Our House, Our 1 Year Anniversary, and PT Progress

Whew! So much to catch up on. Like I said in the last post, the VERY NEXT DAY, Tyson and I went to our home to check it out, and they had dry walled it. We no longer could walk through the frame of the house to get to another room. We now have WALLS! It's looking more like a house on the inside:

Tyson HATES being in front of the camera, so I had to shoo him away to let him know I was coming! Hope he doesn't mind he was in it for two seconds. ;) Love you hunny!

Yay for walls!

Now on to the update on my physical therapy, and there's quite a bit to update. So, last Wednesday, my PT admits to me that she's been "feeling me out" for about a week and a half to see how I respond to the exercises she's given me, and if my back is improving. She also wanted to really solidify her hypothesis. She knew there was a back problem but also wanted to check on my pelvic floor muscles for any sign of bladder issues. From the mental notes she's made from my feedback to her, she told me that she is now EVEN MORE sure it's just my back. Basically, she sees no need to go on up and work on my pelvic floor because that is not the real issue, and my bladder is not the issue either.....................it's my back.

She explained to me what exactly she think has happened to me. She said that from all of my years dancing, it caused too much flexibility in this part of my back and hips. My spine has slowly shifted out of place, and what was probably the trigger was all of the running I did that finally let that one disc go and pinch on the nerve around the S1-L5 spine area, that this is what controls bladder function. My nerves are wigging out which is causing my bladder to have a mind of its own. My spine is moderately arched to where it's pushing towards my tummy (when you look at it from my back) and it's pushing my pelvis forward.

Do you see how the discs on the right side are squeezing together? Since the discs are going that way, there is a disc that is pinching the nerves that control the bladder. This has led to inflammation, which thus has sent me on a 9th month struggle to figure out this enigma. Once I was told this by my PT, a lot more stuff about my history came together for me. Not only did I used to complain of my lower back hurting while kneading my fists in the my back, but I ALSO used to complain how my arch was so prominent that it caused my butt stick out and my lower tummy to pooch/push out in the front. Little did I know, that was not normal and a warning sign. We're trying to get rid of my large arch in my back by all of the exercises I've been doing.

Now, here's the catch. The PT said that there is a possibility that this thing may rear its ugly head again around maybe the 8th month in my pregnancy once Tyson and I decide we want kids. It's kind scary if you ask me.......the part where I will run this risk if I get pregnant. I'm so devastated to hear this news. I would LOVE to get pregnant one day, but the pain is so TERRIBLE and I don't want to go through it again. It's bad enough for me to just say it wasn't meant to be, and it wasn't in my plan. She also said that if it does happen, I need to, "RUN, not walk to the neurosurgeon." and she seemed pretty serious. She had also mentioned that had I come in and had seen her back in July when this thing happened, she would have quicly referred me to a neurosurgeon for surgery on my back. She said it's probably kind of a good thing that I didn't think to see a PT at the beginning because she feels confident I will not need surgery since I've been living with this problem since July of last year (JEEZ!...That's too long to be in discomfort). She said that since I haven't gone numb or lost bladder control, she sees no need for surgery, and that we're going to do everything we can so I don't have to go that route. She told me that I was, "A very lucky lady," because this could have led to some serious problems. Now, I AM improving, but if I plateau, I will be referred to a neurosurgeon.

We have altered my exercises. I am no longer doing that yoga pose, and I'm now having to do lower abdomen crunches that tighten my lower tummy, and I'm having to do, what I think are called pelvic drops. For the past few days, she's been rocking my back white I lie down in a sideways fetal position. When her and her intern pressed on a part in my low back, it felt so tender. It was supposed to happen because she was stretching it out. It was neat. Now, they hook me up in a harness that kind of lifts me from pelvis up while I walk at a comfortable pace on a treadmill. Think of standing in between two counters holding yourself up while your legs dangle underneath you and you feel that stretch in your back. On this, I'm still able to touch the treadmill with my feet and walk. It is the WEIRDEST thing I've ever felt, but OH BOY could I tell the whole left side of my hips/back and down were SO weak, and this just so happens to be where I feel my severe issues. So, that's it so far. My PT seems to think that my back might be fixed, and now the nerves need to settle down which could take 6 weeks, or maybe less or more. There's no right answer. All I know is that I'm noticing a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference and improvement. More than all the modern medicine I've been taking has done for me.

Okay, enough of that! Tyson and I celebrated our one year anniversary yesterday. We can't believe it's been a year! We didn't do much except relax, take the dogs for a walk, and eat the top tier of our cake.

Slightly a mess, but HEY! Not a big deal. The hole in the top of the cake is where we had a mini bouquet of pink roses! :)

It actually didn't taste so bad! I was afraid we would crunch in to some freezer burn! There were a few spots where you could taste it, but overall, we were impressed!

So, that's it for the updates! We will continue to update everyone on the house and the progress of my physical therapy. We're definitely feeling that the glass is half full these days!