Tender Headed

So I've been in a bit of a "hair rut" lately and needed to do something drastically different.

The choices were:

A. Cut it ALL off (as I have done several times before), and start over.
Or...
B. Get it braided (which I've only done TWICE in my entire life. Once when I was a teenager, my mom very tightly French braided it. And again when I was thirty-something, a co-worker braided it. The hair was so heavy though, I ended up taking the braids out after only one week. I know...I know...WHO DOES THAT?!?)

I went with option B.

Although it came out cute, my head hurts like the dickens. These braids are sooo tight!

I dunno. Maybe it's because I'm not used to braids that they feel tight to me, but MY GOODNESS!!!

I actually feel like my head has swollen up as a result of trauma.

It's 6:30pm and I have absolutely NO IDEA how I am ever going to go to sleep tonight. The entire surface of my scalp hurts so there is no "good side" for me to sleep on.  UGH!!!

My daughter Lauren told me that it should loosen up in about three days, or at least not hurt as much. I sure hope so!

It's funny how I have given birth three times, NATURALLY, no C-Section, no drugs...and was able to tolerate THAT pain.

THIS on the other hand...Good LAWD! Even my baby hair got braided. My BABY HAIR (non-Black folks might wanna look that up)!!!

I'm not sure if I was "tender headed" as a child (non-black folks might wanna look that up too), but as a forty-something woman, I most assuredly am.

I'd post a pic, but I don't like posting pics of myself, sooo...I can tell you that it's in about 15 French braids going back and in a right-side bun at my neck. Other than that, we'll just have to run into each other in the street somewhere so you can see it in person.

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever had you hair in braids (individual or French braids)? If so...did they hurt? And if so, for how long?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Stick It To Me!

A few months ago I was suffering from excruciating back pain. Nothing I did seemed to bring any relief. I took over the counter pain meds like they were Skittles. Nada.

It finally got so bad I decided that I needed to see a medical professional.

Before calling my primary care physician to make an appointment, I decided to first give something new a try. I made an appointment to have acupuncture. Most folks avoid acupuncture because of the needles. After having three babies, and donating blood as many times as I have...needles don't bother me a bit. And...acupuncture needles are SUPER TINY, so those REALLY don't bother me.

I had my first session back in October and felt relief...almost instantly. The acupuncturist suggested that I come back the following week for another treatment. I did just that and again, felt relief. The pain was GONE...until this week.

Yes, months later the pain returned in full effect.

Yesterday as I was getting ready for work, it hurt so badly, I could hardly bend over to tie my shoes. And when I got to work, climbing the 22 steps to get to my desk was almost unbearable. My back was ON FIRE. Sitting for hours only made it worse.

I finally couldn't take the pain anymore and call the acupuncturist. Asked what time slots he had available and after work I headed right over.

As he stuck the needles in me, he commented on how tight my back was. Yep, it was tight alright. And to my surprise, I was very "jumpy." On the previous visits he stuck in pin after pin and I never moved. Yesterday, I flinched with every one. Not because I could feel them, but because my body was startled every time he touched me...almost as though my body has forgotten HOW to be touched. Now that's a dag-gon shame!

Anyhoo...he finally got them all in, turned on the electro-machine, applied some heat, and left me in the room to listen to ocean waves as I dozed off. He popped in once to make sure I was ok (I was until he woke me up), then popped out again for about ten more minutes. He came back in, removed the pins, rubbed some lotion on my back that felt like warm Bengay and I was set. Walked out of that place without a single ache, and when I woke up this morning, I popped right outta bed, got dressed, had no problems with my shoes, nor the stairs at work.

I'm sure that at some point I will need to get to the cause of my back pain. Not sure if I should do that NOW while the pain is GONE, or if I should wait until it comes back.

One thing I do know is that ACUPUNCTURE IS AMAZING and if you have any aches or pains, I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: I may have asked this before, but I'll ask again...Have YOU ever tried acupuncture? If so, how did it work out for you?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Slip and Fall

Ok. So a couple days ago a good friend clowned me because my feet were raggedy. Yeah, it's been two months since I last had a pedicure, but my days are jam packed and I just haven't had time.

