Well, I had a great visit with my Grandma in Seattle area & now I’m home again–just recovering from lack of sleep & helping my mom & son schlep their bags through the airports!

I was able to do so much I couldn’t do even 2 or 3 months ago!!  I visited my Grandma every day & was able to have her use me for stability when she took walks, andgetting in & out of the car (she’s 93).  My son & I visited my uncle & his family on their small ‘farm’ & we helped them preserve apples, worked on the new chicken run they’re building off their coop (we collected eggs too!), planted LOTS of garlic & shallots, & stripped the last of the leaves & twigs off the grapevines to prepare them for pruning.  I was so excited that I was able to do all these things with very manageable pain!!

Really, it’s the sciatica that’s causing me the most trouble right now so I just kept stretching, massaging, doing my exercises & hip-balancing routines given to me by Dr. Vanessa–they really help keep the pain down.  Plus, uncle has a Wii Fit so I was able to do the hula-hoop exercises & other core-strengtheners that help me so much.  (Sure wish I had one of those at home . . . )   I think this is my main area of challenge now–to stabilize my lower back & the sacro-illiac joints of my pelvis.  I know when I’m taped up with the kinesio-tape I’m very stable, but I can’t go around with tape on all the time!  (Even if I wanted to, it irritates the skin if used too much.)  So I really must continue to focus on my strengthening, stretching, & using the massage ball & roller to re-train my muscles & ligaments into healthier configurations.

I’ve almost caught up on my sleep now, & will definitely hit the major workouts again starting tomorrow!  (Now, it’s time to toddle off to bed . . . )