My health journey - Hernia

Hand picked flowers by my daughter <3

Ups and downs they said but it will be fun!

It's quite true though, at times. Even though I never really loved the treadmill we had, because it was never my first choice, I still made the most out of it as many days as I could, despite my knees acting up every other day. I was set back constantly, yet I kept going back because I was highly motivated to get this blood pressure thing in order.

It ended with us sending it back, as it was faulty from the beginning and made more noise than the local fair's attractions at night, lol. We got fully refunded but I lost a lot of time (months!) to get my health in order. It sucked, and it was noticeable in some things that I didn't get enough movement throughout the day.

Back problems suck!

It was hard motivating myself to workout on the days that my back was kind enough to not be a pain in the ass (lol) I tried focussing on walking in the evenings as well as replacing unhealthy foods for healthier options. Meanwhile, I counted down until the end of June because then the pool would be open for 3 months, I was looking forward to making the most out of that throughout the summer.

On top of that we'd pick up the indoor bike for some extra indoor sports, which has been here since 2 weeks now, yet I could not use it right away..

Something worsened in my back

I don't know if it was caused by something, it was there suddenly and it was VERY painful. Some moments I almost screamed from the sharp pain I experienced and I knew I had to go back to a doctor for another MRI because the status of my back surely wasn't the same.

My boyfriend told me for a while he thought I had a hernia, I thought it wasn't the case, until it got worse, then I expected the MRI to show something new, worse than before.

Useless intake of medication

This is something I hate truly, taking all these meds that aren't good for you in the long run but you need them to get through the days right now. It sucks and I'm not a fan at all. Yet this has been my reality for quite some time, even though the months with a treadmill made it possible for me to stop taking the heaviest medication until things got worse again.

The doctor prescribed me several other medication which I stopped quite fast because they did not do anything for me and risking problems with my liver or stomach is not something I'm going to do if these meds don't even bring me any relief. In case you're wondering, yes I take a stomach protector as well. Before this new back issue occurred, my goal was work towards getting rid of the hypertension medication, this will now be a focus after the back is healed.

MRI scan: a small hernia L5-S1

So where last time the diagnosis was discopathy L5-S1, now it only mentioned a small hernia L5-S1. I wonder if they misdiagnosed it in the other clinic or that it's a double diagnosis instead? I can only say that at least now it's clear what the issue is and this is something that can be fixed. Great!

I admit that for a few days I was a bit scared of bad movements, wondering if it would make it worse so where I was lifting some things with weight before, right now I refrain from doing this as much as possible. Yet, I try to correct my posture, listing to my body VERY WELL and never overdo anything. Too long walking, sitting, laying it hurts too much. I'm constantly switching things up and it seems to relax the most when I lay on my back instead of my side.

Let's aim for physical therapy

The insurance once told me for physical therapy you need a referral from the traumatologist (very very busy and long wait) or shortcut: the rehabilitation doctor. The latter had a free spot in 10 days, which I booked right away. I double checked with the insurance if I remembered it correctly, which is the case. Now I just have to get through these days, stay in motion, listen to my body and hopefully get a referral as well as further instructions.

All doctors are on holiday so it seems

I have to wait until the end of August to get back to the doctor who referred me to the MRI scan, but that's ok because meanwhile I can see how things improve now that I dare to start using the indoor bike finally as well as continue the (almost) daily swims in the pool. I'm definitely gaining some muscle from that because often my arms and shoulders hurt lol. This was the most important thing to stay in motion, swimming. Thankfully, it will remain open until mid-September.

Offline time is best

So when I'm not online much, which happens a lot lately, this is not only due to me hanging out in the pool to enjoy some good old quality time with the kid, but often also because I just can't sit behind the computer for long. I take the signs very seriously now because I'd like the small hernia to heal rather than to become a big one.

Rest assured we are also enjoying the summer by getting out, having tapas and stuff like that.

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Header image taken by yours truly.. a little surprise flower hand picked by my daughter, how sweet!