I have done it. I have graduated from this round of physical therapy two full weeks early. I made enough progress with my home exercises and the muscle and bone manipulation in the clinic that it really made no economic sense to keep attending sessions. I have full range of motion in my left arm again, and am able to raise it all the way to vertical without pain. I am working on strengthening the muscles that support my core and lower back, and I have new coping mechanisms for how to deal with the degenerative disc disease (which is sadly permanent). So other than enjoying getting to lie on a table with heat and electric shock therapy soothing my muscles for 15 minute stretches, I wasn't getting any new benefit from continuing out the remaining four allotted visits. Besides, my young therapist's last day at this clinic is tomorrow, and it didn't seem worthwhile to try to break in a brand new person for four sessions when I already felt significantly better. So we went over a few of the exercises, to emphasize which would do the most good for long term spine care, and he worked things loose in my neck and shoulder. Then I wished him luck in the new clinic in Denver, and headed home. Well, home via a few errands. I'm pretty sure I spent all of the copay I just saved for the canceled sessions on wine on sale at the mega-liquor store who sends me emails. A girl has to have her priorities.
That is pretty much my whole day. I'm tired, y'all. I have been doing too many things at once, and I needed a day of doing very little. It was all I could do to make a boeuf burguignon and homemade grain free egg noodles tonight. Naturally, I had to open more red wine to go with said wine-based stew, and here I am at the end of a light day feeling like I've run a marathon. Or something equally stressful. Or maybe it's just my stomach making me feel like I have nothing left to work with. For a few weeks my entire abdomen has been getting increasingly tender, but I didn't realize just how much until I went in to see the primary care doc and she pressed on it. All day it has felt stretched to the absolute limit (it doesn't help that I've gained 20 pounds in 4 months, most of it around the middle), and tonight I have to lie in an odd position on my bed to blog, because sitting up is not happening, and resting the laptop on my midsection is out of the question. I really don't want to have to go back to the doc, but I suspect if this doesn't magically disappear by tomorrow or the day after, I will need to have a conversation about it. If that results in me being able to fit in my jeans again, I'll be okay with that.
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