Physical Limitations (Part 7)

It wasn't too long after I got the endometriois diagnosis that I started to gain weight. Out of nowhere I went from a cute little size three to a size 8. I didn't think anything of it, thinking the weight gain was due to the lack of activity in the past several months, and the surgery that allowed the doctor to discover the endometriosis. When I continued up to a size 10 I started to worry.

This weight gain all occurred in a time span of approximately two months. I finally had to admit that a gain of more than 20 pounds in 8 weeks' time seemed a little strange. I made an appointment with the doctor.

After many, many tests the doctor finally decided that he needed to do an exam on my thyroid. Looking back, I'm not quite sure why he didn't start there. Perhaps my recent issues with my reproductive system were throwing him off, too. However, on my mom's side my grandmother, mother, and aunts have hypothyroidism, and on my dad's side there are several family members with the disorder as well. It seems pretty apparent to me that a thyroid test should have been ordered early on.

Sure enough, I was found to have hypothyroidism and was put on medication that I will take for the rest of my life. In a lot of ways having a thyroid disorder is no big deal. It seemed pretty normal to me, having grown up around all sorts of people who took thyroid medication and lived perfectly normal lives. On the other hand, it is amazing how much of our body's functions are regulated by the thyroid gland.

This was the first time ever that I was ashamed of my body and embarrassed. My husband at the time, Brian, told me on more than one occasion that he was no longer attracted to me. I was fat, therefore ugly, and I was just going to turn out to be a lazy bum like his mother. Thanks, dude! I started wearing my shirts untucked and trying to hide from the world.

I can honestly say this medical problem was a turning point for me. I gave up in a lot of ways. Through the car accidents, through the endometriosis, through the surgery for ovarian cysts, I stayed positive and happy. The diagnosis of a thyroid disorder, and the negative attention I got from my husband at the time due to the physical consequences, was the straw that broke the camel's back. As far as I was concerned I was going to be fat for life and that was all there was to it. I had been handed my life-time sentence, and there was no use trying to keep up a good image anymore.

The truth is, I never had to try to be thin before my thyroid gland became in issue. I was naturally thin, and my eating habits seemed to regulate themselves. I recently found out my parents were at one point worried I could be anorexic. I think that is ironic, considering my memories have always been for a love of food. I just didn't have time to eat. I was constantly busy doing this thing or that as a teenager.

With that being said, not all of the weight gain was due to the thyroid problems. As a young adult living in an apartment I couldn't afford, I simply didn't know what to do with myself. My husband didn't like to do the things I was used to doing, such as throwing a ball around, riding bikes, and exploring walking paths nearby. My active, carefree, lifestyle changed to one of sitting around watching movies and occasionally going out to the Moose Lodge with one or both of our sets of parents. In my mind, that's what growing up was all about. It was time to stop playing around and be mature.

If I can pass one piece of advice along to my daughters regarding health and growing up, it would be that maturing doesn't mean giving up play. It simply means that one knows the appropriate time for horsing around and the right time for being serious. On your off time, go for it! Never stop swimming like a fish, riding bikes down hills, and jumping on trampolines until your legs feel like jello. These aren't activities reserved for adults. They are the parts of life that make life enjoyable and keep your body young.

So, while my thyroid gland has decided over the years to work less and less efficiently and my dose has consistently increased, I have recently learned that I can counteract those effects. I have to work harder than a person without a thyroid disorder, but it can be done. I will never loose weight as fast as I would like, but it can be done. The changes of gaining weight back are higher, but I can take steps to make sure that doesn't happen. How? I have to work harder than the average person. I have to increase the intensity of my workouts, I have to increase the number of workouts, and I have to eat a lot less than I would if I didn't have a thyroid disorder. But, it can be done.

Physical Limitations (Part 6)

Warning: This post is extremely personal in nature and deals with issues of reproduction. It is not graphic, but it does discuss women and their unique issues. If you wish not to hear about the part of health that deals with women's bodily functions, you may want to skip this post.

After car accident #2 came car accident #3 and #4. I won't bore you with the details, but in one of them I took another trip to the hospital by ambulance, and it was the same thing all over again. All four accident occurred in the time span of 18 months. I really was a wreck. Fortunately none of the accidents were my fault. To this day I have not received a traffic ticket- knock on wood.

