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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

MRI and Scoliosis Update

I finally went in and got the results of the MRI for my scoliosis I was telling ya'll about a while back. I was suppose to go in a week after getting the MRI done, but I had to cancel that follow up appointment and then completely forgot about it after that. HA! So I finally got my butt in this past Friday and was told exactly what I knew I'd be told: the MRI is clean and other than the obvious scoliosis (which remember they say in and of itself does not cause pain) there are no obvious reasons for my back pain. Blablabla. I paid a co-pay of $25.00 to hear a guy tell me my spine is indeed curved, but there is nothing causing my actual bones any pain. *sigh*

The good news is, well the clean MRI is good news, lol, but the really, really good news is I really liked the orthopedic I saw this time and was able to have a little chat with him. He told me that when there is no obvious cause of pain (like a tumor, broken bone, dislocated disc, etc.) then the pain is called idiopathic pain and pretty much means it is unknown or can not be explained. He gave me a strength and stretch exam and told me I needed to get my butt into a physical therapist, gym, get a personal trainer, what have you and strengthen and stretch all my muscles to help support my back to gain better posture, thus relieving hopefully much of my pain. The pain I'm feeling is not my bones, it's all the surrounding muscles....that's why my back pain, according to an ORTHOPEDIC, would be considered idiopathic....because they specialize in bones and so that's where they were looking for the pain....my bones....but there is no pain in my bones, lol. Make sense? I didn't lose anyone, did I?

Now if you recall from my previous posts on my scoliosis, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT ALL ALONG AND JUST NEEDED/WANTED SOMEONE ELSE TO CONFIRM so all the fuzzy thoughts of it possibly being something more would vanish from my mind. Wish granted. Why's it so hard to get an answer sometimes? Thank you, Mr. Nice Orthopedic Funny Mind Reader guy!


Next step?
Option A: Find a gym. How much would that cost me? There's one in my town but who would watch my kids when I went? No one. Well, maybe this one gal pal of mine. But IDK, I'd have to ask really sweetly. :) I could go after the hubby got home from work, but that's dinner and family time. Why would I want to leave and drive the 25 minutes to the gym, spend the time at the gym, then drive the 25 minutes home when I could be tickling, coloring, and eating ice cream with my family? I know there are gyms in the town by my town.....but that's an hour away. Though maybe there would be one that had a day care type thing that would watch the kids while I worked out? I might have to do some research. But really though, an hour away? I'd be lucky if I had the motivation to go once a week, let alone the every other day thing I should be doing.


Option B: Buy a Bowflex. Yeah, with what money? Aren't those things like a gajillion dollars? Even on Craigslist they are still pricey. Would any of ya'll be willing to start a "Help Rebecca Beat The Back Pain By Buying A Bowflex" fund?? That would be super rad.
Option C: Learn some good stretches and perform them at home on my toy filled living room floor. Maybe buy a few free weights and do the moves I remember doing way back when, when I did go to physical therapy.
I'd be very limited with what I could do with a few free weights and wouldn't be getting the best workout, but it's better then nothing, right?

Wish me luck. I'll sit on my options for a bit before deciding on what I'm going to do. You'd think it'd be simple to just head to the gym. But nope, it's a chore. Children first. Always. I can't just chain them to a bike rack while I go work out. ;)


With love,

Mama Hauck

4 comments:

  1. Bec, I totally agree that the gum is a chore! I LOL'd when you suggested chaining the kids to a bike rack.

    I think there are a lot of good options when it comes to developing your own routine of stretches, including incorporating free weights.

    My boyfriend, Derek, is really into weightlifting, and I just asked him about back stretches. He just demonstrated about 10 different exercises for me, haha. He said that good posture while doing these stretches is very important - but you probably know that. What muscle group are you specifically targeting -- Lower back or upper back? Let me know and I can let you know the ideas Derek just came up with.

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  2. I have back pain sometimes too, and I know it's from my horrible posture! I can't help it! I'm tall and there's a lot of me to hold up lol.
    I'm so glad it's nothing more serious bec, but I know you're in pain so I hope doing more stretching exercises helps. I know it's so hard to get to a gym, i can't even find time to do it either. I'd suggest trying out the free weights and doing things at home first to see how that goes. You can always bench press Anth and Mols too :)

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  3. Marcie, Thanks for the reply! And I'm glad I made you laugh, hehehe.

    Yes, I'm thinking I need to explore my at home option first. I honestly need to work everything, but if i'm going to target one area, it would be my upper back. I'd be interested to know Derek's ideas! I was thinking of looking up on the computer or talking to someone at a gym to get an idea of some good free wight exercises and stretches. I NEED to do something. I can't just sit around any longer and hope the pain gets better.....that's not going to happen. I need to be pro-actvie, darn it! ;)

    If you do get around to it, you can e-mail me at rebecca_hauck@rocketmail.com

    Thanks again! :)

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  4. HAHAHAHA! Jill! I totally could bench press Anthony and Molly! Have you seen my guns recently!? ;) You're too funny!

    Ugh, I imagine sitting in a chair hunched over a computer and so on and so forth does cause bad posture. :( You need to take breaks and stretch or jog in place or something, lol.

    I'm super glad there isn't something more seriously wrong with me! The x-rays and MRI were such a long and annoying process. I'm just tired of the pain. Sometimes I lay in bed awake for hours because my neck, shoulder, and back pain keeps me up. Bleh.

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