I thought I would share a bit more about me and a rather fascinating experience that has changed my mind about how I think.
I have osteo-arthritis in both my knees. Over the years I have had many up and downs with my knees. I believe one of the secrets in dealing with the pain is to exercise. It really helps with the pain and the stiffness. Finding the right exercise has been the challenge. My current favourite forms to exercise or as I like to call it – moving my body – is cycling, walking, yoga and stretching.
Something happened last July when I stood up from a table. It felt like my knee buckled under me with intense sharp pain. I had just come from a yoga class and assumed that I had done something to my knee in class. This started me on yet another journey to get out of pain with my usual list of therapies: acupuncture, muscle activation therapy, working with a personal trainer doing gentle movements, resting, applying heat, applying ice, using a phototonic device (like a home laser treatment), topical creams and an assortment of anti- inflammatory and bone support supplements. Everything helped and nothing helped.
I stopped exercising. I stopped moving. I avoided stairs and looked for elevators and escalators. I went to a health show at the Convention Centre and had to leave because I did not have the energy and struggled to walk to the subway. I spent most of my yoga class in savasana (known as corpse pose – you get the picture). I did not want to give up the class and yet I found it too painful to do the poses.
I decided it was time to go back to the orthopedic sturgeon and see the actual state of my knees. I felt perhaps I was pushing myself to do things that in the end were actually harming my knees. I finally got to see the doctor. Yes I am almost bone on bone and likely down the line will need knee replacement when the pain becomes unbearable. I was disappointed because I was hoping that I would never need the surgery.
I lamented to the doctor how I had stop exercising and doing things I loved because I did not want to damage my knees any further. Then the miracle happened. The doctor told me that it was not possible for me to damage them any further. My activities were not the cause of my pain and deterioration. What! A huge weight was lifted from me. I was not causing the problem and what I do was not making it worse. Therefore it was actually only pain. My thoughts completely shifted. I was so excited by this news that I walked home – about 3 kilometers in winter weather. I did not care, I felt joyous and free to walk.
Since that time I am doing all the poses in yoga classes, taking the stairs, walking more, getting the personal trainer to push me and I signed up for a twice weekly exercise class that specializes in osteo conditions. I am no longer in constant pain. And if it starts to hurt, I don’t pay attention to it. I can do no harm.
I find it astounding that a mind shift has eased my physical pain. It has been so profound that it really makes me want to explore more about shifting my thoughts and beliefs. Where else in my life could I use some shifting? Because I can see that when we shift our thinking miracles can happen. What are you holding onto and are you curious to see if you can shift your thinking or beliefs?
From the heart,
Caryl
Heart to Heart Nutrition offers nutritional consulting, a 12 week online sleep coaching program, health breakthrough coaching where deep-rooted behaviours impede the journey back to self-care, self-love and self-worth. Other services include hypnotherapy and reiki.