Life went along as normally as it could. By now I was 18 years old and was off exploring life. I was attending college, working, and doing all the things teenagers do. I never thought of myself as being limited, and I honestly didn't think of the warnings from the doctors that I needed to take life a little slower than other people. I was determined to not only prove them wrong, but to forget that I was involved in several car accidents to begin with.

My plan actual worked for several years. When I was 22 I got married to my first husband (more about him in a series on self esteem) and got a job as an office manager at the thrift shop. I would sometimes, though rarely, arrive at 5 AM and stay until 9 PM. I absolutely loved the work, and the hours never phased me. I was also going to school at night (yes, it took me FOREVER to get my associate's degree because I just couldn't decide what I wanted to be when I grew up). After I got married there was a change in management at the thrift store, and I just didn't get along with the new boss. His immature and unprofessional behavior caused me to leave a job I really enjoyed. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

My mom was working for a company called Gold Circuit, and they were looking for a part time assistant for her. I got the job, which eventually turned into full time work. The good thing, though, was that my mom was around for some of the worst and most embarrassing pain I've ever felt.

It all started one day when I was walking through the grocery store with Brian, my husband at the time. From nowhere it felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. It was a sharp enough pain that I gasped for air. I grabbed the shopping cart, paused for a moment, then continued on my way when the pain faded. I didn't do anything about the pain because by the time I got home I had almost forgotten about the incident.

A few weeks later we were at the grocery store again. This time the pain was so intense that I dropped to my knees, becoming short of breath. Brian was embarrassed and urged me to get up, so I stood when I could and continued our shopping. The next day I made an appointment at the doctor's office.

To make a long story short, the doctor could find nothing wrong with me. For months I continued to have pain, sometimes when I was walking, sometimes when I was sitting. Activity or lack of activity didn't seem to make a difference. I had to drop out of my college class because I couldn't sit for the three hours after a day of working. The pain was just too intense, and I just wanted to sleep when I wasn't working. Brian started getting angry with me because I wasn't getting the housework done that I usually took care of. Some days were fine, others were not. The not-so-good days would often end with me kneeling on my bed, rear in the air, rocking back and forth. With a pillow clenched between my teeth I would silently cry so as not to bother Brian and cause him to yell at me that he was tired of hearing it. Many nights I would lie awake for hours wondering where he was after he stormed out of the house because I wasn't being the wife he expected me to be.

Somewhere along the line I started having chest pains. They would come on out of nowhere, and I honestly thought I was having a heart attack each time. The pain was so sharp it felt like a knife was being slid through my body from front to back. Breathing would become shallow and painful. Off I would go to the urgent care, many times from work. Thank goodness I had an understanding boss who had two daughters of his own right around my age. He would find a fellow employee to give me a ride, and off we would go. Fortunately my mom was my direct supervisor, so between the two I had no fear of losing my job due to missed work time. Everyone around me was just as concerned as I was about my health. Everyone, that is, except for Brian. He would only be upset that I lost wages due to my trips to the doctor.

After about four months of this mysterious pain, I had a regular check-up with my "female doctor". During the routine questions I wound up telling her about the pain I had been having and that none of the doctors could find a cause. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she asked the next several questions. After awhile she told me she was going to get my charts from the other doctors, because she wondered if my pain could be pinpointed to a certain time of the month. She completed the exam and told me she also wanted to do an ultrasound because she felt something unusual on one side. So began a whole new series of doctor's visits. Brian would not be joining me- he refused to cross through the doors of an office meant for women.

The ultrasound revealed a large cyst on one of my ovaries, and several smaller ones on the other. Most women actually get cysts on their ovaries at some point in their lives. They can actually resolve themselves for the most part, or never become a problem. My pain, however, was coming from this area of my body, so the doctor brought in a surgeon to consult on my case. It was then I met Dr. Steven Eddy, my favorite OB/ GYN ever. As they looked over my chart from the other doctors and looked at my ultrasound, Dr. Eddy told me he wanted to check for endometriosis while he was removing the large cyst.

The surgery was scheduled, and I was on my way to health once again, right? Well, not quite. Dr. Eddy removed an 11 centimeter chocolate cyst from one ovary. That is approximately the size of an orange. I wish I could say that the name of it was as pleasant as it sounds, but the chocolate refers to the fact that it was filled with blood. So, a cyst the size of an orange, filled with blood, wrapping around my ovary. It was removed, so the pain would be gone, right? Again, not quite. The good news is that there were no cancer cells found on the cyst or the surrounding area.

