The lowdown on my back
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
quote:Spondylolisthesis (spon-dee-low-lis-thee-sis) occurs when one vertebrae slips forward in relation to an adjacent vertebrae, usually in the lumbar spine.
The disc bulge is a result of the vertebrae slipping forward (because the bone that is broken has caused an instability in the spine so at that point it is not “holding together” because the bone that braces the disc by bracing with the other vertebrae is broken so there is nothing bracing the vertebrae from slipping forward.)I have a photo of today’s additional x-rays. But here’s pretty much what it looks like:
Turns out the cyst is not in any way associated with the pain. It is on the opposite side where there is no pain and is associated with the arthritis…which is also a result of the pars defect because of the extra stress. I’m in the 6% of the population that has a true genetic pars defect, born with it and the result inevitable. Through time and stress on the defect the bone at some time during growth breaks due to the abnormailty as a result of not being able to handle the every day function of the spine. Pretty much a stress fracture. You can go for quite a long time with no pain. My body has decided now is the time for some pain and complication. I’m at grade 1 slippage which does not mandate surgery and surgery will be the absolute LAST resort when quality of every day life becomes unmanageable without surgical repair. I have quite a few options to choose from. PT, heat/cold, massage, pain meds, TENS unit (nerve stimulation through electronic pulses), injections, back brace.
We are starting with physical therapy at the orthopaedic center and most likely utilize a TENS unit during therapy. Then I will probably opt for the chiro. Meds and injections…last.
Good news is that we discussed riding and he said I can continue riding. Of course I will still be very careful. But this is not a trauma induced injury that is going to worsen because of any particular activity (makes sense because if so, some of my days of riding fractious horses would have put me out of commission a long time ago). I’ve been riding with it for years obviously.
So there you have it. My doctor was great, very descriptive, gave me a copy of an x-ray and drew it out for me so I could see as he explained. I didn’t leave with any questions and he about answered most of them before I had a chance to ask.
The perfect storm!
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
That’s my new slogan! HA HA! Today we talk about this perfect storm of things that have brewed. Got off work yesterday and headed home through the band of severe storms that came through to find the awning off of my horse trailer torn up and laying over the top of the horse trailer. It looked like all heck broke loose (well judging by all the water and the debris on the roads…it did). Broke the arms off the awning…it was a mess. Once I assessed the damage I really did stand in the middle of the yard…look up and ask God out loud what was next!
Luckily I had the awning insured when I had the trailer insured so the insurance adjuster will be out tomorrow! It was funny becase when the claims agent asked if anyone witnessed it I told her nobody was home, but I am sure the horses saw the whole thing! LOL!
Tomorrow morning will be in interesting day, too. I pick up my MRI CD and head to the Orthopaedic to see the spine surgeon to discuss course of treatment from here. Not looking forward to that and am looking forward to it at the same time if that makes any sense at all. I know what’s wrong…now what are we going to do about it? I’m hoping we can go conservative…but sources say that in the long run this is a surgical issue. I’m not excited about that idea.
Malcolm got sent home from work yesterday sick. The Fire Department kicked him out for being sick. And how about one of my coworkers has confirmed H1N1 and 2 workers at APS are confirmed, though 5 are out sick. Hopefully Taira and I will dodge the bullet. I have plenty of sick leave…but if I’m going to have time off of work I definitely don’t want it to be because I am sick or because my child is sick!
So there’s a good triplicate of storm watch issues. Yeah…yeah…after every storm the skies clear, the sun comes out and shines again. But right about now I’d prefer to in the clear already.
“Are You In a Group?”
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
Do you know those 5 little words have the potential to lead someone into a whole new relationship with other christians?
Another new member joined our small group this weekend and it’s just inspiring how it all came to be. Our group has done nothing but grow and grow through the weeks and it’s just amazing how God makes things happen. The new member has been attending NHC for 10 years. Our host home “hostest” has known her for nearly as many. And just by randomly asking her the question “Are you in a group?” she opened another door and her friend showed up for group tonight. Everything fell right into play from there. Our group turned out to be at a comfortable location for her AND on a night that was good for her, too! Voila. Now…she’s in a group.
Know anybody who’s not in a small group? Maybe know someone you aren’t sure if they are in a small group or not? Well maybe you should just ask those 5 little words and possibly open the door to whole nutha level of relationship! And if you are lucky like we are…there’s a whole lotta good grubbin’ goin’ on while sharing God, life experiences, healing and just doing life together.
And if you aren’t in a group the answer is easy - get in one. Go to the NHC website and follow the CLICK TO FIND A GROUP link to find a group in a location and on a day of the week that is convenient for you! You’ll be glad you did. And if there’s not…think about it. Maybe YOU could start a group. Talk to Leah Rade at NHC to find out how.
