time in the south & my disk that is going south

 One month ago we headed south for a vacation to South Carolina & Florida.  Since our rental we had reserved in Sarasota started on April 1st we decided to leave a little earlier and first check out Hilton Head, SC.  We stayed 3 nights in Bluffton, which is about 10 miles from Hilton Head. 

When we started out on this trip~I had something that was pinching/hurting in my upper back/shoulder area.  As the trip went on I was in progressively more and more pain.  By April 1st/Sunday the day we were to travel further south to Sarasota...I was in so much pain I could not walk with out tears.  I laid in the van's front seat with more pain that I could about handle.  That was about a 5 hour trip. 

When we got to our rental the kind sweet Aunt of our friends we borrowed the house (who met us there to give us a key)  from saw my pain & offered to massage it for me.  For an hour!  This sweet Aunt used to be a massage therapist.  And she also had had similar pain in the past.

Coincidence you say?  Nope!  That was all GOD.    

 That afternoon the kids were begging to go to the beach, but because of my extreme pain....Donovan took them to the backyard for some shuffleboard lessons.  I hated not being up and around...so very hard when there are blue skies and warm ocean breezes. 

The next morning my cousin Danielle set up a Chiropractic appointment for me.  This chiropractor is a friend of hers from church.  That treatment gave me a little relief and we headed to the beach.  But my nights were sleepless and with extreme pain. 

 I spent so much time in bed in the evenings.  In constant pain.  The next day the pain was at the worst and I went to the chiropractor again.  The chiropractor told me that there was nothing else she could do because my back was in such a bad spasm.  She sent me to an urgent care center and had called ahead to let the Dr. know the situation and he gave me a  Cortisone shot.  Along with pain medication, cortisone pills, and strict instructions to get this taken care of when I get home.  Explaining that this problem was not going away and this was just a "band aid" on the situation to help me have some relief from my pain. 

 The shot did help and while I was still in constant pain, it was less pain than I had been experiencing.   I was able to enjoy some beach time. 

 About a 1/2 mile from the rental we were at, there was this fruit stand that we loved to visit.  One morning we walked there.  All 6 of us. :)

What beautiful colors and flavors this place had. 

 We had some nice evenings there with extended family too.  Dinners out with cousins, boys who loved playing and getting to know their cousins better.  Love that about our trips to Sarasota.

 And as you can see in the picture above....still rubbing that shoulder that the pain followed me wherever I went.

 One morning we got up and went sand dollar/shell hunting.

 Picnics on the beach are my favorite.  And this year my hubby did most of the grocery shopping and picnic packing due to my shoulder/pain.  So very blessed to have that man as best friend and husband.

 One morning we thought it would be fun to do a little something different.  So we headed out to a state park and rent canoes.  Donovan thought we should go on a motor boat tour to try to spot some alligators...but that didn't leave for 1.5 hours so I insisted that we just rent canoes and go ourselves. Since we were supposed to only have 3 to a boat...I took the girls and he took the boys in separate boats.  That ended with him tying the canoes together and us all transferring to one boat.  Him canoeing us to shore in extreme windy conditions.  O.k. I'll say it.  He was right.  I still had too much pain to be paddling a boat.  We did see one alligator on the way back.  But the above picture is the only picture I'm sharing from that disaster of a morning. 

 Another evening we had a cousins get together.  The aunts and uncles were also along~and I so regret not getting pictures of everyone together. 

 And I got to hug and kiss on the newest little member of the extended family~Gray. 

What a sweet little miracle he is!!!

More beach days.  With beautiful white sand, warm ocean breezes, and beautiful blue skies.

 Easter Sunday we enjoyed lunch at Andy & Danielle's.  So sweet of her to let us come after she had spent all morning "working" at church.  It was a delicious ham & potatoes dinner and the boys got to eat lunch on patio with their cousins. 

 Later that evening we went for ice cream. So amazing to reconnect with the people we love. 

So after getting home I tried to set up a Dr. appointment with a neurologist.  Who takes 3 weeks to get an appointment.  Some how I felt like a neurologist was the wrong direction.  And with waiting 3 weeks to even get in....I cancelled that appointment

Coincidence you say? Nope! That was all GOD.  

 Then I made an appointment with my family Dr. who ordered an MRI to find out what is causing so much pain for me.  Only the insurance decided that they didn't want to pay for an MRI until I had 6 weeks of therapy.  What the heck??? Therapy on something that we didn't know what was wrong??

Meanwhile I had heard that my cousin had similar pain for over 8 months finally went in and saw an amazing Spinal specialist in Elkhart.  My cousin was super impressed with this Dr. and highly recommended him. 

I called there to make an appointment and it was 1.5 week wait.  I may seem impatient to you at this point I have had pain for over 3.5 weeks and no relief or clear answers on how to help the pain.  I asked the receptionist if she could call me if there were any cancellations.  She called 5 minutes after I hung up ~to say that in 2 days there would be an opening for me to come in. 

Coincidence you say? Nope! That was all GOD.

I saw that Dr. last week and because of loss of mobility and strength in my arm he ordered an MRI & X-ray.  This time the insurance did pay because of the Dr. being a specialist and because I'm losing strength in my arm. 

That also was all GOD. 

So yesterday I got the diagnosis.  Finally!  I have answers!!!  I have one disk in my back that is bulging and the disc just under that is very badly herniated.  They are scheduling surgery for me and I'm asking for prayer today.  Prayer that the surgery can be ~BEFORE my Dr. is out of town for 9 days starting May 1st.  And prayer for me that I can keep from passing out from anxious feelings that keep rising up in me.  Somehow it panics me a bit to think about them going in through my neck to preform this surgery. 

Thank you friends.