 6 day backpacking trip in the Grand Teton's wilderness. Seven days and six nights of sweat & toil, peace & beauty. We'll road trip it to WY in late August/early September. By then, whether I've had surgery or not,I should be well enough, and recovered enough (i.e. physical strength is back full force) to do this, though Joe may have to carry more weight in his pack :) In the spirit of moment, I'm including pictures from past exploits - Rocky Mountains - Mt. Elbert, Co, Mt. Rainier, WA and Half Dome @ Yosemite, CA.

2. Good News: My foot is a degree or two less prickly and tingly than it has been. Acupuncture paying off?

3. Reassuring News: My neurosurgeon has the prestigious Best Doctor vote. This is a worldwide peer rating and voting system that identifies the doctors most expert in their fields. Check my doctor out: http://www.froedtert.com/PatientInformation/PhysicianSearch/PhysicianSearchProfile.htm?id=2488

4. Interesting News?: I've added visualization to my rehab program. Studies have shown that visualizing your outcome or healing process can work - for athletes, for cancer patients, etc. I am picturing a ball of chi (energy) in the form of a comet racing up my spinal column. This comet lifts my bulging disc up, and it's tail wind keeps it up, as my sciatic nerve breathes a sigh of relief. Over and over, I see the comet.

5. Fun News: I am taking Joe out for an early birthday surprise tonight. It promises to be a good time. Check in tomorrow when the surprise will be revealed!

Ode to Joe

What would I do without Joe? He has taken time off work to cart me to appointments (helping me lie down on the back seat of his car, when I couldn’t sit) and to the ER without complaint. To get to the ER he helped me get off the floor and to the car when I was in excruciating pain – without his help I would have had to call 911 (Help! I went to sleep on the floor and I can’t get up!). He has born the burden of being the sole snow remover this year (Well, I did snowblow once before the “fit” hit the “shan”). One night when he called to say he was on his way home, he asked if I needed anything. I asked for a cane (“really?”, he asked), and he bought me my much complimented on copper colored cane. He has tied my shoes when I couldn’t reach them. He has humored my OCD – vacuuming the family room when I couldn’t (even though most of you would have seen no need!). He’s made me many vegan chocolate shakes to sate my recent cravings. He’s listened to my endless stream of thoughts, feelings, fears and hopes related to my condition. I admit the past month has been the Joy Show, but he has not wavered – no feigning interest or pretending to listen as I go on ad nauseum, no he stays totally present with me. During the times my back was in pain, it took a major effort for me to turn over in bed – essentially I almost had to get out of bed to flip over. This only aggravated Joe’s chronic insomnia, but he endured. Joe created my snazzy pain tracker spreadsheet. He has massaged my sore calf even when his thumb felt like it was ready to fall off. He has offered quiet optimism, and helps me focus on the here and now, rather than speculating about what lies ahead. If he has fears about my recovery, about our future of racing or backpacking, he does not voice them. Joe’s what he always is: caring, steadfast, kind, helpful, level headed, discerning, loyal and generous. That’s my Joe :)

Joy's Butt

No change in status to report. I was hoping - just somehow against all odds, that today's sub-zero temps would cause my bulging disc to shrink right up!

Women who have given birth tell me that if you were shy or inhibited you’re your body before, you aren’t afterwards. Well, I can sorta relate to that now that my butt is constantly on display for all of my treatments. It began with the chiropractor who needs to access my piriformis; which is a muscle deep in the middle of your butt. It connects your pelvis to your hip and is responsible for turning your leg outward. Each time I get on the chiropractic table for ultrasound or stim (electrical stimulation), my undies get yanked down.

I go to the pain clinic for the epidural, am put in a hospital gown and told to lie on the hard cloth covered metal table for the injection. My undies get yanked down.

I go to Dr. Li for acupuncture, she has me lie on my right side so she can stick needles in my left side, and (you give the answer …) my undies get yanked down!

Maybe I should stop wearing them, make it a little easier on practitioners? Or maybe I could alter my undies – have a few pair with the left butt cheek cut out that I wear only on my treatment days?

Next undie pulling experience will be tomorrow, when I see both the chiropractor and the acupuncturist. Incidentally, all my doctors have been women thus far, thus making the exposure of my bottom just a bit less threatening.

BIG Bills

Technical difficulties leaving a comment on my blog? Joe says that some of your computers may have anti-virus software that prohibits you from leaving a comment. Whatever the reason, please email me directly if you have a question, a thought, or some cheery words!