The MRI results are in
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
For those who are aware of and have been awaiting the results of my back pain prompted MRI…I just got the results.
I have a disc bulging at L4 and L5 and a cyst on L5. In addition that’s accompanied by some arthritis. So there you have it. Now I will await a call from a “spine specialist” and find out what all that will mean. Argh!
Whitney Houston is back
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
I grew up listening to Whitney Houston. No one could ever deny those pipes could belt out a song that drew you in from the first to the last note. Who didn’t grow up with a little Whitney? She was even idolized by current female artists today.
There was nothing sadder than watching her downfall into a drug addicted life where the only thing you ever saw or heard from her was news of the life she was living…and it wasn’t good.
So last week I recorded the Oprah season premier where she spoke candidly with Oprah about how her life spiralled downward…and now she is making an amazing comeback. It was much a much different interview than her raspy voiced and outright crazy 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer.
And when Oprah asked her who she loved…she quite matter of factly answered “The Lord.” Amen…because who else is responsible for rising her to the top then bringing her out of the darkest depths to rise again?
So I watched the second day and listened and watched while Whitney delivered a very obviously emotionally charged song called “I didn’t know my own strength” that pretty much tells the story. Well…Whitney still has it! The gift God gave her to share with the world that we all had to wonder if it would ever be the same after all of the drug use.
But after watching her on Oprah - here’s the deal! She’s still a diva…and she’s still got attitude, no doubt. But I think it’s a new attitude. She’s coming back for round two all cleaned up and giving glory to God.
Check out this BEATIFUL video that says enough for me! “I Look To You!”
And yes…I went out and bought the new CD. And I’m glad to hear a lot of “Old Whitney” style …pure and raw talent.
It’s all about image!
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
Woo to the hoo. Highlights of the week? I’m tired of hearing about the whole Kanye/Taylor Swift thing already. Everyone can pass judgement and speculate and do whatever they want, but the truth is we never really know what is publicity stunts and what is real when it comes to people in the spotlight? Yeah - everyone is hatin’ on Kanye…so it wouldn’t really make sense to think there’s publicity stunt involved in the whole ordeal because it didn’t do much for boosting his career. At the SAME time we could think…”here’s a guy who now is saying he needs a break from all this superstar madness to get his head straight”. Maybe that was the plan all along. For him to be able to drift back into the shadows with nobody caring. And in the meantime…Taylor Swift gets a little career boost. As if she needs it.
You know…you ever feel that way? Do you ever wish you could somehow go from all the frontlines you are used to being on and people are used to you being on to drifting into the background and hoping nobody notices? Just sayin’…people are people and people burn out and need to get reenergized sometimes. It’s easy to throw yourself into something full force and then at some point…wish you could bow out gracefully and quietly without a sound. Would they notice?
Maybe it all boils down to the image thing. Everyone gets so caught up in maintaining the image everyone else has gotten used to that they truly do lose their own identity. They don’t even really know who THEY are anymore. It’s called…losing yourself.
I remember at the end of a decade long relationship spending some time trying to find myself again. I had truly lost myself trying to be what I thought I needed to be for someone else. The end result was NOT happniess apparently on either part. It wasn’t until I started being myself again that I started to feel content WITH myself. And maybe it wasn’t until friends made notice and made comments like “glad you’re back” that I truly realized how far from myself I had become. That OTHER people had noticed that. And that OTHER people missed the real me!
Each of us was created in God’s image. That was God’s intent for creating man right?
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
That was his purpose. And we may not all look alike…short, tall, fat, thin, long hair, short hair….the list goes on…but the end result is the same. God is perfect….and so are we. Just the way we are! So why do we keep trying to change ourselves? Do we want to change God, too?
It’s that time of year again!
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
A couple of years ago Taira and I attended the American Heart Association HOrseback Ride-a-thon. This is a huge event in which people from ALL over (literally!!!) haul their horses to Myrtle Beach South Carolina and get to ride on the beach for a good cause. The event is used to raise money for the American Heart Association through riders fundraising, selling ads and trail markers and collecting general donations. All the funds are used for research, community service and education programs (such as CPR training!) Here’s our review from that trip in case you have no idea what I’m talking about.
We’d really like to meet our fundraising goals this year (and then some). So please consider making a donation in our name. You can donate on-line at the main page for the ride. http://www.ahabeachride.org/ Just click on the link and then click on the Sponsor a Rider bubble. All you have to do is type in my name (Melinda Duarte) or Taira (she’s listed as Taira Blount and Taira Duarte so either one will get the funds to her fundraising account to help meet her goal). Click on our name and voila - you can go in and make a donation. You can also see if we are reaching our goals. See…how easy is that to make a donation right there on-line.
