I am not the first artist to live with pain, and I sure won't be the last...all that angst, with no creativity...!? Makes me shudder to think. I know I'm not the first to seek help outside of conventional medicine. Nor, am I the first to find relief. And that is why I am making a big f'n deal about it. It can be done. It has been done. My way may not be your way. Find a way. There are actual resources out there, finally.
I've been dealing with chronic pain issues since I was 18. Staying in shape helped. Then, one day, I wasn't in shape any more, and suffered a herniated disc. That turned into several. That's when I found out I had a cracked vertebrae just above my tailbone. Tough place to have surgery. The surgery the doctors offered me didn't seem to even work in my case; he said that's just what they offer.
I've also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, been pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and borderline obese. Really, none of these issues are all that unusual. What is unusual, is how I learned to deal with it. Over the years, I've been prescribed pain killers, steroids, muscle relaxers, and antidepressants. And, of course, blood pressure meds. I only took the ones Dr. dad said would have the most potential to help. Meaning, no prescription pain killers, muscle relaxers,or, after the first course, steroids. Antidepressants hit the trash soon after.
Then, I got cancer. I'm told if you live long enough, you'll get it too. Not tryin' to be a bummer,but the statistics rule. My father had it, that made me 50% more likely to get it. According to the statistics. So, surgery, recovery, good as new, right? Well, no. They removed some lymph nodes, to make sure the cancer hadn't metastasized. It turns out I was still using 'em...!
I've experienced significant pain since the surgery . Much worse than I'd experienced before. Among other symptoms, mental processing problems, then, the final straw, muscle convulsions. The diagnosis is a cyst pressing against the scar tissue from the cracked vertebrae... Amazing coincidence, that cyst right there, so close to all that trauma...but, I digress!
You may have heard of toxic accumulation. I had, but dissed it. "That won't happen to me, I eat healthy!"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotoxicity
The World Health Organization identified toxic accumulation as the cause of most health problems, worldwide. This was in the 1980s. This morning, their website has a universe of links about chemicals, waste,fertilizers, additives,etc, and their affect on your health. Long, long story short. Medical checkups didn't turn anything up.follow ups with the Cancer docs showed I was recovering nicely (based on their statistics, anyway), even though had days I couldn't put weight on my right leg. I finally went to see a nutrition doctor. She had a blood screen done, like every other doc. Then, she put my blood under a microscope. She said it even looked toxic. Diet, therapy, 18 months, and 50 lbs later, I was some better, but still in pain. My old college roommate reentered the picture at this point. He does exercise, nutrition, massage, alphabiotics, and uses a number of black box gadgets. Fast forward again, 6 months. The pain has gone from a daily 8-9 on a scale of 10, to about 3, with bad days around 6.
It ain't easy. It ain't cheap. It ain't a pill and a promise, or an operation based on a statistic that doesn't even represent me (stats for recovery from prostate cancer are based on 68 year old men, of a different race, under multiple medications. I was a 50 year old only using blood pressure meds). That's the practice of medicine, in the 21st century. Statistics, drugs, and surgery. That may work for you. I hope it does. My experience? If you feel poorly, educate yourself. Understand your real situation. Are you under constant stress? Do you sleep enough? Do you drink enough water? Anything 'off' with your excrement, skin, or breath? What's your muscle tone like? Why? How's your diet fit your body type? What does your blood actually look like? If you know at least some of these answers, chances are, you are on a path to real wellness.
I have been at it, though. I've started a bunch of work. Here's a taste:
Bubble Buddhas in progress