The funny part though is that I couldn't even be mad at him because he was 100% right. My toes were JACKED! Normally, even in the winter months when it's too cold for my standard flip-flops and sandals, I still keep my feet lookin' cute. But like I said, there just hasn't been any time, so...I let the toes go.

That was...until today.

I finally decided to go in and get them done.

So I get all squared away and because I went in with close-toed shoes, I needed to leave with a pair of the temporary flip-flops that the shops provide. Cool.

I drive home, park, get out and head to my front door which is about a 60 second walk on a DRY day, and about a 3 minute walk on a RAINY day like today with those nail shop shoes on.

I get from my car to the gate without any problem. Ohhh, but once I stepped through the gate and onto concrete versus the driveway pavement, things changed. I slowed my gait, and about 5 steps later I could feel the shift.

The nail shop shoes have NO tread on the bottom and are NOT meant to be worn on WET concrete. I learned this VERY quickly.

Out went the left leg.

Then went the right.

I was going down Down DOWN.

Now, because I have fallen sooo many times before, I've become a bit of an expert.

Do you know that even though I fell all the way down, into the wet grass, with hands full of stuff...I didn't drop a THING. And I was only down in the grass for about 5 seconds before I scooped myself up and walked the additional 2 minutes to my front door. Oh...and I walked without ANY shoes on! I'll tell you this...THAT GROUND WAS COLD!!!

As I walked, I was thanking God for shoes. Even though I didn't have any on at that moment, I thanked Him because I knew that MY situation was only TEMPORARY. Many folks on this rainy night have NO shoes AT ALL and their feet will be cold ALL NIGHT. God bless 'em!

Now the first thing I should have done when I got inside was soak in the tub and take some ibuprofen. I haven't done either...yet. But I will. The soreness has already set in and I know...I'm gonna feel this in the morning.

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time YOU got a pedicure?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Pins and NEEDLES

So I've had this lower back pain for weeks...maybe even MONTHS.

It's gotten so bad, I finally decided that I needed some relief.

Now, I know that a majority of the pain is caused by all this excess weight that I'm carrying around. I really could stand to lose a good 50 pounds. But for now, ANY relief I can get is GREATLY welcomed.

I was curious about acupuncture but had no idea where to begin or who to see. Thanks to good ol' Facebook, a friend suggested one that he had gone to recently and is right here in my neighborhood.

First thing I did was checked my insurance to see if acupuncture is covered. To my surprise...it is.

Second thing I did was call and made an appointment.

And today...I went to my very first acupuncture session.

It was quite an experience.

The office was very tranquil. The acupuncturist was very friendly and tranquil.

He had me fill out my medical history and from there we discussed my pain. That helped him determine the course of treatment to use.

From there, I went into a small room, loosened my pants a bit, and laid on the massage type bed. Soon there after came the needles. Well...at least I think they did. Truth is...they are so small, I didn't feel a one...not a SINGLE one.

After the needles were placed (there may have been about 20), he turned on this electric thingy, some tranquil music, and had me lay there and relax while the needles and electric thingy did their thing for about 30 minutes. Yes...at some point I'm sure that I drooled.

I've had relaxing massages, but this was a different kind of relaxation. I enjoy them both...this was just...different.

When the time was up, he removed the needles, rubbed some balm on my back, asked how I was feeling...we scheduled my next session, and he sent me on my way.

Now...maybe it's all in my head, but I have to admit...I feel better already. The tightness that has been in my back for almost a month now, has loosened. I can still feel a small bit of pain in my back, but NOTHING like it was before I went in.

So...I'm going back, and I'm looking forward to it.

Apparently, my qi (pronounced chee) was out of whack and I had blockages that were stopping my energy and circulation from flowing properly. Now, I'm sure that to a lot of folks that sounds like a bunch of hocus pocuse mumbo jumbo, but I've gotta go by how I feel...and I feel GOOD!

