Focus on Health | Update #3

This is big. This is like really big. Are you ready?

I can put my socks on. All by myself. Without any pain!

I'm healing. I'm actually healing! ...But I'm not out of the woods yet.

I still don't have full range of motion and there continues to be concern about over-excursion, so I'm still banned from lifting anything over a few ounces. That said, the lack of pain these days is a cause for celebration, especially considering I could barely walk eight days ago.

Cliff and I took these improvements and the weekend's great weather as a sign to get out of the house. We visited Brookside Gardens, a place I've been wanting to go for years. We stayed an hour and explored just a tiny portion of the 500-acre space (including the nature center, Harper Homestead and aquatic gardens), but man, I felt like a million bucks! I definitely want to go back when I'm able to carry more than just a cell-phone camera!

Look! No pain!

A lot of people have asked me how my injury happened. Spondylolisthesis is caused by a damaged joint--damaged from overuse or trauma. In my case, it was overuse. In other words, I tried too hard to be Superwoman. 

I love being green, love living without a car, but I haven't always been smart about it. I made one too many mile-long trips from the grocery/pet/hardware store with heavy bags on my shoulders, and my body simply could take no more. I'm now paying the price.

As sucky as it is, I've learned some really good lessons out of this: I need to take better care of myself, listen to my body, and slow down. The trip to Brookside Gardens (ya'know, to smell those roses?) is definitely a step in the right direction.

Here's a look at my insides:

The x ray on the left is my spine. Red dots at the bottom of the last vertebra (L 5) and the top of the sacrum show the misalignment. The L 5 is pushed forward. By comparison, the above x ray shows a spine in proper alignment. You can see how the L 5 and sacrum are perfectly aligned.