Not Even Sure Where to Start!

Today a friend mentioned that if I ever blogged, he'd share it with others.  It's that moment when you realize you may have something to share with the world.  Honestly, if I can help change one life from what I have learned in the past year, then all this over sharing will be worth it:)



Last summer I was in the worst shape I've been in since I quit drinking in 2009.  From fall of 2012 on I was plagued by bursitis in my hips and near constant knee pain.  I'd try and workout, get hurt and eat crappy.  We drove to Florida for Spring break 2013.  One day I could barely walk off the beach I was in so much back pain.  My sciatic nerve was really bothering me, as was my knee and I was living on painkillers and candy!  I started researching chiropractors.  I made an appointment and started seeing one the day we returned from Florida.  The chiropractor brought some relief, but not for long enough!



Fast forward to June 6, 2013.  I was at Target with the kids and we were running through the parking lot to our car when my meniscus popped.  It literally popped and was super painful!  A month later, I got the tear repaired.  There was bone build up on my knee and the surgeon scraped that off my knee when he was in there fixing the tear.



Two weeks later I returned to my retail job.  I could hardly walk.  The pain was horrific.  I could barely walk from my parking spot to work, let alone work.  The energetic person was gone and I was doing everything I could do to manage the pain.  I timed my pain meds for work, I iced before work, on every break, after work and anytime I was sitting on the couch or laying in bed.  I batched every task at work.  I didn't walk to the front of the store unless I had everything I needed and I brought a rubber matt to stand on. To say I was in major pain every step I took, would be an understatement.  I was near tears most days.  I have always worked retail and at this point, I wasn't sure if I'd ever recover and the pain was consuming me.  At one point a friend at work looked at me and said, "What are you going to do?"  As in how can you go on like this?  What's your plan?  Um, hello!  I was trying.  I was stringing minutes together to make hours, to get to a break, to work some more to get to the end of my shift.  To say I wasn't sure of I'd make it would be quite the understatement.  At one point even Logan wasn't sure.  Even typing this seven months later brings tears to my eyes.  It was BAD.  Walking slowly to the parking lot after work was extremely painful.  I would cry when I got to my car.  Tears because I made it through work, tears because I was in so much pain, tears because I was pushing through the pain.



I spent all my waking free time between my injury and surgery, during recovery and after returning to work at the Richfield pool.  I sat there most of the summer with my leg elevated with a huge bag of ice on my knee.  I was eating licorice by the bag.  We were ordering pizza and eating crappy food most of the time.  The inflammation around my knee was horrible.  It would not leave my body.  This is the start of my journey.  The point where I look back and am thankful for the injury because this becomes my aha moment, even though I had no idea at the time!  Hand me a Kleenex.  I literally bawled writing this!  To be continued...