Medical Update

I switched back to my old physical therapist this week. I feel better today than I have in weeks. Stacy showed me how to check and see if my pelvis is in alignment. If not, she showed me how to put it back in alignment myself. Why didn't the old therapist show me this trick weeks ago?

Stacy thinks all my problems may be caused by a weak transverse abdominis muscle. Well, after having 4 kids and 2 of them being twins, I am not surprised. So she is helping me isolate that muscle (because I couldn't even find it when I first started) and strengthen it.

I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think I am on my way to recovery. Hopefully all it took was the right physical therapist.

Boys Spring Pictures

Spring Break

Poor kids have not had a fun spring break (unless you count playing video games and watching Netflix all day). I have had so many dr apts and Mario hasn't been able to take any time off until the last 2 days. Unfortunately we didn't know he would have time off until the day before, so it was too late to make big plans. Plus several of us have had a stomach virus this week. We finally decided to just go away for the night to the wonderful town of....Tucson. We wanted to watch BYU play UF in March Madness. Only problem is we don't have cable. So we rented a nice 2 bedroom suite downtown and enjoyed a night of basketball and swimming. Zach thought we drove to another state and he was surprised when I told him we were only 17 miles from home.

So when all the kids go back to school next week and compare what they did for spring break, my kids get to tell everyone about our 1 night stay in downtown

Ultrasound Results

All weekend I was convinced I had Ovarian cysts and that they must be the size of grapefruits. I was thinking of how great it would be to have them removed and lose 5 pounds in the process. I thought that once I had surgery, all my pain in my groin/hip area would go away. I got really sick to the stomach the day of my ultrasound. I think it was a bad combo of stomach flu, anxiety, and reactions to my pain medication. Mario thought for sure I was dying. No joke. He had imagined that I had ovarian cancer and that I had only months to live. Poor guy. He worried all weekend and all day Monday about me.

Early Tuesday morning, the dr called and told me the ultrasound results were completely normal. I did have a small cyst but it was going away just like it should. So that wasn't the reason for my pain. I don't know if I should be happy or sad. I was hoping it would be a quick fix to just remove the cyst and be on my way. So now I may have to go through more testing. I just want a quick fix, but maybe that is not to be.

I did ask for my old physical therapist back. She seems to be a lot more experienced than the one I have now. So starting next week, I will see Stacy again. I continue to go to the chiropractor but not sure it is helping. Sometimes I feel like I am doing better but usually the next couple days I start hurting again. We'll see how the next week goes. Fortunately (at least today and the last few days) I have been able to ride in the car without having pain. So that is good.

Mario just got leave approved for tomorrow and Friday, so maybe we can do something fun before the kids head back to school next week. Hooray! (hooray to both...Mario having leave, and the kids going back to school! It has been a long 2 weeks!!!)

Sedona with the Generals

Mario was asked to accompany two Generals to Sedona yesterday. The reason...one spoke Spanish (from Peru) and the other only spoke English. Mario was asked to translate. Mario's Colonel asked him to go on the trip last week because he thought it would be good face time with the General right before Mario's LtC boards this year. Mario has never translated like that before so he has been stressed all week. He even got a huge cold sore from the stress. I knew that he would do great...and he did. He loved Sedona. Unfortunately he was deployed last year when we went with Melissa and her kids. The General apparently has a large entertaining fund so he took them all on a 4X4 jeep tour and then took them to a very nice restaurant for dinner. Mario got about 18 hours of face time with the General yesterday so hopefully that will help him on the boards.

Hip Pain Part 2

Well I thought the chiropractor solved my issues. But unfortunately, I am still having pain. I finally was able to see my doctor today. She ordered an ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts. I have a history of having multiple cysts so that is her best guess right now. I came home and googled the cysts and found pelvic pain to be a major symptom. So if it is cysts, I will have surgery. I have my ultrasound scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Hip Pain

I was just finishing up my knee physical therapy (from my surgery back in August) when my hip started to act up. That was last November. I thought it was just sore because it had been so long since running. So I took a break from exercising again but that didn't help. The pain gradually increased until I had to go back to the dr and she didn't know what was wrong, so her response was just to send me back to physical therapy. The pain only intensified with physical therapy and I was starting to get nervous that maybe something more serious was wrong. But Sister Park and my mom both thought I should try a chiropractor. When I asked multiple therapists about seeing a chiropractor, they told me that I didn't need to. But at the same time, no therapist was able to help me reduce the pain. So after praying about it, I felt that seeing a chiropractor would be the next step. Fortunately there is one in our neighborhood that we used to go to church with before the ward split. Unfortunately, our insurance doesn't pay for chiropractic services, and I think that is why I was a little hesitant about seeing one. But the pain was getting so bad, that I decided it was worth a try at any expense.

Last Friday I made an appointment and they saw me later that afternoon. He took x-rays (which I am not sure why the dr didn't do that in the first place) and made a few adjustments. That night while on a date night with Mario I realized that my hip was no longer hurting me and it hasn't hurt since. I am having some pain in my back but that is nothing compared to the hip pain. I saw the x-rays of my spine yesterday. It will take several more apts and some exercises at home for me to correct the curve in my spine. But I am so grateful that I went into see him. I only wish I did it months ago especially before our Florida cruise. I had a lot of pain even then so I wasn't able to work out or hike or do all the things I normally do on a cruise.

The chiropractor, Dr. Staggs, also agreed with the therapist that told me to quit sleeping on my stomach. That may be causing the problems in my spine. So now it is back to trying to sleep on my side with a body pillow. Ugh!

Monster Jam

Mario thought it would be fun to take the kids to a Monster Jam Rally. I felt quite out of my element, but it did bring me back to my Missouri roots. I found the racing to be as realistic as WWF wrestling I used to watch on tv as a kid. I think once in a lifetime is enough Monster Jam for me.

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iphone and ipad 2

I have been waiting years for Verizon to get the iphone. When it finally did, I was under contract with my droid Eris. I could upgrade to one with Eric's account since he is no longer under contract. But I think I will wait until my contract is up in October. Mario decided to finally upgrade his phone that he has had for 3 years. He loved his little red LG phone that made calls so easily. Last night he was getting frustrated with his new iphone because he can't make calls with just one push of a button like he used to. So he said he may give the iphone to me and go back to his little LG. I can only hope. But I think once he uses it for a few days, he'll realize that he can't live without it. We are huge Apple fans at my house, so I am anxiously awaiting the ipad 2 that comes out next week. Let's see if I will actually break down and spend the money for what is really just a toy for me. I doubt I will be able to even though the whole family is hoping I will.