So, where have I been, huh?

Okay, so I got off to a rolling start and then faded--fast! I managed to lose 4lbs my first week, then somehow injured my neck. It took 3 weeks of taking pain meds before being diagnosed with a "bulging intervertebral disc" in my neck. What's that in "english"? Bascially, I did something to push out the padding that's between the bones in my neck, which pinched a nerve, sending pain down my right arm and made my fingers numb in that hand. Kind of makes it hard to do much of anything when you can't sleep for more than two hours, you are instructed to not lift or carry anything, and then get placed on medical leave from work. Let's just say that pain and lack of sleep doesn't exactly make anyone want to do much exercise, especially me!

So, here I am, two months later and I've had two epidural injections. The first to fix the pain (which it did nicely!) and the second to deal with the numbness (jury's still out on that one folks.) But dealing with all this, I have done some research on the causes of bulging discs and treatment. Well the main two causes of bulging discs are 1) obesity and 2) sedentary lifestyle...check and check! I'm surprised I didn't have this sooner! I never wanted to be this way. I never wanted to have mobility issues because of my weight. I thought I had gotten started and was on my way to better health. I guess not.

But complaining and regretting the past never got anyone anywhere,so I just have to pick myself up, dust myself off and get moving. I have found that walking every day has helped. The more I walk, the more the numbness is intermittent instead of constant. The more I move and stretch, the less the muscles in my neck and upper back feel stiff and sore (FYI: epidurals are basically big needles going into your spine so it may fix the big pain but it's still sore for quite awhile.) If I can lose some weight I just might help the situation even more.

If you're reading this and think it'll never happen to you, stop. Look at all the overweight and obese people who can hardly walk because of back and joint problems. I always joked when my doctors have asked in the past if I had any health issues. My standard response was, "Other than being overweight? Nope!" And it was true. I (knock on wood) had never had any blood sugar, blood pressure, or joint issues due to my weight. Apparently it was just a matter of time. Hopefully someone will read this and do something to help themselves before something like what happened to me, happens to them. I wouldn't wish the pain and discomfort I'm going through on anyone, even a stranger.