The bad news is that Dr. Eddy did find A LOT of endometriosis tissue. Endometriosis is when the tissue that is usually shed during menstruation settles or forms in different parts of the body. In my case, he found this tissue all over the place in the areas he could see. He also thought that I may have form some in different parts of my body, possibly even traveling up into my arm and heart area. I know, that sounds gross, right? It feels even grosser now that I know what the pain was. Essentially, every month those cells try to escape the body, as they should during a normal menstrual cycle. These cells don't have a place to go, so they cause pain as they are trying to do their thing. I'm sure there is a much more scientific explanation, but this is the best I can do, not being a doctor. It is also exactly the way it was described to me.

I was put on birth control pills to try to regulate my cycle and make it a little less heavy. The hope was that I would experience less pain. I did get some relief, but not nearly what I had hoped for. The doctor and I had a serious discussion. I could try other treatment options, but each of them had huge chances of causing me to be completely unable to have children. The safest way to approach this problem was to decide how many kids I wanted to have and start getting to it.

I went home and talked to Brian. Before getting married, we had agreed that we wanted to have two children. We were going to start trying to have a family right away after getting married. He, however, had changed his mind and didn't tell me that. For months I had stayed patient, knowing that just being married was an adjustment in itself. With this news, however, I was no longer willing to wait. I explained what the doctor had said, and Brian dropped a bomb. He actually said this works out well because he had decided he didn't want children. What a blow! The biggest goal I wanted for my life was to be a mother. Now, not only was my body letting me down in that area, but my husband was too.

There are many other reasons, but Brian and I wound up divorced not too long after my diagnosis. To make a long story short, I married Daniel in the year 2000, and we had our first beautiful daughter in 2001. Our second came along in 2002. By the time I had the girls I was being told it would be extremely unlikely that I would get pregnant at all. Having Amber proved to be dangerous, and it was a good thing we only planned to have two children. Dr. Eddy suggested taking measures to make sure I didn't have a third.

Endometriosis was a physical limitation that was not only painful but greatly emotional. I knew there were steps I could take to make the pain go away, but the consequence was too great. I wanted to have children, and I kept telling myself the pain wasn't so bad that I couldn't handle it. For the most part, that was true. After the cyst was removed I didn't have anymore episodes like those in the grocery store. The stabbing pains that took my breath away disappeared. I was able to sit for longer periods of time, I was able to walk, and run and do just about anything I wanted.

That is, with the exception of about three days a month. Those days were brutal. I would often wind up in bed by about 8:00 in the evening, having given every bit of energy to get through the day. Pure exhaustion would allow me to slip into a sleep that was not restful but would get me through the next day.

For unknown reasons endometriosis can sometimes be relieved after a woman has her first child. The body seems to get with the program and remember what it is supposed to be doing. The endometrial cells stop forming where they do not belong, and all is well. Fortunately I was one of the ones for whom this was the case. After Andrea was born I dreaded my first period. When it came pain-free I was excited and thankful. Amber was born, and my body continued to work as it should.

There have been a couple of months when the pain has popped up here and there. Never has it been so bad that I couldn't function, though. For once there has been a happy ending to the story. I am fortunate. Some women never get the relief they are looking for, many loose their reproductive organs in an attempt to stop the pain.

Looking at the big picture, endometriosis was a short-lived limitation. It was one that really impacted my life, though. It made me take a hard look at life and how I wanted to live for the next 70 years. I wouldn't say that my first marriage crumbled due to the disorder- far from it. The disorder did, however, force me to communicate my needs and see myself as someone who deserved to see dreams come true.

Back to the Gym

I finally made it back to the gym! It's been 5 weeks since I've been there, but I made it tonight. I was dreading getting on the scale, worried that I had gone back up above 175 pounds. Boy was I surprised! The scale read 167. I had to make Daniel take a look and make sure I was reading it right. I guess the few runs that I have been able to get in have done the job.

