Be strong. Be brave.

I haven’t been on here since…last year 😉 I am having a rough start to 2016. I was actually in the hospital on January 1st, due to some odd pain I was having. I started having some weird tingling and numbness down my left arm all the way into my hand. After many tests and a few x-rays, they suspect that I am having some nerve impingement. The discs in my neck are shifting and putting too much pressure on my nerves.

I was discharged from the hospital with some meds to control the pain and swelling.(yeah, didn’t work) Apparently this is all due to my Scoliosis. What a big shocker right?? Again, this happened on the 1st, here we are almost 2 weeks later and not much has changed.

One of the saddest things that hit me pretty hard, was that I had to sit out the Walt Disney World Marathon. It was just a week after I was in the hospital. I tried to work with runDisney to get a deferral or have other options, but they didn’t budge. I still went to the expo to get my bib and to visit some friends, who many were running the WDW Marathon weekend events. I wanted to be there and show my support.

While it did make me sad that I was not going to be able to run the marathon, I knew I had to rest. My body was literally falling apart and I needed to take some time off and just rest and relax as much as possible. Besides, every little movement was causing a lot of pain. And so of course Alpha has been amazing, as usual. He helped me move around, take care of the house and our little. I was able to get some rest but the pain hasn’t left.

I did make a visit to two of my doctors, and they also suspect the same thing but I also had to add a neurologist into the mix. Just to make sure my nerves are OK and there isn’t permanent damage done. My next step is an MRI to better see whats going on in there.

In the meantime, KT Tape has been the only thing holding me together. I am not one to take medication for pain, I rather go the icing and taping way and most of the time it does just fine. Thanks to my PT for helping me create some custom apps. It’s been helping to target the pain and alleviate the swelling. I’m noticing a pattern when it comes to my pain…it’s all been due to swelling of my back muscles. Any little movement is causing me to swell. All it takes is one wrong move and bam, there it goes. I have been keeping my back taped up as just breathing is causing some discomfort. It has been helping keep it all at bay.

So that is the latest with what I am going through. I am getting by and staying as positive and as strong as I can. Luckily I am surrounded by an incredible support group who makes going through this a little easier. But know this, I will continue to fight, and continue to reach for the top. I may not be running right now, but I see myself running sooner than later. I am not walking much either at the moment, but once I feel strong enough, I will go for a walk and take it from there.

My strength has truly been tested lately. While I do have my weak moments, because I am half human after all, I still manage to wipe the tears and get back up. It’s not easy and it’s VERY challenging, but I am a tough little stubborn girl. I have gotten through it all and will get through whatever life throws at me.

-the Scoliosis runner