[Girl♥Health]: The Tough Decisions

Earlier this week I talked about how one of the focuses of my Girl♥Health plan for the next year is to build and nurture a healthy back.  I want to be able to move, to accomplish the goals I set for myself, to do what I want.

This was never more true than it was over this past Labor Day weekend.

On Tuesday of last week, my back went out again.  When it does this, there's little I can do besides be in bed.  I can't sit for long periods, I can't stand for long periods, I even have a hard time rolling over.  If the movement has anything to do with my hips, lower back, or my entire friggin' spine, chances are I can't do it.

The big problem was that Nate and I were heading to Seattle over the long weekend for a wedding.

Seattle.  My favorite city in the U.S.  College friends, old haunts, PNW weather, water, mountains, EVERYTHING I LOVE.

So you can see my dilemma.

Do I stay in bed, where my back can heal, where I'm not pushing it to do more than it can, where I can be comfortable and in as little pain as possible?  Where I'll also be alone and bored and without internet (it went out on Friday, not to return until Monday) or boyfriend?

Or do I chance it?  Do I pray that my back is better by Friday night, or Saturday morning at the latest?  Do I get on that plane, sit for TWO WHOLE HOURS, get out and leave myself at the mercy of the group, hoping that our collective itinerary has enough time built in for me to lay down regularly and stretch my back out before I collapse?

The smart, back-health-conscious thing to do would have been to wish Nate a good time, stay home and rest up.  Sure, I'd be miserable (I'd probably cry a lot, as I do), but it's responsible.  It's reasonable.  It's what an adult would do.

So.  What did I do?

...

I said, screw it, packed my bags, and hightailed it up north.

On a scale of one to ten -- one being the base level intelligence of a dirt, and ten being the base level intelligence of a baboon -- my decision to go to Seattle probably places me somewhere in the vicinity of -15.  Because, as it turns out, I have a slipped disk.

Let me put this another way.  I spent an entire weekend walking, sitting, standing, moving, NOT LAYING DOWN, on a SLIPPED DISK.

And now I'm in pain.  Staring at my ceiling.  Again.

But (and this is a huge but), I would do it again.  In a heartbeat.

Why, you may ask?

Well, because I have this to show for it:

Sometimes, it's just worth it, you know?

[Girl♥Health]: The Thought Behind the Plan

Now, I'm not a doctor or anything, but I think something may be wrong with my back.

Just a hunch.

Things have been mostly fine since the last time I messed up my back alignment.  Maybe I've had a few aches and pains, but I haven't been laid up again until now.  In the last few weeks, there has just been more activity happening -- dancing at weddings, carrying heavy luggage, minimizing my belongings, going on 9-mile hikes, taking road trips, sleeping on uncomfortable beds.  I also haven't been stretching on a daily basis at all.  And now I'm paying the price.

I've been lying in bed staring at the ceiling for what feels like forever.

So as I start to plan out a new exercise regimen (because what else can you do when you're unable to move?), I think I should focus on one or two things: a main goals I hope to accomplish, and back health.

The Goal(s)
I actually have three goals that I hope this exercise plan with allow me to accomplish.

Goal #1 is bring my cholesterol down.  As I mentioned before, the last time I went to the doctor and had my cholesterol checked, it was high.  Scary high.  I was told that, unless I could lower it on my own, my doctor would recommend that I begin taking cholesterol medication.  She gave me this warning because doctors tend to not want to use this type of medication on women of child-bearing age since it has a tendency of making it difficult -- if not impossible -- for those women to have children.

I want children one day, so I want my cholesterol to be at a healthy level -- according to my doctor -- by the end of 2013.

Goal #2 is to run the 10k at the Dawg Dash next year.  I can't do it this year because I'm nowhere near in-shape enough, and I already have a job-related commitment that same weekend, so I'm looking ahead.  I'm hoping to run the entire 10k, which means I'll probably want to get in one or two 5k's as training runs before the Dawg Dash itself.

Why this particular run?  Because I'm a Husky!  Go Dawgs!

(Okay, yes, I know that was completely nerdy.)

