So how long does it take to really heal from sciatica? The short answer is about a year. For the long answer...keep reading.
I'll start by saying that I did not really know adversity and Pain until last year. It was humbling. Up until that point, I was the type of person who when I set my mind to it, I accomplished it. No question. I did not know how to fail. In February 2016, I suffered a pinched sciatic nerve. It was debilitating. I literally could not walk for a couple weeks. I shed silent tears just trying to stand and brush my teeth. I had to ask my husband to help me put on my pants. I would sit in the shower with the water running over my face at night and just cry from exhaustion and pain. At first, I had that fighting spirit. I did everything. From personal affirmations, to yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, pain killers, physical therapy, steroid shots in my back, rolling, using a tens machine, heating pads, icing, massage, cycling, stretching, homeopathic herbs, creams, oils, you name it, I tried it. And not one time but religiously every day, every other day. I would give it a fair shot. And yet the pain persisted. And persisted. Day by day. Month after month. And slowly it beat me down. It crushed my spirit, until I all but gave up. I gave up trying to be a great Mom. I gave up trying to be a good wife. I gave up trying to be the best employee. The best friend. The best sister. The best daughter. The best me. I gave up and ate my emotions. Even though I had been an avid health and motivational coach. I ate my feelings. Even though I knew better. I lived for those few seconds where I could forget the pain and the food provided me seconds of momentary happiness. I withdrew from social media and into myself. I went from a size 4/6 to a size 14/16. I felt lethargic, ugly, and completely un-me. Fast forward to August/September 2016 when my husband was dealt his own health related blow. He would end up with a blood staph infection, be admitted to the hospital and be on an IV for 8 weeks, culminating in surgery to remove the titanium hardware in his leg. He was my rock. My everything, and now he too was swept away. In pain. There was no other choice but to get better. It was a switch. I just had to. I had a 4 year old daughter counting on me. At this point, I was the best option. I was the hope for our family. And so, we are recovering. I went to see Celine Dion in Vegas a few weeks ago. It was a birthday present from my sister and me to my Mom. She sang a tear filled song that went straight to my heart. It was called “Recovering.” Pink actually wrote it for Celine after she lost her husband. If you get the chance to listen to it, please do. It's amazing. Celine said it's the greatest gift when an artist writes a song for you. There's nothing else like it. And that's what it is. It's a gift. Recovering is a process. It doesn’t happen all at once. There are many lessons to be learned along the way, and I learned a lot. One that I focus on is remembering that “Comparison is the thief of happiness.” I used to think that meant comparison to others. I’m learning that can also apply to the comparison of who you used to be. It's not fair to look back and compare yourself to who you used to be. That person doesn't really exist anyway. You exist. Today. In this moment. And you are amazing. Worthwhile. And awesome. So keep on keepin’ on. You are stronger than you think. You are not the first, nor are you the last to suffer adversity. You might get knocked down. You might even be out for the count. You might lose yourself. But it’s never too late to get back up and start fighting again. "I ain't as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was." Haha ;) I seem to be in a lyrics kind of mood. Music can be therapy too though. Whatever works right! Find your jam…and then eat it. With peanut butter. And don’t apologize for your journey. Share it. Others will connect to your story and to you. I hope you connect with a piece of mine. I hope it lets you know that you are not alone. It’s normal to feel low. It’s normal to have bad days, bad weeks, bad months even. It’s normal to feel lost, angry, less than proud about your actions or words. BUT there is hope. Don’t give up. I'll leave you with this. When things get bad. Go through this check list of questions. One or two of these might be true, but never all three: 1. Is this permanent? 2. Is this personal? 3. And when they record the history of mankind…will this be in there?
I don't think so. So at the end of the day, it’s not really that big of a deal. Get over yourself. I mean that in the nicest way. Take a does of humility. Find the humor. And keep going. You can do it. I believe in you. The collage I included starts with the most recent and goes backward left to right. On top, my husband has just gotten out of his surgery. As I write this, we're both at home and he is currently recovering. Then on the bottom, right to left you can see my family and me before everything happened, then a rare pic of me showing my weight gain (I didn't take a lot of pics during this period), then me finally getting back into the groove of things taking a spin class, and finally a pic of us as a family from this past Easter. We're on the mend. It's life. I have faith we'll be okay 😏
If you are suffering from nerve pain, here are 3 things I bought during my journey this past year that really helped:
If you are suffering from nerve pain, here are 3 things I bought during my journey this past year that really helped:
1. AccuRelief Dual Channel TENS Electrotherapy Pain Relief System
2. Everlasting Comfort 100% Pure Memory Foam Luxury Seat Cushion
3. Lock Laces (Elastic Shoelace and Fastening System)
