02/21/2023
Healing is not linear…sometimes it’s like the world’s wildest rollercoaster of hills and valleys, loops and flat areas to coast and catch your breath.
After what has been a pretty smooth recovery, I have reached the muscle spasm phase of this journey. My body still healing, but also my gait very altered by the devices on my lower leg, the boot in particular. I had been feeling so great, that naturally-as we tend to do as humans-I did too much. I moved waaay too much. And now my core and every muscle in my pelvis is screaming at me. And not the kind of soreness where you worked out a little too hard but it hurts so good. Nope, this is a special kind of hell. Like the toddler that screams so much they stop breathing and there’s no consoling them til they just get it all out.
And to compound matters, because I am healing my knee and ankle, I cannot move in ways that one typically would in order to stretch of these muscles that have been over contracting.
I have had to be resourceful big time. I have had to dig deep to really put into use all those tools I am constantly teaching to others in practice. Extra water…✔️ More magnesium from food and supplements ✔️ Finding ways to lay comfortably so that the muscles on my healing side are elongated ✔️ Getting super creative in finding ways to stretch them a bit ✔️
My biggest helper of course…my breath and NetworkSpinal. And since we are facing an epic snowstorm ❄️☃️🌬️ that is definitely going to keep me housebound for the next several days…NetworkSpinal isn’t even an option. But the one thing I do have….my breath 💨 and a little experience with all the breathing techniques that are my companions to NS Care. And for that, I am really so grateful!
I am really quite miserable right now, and that’s ok! Life and healing-especially on social media- doesn’t have to be all 🌈 and 🦄 There may even come a time or two where I do ultimately turn to the medication the surgeon provided me to find relief in this phase. It is not my first strategy, but let’s be real, sometimes in the season, you just do need a little relief because then it actually allows me to rest, and that’s where the healing takes place.
And lest I forget the importance of rest, both just generally, but especially when going through a healing wave-and CLEARLY I forgot this lesson which is why I’m in this beautiful mess to begin with….I feel great, I don’t need to take so much time off, I’m ready to go back to work changing spines and lives! I’m ready to resume life, I’ve got this…The Universe is like “no no no, not so fast, here’s 2 feet of ❄️ to make sure you sit your butt down” So to all my fellow Minnesotans, my deepest apologies, I feel like I single-handedly summoned the snow goddesses to bless us with all their might so that I can once again remember this super valuable lesson. 😂
So wherever your healing journey takes you, remember, you are your own best healer, and I am here to help! And with a little luck, I will see you all in office again next week! ⭐️ ☮️ 💚
