A new start

I'm starting again. Yes again. I'm ready to get healthier along with addressing some issues I've been dealing with for a couple of years now.

The pain

 A few years back I started seeing a massage therapist for my headaches. It helped, but with the cost per session I'm not able to go regularly, and in between the headaches would come back. The headaches were almost always precipitated by muscle tightness in my back, shoulders and neck and I could feel it coming on through my neck. No stretching could relieve it. The massage therapist was constantly working knots out of my muscles along my shoulder blades and my neck. They progressed to a point where I started seeing a chiropractor in June of 2010. As with massage, the adjustments helped but had to be consistent, as in weekly or biweekly to keep the pain at bay. After a migraine put me on the couch crying the beginning of December, with my dear children trying desperately to figure out how to make mommy feel better, I decided that I needed to see the doctor. Kendra spent that entire day by my side, laying with me, rubbing my back. It was nice to cuddle with her, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't enjoy it. Something needed to change before it got any worse.

The appointments begin...
 I started off with a trip to my family physician, who asked me if I thought the tension, muscle aches, etc could be related to my breasts. I quickly agreed, that has been my #1 thought. He listened to me tell him the history of my pain, what I've tried, what works and what doesn't, as well as what has stopped working that used to. I do not want to become addicted to pain meds, so that's one route I've never taken and will not take. The strongest thing I've used OTC is Excedrin Migraine, which works well but keeps me awake at night if taken too late in the day. Heating pads give temporary relief, but it's usually very short lived. Doc L referred me to a specialist about an hour from home who deals primarily with spine and neck problems.
Doc C did xrays and listened to the history as well. My xrays don't show anything anatomically wrong, so he ordered an MRI for more precise diagnosis. He also requested that I do physical therapy until I see him again the end of January. At that appointment, we'll discuss the MRI, I'll find out if there is any type of nerve damage, and decide whether or not he'll refer me to a plastic surgeon.

Physical Therapy
I began PT last week, have been given stretches & exersizes to do at home, which I admit I've not done as consistently as I should. The therapist does some massage, electrotherapy (little patches on my back hooked to a box that sends mild shocks to the muscles), then works me through stretching and some strength building things for my upper back and neck. I have to work on posture at home also, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Everything pulls towards the front, so just pulling my shoulders back and putting my chest out is a workout in itself. Several of the exersizes she has given me are very difficult for me to actually do even though in theory they should be very simple. One example, stand up straight, tummy sucked in, and pull your shoulder blades together in the back then lower them & hold for 10 seconds. Repeat it 5 times. The muscles over my ribs on the sides begin to cramp, I lose my posture easily and have to constantly be reminded to suck the tummy in, don't arch my neck, etc. I'm really hoping it gets easier.

So, that's where I am now with that. We also purchased a new mattress for ourselves in hopes that it would help relieve some of my back pain that I would wake up with in the mornings. I rarely have a morning that I do not wake up stiff, sore, and in some degree of pain. We got the I Comfort sleep set from Serta, quite an investment, but I'm slowly noticing a difference. I am sleeping much better through the night and am waking up in less pain. I pray this trend continues, as we've only had the mattress since last Thursday.

Back to getting healthier, I'm going to be following a mommy friend's blog this year more closely than before. She's got a fit club in the making, click here to check it out. http://www.runningahealthyfamily.com/   She's an inspiration to me, a mom of two kids running 5ks, 10ks, half marathons.. the list goes on. Somehow, I think she's a little crazy, she gets herself up and runs in the mornings in the predawn hours before starting her day with the kids. My main goal is to get healthier, and hopefully have the side effect of weight loss. I started running last year but my back problems intensified and made it more difficult. I'm looking forward to seeing what she has planned. This is my 'outing' of myself, at my last appointment, my stats were 5'4", 217lbs, bp was 130/78, HR 87. I'm wearing a size 18 jeans, some 16s if they're well worn and xl tops, 38DDD. I would like to see all of those numbers improve in the next 6 months, even if only by a little. So, here we go.