I got in a pretty good run on the treadmill tonight. I went 3.1 miles in just under 39 minutes. Incredible! That's a personal record for me, and I was really excited. I am very aware of my knee right now, but there is no pain. I am still protecting it, apparently, because I did feel some pain in my opposite foot where my toes were gripping the ground trying to keep weight off the other leg. I suppose it's time to trust that my knee is okay. Now I just have to convince my feet that I have accurate information!

I've decided I'm not even going to put pressure on myself about the gym. I won't even plan to go there from Monday through Thursday while I'm student teaching. That way I won't get frustrated with myself when I can't get there due to having too much work or too little energy. For now, I will celebrate the little things. I got to the gym today, when I could, and that is worth celebrating.

Student Teaching update

I had my first student teaching evaluation with my university supervisor yesterday. Wow, was I nervous! I gave myself a serious stomach ache and headache because I was so tense. The evaluation went well, though, so I think it may have been worth it. Hopefully I will start calming down when I know there is a formal evaluation. In reality I am being graded every day because my mentor teacher will give me an overall grade at the end of student teaching. I'm very comfortable for the most part, though.

The lesson I had planned for my evaluation was perfect. It was just enough of a blend of fun and education that it kept the kids engaged, and they couldn't wait to participate. I saw more hands raised than usual, so I knew I had picked my lesson well. Since it was fun, it was easy for me to smile throughout.

For this evaluation I was teaching guided reading groups. That means I had a group of 6 or so students at a time, so my instructor got to see my teach the lesson twice in 30 minutes. I taught the groups about onomatopoeias, or words that represent sounds. It was great, because the kids were able to make noise and have fun coming up with sentences using onomatopoeias.

The only negative comment my instructor had after I was done teaching was to watch how many times I say ok. I didn't realize I was repeating that word often, but I was extremely nervous so I don't doubt it. I think I was looking for understanding from the children as well as substituting ok for um. I'll be more aware of that now and in the future. I've really done a great job of cutting out the um and uh, so I'm sure I can get this ok out, too.

My instructor asked for a copy of my lesson plan and asked for permission to use it as an excellent example. She is going to share it with some others in our group who are having a hard time writing lesson plans, and she is going to use it for this semesters students who will be learning to write them. Awesome! This is definitely one to put into my portfolio. I used to wonder why I would spend hours writing a unique lesson plan for my classes when some of my classmates would simply find one on the internet and re-write it for the same grade, and now I know. I am truly proud of my work!

The next evaluation will be in about two weeks, and my instructor will be watching me teach math. I'm not thrilled she picked that subject next, but it will all work out. I have to get good at math some time, anyway!

Well, I'm off to start the last day of the week. I have been exhausted by Fridays, and I didn't sleep well last night. I think we'll hit the gym right after I get home tomorrow, then we'll come home and have a movie night. The chores and errands can wait until tomorrow.

Student Teaching

The big time is finally here. Student teaching has begun, and I am LOVING being in the classroom full time. Teaching really is a calling, and I can tell already I've made the right decision for a career. I can't wait for my first classroom of my own!

I am student teaching in 5th grade. I have experience aiding in Kindergarten and Pre-K, and this is so much different! I really enjoy how I can talk to the students and expect them to understand what I am trying to get across. It is really fun to build on previous learning and to watch the children make connections from one subject area to another.

So far I've been able to help the students work on independent practice, and I've designed a bulletin board. The board is interactive- when students read a book they really like they will fill out a form telling why they recommend it. Eventually I will be able to make a list of treasured books to take with me into my own classroom.

This week I have started picking the class up from lunch and bringing them to the classroom. It sounds like a small duty, but it really is an important part of the teaching day. I've seen classes get really out of control during transitions. This is a chance to enjoy the children while still showing them that I will have expectations for behavior.

I will also be starting to teach reading groups Monday. These are small groups of about 6 students each that will meet for about 10 minutes for a mini-lesson. My mentor teacher thinks this is a natural and comfortable place to start, and I agree. By the end of next week I will be writing the lesson plans in preparation to take over social studies.

I actually took home my work for the first time last night. There was some grading to be done, and my mentor teacher and I split the stack. I got a bit of a taste of what it is like to have grading to do, lesson plans to write, and still needing to get to the grocery store. Thank goodness Daniel is so great at picking up the slack! By the time I got home he had the laundry and dishes done. He grabbed the kids and took them to the grocery store while I cooked dinner and did my "homework." Once I have my own classroom I will be a little more in control of how my time is scheduled, but we will definitely have days like this. I'm confident that our family will adjust and be able to do what needs to be done to help me be an effective and successful teacher.

