Spin the Wheel of Potential Injuries
Hey guys!
This past weekend was wonderful. I went to Huntington Library and Gardens with my boyfriend and absolutely loved it! If you live in So CA and haven’t been there, please make a point to do so. The nerd in me was thrilled to see original and rare manuscripts of British and American texts, including medieval texts, such as Piers Plowman(!) and the Canterbury Tales(!), and works by Shakespeare. I also loved seeing old medical texts and their illustrations of the post-mortem:
The morbid melancholy person in me is fascinated, and yet disturbed, by this stuff. I loved this one by Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1749). Is it weird I want to get a print of it to hang up in my house? Yeaaa….
Walking through the beautiful gardens was also incredible. I felt like I was continually being transported through time and geographic regions. A few of the destinations your eyes, nose and mind can travel to include the Japanese gardens, rose gardens, desert “gardens,” palm gardens, and the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science where you get hit with warm air upon entering and get to see, feel and smell a lush tropical forest.
They also have an amazing art collection of American, British & French pieces dating from the 1690s to 1950s. It’s just an experience walking through the galleries, which are housed in different buildings with luxurious architecture that is in and of itself a masterpiece.
Apparently my mom and dad used to visit this place together all the time. I can see why it would be of particular appeal to both – my mom loves gardens and gardening (she’s created a Costa-Rican-style rainforest in her own backyard!); my dad is a book nerd like me. It’s weird to imagine them there together, three young kids in tow, still married and in love. Well, I can’t be sure about the love part. Hmm how did I get here?
Anyhow! The whole point that I was hoping to get to was much less about gardens and books and much more about the fact that despite enjoying this adventure with my boyfriend, I couldn’t help be hyper-conscious of my disintegrating body, which was clearly not happy walking for three hours straight. For the past couple of months, I’ve been facing an onslaught of body-related complications from feet problems to hip problems to throat problems to body aches to joint pain (even in my hands!) to dizzy spells. I have no idea what’s going on and it’s been incredibly hard to diagnose because I don’t know what’s related to what. I’ve seen an orthopedist for my feet who took an x-ray and did not find anything. So, he advised simply to rest. When I went to see him, though, it had already been a month of self-imposed rest (and no running!). I was unhappy to not get a diagnosis. Yesterday, I saw a podiatrist who noted that I pronate in a way that is stressing my feet, so he prescribed orthodics and said I could try running. While hearing that I could run was music to my ears (seeing as I have gone insane from not running), I also am afraid to try it out. If I’m still experiencing foot pain, shouldn’t I hold off on running until the pain is gone? On Monday I had to leave the office early because I was experiencing throat pain which was resonating all through my head and chest. I have been experiencing inflammation in my throat for months now but I’ve tried to push it from my mind as much as possible. I went to see my doctor that day because I feared I might faint and she couldn’t find anything by simply glancing into my throat. She said there could be a possible infection or allergies, but she could not tell for sure. I have never had allergies, but the doc indicated that you can get them as an adult.
I am sick of going to doctors and them not having definitive answers for me; but I know it’s better to not get a definitive answer, when there isn’t one, than to just get told it’s “x” to appease my need for knowing what I’m dealing with. I have appointments scheduled to see an ENT doctor and to get my blood tested for pretty much everything, but I have to wait a couple of weeks until then. If there’s one thing I can say for sure, it’s that I have always been grateful for my health even when I have not been grateful for the way I look. So, now having all of these problems and not being able to work out like I used to (and need to for sanity), I’m feeling sad and a bit miserable, but also grateful that I so rarely have any health problems at all. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get to the bottom of some of these issues.
<3,
The Cranky One
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6 People have left comments on this post
I’m not sure how you feel about “alternative” healing methods, but I would try chiropractic care. Sometimes, when one’s spine is out of alignment, the nerve endings cause inflammation, dizziness, and/or pain. Something to check out!
Hey Annabel…I would suggest getting a Lyme disease test, specifically either a CD-57 or a Western Blot. I’ve had Lyme and it can mimic all kinds of other issues and conditions and most definitely results in achy joints! It’s best to see if you can find a “Lyme-Literate Doctor” in your area. Try this link: http://mylymediseasetreatment.com/lyme-disease-symptoms/ (there’s a wealth of info here)
Not everyone who has Lyme has the associated rash/bite. I didn’t. Also, while antibiotics are often used successfully), I was treated using a homeopathic remedy and it worked. I was under the care of a naturopathic physician who is a Lyme specialist. She cured me with this: http://www.desbio.com/series-therapy.html
Good luck and if you want, you can email me.
I’m not going to play doctor with you (ok, that came out sounding a little skankier than I meant it… oh, who am i fooling, of course I meant it! ANYWAY!)
What I am going to say is there’s nothing wrong with getting a print and frame of that picture. I think it’s (the picture, I mean, not your desire to have it) lovely in a sad and morbid sort of way. I have a framed pic of a grave rubbing from a French tombstone. My mom’s got a series of survey maps that she found in at a garage sale restored and framed. (they turned out to be very valuable. One of only 6 sets of these particular maps remaining in the US and most of those sets are in museums.) I’m a big fan of decorating and surrounding yourself with stuff you LOVE, not stuff you bought from Pier One.
Hiya Cranky!
I love Huntington Library! Mostly the Asian area and little bonsai trees! Has anyone figured out what your symptoms are from? Hopefully you are back at it soon!
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