I was fortunate (I guess you can call it fortune) that I knew I would start back running. See I had neck surgery 2 years ago. I had 2 disk in my neck replaced with cadaver bones with a plate and 6 screws. I had an extreme herinated disk in my C section of my neck. The disk above it was starting to also be bad due to my degenerate disc diease so the doctor said he couldn't fix one and leave the other one so he fixed both at the same time. I had lost a ton of strength in my left arm. I could not even hold a glass. My scapula had sunk in on my back and did not stick out at all on the left side. I was losing tons of muscle tone all due to this dang disk! I basically waited too long to go to the doctor. I kept thinking I had a crick in my neck! So if you are ever hurting for months...PLEASE go to the doctor and be seen.
Anyway, after my surgery I was not allowed to run, ride my bike or swim (and I had just started doing TRIs!) I had to go to physcial thearpy for 6 months. OH and BTW, I lost my vocal cord during this surgery. It's a risk they tell you about before the surgery. You just never think it will happen to you. When I went back in for my postop checkup, the doctor told me to give it another month and my voice should come back. It was very weak. If you know anything about herniated disk surgery on the neck, then you know they go in through the front of your neck. That's the best way to get to the area they need to fix. During surgery they have to stretch your vocal cords and move them over. There is a risk that they could nick something. Well, mine was nicked! After a month, I went back and still no voice so he referred me to an ENT. I went to see a local doctor that I knew because our sons had played soccer together. I knew I could trust him. Right off when he put the scope down my nose, he said.... well, you've got one vocal cord that is dead. Absolutely no movement. I wanted to cry. He said he knew a doctor in Jackson that was a specialist and he could fix me up. So here I go to another doctor. By now, that was all I did was go from one doctor to another and also physical thearpy. I was missing tons of work and I know deep down they all thought, if she wasn't a runner this wouldn't have happen. HA! but that's so untrue. Running didn't cause my injury.
So off to Jackson to see this specialist who tells me he wants to put in a gummy bear in my throat. I look at him like he's crazy. He just laughs and says, "I'm actually going to put in an implant to move your dead cord over so it will touch your working one to help improve your voice... we just call the implant a gummy bear because it resembles one". At this point, I'm thinking who is this doc. LOL So we do the procedure and it does help, but I still have issues. One issue is when I'm hot, my voice goes! or if I'm in a place with tons of background noise my voice is not loud enough for people to hear me. It's so AGGRAVATING! I'm getting use to it. What really hurts is when kids tell me they can't hear me. Breaks my heart! OH and I had to go to vocal cord thearpy also! So I've done my fair share of thearpy is many areas!
During this time I couldn't run, but as soon as I was released I built back up slowly. I started out just walking and soon I was running. So I knew just taking off a short time for shin splints would be the same. I'd be back eventually. :>) I remember praying alot after my surgery. and you know what.. God was faithful. I did run again and will continue to run as long as he allows me to. Now that I formed this run team, I want to run every year for St. Jude kids! No matter how old I get, I want to still be able to run for them. So I must trust God and if I need rest or a break, I must take it and allow him to heal me. He is the great physcian.
After my run I came home and planted some new flowers. Now my back is killing me. But I LOVE spring! Hope you have a fabulous day! Oh and today is day 4 of planks. Gotta keep it going! Aren't my kids cute! Can't wait till July... Summer time at beach with them! :>)
No comments:
Post a Comment