Today is the official end of week one. Only 11 more classroom weeks to go. I'm exhausted, but I'm definitely not complaining. Every day is more and more exciting, and I am learning more ever week in the classroom than I did in a semester of book learning. This weekend I may just have to schedule myself a nap, though!

Elliptical Machines

http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fitness-and-diet-tips/using-elliptical-machine

I wasn't aware that elliptical machines are easier on the knees than running. I guess that makes sense since the feet never leave the ground when using this machine. I will have to give the elliptical a second chance.

I am still not running, but to be honest I haven't given it a try either. I am really hoping to get to the gym this afternoon. I tried to go yesterday, but when I got there I discovered I had forgotten to pack a t-shirt in my gym back. So I walked right back out since I was in my "teacher" clothes.

This week I started student teaching, so life has been quite different than what I am used to. The schedule is more demanding, and my energy level is not what I'm used to by the end of the day when we normally go to the gym. If I do find I can run I will be taking it slow, giving my knee a chance to feel strong again but also to be sure not to exhaust myself since I'm not used to so much activity.

I have a good feeling I still won't be racing this weekend, though. I teach on a second floor classroom, and we leave the room several time a day. By the afternoon my knee is screaming at me with every step up. Down doesn't hurt anymore at all, though, so that is progress! The first day I walked those stairs, last week while I was helping to set up the classroom, I experienced pain on every step up and down. I wonder if the slow, constant movement is a personal form of physical therapy.

No matter what I'll be giving my knee a test run, either in the gym or on the street tonight. If I don't feel confident for the race I'll go pick up my shirt and be happy I tried. Tomorrow I'll get to yoga and start getting into the groove of exercising again and bearing some weight on that leg. If nothing else, I'll get started on a routine with the elliptical machine. I sure hope this wasn't fate's idea of a good way to get me to expand my horizons and try something new!

TGI Friday's Potato Skins

Did You Know? TGI Friday's Loaded Potato Skins appetizer is like starting your meal with 4 Big Macs (2270 calories!)

This is insane! I would have never guessed how bad this appetizer is for you. I used to eat this as my meal because I really liked the potato skins better than anything else on the menu. Ouch! The worst part about eating this dish as a meal is that there are absolutely no vegetables or fiber to digest. That leaves someone very hungry just a little while down the road.

Even if a family were to share this appetizer, and each person were to have ONE potato skin, it comes out to about 378 calories. That's right: ONE potato skin (there are six per order) is approximately the same calorie count as an entire lunch for me.

I try to eat right around 1800 calories per day. That is broken down into three meals of 400 calories each and three snacks of 200 calories each. If choosing the right foods, this is more than enough food. Some days I don't wind up eating my last snack because I just don't feel the need for it. Healthy eating really is about making wise choices and getting the best bang for your buck to stay full.

* The above information about the TGI Friday potato skins was taken from the Eat This, Not That newsletter.

A Bit of Me- Phobias

A blog I follow, called There's A Book, hosts a weekly post meant to get to know bloggers a bit better. This is my first time participating, but I thought it would be fun. You can check out her original post here: There's A Book.

What is my greatest fear? I would say my fear is not being successful. I am totally afraid that I will get to the end of my life and I will not have done anything great. I want people to have something positive to say about me at my funeral. I don't want them to have to grasp at straws to find something nice to say about me. To be honest, I don't want it to be the traditional.... I want to have been inspiring.

I know I have done great things already. I have been a good wife (not great, but I'm getting better every day) and a good mother. I've been a decent daughter and friend. But.... there is nothing that sets me apart from the others. I'm still looking for that special something.

Maybe this is an unreachable goal. There aren't too many who achieve the success I long for. But, I'm not looking to be rich. I'm not looking to be famous. I just want to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what I was put on this earth to do. I believe each of us has a special role here. We may never know what that is, but I won't stop trying to find out!

What drives you through life? Do you have a special dream you want to achieve? What about your fears? Oh, the other thing I'm afraid of...... scorpions. But that's a whole different story.

Physical Limitations (Part 5)

Car accident #2 came on the heels of the first one. I don't remember the exact time frames, but I think I was still in the physical therapy phase of healing from the first accident when I was in the second one.

