Been a while since I’ve posted any kind of an update. I’m s-l-o-w-l-y trying to get gourds painted and I’ve got some new nettle salve in the crock pot as I write this, but it’s been months now since I’ve felt like doing much of anything.

Early March I landed myself in the Emergency Room twice in one week. Blood pressure sky high, having arm/shoulder/chest pain. Found out (after spending $6000 plus and going through many tests) that my heart was not the problem at all. I have degenerative disc disease in my neck, which was causing pain in my shoulders, down my arm, headaches, stiffness I didn’t even realize I had, oh yeah- and chest pain. Blood pressure is better now.

I spent a month doing therapy twice a week at Sullivan hospital. I didn’t have a great attitude going in to this- I’ve always thought therapy was just what the insurance company forced you to do so they could put off paying for surgery. First couple sessions were rough. I didn’t realize how weak my muscles had gotten from sitting around in chronic pain and not doing much unless it was from the couch. I’m back in the garden now, I’m digging and planting and doing all those things I love and it’s thanks to the Physical Therapists at Sullivan Hospital.

I couldn’t even turn my head all the way to the right when I went in there. My arm woke me up nightly, feeling like someone was stabbing me with a thousand little needles at once. I’d put ice on it ( the only thing that helped at all ) and try to fall back to sleep. Sometimes it worked, sometimes I didn’t. I haven’t had that since my 2nd week of therapy. My strength is starting to come back. I still have headaches, but not 24/7. I went in there feeling like it was hopeless. (My previous doctor had told me I was getting older and it was just to be expected, I needed to learn to live with it) Two weeks before I started therapy, I was writing letters to my daughter, telling her what I thought I’d like her know before I died. Yes, I felt THAT bad.

These girls gave me my life back. Now I’m not saying I still won’t have issues in the future- this is a degenerative condition and I expect time will not improve it, no matter how many stretches or exercises I do. But they gave me perhaps years before I reach the point of having to turn to surgery. They helped stop the chronic pain and the debilitating headaches.

It’s very hard to be creative or care about being creative when you are in constant pain. I feel like they de-aged me by years! And if any of you read this, I’m sorry I doubted you. I’ve never been to therapy. I had no idea what to expect. I’ve just heard people grumble about having to do it before surgery. I’m hoping to avoid surgery for as long as possible and I don’t function at all on pain meds, so this was my best alternative.

SO>>>> I’ll have new stuff coming out on the shop soon and new art to share and hopefully some more snazzy pictures of our new cows that I am not allowed to be friends with. 😉
I’m very glad to feel a bit more myself again.

B