Goal #3 is to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail.  I'm reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed right now, so that's where the idea came from.  And I've been wanting to see the High Sierra's, but haven't felt in-shape or brave enough to make the trek.  I obviously don't want to do the entire PCT -- because that would be crazy -- nor do I want to do it alone (I think I've already convinced a friend to do it with me, but if anyone else is interested, let me know!), but I'd like to backpack along it for a few days.  I'd like to be fit enough to have the confidence to do that.

My goal is for this to happen next summer (or whenever the best conditions are -- I haven't done my research yet).

Back Health
Finally, I really have to figure out a way to manage my back because this just can't keep happening.  As you've just read, I have goals, man!  I have things I want to do, and I need a healthy back in order to do those things.  I can't have my back taken out by a mostly-flat 9 mile hike if I want to be able to do part of the PCT and live to tell the tale.

The problem is that I'm just not sure of my limits yet.  I know I can't lift heavy things -- but how heavy is too heavy?  I know I can't bend past a certain point -- but where is that point?  And does this mean I can't do pilates or yoga?  I didn't think sitting for long periods would effect me -- but am I wrong?  And will my hips always hurt after short hikes?  Does this mean I can't accomplish my PCT goal?

These are all things I need to figure out (read: ask my chiropractor) as I create this plan.

I also need to start stretching and strengthening my back daily.  To do that, here are some chiropractor-recommended stretches that I'm going to be incorporating into my daily routine:

• Hamstring stretch: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times on each side
• Hip rotator stretch: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times on each side
• Knee-to-chest stretch: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times on each side
• Quadriceps stretch: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times on each side
• Prone press-up: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times
• Partial curl-up (or crunch): 10 times
• The bridge: holding for 1 second; 15 times
• Wall slide: holding for 10 seconds; 4 times

It's a lot to think about, a lot to plan for.

But it's also a lot to look forward to.

[Girl♥Health]: It's Baaack... (Pun Totally Intended)

If you've been reading my G♥H posts for a while now, you may remember that I've been experiencing some back issues in the past few months.  Truth be told, I'm currently going through my third episode of crazy back pain in the past year.  If I had to describe it, I would say that it feels like a thick band of tension across my lower back, with most of the pain focused on my lower left side, right at my hips.  When I move my legs in certain directions, I'm rewarded with acute pain near my spine.  I can't rotate at the hips or bend toward my left, nor can I straighten my posture -- I'm sort of stuck in a hobbled over position leaning towards the right.  The only time I'm comfortable is when I'm laying down with an ice pack.

I was finally able to see a chiropractor yesterday to get some x-rays and an evaluation.  After talking to me for a few minutes, Dr. Eric thought this seemed like a classic case he's seen many times: I've essentially locked my ilium (hip bones) into a misaligned position to my sacrum (fused lower back vertebra).  This in turn causes inflammation at those joints and, in order to protect itself, my body has me favoring one side (the right) so as to keep weight off the focus of my pain (my left hip joint). 

Then I went in today to go over my x-rays and the story got a little more complicated.  Hey, I'm a complicated girl.

Apparently, on top of this misalignment, I also have a spine anomaly called a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV).  What this means is that the last vertebra of my spine can't decide whether it wants to be a vertebra or part of the sacrum. Being so indecisive, it has an "accessory articulation," which is a fancy way of saying it looks like a vertebra that's grown wings which sort of mimic the look of the sacrum.  "But don't those wings mean you have extra bones along your spine?" you ask?  Why yes, yes it does.  And these extra bones taking up all that extra space makes it impossible for me to bend or rotate like a normal human being. When I try to, stuff like this happens.

So, in summary, I'm currently suffering from a spinal subluxation (misaligned, pinched nerves) -- probably a result of me not knowing I had an LSTV and trying to do things my spine is unable to do -- which has caused painful, limited range of motion, joint problems, nerve problems, acute muscle spasms, pain at the sight of the subluxation and pain radiating from the sight of subluxation.  Because of all this, I am also in phase 1 of spinal decay, where I'm experiencing a loss of spinal curve,  narrowing of disc spacing (that plastic-y sort of substance between the vertebrae) and impaired turning and bending.

Dr. Eric suggested a treatment plan for me that requires regular chiropractic adjustments, but that's something I'll have to think about.  Being without a job also means I'm currently without health insurance and, in this country, getting back to healthy is not cheap.

Until I do get this straightened out (Hah!  See what I did there?), exercising is definitely on a back burner.  Whatever I decide, I'll post an update here.