Friday, July 10, 2009

Ow, my aching...everything

I've visited more than one doctor over the last couple months. But I think I'm done...for now. I've been having these weird body aches, like I'm getting the flu, but then it goes away and I feel fine again. Thankfully, my symptoms have improved lately (I think I'll cancel that appointment with the fibromyalgia specialist). I'm not sure what caused them or why I have only a downscaled version of them now. But I'll tell you this: I visited my chiropractor and he said, "Motherhood just messes your whole body up."

Amen to that. Aside from the damage children inflict by jumping, kicking, and otherwise abusing you, typical TLC can affect even the most athletic body. When I went to the chiropractor, he tried to adjust me, but he found this huge knot in my shoulder, so he decided to use electric stimulation on it. It felt great for a while (even my elbows were tingling), but less than a day later, I'd already undone the $40 I spent to see him.

Here are just a few typical motherhood tasks that make huge demands on a mama's body:
-nursing fifteen pound baby with disproportionately large head ten to twenty times a day
-picking up fifteen pound baby in fifteen pound car seat, heaving pair of them into van
-throwing thirty pound two year old in crib when he's having temper tantrum
-carrying heavy diaper bag on whatever shoulder happens to be free
-waking up every three hours in the night to feed baby
-listening to three children scream in your ear (stress)
-trying to chop vegetables while children demand to know when dinner is, if they can have a snack, if they can have friends over, and why you always make food they hate (triple stress)

After wasting my money at the chiropractor's, I decided it would be better to treat the cause of the problems by working on my posture. I found a youtube video with an Alexander technique exercise you can do at home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iehtr8X3qMc&feature=PlayList&p=CB1850E7A1FE1ADA&index=0
I tried it and noticed an immediate improvement in my shoulder tension. Then I nursed the baby and guess what? Back came the arm tingles. Apparently baby has been cutting off my circulation at the elbow. But the girl does insist upon eating, so I guess I'll have to find another way to nurse her. And a mute button for the other children.

1 comment:

Tara Oliver said...

motherhood messes up your body? really??? NOTE: do NOT look at Hollywood mothers for examples. LOL. yeah, I think we'd all agree that our bodies are never the same after having kids. I still go regularly to a chiropractor and I really do think that it's good for my body. but so is stretching and exercising and sitting up straight. hope you feel a little better!