I have many things to be grateful for, and one of them is insurance. Look at some of these costs in contrast with what I have had to pay:

SERVICE TOTAL COST MY COST
MRI $2,200.00 $50.00
Emergency Room $900.00 $60.00
Just 1 epidural @ Pain Clinic! $3,300.00 $242.00

And this chart doesn’t even cover chiropractic expenses! I believe they’ve been close to $3000.00 for the 30 sessions I’ve had, but I’ve only had to pay $75 to date.

No miraculous overnight post-acupuncture changes to report. The only time my foot seems to improve is after a cardio work-out. The improvement is temporary, lasting a few hours and up to 1 day, before the prickliness returns. Tomorrow I get to increase my core routine from 1 set of each exercise to 2 sets. Exciting, I know. Tomorrow, I will blog about my butt. If that doesn’t reel you back in, I don’t know what will :)

Acupunture Report

Today I met with Dr. Juan Li - A Chinese woman with 25+ years experience who came highly recommended. To learn more about her and acupuncture check out her website at www.wicac.com

Dr. Li took a detailed medical account of what's been going on for the past 6-8 weeks. We agreed that my main issue for treatment is my numb leg and foot. She stated she would work with me until I see Dr. Kurpad in another month. If I have no change by that time, then she's done all she can do too, and I may be facing surgery. She asked to see my tongue and explained that the tongue can indicate if there are problems occurring with the organs. From my tongue she could deem that I am healthy and that my issues are purely structural. She also took my Chinese pulse, which relates more to my state of mind, and here there was no surprise - I'm intense and thinking a lot. I need to clear my mind and relax more.

She had me remove my socks and pants and lie on a table - much like a massage table. She wiped the spots where she'd place the needles with some Chinese herb. Lying on my right side, she inserted about 2 dozen needles at special points along my left lower back, butt, outer leg, hamstring, calf and foot. She also placed electrodes in certain areas that pulsated with a mild electrical charge to the rhythm of a heart beat. Most importantly she confirmed that the Chinese character tattooed on my left ankle does mean Joy/Happiness (you never know for sure at those tattoo parlors!) In the darkened, warm room, she had me stay in that position for about 40 minutes. And to answer every one's question - NO, the needles don't hurt. You can feel them being placed, but it's not painful.

She will see me twice per week until I see Dr. Kurpad. She also gave me a bottle of Zuo Gu Shen Jing Tong Wan ($10 to the first person to tell me what this means), which are Chinese herbs to reduce inflammation. I'm to take 8 of these small black pellets twice a day. I was sent home with an instruction sheet that says drink lots of water after a treatment, don't take a shower or bath right away, you may have tenderness or bruising after treatments, which is normal, and that it is also normal to feel extra tired or relaxed after treatment. I feel way tired. The 75 minute visit and the herbs cost $90. Fortunately I can be reimbursed from my FlexBen account.

No May Half Marathon

Good evening, on this snowy eve of the encroaching cold front. I'm glad to have a solid excuse for not running in the frigid weather (cause you know me, if I could, I would probably be out there trying to tough out a run in sub-zero temps).

To answer any questions about when/if I'll be running again is difficult, but I can say with 100% certainty,that I will not be able to participate in the May Cheezy Half Marathon as planned. Training would begin in mid-February, which will coincide with me finding out whether I need surgery or to keep on "resting". It's a huge disappointment, but at least I had Napa Valley and a lot of great autumnal races in 2008.

Now technically I am not "resting", as I'm back to the gym doing all that I am allowed to do. I hope I don't develop a Hulkish upper body while my lower body wastes away. I don't want to look like Joe from Family Guy (see picture). Yeah, yeah, I know he's in a wheel chair, but still... I'm just sayin'.

My foot is a lot more numb and tingly today. Don't ask why. I've noticed that things occur overnight while I'm asleep. Maybe I roll one way and press the nerve more, and then another way the next night and so on. I often wake with improvements or more problems. Here's something I've discovered about a numbed area: When I get an itch, scratching the itch is not satisfying. The itch will go away, but I'm not left that with sense of ahhhhh, that comes with a scratched itch.

EDUCATIONAL PIECE: Herniated discs occur most frequently with people in their 20's, 30's and 40's. Once you hit 50, your discs begin to dry out and you face a different set of problems, but usually not herniations.

Tomorrow will be my first acupuncture appointment. I'm excited for these treatments, and am stoked that I can use my FlexBen account for reimbursement! Woohoo.

Sunday Message

Happy Sunday! The sun is threading it's rays through the determined clouds. I think it's been a while since we saw the sun. When I think of the sun, I think of bright yellow, the kind of yellow found in a certain kind of flower. Earlier in the week when I was feeling kinda blue, Joe brought home these flowers to lift my spirits ...

