kam's two-year update

[Guest guest]

This is long and reflective, but I have a lot of time for which to

account... you can blame and , it seems!!!

Miss you all and hope to see you sometime in the near future!

I am one of three people in the OKC Metro area that traveled to St.

Louis for Bridwell. We all keep in touch and we are all grateful for

what he has restored to us. I will be there again on St. 's

Day for my two-year follow-up and have on my " to-do " list to post my

progress report on the board [DONE!!!].

Currently, I work full-time as an Instructional Technology Trainer

and travel within a school district with 14,000 students training

everyone to effectively integrate technology into instruction. I pull

a backpack on wheels everywhere I go (loaded with laptops and iPods

and video/digital cameras, etc.) and manage to lift it in and out of

my car with a bit of effort. Sometimes I wear 2 " heels because they

look great with my outfit or because I am training administrators,

but I only buy them if they have great arch support and lots of

cushion. I put insoles in all of my shoes that aren't built with

sufficient shock absorption. I also am the wife of an absurdly active

spouse and the mommy of two canines, who weigh in at 61 and 69

pounds. I do laundry, load the dishwasher, vacuum the floors with my

new Dyson, and pick up the toys from around the house and yard (all

of which belong in the " pushing the envelope category " ).

I regret it when I clean the floors, the tub, the toilet or get

clothes out of the dryer. My hubby has agreed to do these things

(along with vacuuming daily to reduce the amount of white hair all

over our house - I will post pictures), but these aren't the most

rewarding tasks for my man, so there are times when I " just do it "

rather than asking and feeling inadequate because I can't/shouldn't

do everything.

Am I " pain-free " ? - NO. Is it because I have chosen to keep my active

lifestyle and practice my BLTS (bending lifting twisting stooping)

rather than avoid them? More than likely. Am I OK with that? For the

most part. I am not exercising consistently and I am not managing my

stress and sleep schedule effectively. I do work on continuously

improving these areas (exercise will help with both sleep and

stress). Who feels great without these practices at the ripe age of

37? (I am on the young end of the spectrum, but not the baby in the

group.) Not anyone I know with flatback!

Because I am a researcher and absurdly analytical, I have compiled a

mental list of all of the possible variables that may impact my

quality of life and compared it to all of the constants in my life

and have concluded that...

My spine is fused from T-4 to S-1. If I jump up and down, there are

no shock absorbers in my trunk so the reverb has to go somewhere...I

feel it in my joints. If I bend (as everyone in the universe can now

see that I do on the web), my ligaments have to stretch more than

before revision to achieve the same results. This is likely the

source of much of my pain...which requires pain meds less than once a

month, so I am not complaining. Do I want to give up my flexibility

to avoid discomfort? Not yet. After exploring every treatment option

I've come across, I have learned that myofascial release provides me

the most benefit. There are two wonderful practicioners in my area,

but neither are very conveniently located. I am investigating a

physical therapist in the city where I work (I commute 25 miles one

way) that looks promising - she was trained by the therapist I was

driving an hour to see. My PT also recommended a massage therapist

whom I love, but she, too, is not located near my home or my office.

Nevertheless, when I do see one or both of them, it is instant relief

and it all seems to be related to alignment and myofascial kinks. I

know that when I get back in the routine of getting to the pool and

stretching in the sauna, this will be less of an issue. The sauna is

huge - deep yoga breaths and stretches in the sauna do wonders for

me. For the record, the vast majority of my myofascial pain is my

left side - hip (gluts and abdominal region), mid-back (especially

right over my kidneys), scapula, shoulder, neck. Sometimes, when I

bend over, I feel " stuff " (connective tissue) wiggling around in

there - like it's sort of loose, but mostly tight. Constricted is

probably a good descriptor. And I know that the pain is all

originating from the same source. That connective tissue is

functioning properly reminding me that it's all connected!

Anyone who considers surgery should think through these things

thoroughly before going forward. Dr. Bridwell is incredibly gifted

and leaves no stone unturned. His staff is fantastic and readily

available for questions. That part is in the bag. The real work is up

to you and it does take time. My birthday was Sunday and I asked my

hubby what we did on my birthday two years ago. Neither of us could

remember. I had my 3rd surgery January 26 and flew home from St.

Louis on February 6. I was totally miserable on my 35th birthday and

a bit depressed (as is common after trauma), but this was my best

birthday EVER. I took Friday off and overdid it (again) Friday and

Saturday, which required that I rest A LOT on Sunday to be certain I

could make it to work on Monday. It was totally worth it to me. I can

take a day off every now and then to live an active, joy-filled life

the remainder of my days.

I hope this helps you; it has certainly helped me!

Best wishes,

kam