Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes (knees and toes)...

...eyes and ears and mouth and nose, head and shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes.)

[Extra credit if you sang this pre-school song in your head.]

So as I mentioned in my last post, I was prescribed physical therapy to help with some hip pain I was experiencing. I was specifically sent to Dan Miller at Healing Motion Physical Therapy because, as my orthopod said, if he can't fix me, no one can. He would analyze my gait and he takes a holistic approach to healing. As much as I don't hesitate to pop the NSAIDs, I really don't like taking pills. I sat down with Dan at my first appointment and we chatted about what was going on and what I wanted to get out of treatment, namely to be able to walk the Camino. I mean, I was going to do it no matter what, but as walking up the two stairs from our garage into our house killed, I wanted a little help for those upcoming days of >900 feet of elevation change. That's right, OVER 900 FEET OMG.

Now I am no stranger to PT. I've had four knee scopes, each one requiring a few weeks of therapy, an elbow scope (another few weeks), and rotator cuff repair (five MONTHS). These are just the post-op conditions; there have been a few other times for other issues. I am as strong and healthy as a horse (hardy peasant stock, you know), but as Dwight says, orthopaedically I'm a lemon. And I'm not even a little bit offended because it's true.

So I went in figuring he'd do an exam, check my range of motion, see what makes me say "OW!", measure whatever it is they measure, give me a few exercises, pat me on the head, and send me home. Three weeks max and bam we're done. Yeah, it was none of that. I came home and when Dwight asked how it went, all I could say was that it was like no other PT appointment I'd ever had. It was a cross between physical therapy, massage therapy, meditation, chiropracty (not a word but you get the idea), counseling, and I don't know -  magic? He watched me walk, and then he had me watch me walk, which was only slightly behind trying on swimsuits in the Things-You-Don’t-Want-To-See-In-A-Giant-Mirror category. Dan basically looked at all the pieces to see how my body is working and where the weaknesses are to be causing my hip to hurt. He talked about the body, mind, and spiritual sides of healing and how they're all connected. He could help my hip stop hurting, but without fixing what was causing it to hurt in the first place, it would only be temporary. He's teaching me very slight specific movements, really just the initiation of that movement, that help with strengthening. Dwight calls them my "mind exercises", which I'm sure is what they look like to him.

I'm not doing a very good job at explaining, but after several weeks of help, I can sleep on my side without my hip screaming, I can stand up to put on my underwear (seriously, it was THAT bad), I can walk upstairs without a handrail while carrying a basket of laundry, I've taken several hikes with my pack, and can do all my daily activities with hardly ever needing to take drugs.

I'd be lying if I said everything is rainbows and unicorns all the time. We still buy Costco quantities of Aleve. I think about how I walk and sit and move. My promising basketball career is over; squatting to dribble and move laterally while playing with my favorite four-year-old made my hip angry. I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, and sometimes it hurts to hike the big hills. But compared to how I was at Christmastime, well, let's just say I'm a million times better. (Okay, maybe a hundred...) I have a few more appointments scheduled so I don't feel like a Jenga tower, waiting for that one piece to be pulled out and have everything collapse. Maybe Dan will fix my golf swing - or who knows, maybe he'll give me one.

The next time I see him I will tell him I am writing this post. I want to get his okay to use his name and information. If anyone in Omaha is looking for physical therapy, I got a guy. Seriously, when I win the lottery, not only am I getting shares in NetJets and a personal chef, but I am going to go see Dan for regular tune-ups.

[Edit: Dan said by all means to share his info; he has a pay-it-forward, or rather heal-it-forward philosophy. That is, share with others what has helped me. Click here to be taken to the website. And by all means, call if this is something you can use. Now I need to go reread all my posts since 2012 in case he reads this (Hi, Dan!) and finds out that as good an actor as I am, this little corner of my world is where I don't keep the crazy in the closet.]

Buen Camino!

The Universe is Conspiring

My last post was about when I decided to do the Camino de Santiago; this one is about the universe telling me it’s the right choice.

Yep. Google image of Magic 8 Ball.

There are several different Facebook groups about the Camino: for slow walkers, for women, for Americans, for people who do long hikes - you get the idea. Any and all questions are asked and answered. I'm usually a quiet lurker, but I had a question that I couldn’t find the answer to, namely what to do with my US passport, drivers license, stash of euros (not just daily amount), credit/debit card - all the things you just can’t lose. I got all kinds of answers from a security pouch you wear around your neck, money belt, pickpocket-proof pants, fannypack, crossbody bag, sleep with it under your pillow, sleep with it at the bottom of your sleeping bag, put it in a ziplock and bring it into the shower, you get the idea. But the best thing was that one of the respondents noticed I was from Omaha, and SHE is  from Omaha and had walked the Camino the year before, and maybe did I want to meet and chat? I couldn’t say yes fast enough! Kathy sounds as organized as I am (maybe even more so) and generously shared all her files with me: packing list, alberques, distances walked, immunizations to get, travel insurance info, etc. I have had some questions since then and she has answered 'em all. It's so nice to make new friends at my age. And her pictures! I will be having my own to share in six months, but hers were beautiful!

Then for Christmas, Dwight gave me a neck pillow that he had seen that he thought would be good for a trans-Atlantic flight, along my very own headlamp in case we want to start out early in the morning to beat the heat. So incredibly thoughtful, and I don't feel like a dork at all.

Next, my sister and brother-in-law came to my mother-in-law's funeral in North Dakota at the end of December (because nothing says vacation like a funeral and -37 degrees.) I was in their room and got a beautiful gift from Tom. This guy:

St. James the Greater and some Buddhas - because everyone can use a little serenity

He had given one to Jeanie as well, since we'll be visiting the remains of Saint James at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. And he told me to quit calling it it an action figure. Seriously though, it is one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received.

Next: I have been having some pretty severe hip pain since the middle of December, so much so that I tried to not let the kids see me walk upstairs when everyone was home at Christmas because I didn’t want to alarm them. I couldn’t hide the limp though - if you're old enough to remember the TV show The Real McCoys, picture Walter Brennan as Grandpa and you get the picture. After several weeks of this I went to see a good hip guy, and when my X-rays were “unremarkable” except for some mild arthritis, he prescribed PT. I asked him who he recommended and he said there are so many good therapists, just pick one close to me. Then he said, “Wait a minute,” pulled out his phone and wrote down the contact info for the guy who he said, “If he can’t fix you, nobody can.” That is the subject for a whole different post, though, so stay tuned!

I was walking around Lake Zorinsky on a gorgeous day about a month ago, wearing my pack for the first time that I’m taking on the trip. Two women stopped me and asked if I was training for something, since they were training for a three-day hike in Havasu. I explained what I was doing and one of the ladies said it was on her bucket list and was so excited to hear about it. What are the chances?!

Dwight snapped this unbeknownst to me. Figuring out how to tighten the straps.

Oh yeah

The last sign from the universe is quite literally a sign:

Follow the yellow arrows

I saw this on a walk in our neighborhood, and while I know they're just markings from the utility company for underground cables, yellow arrows (along with scallop shells) have been used for centuries to guide pilgrims on their Way to Santiago.

Buen Camino!
👣🚶‍♀️🎒