For those of you wondering how the heck to leave a comment, bare with me. I think I've figured it out, and enabled that option on this blog. You should be able to easily click on a Post Comments link and leave your message, but if that doesn't work, email me directly until my technical difficulties are resolved :)

No change in my leg or foot. I do notice that my foot is less numb and tingly after I've exercised, but the improvement is temporary. As far as exercise goes, Dr. Kurpad says I can use the elliptical trainer only - no bike, no running, no gauntlet (revolving staircase), and I can work upper body with weights if I keep my spine neutral. No weight work with lower legs. It's hard to watch my muscles diminish, but hopefully the elliptical will help me keep what I still have left! My chiro gave me a series of 10 safe core exercises I can do with an exercise ball to help heal my back. Luckily I have a ball at home, so when I'm not at the gym (like on the weekends) I can still do these exercises daily. Makes me feel like I'm doing something to help myself.

Last night we went for a candle light hike at Lapham Peak with Heather. It was the perfect night for it - not too cold (17°), no wind, fresh snow and a full moon glowing through thin cloud layers. It's a hike I recommend everyone try at least once - the next one is 2/14........

Summary of Joy's Back Saga To Date

Here's a summary of what's been going on for those of you who haven't been with the story from the get go. I have three herniated discs in my back, and one of them isn't good. Discs are like donuts between your vertebrae. They're shock absorbers. They have a hard outer shell, and a soft jelly inside. When they rupture (herniate), that means the jelly is oozing out from a crack in the outside. There is no telling how I got these bulging disks (at L1, L4 and L5-S1). Apparently at least 70% of the population has them, but often experience no pain or symptoms from them. They come from aging, injuries or just because (i.e. you bend over to tie your shoes, and whamo! your disc bulges). I am told that my running and weight lifting are not to blame.

I'd been having left hip and left lower back trouble since mid-October and was seeing a chiropractor for it. During this time period, I was able to continue doing all normal activities, including competing in some 10k races with Joe. The chiropractic treatments were working well, and by mid-November, I was almost healed.

On 11/25/08, I was running when something in my left lower back/hip suddenly screamed in pain. I had emergency chiro appt's the rest of that week, and sciatica down the left leg began. At this point in time, I stopped running, but was able to continue with all other normal activities, including biking and weight lifting. After 3 weeks of chiro appt's I was not improving. On 12/16/08 I awoke with ferocious pain - enough to make me cry for 3 hours! My chiro scheduled me for an MRI, suspecting bulging disks, and referred me to the pain clinic because I could no longer sit, stand or lie down without excruciating pain. I'd been taking Ibuprofen for the pain (it wasn't helping) and was told by the pain clinic that I'd have to be off of it for 5 days before they could give me an epidural (corticosteroid injection). An appt. was scheduled 5 days out for 12/22/08.

I had the MRI on 12/17/08, and that night I entered a new level of pain that nearly caused me to faint every time I tried to stand. Joe got me to the ER for help with pain until my 12/22/08 pain clinic appt. I have adverse reactions to anything with opiates, so they gave me Valium to tide me over, which helped take the edge off. On 12/22/08 I had a left lumbar epidural (steroid injection), which has relieved me of pain, but has left me with a numb left hamstring, and a numb/tingly heel and foot. I had my second epidural on 1/5/09, but my leg and foot remains numb. This means that the disc is still impinging my sciatic nerve.

I met with a highly rated neurosurgeon, Dr. Kurpad, on 1/6/09. He is known for being conservative when it comes to surgery - trying everything else before yielding the knife. Reading between the lines, I could hear that my condition is quite serious, and that surgery could be a real possibility for me. My L4 herniation is filling the majority of my spinal column, which is why my nerve is being squished.

The standard treatment for herniated discs is to give the body 3 months to heal it with conservative forms of therapy, such as chiropracty, physical therapy, rest, etc. After 3 months, if things aren't better, surgery may be needed. My three month mark will come in mid-late February. Until then I'm keeping busy with 2 chiro appt's each week, which include ultrasound treatments, traction and adjustments. I will add acupuncture to my treatment regime next week. I am also diligently following my chiropractor's safe-for-bulging-discs core work-out. I am counting on these modalities to help my leg and foot to unthaw, so surgery will not be needed.

If my leg/foot remains numb at the 3 month mark, that means the disc isn't getting reabsorbed or cinching back in - it's still pushing on my nerve. If the nerve is compromised for more than 3-6 months, permanent nerve damage can occur, so surgery would be necessary.

So that's the story with the daily emotions removed. 95% of the time I'm optimistic and confident this will all turn out well, but I have those moments of fear, frustration and worry too. I love to have goals and challenges, and while I didn't choose this one, it chose me, and I'll take it on.

Tune in often, and give me feedback as you can. I will try to update this page daily.