2017 is here! Your insurance benefits have been reset! If you are someone that deals with a chronic health condition that could benefit from some form of Therapy, now is your chance to start feeling better!
I have been going to physical therapy off and on over the years. I first started going because of a long history of scoliosis that was causing chronic pain. My pain levels had gotten so bad that physical therapy wasn’t enough. So, I went and had a couple facet joint injections. For any women who has had an epidural during labor, these are not much different. I had this done in two different areas of my lower back. Thank goodness I got a tremendous amount of relief because of them. If I had not had such a positive result the first time, I was told the results wouldn’t be as good for each subsequent procedure.
Even though these injections didn’t take away all my pain, they reduced it significantly. With the pain reduction that I experienced with facet joint injections and committing to physical therapy, I was feeling much better and functioning to my best ability. But this wasn’t the end of my long road of chronic pain. I was about to get the shock of my life.
In this midst of going through infertility treatments, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Although I had already suspected the diagnosis, it didn’t make it any easier. I did however get to avoid dealing with it when we found out that one of our fertility treatments worked. We were pregnant.
After about of month postpartum, the reality of my diagnosis of MS set in. The fatigue was beyond bad and my chronic pain issues that I thought were managed, were coming back in full force. Back to physical therapy I went. Although physical therapy makes me feel like I have been run over by a mack truck sometimes, the benefits that I gain far outway the soreness after.
Additionally, MS really can take a toll on ones mental health. I never thought that I would be one of these people. I was always calm under pressure, I was good at keeping my emotions in check, but with a diagnosis of MS all that goes out the window. I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. Some days are better than others. But that one thing that I am finding that provides consistent mental calm is physical therapy.
Mid December 2016 I had my last physical therapy appointment of the year. My insurance allows for 20 visits and I used every single one of them. And boy oh boy, not only was I walking better and moving better overall after those 20 visits, my emotional state was much better as well. I was finding that not only does physical therapy provide me with the increase in physical ability, it provides me with hope. I start moving better, my pain levels decrease and my emotional state is more stable. My positivity is back to shining again.
This brings me back to my first sentence, “2017 is here! Your insurance benefits have been reset! If you are someone that deals with a chronic health condition that could benefit from some form of Therapy, now is your chance to start feeling better!” Today I had my first physical therapy appointment of the year after a month break. I had not slept at all the night before and when the therapist started with those thumbs, I about kicked him, the pain was so bad….but after about an hour…..my pain levels were down and with a little stretching at home, my pain will be back to a more manageable level and continued therapy, I will continue increased mobility. Don’t wait, take this time for yourself. recover whatever holds you back. There are many forms of therapy out there. Physical Therapy can be more of an umbrella term.
You will start moving better, you will feel more confident, your outlook could be changed. We pay some of the highest premiums in the world, if you are paying for it, use it! Make this the year you take care of you! If you can’t afford it, reach out to me and I can see what I can do to help you find a solution.