So for all of you out there who are "afraid of needles", I highly encourage you to just give acupuncture a try. You WON'T feel the needles...you just won't. And you really need to go if you are experiencing any kind of pain that Western medicine hasn't been able to help. Mind you...I'm not knocking Western medicine, and quite honestly, I haven't even been to my doctor for this back pain because I wanted to be open to trying something new and different. I'm so glad that I did. So very glad.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever had acupuncture? If so, what benefits did you gain from it? And if not...why not?

Talk to me (and my qi)!

Til next time...

Every painful step I take...

Today's post will be short, mainly because I am tired. So I'll briefly share what's on my mind.

PAIN. I am in so much pain. I know that it is only God who is keeping me moving because truly...EVERY step hurts. It's so ironic really. Two years ago I got off the couch and got moving. Joined an amazing running group whose focus is primarily to get BLACK women moving since the rates of obesity are so high. I was doing do so well...for about a year. Entering races, improving my time, hiking. It was all so new to me and I was really enjoying it.

Unfortunately, my body has now chosen to rebel and I am 99.99% certain that I have developed Plantar Faciitis. The pain is almost unbearable. Actually...it IS unbearable, yet I can't just stay in bed or sit in chair all day. I've got to move. And with every step I take, there's pain.

The pain used to be its worst first thing in the morning when I'd step out of bed. Then, as the day would wear on, the pain would lessen. Now, that first step is painful, and pretty much every step I take thereafter. Ibuprofen no longer works. Foot soaks no longer work. I'm just not sure what to do next.

Physically, I have to move to a form of exercise that does not require me to be on my feet. Cycling perhaps, although that's quite expensive for my current budget.

I'd love to find a NATURAL cure for my issue because I've never been one to take medication. Interestingly, I'm sure that the pain I'm feeling would probably have someone else in the hospital. You see, I have a high tolerance for pain. Gave birth to three babies NATURALLY...without drugs. Not too many women do that these days. So yeah...I'm sure that what I'm dealing with in my feet is more that most can handle. Just not sure how much longer I can handle it.

So...how 'bout we Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever had Plantar Fasciitis, and if so...how did you treat it to get rid of the pain?

Talk to me PLEASE!

Til next time...

(Day 11/21)

Ouch!!!

Okay, so I'm not one to complain, especially when I'm sick, but that's because I am RARELY sick.

Even now, I still wouldn't say that I'm sick...I would just say that "something isn't workin' right".

One thing I know for sure is that I have a high tolerance for pain...EXTREMELY high.

How do I know this? Because I've had 3 babies via natural childbirth WITHOUT drugs/painkillers, and my longest labor (the first one) was only 7 hours long. Somethin' about me going "into to zone" when I'm in pain.

But there doesn't seem to be a "zone" when it comes to this ear ache that I've had for the past 4 days. Feels like something has crawled in my ear...and is STILL crawling...creating terrible pressure in my ear.

So yesterday, when I couldn't take it anymore, I decided to call the E.N.T. specialist who hooked me up the last time I had an issue with my ear. I call...tell them why I need to come in, and they schedule me for the 16th. THE 16TH!!! That's a whole 8 days from now (yesterday). What am I supposed to do for 8 more days?!?

So I came up with another idea...I called my P.C.P.

Mind you, he's the one who sent me to the E.N.T. the last time, but I figured, at the very least, he could flush my ear out (sounds gross, but it feels so good), and prescribe an antibiotic. Well, my luck wasn't much better on that call. He can't get me in until the 13th.

Seriously?!?

My only other option is urgent care, but that's $50 a pop and for this unemployed mother of 3...that's just not happenin'.

So...Extra Strength Tylenol has been my BFF for the past 2 days. Not quite sure how much is too much, but if it takes the pain away...then it's just enough.

Let the DIALOGUE begin! What's the worst pain you've ever been in?

Talk to me!

Til next time...