Random thoughts...

on chiropractic care...
I admit it. I was a skeptic. What could a chiropractor do that a "real" doctor couldn't? And all that stuff about your overall health being related to your spinal alignment and subsequent nervous system functioning...well, I thought that was a bunch of phooey. Until now.

Last Monday--eleven days ago--I hurt my back when Daryl so galliantly tried to stop me from falling on the floor when I passed out after a bout with the stomach flu. As I crawled toward the stairs to go to bed, I felt stabbing pain in my lower back, and he said, "Oh, your back is probably going to hurt. Sorry about that." More worried about the whole passing out thing, I thought nothing of it. Figured it would go away in a few days and I would be fine. Whipped out the heating pad and kept it on my back for about 24 hours straight.

Since then, I have been in incredible pain. Standing, sitting, laying down...but standing is the worst. I continued to sit on the heating pad for hours at a time and took a pillow with me everywhere I went and had to sit. I knew the doctor would feel my back, maybe do an x-ray or two and then give me medicine and send me to physical therapy. (neither of which I wanted to do) In short, I'd wait two hours to be seen by a doctor I may or may not have seen before, only to get a prescription for a drrug I would not take. But when the four ibuprofen every six hours alternated with three tylenol every four hours were not even taking the edge off, I decided to take the plunge and see a chiropractor.

I've been twice in two days, and I can not tell you how much better I feel already. Yes, it still hurts to stand, but it's bearable. And he got the x-rays back and it turns out I have every reason to be in pain. Seems I have a compression fracture of one of my vertebrae and some deterioration in the discs in my lower back. And it turns out that heat is the worst thing for this, making the inflammation last longer. Well, who knew that?

So in short...they should make a monument of my chiropractor (who the girls say looks like Chris Allen). I'm a convert now. I don't care if it's phooey or not. IT WORKS!

On standardized testing...
Next week is standardized testing week at school. The good part is, I don't have to write as many lesson plans. I can let them watch a movie. They can have extra recess. The bad part is that it is a week of standardized testing. With a class that has NEVER, not even once, gotten through a spelling test (which last maybe 10 minutes) without someone yelling out, falling out of a chair, dropping the contents of their pencil box onto the floor, or crying. so imagine 2+ hours. Yeah...that's what I'm saying.

On housework...
Oh. My. Goodness. It's been three weeks since I really cleaned (Lisa style). I had the stomach flu and then last weekend I couldn't move, much less scrub toilets, or floors or bend over to empty the dryer 126.5 times, as I do most weekends. Plus...my vacuum broke. Plus, I haven't cared much where anyone ate as long as I didn't have to bend over and pick up their dishes, and so the coffee table is gross, the kitchen is gross, and in some cases, their dishes remain. There are piles of clothes everywhere. Every single room needs a good vacuum or sweep and mop. And truly, really, I miss it. OK...maybe I don't miss the actual housework, but I do miss the good feeling of sitting/sleeping/cooking/eating in a clean room.

On sleep...
Eight uniterrupted hours of sleep. That's all I want. I don't want to go to the bathroom, have a hot flash and wake up all sweaty, be in excruciating pain when trying to turn over, or be woken up by a three year old.

On picture taking...
I haven't taken pictures lately, and it's not because there hasn't been anything to take pictures of. Pain, lack of sleep, busyness...they have consumed me these last few weeks. I need to get back to enjoying my family, enjoying my home, enjoying my life.

So look for more pictures in posts to come (thanks to my sainted chiropractor!)