Admittedly, I did such a great job with my January goals that I’m slightly nervous I won’t be able to top myself in February. That’s ok, because this month I’m keeping things simple.
In January, my migraines got to be at the worst yet. Yesterday, I worked from home for the second time in one month. Luckily, my doctor was able to figure out what’s going on!
I have a bulging disc in upper back. (also know as a protruding disc) This means that the material between two of my vertebras is swelling and putting pressure on my nerves. This is causing my tension headaches, numbness in my hands and sharp pains in my back. It’s not the greatest news, but I am SO relieved that I know what is happening.
With that said, things are going to slow down for me a bit in February. Here’s what I want to accomplish:
-Take care of myself. This means getting enough sleep, staying hydrating and keeping my stress levels down. These are all major contributors to my headaches.
-Enjoy new blogging opportunities! This month I’ll be attending a beer run with the Chicago Running Bloggers. Also, I’m involved in three blogging challenges-Healthy sELF, Jamie @ Studio Eat’s 21 Day Intuitive Eating Challenge and Katy Widrick’s 28-Day Blog Challenge!
-Average four workouts per week
-Swim at least four times
-Run at least four times
-Lift at least four times
-Yoga at least four times
-Spin class at least three times
-Read at least one book
-Continue to focus on making sure I have my “me” time to decompress
-Continue working towards clean eating and make progress with Intuitive Eating
-Lose weight, no specific number just make sure the scale is still going down
-Get back in the habit of going to church
So there you have it, a lot of goals but much more specific and small this month. Wish me luck!
Have you ever had any back issues? What are your goals for the month? How are you changing things up from January?
That’s not great news, but it must be such a relief to know what’s going on! The first couple times I had a migraine, I was having auras and went to the ER thinking I had a brain tumor or something crazy like that – not knowing is definitely the scary part! What happens with a bulging disc? Is there anything that you can do other than rest?
I had spinal fusion about 15 years ago, so I’m pretty familiar with back problems. One thing I do notice on your list is swimming, which is awesome! Did you know that swimming is one of the best types of exercise you can do if you have back problems? It’s lower impact than things like running, but also uses the back muscles, which can actually help with pain (again, not sure about a bulging disc so talk to your doctor and all of that). It’s good that you’re taking it easier on yourself given this diagnosis, but also inspiring that you’re still working toward your goals. Good luck!
The bulging disc can be taken care of with physical therapy which is good! One good thing is that they recommend exercise because it keeps it loose! I’ll know more once I go to PT.
I’m so happy I’ve started swimming so I can have a few low impact activities!!!
Glad to hear that you know what’s going on. I agree – swimming is probably beneficial! I had shoulder/neck pain issues in late 2011 and swimming was one of the few exercises that wasn’t aggravating and I think helped to strengthen it up on it’s own time.
I LOVED my acupuncturist & chiropractor for my issues. Not sure about a bulging disc, but they were critical in getting me to marathon readiness w/ my shoulder pain, or getting me back to work when it was my neck!
I’ve been thinking about acupuncture! How often did you do it?
Basically for now they just have me on pain meds and muscle relaxers. I took my first dose last night and wow, was I tense! I can actually feel the muscles have released!
I was going twice a week for the first week or two, and then decreased to once a week for a few more weeks after that. I had started the acupuncture when I was in the midst of marathon training, and was well enough that I was only feeling the pain once I hit 12+ miles on a run. My goal was to be able to run longer w/o the shoulder pain, which was very different than when I’d initially sought treatment (almost a year earlier) – through physical therapy and then later chiropractor.
But while PT & chiropractics got me functional again, I’d always felt a little lingering soreness. Acupuncture is what brought complete relief to me for the first time in a year!
That’s really good to know! I definitely want to look into it now!
Oh no! I hope it heals fast!
Thank you!!!
Gosh! I was going to ask the same question as Anne! Keep us updated on the PT! I hope it helps big time!!!!
Goals for the month – be home more! Spend more QT with the boys
That’s a good goal! Thanks for the well wishes!
Oh that looks painful!
In the past I’ve had back problems and thanks to a chiropractor my back doesn’t hurt as much. I’ve noticed a little bit of pain after a long run that nothing major.
I think I’ll go to the beer run this month. Should be fun!!
Yay! It’ll be good to meet you in person!
I’m considering going to a chiropractor, or acupuncturist or PT. Still exploring my options!
Oh no- a bulging disk is supposed to be a pretty painful diagnosis. Are you doing ok? Hope you find a good doctor/chiro/PT to help you through this time. It sounds like your goals match your physical challenges right now. Take it easy and slow!
I went to the PT for the first time yesterday and it made me feel so much better! I’m on new meds and soon I’ll be ready to rock!