I’m Back – and God is Good!

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My blogging has taken a bad seat to pain and physical therapy. After two months I am back.

I no longer wobble when I walk.

Weebles Wobble but They Don’t Fall Down

I am so thankful that after several years of pain that just grew worse each year, I am free of pain. Seven years ago, I had my right knee replaced. I was supposed to have the left one replaced a year later, but I had such difficulty healing from the right knee that I did not do it. Apparently as my left knee got worse, my left leg began to bow, and I ended up with one leg shorter than the other.

Several times I went back to my surgeon who had replaced the right knee complaining that my knee still hurt. (Actually it was not the knee, but the area just below it.) Taking x-rays of my knee he would assure me that the knee replacement was fine. He finally sent me to the University of Iowa and they recommended a knee brace to make that knee stronger. The brace did nothing for the pain and my back began to be extremely painful also. Over the years pain and I became bosom buddies.

At 74 years of age, I began to despair and wondered if I really wanted to live to be “old” if this was going to be my life. The pain limited me from playing with my granddaughter, from taking walks with my husband and even standing in church for worship.

Thankfully I finally found a doctor that realized what was causing all the pain. My body had slowly tilted to the left and my spine, my pelvis, my hips, my shoulders – all my body was so far out of alignment that I even had a rib sticking out on the left side.

Off to physical therapy. The initial evaluation revealed my range of motion was extremely limited and my strength, especially on the left side, was very weak.

After two months of hard work – I am in alignment, I am free of pain.

The first time I took a long walk with my family and experienced no pain, I felt like pinching myself to see if I was really awake and not dreaming.

Lesson learned from all this. Speak up when your doctor does not seem to address your problem. I realize now that the surgeon who replaced my knee was only trained for knee problems. When the x-rays showed the knee replacement was okay, he just dismissed me and my pain. He never gave a thought that there might be other issues than the new knee. Other doctors told me I had arthritis and assumed that was the cause of the pain. An older woman complaining of back pain – easy to just say “arthritis” and prescribe a pain pill. Only when I insisted that something was wrong when a rib was sticking way out of place did anyone begin to say “Hey, let’s take a look at the whole patient and see what’s going on.”

it is up to me now if I continue to be free from pain. The exercises have to be an ongoing part of my life. Changes in my lifestyle were also made. No more sitting in a recliner with my feet up in the air putting pressure on my back. No more going barefoot less I start leaning to the left again. Small changes with big dividends. I can do this!

Being absent from blogging I have debated whether to return. I have asked myself if anyone really enjoys the blogs or if anyone is encouraged by anything I write. After prayer and reflection, I realize that I write because I love it. While I may never have hundreds of followers, if only one or two are blessed because of my blogs, I will continue.

17 thoughts on “I’m Back – and God is Good!”

  1. Great news, happy to hear you are pain free. I do hope you keep blogging. This post has encouraged me as some of your others have also. I so dislike wearing shoes, but I know I should because of my leg and back issues. I will think of you now and hopefully can get myself in shoes. I am struggling with whether to keep a blog or not. I will wait a while longer and see how it goes. Thank you so much for sharing. Blessing and hugs.

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  3. I am so glad you are better! You are right to encourage your readers to find a doctor who looks at the whole picture. We need to exercise anyway, but now you’ll have the added drive of knowing it will keep you out of pain. I have debated blogging, too. Is it really a good use of all the time it takes? However, I love to write, too. I like to think my posts uplift others sometimes. I have had many blessings from blogging – such as wonderful friends, connections with old friends, new ideas, and inspiration. I like reading your blog, and I would miss it should you stop. But best of all, you have a new lease on life with being pain free!

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  7. I am so glad that you have received some relief from you pain and the problem has solved. I do enjoy reading you blog. It is very informative and inspiring. I pray that God will continue to strengthen you in your daily walk with Him. Bless you.

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  8. I kept your post in your inbox until I could finally get to it. Sorry it took so long. I hope I will remember your experience some day when I may need to advocate for myself also and seek another doctor’s opinion. Good for you to get this figured out for yourself and share your experience for the rest of us to learn from. I’m so glad you’re doing much better now! I hope you keep it up! 🙂

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