Welcome to A Garden Variety Blog!

Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty


I hope you, whomever you are,
will sit down "with" me for tea,
or flavored coffee or spiced cider,
and have a garden variety chat.
Now and then.
I am not so consistant about blogging
as I ought to be.
I *am* consistant about
drinking hot beverage
and the coffee/tea is always on the hob.

Come on in!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Help me, friends.  How do I refocus, or make the old focus fit my new circumstances?  I'm lost in a well, lately.

I've followed Flylady now for such a long time, and loved the results. If something needed to done, I knew I could do it in baby steps. I can't believe I'm actually talking about me (the go getter, I can do anything poster girl), but one xray changed everything. What I thought was an injury that would heal with time, turned out to be degeneration and demineralization of the top vertebra in my spine, and no therapy or medical recommendation to make it better, not even a suggestion that it could get better.  How I hate the word can't! But every time I try to pick up a plate or a glass, or the broom or vacuum cleaner....I can't. I don't like where I am at the bottom of this well. I know there must be a way to climb back up.  Support groups (especially online support groups) are so uplifting, and helpful in both emotional and practical ways.  Do any of you who are reading this have links you can share with me? (Especially Flylady links that cover "Flying with disabilities".)

I have recently made the decision to quit walking outside for exercise.  The ability to do that has dwindled from 5 miles (1 hour) to 3 miles, slowly.  Now, when I get home after those 3 miles, my hips hurt so badly I can barely walk and can't stretch at all.  The Dr. suggested getting a recumbent bike for indoor exercise.  I can vividly feel how that would hurt.  How is moving my hip joints in that way any easier than walking?  Someone suggested Tai Chi. My Dr. actually laughed at that. 

I will say that one medical group made a real difference for me, and I thank God for them every day.
http://generationcare.org/locations/grand-haven were the therapy group that a specialist sent me to, after diagnosing bursitis and giving me steroid shots.  The Dr. said I had bursitis, and the shots helped.  But after the first therapy session, they told me the pain wasn't coming from the injury (though it was certainly a part of the problem) but the pain was coming from my upper spine.  I thought. "Oh great, chiropractic!"  But it was sort of miraculous how their recommended movements took away the pain!  The movements still work temporarily when I hurt, but the pain with joint use never gets better.  That makes sense knowing the xray diagnosis.

So what do I want?  Oh, healing would be great!  But I'm old and bodies don't keep forever.  So,  I need practical help, how to hints, and maybe a bit of a double handed carry (carried in prayer;  you are all too far away to lift me, and I am too heavy to be lifted!  LOL!)