Now - if you are a business owner or know someone who is…you can do one better. There is a Beach Ride Program book that is handed to every participant on the ride (that’s people from ALL over the United States…and even as far as Canada). There are 1000+ attendees to this event. So you can show your support by purchasing acknowledgement in the book for all to see. They are different rates for different sized acknowledgements (business card all the way to full page). In addition there are also trail marker signs and banners available that are displayed all along the ride route for everyone to see. If you are interested in making a public statement of your support on the ride for your donation (and in turn getting a little advertising in) please e-mail me so I can help you get that done in our name. skipnransom@aol.com
Otherwise, please consider making a tax deductible donation right on the website. It’s for a good cause!!! Help a heart! And help us get to the beach this year! Thanks!
Good things poppin’ over the weekend.
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
Well last Thursday marked part 2 of group link! So off to NHC I went to hang out with what is fast becoming a great small group. We had our first “official” group meeting on Sunday night. We all pulled in for a yummy steak dinner with 2 men manning the grill. We had rolls, stuffed mushrooms, baked potatoes, fresh cantaloupe….mmmm. Hungry just remembering it.
After a great meal and quick clean up (6 people can clean a kitchen QUICK) we got down to the nitty gritty and did some very real and awesome sharing and…well…Jesus took the wheel! There are so many common threads and opportunities to nurture it’s just amazing. God is good and he knows what he’s doing. Next Sunday we will do it all again with a spaghetti dinner.
Just in case you’ve never heard this before….GET IN A GROUP! You will be glad you did.
Friday night made for great hang out! My friend came over to eat some of the shrimp we brought back fro the beach and we had a yummy meal, good wine and a good time. I feel like my life is settling back into a flow of socializing with important people in my life and just enjoying time as it comes.
Saturday made a good day for hanging out with Taira and her friend and the horses. The weather was nice and so were the horses and the kids had fun. I love watching kids and horses!
Sunday was an awesome morning at NHC. The Spiked kids rocked hanging out in the first two rows sharing their energy with the room. Adam rocked an awesome message and all was well with the world. 
Headed home and had some laziness. My back was giving me a time so the kids rode the four wheeler and just hung out. Took Taira’s friend home and then headed to group.
Monday was a great day. Weather was awesome for riding and got two trail rides in. A group of local friends rode through and we saddled up and rode with them and then one of my small group peeps who’s hubby went out of country for a couple of weeks came later that afternoon and so we rode again. I love the autumn weather. Cool…breezy…just overall NICE! Then we hung out for a few games of scrabble before said groupie went home and the home settled to prepare for MONDAY…oh….I mean TUESDAY!!!
Short work week though…headin to C3 with NHC peeps for a conference on Friday and Saturday to get some more ministry juices flowing. LOVE IT!
Tonight - let there be Spiked teens!
So it’s Monday
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
Still in a bit of mourning for my beloved Starfire. If there’s a Heaven for animals…I know she is there.
Thursday evening Group-Link took my mind off of things for a bit. And it was amazing how “real” and open we were. God did some amazing things in connecting folks last week!!! Excited to see what God is going to do this Thursday in part 2!
Friday my Spiked teens had pretty much an impromptu hang out at the youth room that wore me out. Pizza and wings were consumed and 3 rounds of guys versus girls dodgeball were played by 25 teens. Need an uplift? Hang out with Spiked teens.
Saturday I woke up amazingly sad. Delayed reaction? Cried for the better part of the morning as if I realized my loss for the first time.
Matthew 5:3-4
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Comfort me Oh God and give me the peace to know that my decision was the right one and that it was in due time. Ease my pain and put peace in my heart and help me let go and find joy in the other animals you have blessed me to be caretakers of.
After getting out of my sulking, Malcolm helped me spend most part of the day working on some horse fence that had been over run by weeds. We pulled posts and restrung wire. There is still much to be done.
Sunday was a great day at NHC. Spiked teens hung out in the front row and set a great example of some awesome worshipping. Join us next Sunday and jump around a little for Jesus!!!!
Lots of awesome folks participated in the serving tour to see what goes on behind the scenes of the ministries to see where serving opportunities are. A whole lotta folks signed up to serve. But here’s a hint…you can sign up to serve ANYTIME!!!
Went home and relaxed a little then had a mini-cook out with some group folks and then rode horses literally into the darkness.
Now I’m just about done with the Monday work day and hoping rain holds out so I can get some riding in tonight when I get home.
I knew the day would come…
Posted by Melinda | Filed under Life
When I wold have to say goodbye to my very first horse Starfire who I have owned since 1994. She was approximately 26 years old when I hd to say goodbye yesterday! I’m sure I should have been far more prepared emotionally than I turned out to be…but even though I know it was the right decision I really wasn’t ready.
I just don’t have the words to say….so all I can say right now is goodbye my sweet, sweet Starfire.
Taira and Starfire about 8 years ago.
