1. Pain-free days. For the last six years I have been on a medication that has kept me pain free from pain in the connective tissues of my back. The cause of the pain is believed to be Myofascial Pain Syndrome. After years of flare ups of pain, the doctor put me on a medication that was discovered to help subdue the pain. The medication had been created to treat something completely different. To me it was like a miracle drug to be free of the pain. For whatever reason, the drug no longer works for me and the pain has resumed. The doctor is slowly weaning me off the first medication while gradually having me take low amounts of the new one. Apparently medications after continued use can sometimes no long do what they were intended to do. I am so grateful that during the past six years I haven't had flare-ups of that particular pain.
2. Sunshine. 1)During this time of the year the rays of sun shine through the windows of our home and strike certain areas that don't see the sunshine at other times. It is a good thing because otherwise I might not ever see the cobwebs on vaulted ceilings, and remove my quite naturalist Halloween decorations. 2)Sunshine this time of year makes all the fall colors of nature's landscape look so vibrant.
3. Live online classes. Today I registered for an online class being held this coming Saturday. This is the first time I have done this kind of thing, but I hope it will give me a better understanding of SIBO.
4. Someone offering to do something I'd offered to do for her. When I made an offer to help someone it was with the hope that the pain flareup would have subsided by the time I needed to do the errand. When I discovered that just because one day might be a good day, it didn't mean I could count on the following day to be good, she relieved me of having to do the task. I appreciate her being so understanding.
5. Sharing and caring friends. One day a couple of friends came to visit, and during our conversation about possible reasons my pain medication might not be working, they each shared a personal experience that caused me make an appointment to see my doctor and explain what was going on. While discussing health issues isn't always the most entertaining topic, sometimes sharing and caring friends and provide helpful insights.
6. Appreciation for the complexities of how the human body functions or doesn't.
7. Music as a source of distraction from physical pain. One day when I'd driven up to visit with my mom in the nursing center, my back pain had increased in intensity, so by the time I was making the 40 minute trip home, I wondered about a way to distract my mind from the pain. I began singing and humming hymns, one after another. The ride was much more enjoyable and truly did divert my thoughts from the pain.
Has music ever been used to help divert your mind during a surgical procedure or to distract you from pain?
Just listen to the following for a minute or two. If you click the link it will explain more about the sound. Is this a relaxing sound to you? Just wondering. . .
8. Serendipitous occasions, or God is in the details of our lives. I had enjoyed the singing/humming mentioned in #7 so much that I thought how wonderful it would be if the church class I would be attending that afternoon could just be an hour of singing hymns about the topic being addressed that day. Imagine my surprise when during one of the classes I attended, the teacher said she was going to do something a little different from the way she normal would teach the class. She asked for a number of people to choose a favorite hymn and a line from it that addressed the subject of the lesson. As a class we sang one verse from each of the hymns that had been mentioned! She no doubt had planned her lesson sooner than the thought that had crossed my mind, but maybe not. . .
Have you had a serendipitous happening recently?
9. My jade plant is growing! This might not seem like much to some people, but I have over watered a number of jades over the years and apparently just drowned them. This time around I have not even been watering my jade when the soil appeared dry to me. I wait several weeks before giving it the tiniest bit of moisture. This is a tiny little plant, but the leaves are looking healthy, not mushy at all. LOL
10. My husband and our family. They are always in my thoughts and prayers and they mean the world to me.
4. Someone offering to do something I'd offered to do for her. When I made an offer to help someone it was with the hope that the pain flareup would have subsided by the time I needed to do the errand. When I discovered that just because one day might be a good day, it didn't mean I could count on the following day to be good, she relieved me of having to do the task. I appreciate her being so understanding.
5. Sharing and caring friends. One day a couple of friends came to visit, and during our conversation about possible reasons my pain medication might not be working, they each shared a personal experience that caused me make an appointment to see my doctor and explain what was going on. While discussing health issues isn't always the most entertaining topic, sometimes sharing and caring friends and provide helpful insights.
6. Appreciation for the complexities of how the human body functions or doesn't.
7. Music as a source of distraction from physical pain. One day when I'd driven up to visit with my mom in the nursing center, my back pain had increased in intensity, so by the time I was making the 40 minute trip home, I wondered about a way to distract my mind from the pain. I began singing and humming hymns, one after another. The ride was much more enjoyable and truly did divert my thoughts from the pain.
Has music ever been used to help divert your mind during a surgical procedure or to distract you from pain?
Just listen to the following for a minute or two. If you click the link it will explain more about the sound. Is this a relaxing sound to you? Just wondering. . .
8. Serendipitous occasions, or God is in the details of our lives. I had enjoyed the singing/humming mentioned in #7 so much that I thought how wonderful it would be if the church class I would be attending that afternoon could just be an hour of singing hymns about the topic being addressed that day. Imagine my surprise when during one of the classes I attended, the teacher said she was going to do something a little different from the way she normal would teach the class. She asked for a number of people to choose a favorite hymn and a line from it that addressed the subject of the lesson. As a class we sang one verse from each of the hymns that had been mentioned! She no doubt had planned her lesson sooner than the thought that had crossed my mind, but maybe not. . .
Have you had a serendipitous happening recently?
9. My jade plant is growing! This might not seem like much to some people, but I have over watered a number of jades over the years and apparently just drowned them. This time around I have not even been watering my jade when the soil appeared dry to me. I wait several weeks before giving it the tiniest bit of moisture. This is a tiny little plant, but the leaves are looking healthy, not mushy at all. LOL
10. My husband and our family. They are always in my thoughts and prayers and they mean the world to me.
I'm sorry the pain is returning. That is no good! Hopefully the new medication will kick in soon and you'll have some relief.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "music" video, I'm afraid I only made it 17 seconds into it. No, I didn't find that relaxing. Did you?
The music(?) is not relaxing in the sense of beautiful, calming music, but I think the binaural beats are meant to interact with the body (brain and heart) to bring relief from pain. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uso1c0eQOgU for the details posted with the video. I haven't tried it yet.
DeleteHey, Kristi! I can't understand why you don't like the music!! (There is a difference between clarks and rogers, of course, but it's alway fun (and instructive) when a clear contrast appears. It serves to help us to better understand both ourselves and others.)
ReplyDeleteLuckily Phyllis is not home. Being a roger herself, I'm fairly certain she would not enjoy the music.
It's an interesting sound. It seems to be trying to synchronize or otherwise affect the rhythm of my breathing (as I listen). There is much 'science' to the medieval liturgical music, the Gregorian chants and other similar forms. From what I gather, the music was written to, through the breathing required to sing it, alter the mental state. I think it had to do with CO2 production and such.
.... Hope the pain abates. Certain types of pain don't seem to simply hurt, but they can wear one down, be very tiring.
I never sang any of the Gregorian chants, but what you said certainly makes sense.
DeleteI am sure the pain will abate in time, and yes it does have a way of trying to wear me down. I'm bound to not let it win. :-)