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Sunday 23 October 2011

What physical pain teaches us

So for the last several months I have experienced more physical pain than I ever remember experiencing. Between being pregnant with Chloe and the pains associated with that to having a c-section and feeling as if my guts had been ripped open (which they literally had) to heel spurs which I acquired after stupidly deciding to walk for miles on end one particular week in July in my flip-flops to the horrible back pain that got steadily worse. It's just been a difficult year physically.

Now that all of my pains have momentarily subsided I'm taking a look at what they taught me.

First: That after age 40 lots of things physically just go awry with your body. My sister warned me this happened to her but I sort'of laughed it off until it happened to me too.

Second: That if you follow a doctors advice things will get better... eventually. I'm not sure I called my dad every day when my back was hurting so bad but if not, it was pretty close to every day. He said things like, "don't stop taking the anti-inflammatories, even if they make you nauseus. Take a nausea pill." He said to stop exercising. He said to be very careful lifting Chloe. The orthopedic told me to put heat on my back and recommended a shot of cortisone. All of these things I tried and low and behold my back started feeling better. I know it sounds silly but when you are going through pain you get lots of thoughts like, "I may never get better!" Or is that just me?

Third: That I need to lose weight and keep it off to avoid lots of future pains. Since the pains let on I've lost 9lbs and developed some good meal tracking habits that I hope to not walk away from again. I feel healthier and more in control and that's a very good thing to me.

Fourth: That prayer works. I asked tons of people to pray and I got better. Sure God worked through the doctors and their advice but I believe He also reached down and touched me and for that I am very grateful.

Fifth: I wouldn't trade my daughter and the opportunity to pick her up 1000 times a day for any amount of physical pain I will ever experience. I read a story this week about a woman who was diagnosed with throat and head cancer and she could have had chemotherapy to extend her life but she had been trying for a baby and had gotten pregnant at age 41 and was not about to put her unborn daughter at risk so she didn't do the chemo. She lived three days after her daughter was born but she was able to hold her and smile at her before she died. She's my hero. Especially in this world of women that "choose" to end the lives of their precious little unborn children on a whim. It's sickening and I will always oppose it.

Lastly: That feeling better feels a whole lot better than feeling worse and I am so empathetic to my friends that live with chronic pain (you know who you are) and those that have recently been in the hospital because of pain (you know who you are too) and those that feel bad quite a lot but have no hope that when they pass from this life to the next that all pain and all tears will be a thing of the past that they will never experience again. What amazing grace provides that for all those willing to accept it.