My “secret” of how I’ve been managing my now chronic pain
Lately many people have started asking me about my back pain & if I’m better, or how I’ve been able to deal with it. Like, WHAT IS IT that I’m doing or taking?! How did I go from barely being able to walk with crutches for months & no answers to fixing my problem, to bouncing around again & actually teaching classes?! Let me tell you that this past year has been an extreme challenge to me. I even came so close to feeling like I was going to have to close my doors to the studio & give up on my business forever. Thankfully these last few months have brought about a turn of events that help make my pain bearable.
For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been battling SI-Joint pain for over a year now, and have no clue what “specific event(s)” caused it. During my pregnancy with my first child, I didn’t pay too much attention to it because I thought to myself, “everyone has aches and pains, why should this be any different?” Little did I know, ignoring it would come back to bite me in the rear later.
For any of you living with chronic pain, you know it’s no joke. This past year, I’ve been through every emotion in the book from crying my eyes out to the anger & frustration to the point I couldn’t stand it, and yet there’s nothing I could do about it. Don’t get me wrong, I still have days that as soon as I get up out of bed and bear weight, I want to let myself fall back on the bed and just throw in the towel for the day. -Some of you are hearing about a whole different side of me you had no clue even existed..Yes, it’s that real.- There are a few key things, though, that have got be back on my feet to where I am now, and have helped me to at least manage the pain so I can get my life back.
The first one is ATTITUDE. It doesn’t take much time being around me to know that I have a mentality that resembles that saying, “suck it up, buttercup!” I do my best every single day to be bigger than my excuses, whether it’s in fitness, my back pain, my website, doesn’t matter- it applies across the board. I told myself each and every single day that “I don’t have time for this. I am 26 years old & have MANY things I want to do in my life. My body IS healing & I will accomplish WHATEVER it is that I want to do!” It may sound crazy, but the crazy thing is, IT’S WORKING. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the pain is crippling & so bad I physically just can’t. I’ve learned through the years to listen to my body, and you should listen to yours, too.
I’ve also put my focus from the VERY beginning to finding a SOLUTION to the problem, not just pacifying symptoms. I’m not big on taking pain medication anyway, unless I absolutely have to..believe me, sometimes I have to. When your pain gets so bad that when you take Ibuprofen you feel like you might as well instead be eating skittles because it doesn’t work, something has to give. I went to doctor after doctor after doctor. I was so ready to pull my hair out and just quit. Not kidding! If I learned anything, it’s how frustrating the whole system can be, and in our culture today, YOU and I have to take charge of our own care, and KEEP LOOKING for answers. Don’t give up. From the beginning, the ONLY thing that helped me eliminate my pain (at least temporarily, anyway) was Melinda Pregont’s chiropractic care. For me, it was a no brainer; do what works & keep pushing forward. I also continued pushing to re-strengthen my right side, & eventually had two steroid injections. I finally ended up calling a well-known massage therapist in the area who introduced me to what’s known as Myofascial release. Oh my word, what a difference!! After seeing Darby every month, I have MUCH less pain (for a lot longer time period) & can actually move! ..and here comes all those ready to jump up with their so-called expertise, “There is little scientific evidence available to support pain relief & restoring flexibility.” All I have to say is, tell that to her 8+ week waiting list!
I can’t tell you what will work for you, but I know what has worked for me. Along with the Massage Therapy & Chiropractic care, ATTITUDE has been the majority of it. If you whole heartedly BELIEVE in something, you CAN make it happen. We can truly achieve and overcome anything, so never lose faith.
I believe in you!
God Bless,
Miranda Contreras-Bulgin
P.S.
A couple of people have asked where it is I go for my care. Chiropractic is at Trusted Care Chiropractic and myofascial massage is at True Roots Massage. Both are fantastic; you’re not viewed as a number, you’re a person. 🙂
