"The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one has to do."
--Sir James M. Barrie
--Sir James M. Barrie
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This Months Quote
Link to Cammie Holley Bowen Website
Rental Houses
Here is a link to the rental house website.
If you are in need of a place to rent check it out. I keep it updated as to what is available.
01/18/15
Today is my first post since June 2014. It is now January 2015 and I feel like my lack of maintaining this website needed a bit of explaining.
In June, while I was gardening I "tweaked" my back. I didn't think much of it, it hurt, but I'm tough so I gritted my teeth and continued living life. By the Fourth of July I was a stooped over mess because of the back pain. But life was so busy that I trudged through it with a strained grin on my face. By the time school started in the fall I knew I had to do something. My pain was damaging my relationships and shearing years off of my life.
So, I forced myself to take time to go a chiropractor. I squeezed appointments in between rental remodeling, football games, ballroom dance and all the fall craziness of living on a hobby farm. Steve was beginning to threaten that if I didn't do something to get better, he was going to trade me in for two 25's. When I pointed out that I wasn't even close to 50 years old yet, he brushed it off as a mere technicality.
Under the care of the chiropractor I slowly began to improve. It was slow but I was hopeful. Unfortunately the chiropractor could only do so much. I began to get worse again and in desperation I went to a see our family doctor who scheduled me for an MRI. Turns out I have two bulging disks and patches of arthritis through my back.
Since I was trying to avoid back surgery, Doc then sent me to a pain specialist. Unsure of what exactly he could do for me, because I refused to take any heavy duty pain medication. My life is too frantic, how could I possibly justify being gorked out on drugs. But I was getting desperate, I could hardly walk now, So I agreed to meet with Dr. Poulter, the pain specialist. I began getting cortisone shots in my back. This helped a minimal amount and was my only option, short of surgery.
By this time it is almost Christmas and after one of the cortisone shots Dr. Poulter referred me to a physical therapist named Jody Rawlings, here in Rexburg. Finally the answer to my prayers.
After the first visit with Jody I walked out of his office without the pain shooting down my left leg. It came back after a few hours, but at least now I had a way to manage my pain. I had been instructed to do the stretches every hour in order to keep the pain at bay and was assigned exercises to do, that would strengthen my atrophied muscles. It was slow, but I began to heal.
After two weeks I began to believe that I might actually be able to recover from this injury completely, without surgery. I then began walking a mile a day, three days a week.
I have been seeing Jody for about four weeks now and am mostly able to manage my pain. Parts of my leg and foot are still numb but the numbness seems to be diminishing.
During these last eight months of pain, I have battled depression, discouragement and weight gain. Now that the fog of pain has lifted I am trying to put the pieces of my life back together. It will take time, I know, but I am hopeful.
Today is my first post since June 2014. It is now January 2015 and I feel like my lack of maintaining this website needed a bit of explaining.
In June, while I was gardening I "tweaked" my back. I didn't think much of it, it hurt, but I'm tough so I gritted my teeth and continued living life. By the Fourth of July I was a stooped over mess because of the back pain. But life was so busy that I trudged through it with a strained grin on my face. By the time school started in the fall I knew I had to do something. My pain was damaging my relationships and shearing years off of my life.
So, I forced myself to take time to go a chiropractor. I squeezed appointments in between rental remodeling, football games, ballroom dance and all the fall craziness of living on a hobby farm. Steve was beginning to threaten that if I didn't do something to get better, he was going to trade me in for two 25's. When I pointed out that I wasn't even close to 50 years old yet, he brushed it off as a mere technicality.
Under the care of the chiropractor I slowly began to improve. It was slow but I was hopeful. Unfortunately the chiropractor could only do so much. I began to get worse again and in desperation I went to a see our family doctor who scheduled me for an MRI. Turns out I have two bulging disks and patches of arthritis through my back.
Since I was trying to avoid back surgery, Doc then sent me to a pain specialist. Unsure of what exactly he could do for me, because I refused to take any heavy duty pain medication. My life is too frantic, how could I possibly justify being gorked out on drugs. But I was getting desperate, I could hardly walk now, So I agreed to meet with Dr. Poulter, the pain specialist. I began getting cortisone shots in my back. This helped a minimal amount and was my only option, short of surgery.
By this time it is almost Christmas and after one of the cortisone shots Dr. Poulter referred me to a physical therapist named Jody Rawlings, here in Rexburg. Finally the answer to my prayers.
After the first visit with Jody I walked out of his office without the pain shooting down my left leg. It came back after a few hours, but at least now I had a way to manage my pain. I had been instructed to do the stretches every hour in order to keep the pain at bay and was assigned exercises to do, that would strengthen my atrophied muscles. It was slow, but I began to heal.
After two weeks I began to believe that I might actually be able to recover from this injury completely, without surgery. I then began walking a mile a day, three days a week.
I have been seeing Jody for about four weeks now and am mostly able to manage my pain. Parts of my leg and foot are still numb but the numbness seems to be diminishing.
During these last eight months of pain, I have battled depression, discouragement and weight gain. Now that the fog of pain has lifted I am trying to put the pieces of my life back together. It will take time, I know, but I am hopeful.