I had picked up my boyfriend that morning, and we were driving to school. I have to say... if my parents had just stuck to their rule of not driving to school I would have been in a lot less messes. Kidding. I am totally kidding!

As I approached the school parking lot I turned on my turn signal and started to slow down. Suddenly the sound of brakes filled the car. BANG! Okay, that wasn't us. Good. BANG! Crap, that was us!

I honestly can't say that I remember anything that happened for the next several minutes. The sound of the cars crashing was loud and scary enough. I'm glad I don't remember more. I never did, even on the day of the event.

I do remember looking up to see the school principal standing at the window. He told me to sit tight. The ambulance was on the way. I looked up and saw the tree that I had almost hit just a few feet in front of my car. My car was sitting sideways on the school lawn, and a crowd had gathered.

I've definitely had a guardian angel watching over me throughout my life. All of my situations, while bad, could have been much, much worse. On this day it turned out that the person behind me saw my brake lights and slowed, but the person behind him did not. It was estimated that the car who caused the accident was going 60-70 miles per hour. This was immediately outside a high school, in an area that would have been a 35 mph zone at that time of day. Like I said.... this accident could have been a whole lot worse than it was.

In the distance I heard the wailing sirens of an ambulance and knew they were coming to help me. It was then I started to cry. Help was on the way, and I was relieved, scared, and embarrassed all at the same time. Crowds of students were gathering on the lawn of the school, and I felt like a goldfish in a bowl. I could just tell everyone was staring a talking. The principal insisted that my boyfriend and I stay in the car and sit still without moving.

The paramedics looked me over and asked questions about where I was hurt, previous injuries, and all the typical questions one is asked in a serious accident. This experience was definitely different than the previous one. I think the paramedic asked if I could slide out of the car, I don't know for sure. What I do know is that we discovered I couldn't move my left leg.

The backboard came out at that point. Two paramedics lifted me out of the car and put me flat on the board. My arms were criss-crossed in front of me and a strap was put around them. Another strap was put around my legs. My head was propped up between two stiff wedges, my face looking straight up. I wasn't allowed to move at all. Fortunately everyone around me kept up a constant chatter, letting me know what was happening. They loaded me into the ambulance, and we pulled out of the parking lot with the lights and siren going.

We got to the hospital and for the third time in my life my entire body was inspected. The reason I couldn't move my leg was due to all of the instant swelling in my back. There were, once again, no broken bones. Soft tissue damage was the word of the day. I knew that meant more pain and more work for me, but I felt fortunate. My boyfriend, by the way, was a little shaken up but seemed to be in good condition.

As we were leaving the hospital I realized that I wasn't seeing as clearly as I was used to. I finally figured out that something was missing. I assumed the paramedics had taken my glasses off, so I asked my parents for them. No one knew where my glasses were. We finally went to check the car. They were there, all right. All the way in the hatch back, along with the headband I had been wearing in my hair. Apparently as the car jerked forward and spun around my glasses and hair band fell off and flew all the way into the back. Interesting place for them to be. That made me realize, once again, how lucky I really was. My injuries could have been many times worse.

Upon returning to school I was a minor celebrity for a few days. I had always wanted to be popular, but that wasn't the way I had anticipated getting there! After awhile, the excitement of my car spinning out during its turn and almost hitting a tree (and landing on the school lawn) died down and life resumed its normal pace with me once again disappearing into the shadows. Life also went back to days of pain and frustration that I couldn't do the things I wanted to do.

I include this story in my history of dealing with physical limitations, not because there was anything new or different about this tale, but because it reminds me that I have had a lot more to deal with physically than I give myself credit for. When I get bummed out and can't figure out why my body doesn't work like the other 35-year-olds around me, I realize that I have been through a lot of physical trauma. Over time damage to the body adds up. I've just never wanted to look at this issue as closely as I have been.

It was after this accident that one of the doctors I saw mentioned that I may have a hard time later in life. I may have continued back spasms and other aches and pains in the future. I may even have trouble holding a physically demanding full-time job. The chiropractor I saw when I was done with the doctors agreed. The level of soft tissue damage done to my body over the course of a year would, no doubt, have permanent effects. With the proper chiropractic care, however, I would be able to keep the pain and stiffness under control.