Two Gold Stars

Two Gold Stars

Well, it's another one of those early, early mornings, but what can you do? This morning I am off the houseboat kick and on to the I just got Two Gold Stars from Dr. Wilkens yesterday and that trumps everything! Yeeha!

The reason I received the stars is this :: On Thursday night, Mitch and his colleague, Mike Reis and I were all driving home from a delightful dinner at Cafe Latte. As you may recall, I have been having some serious problems with my left IT band sliding out of place. This occurs when I cross my right leg over my left leg and the left leg slides across the mid-line. Well, I was sneaking into position so I could hear what was being said by the boys in the front seat, and without thinking, I crossed my leg and immediately the IT band slid across the outer portion of my leg and I was left screaming, and I mean screaming, in the back seat of Mike's rental car.

The men gently eased the car onto the side of the road, but had no idea what to do about the situation. They had an hysterical woman in the backseat of the car who was shrieking to be brought to the ER or to have someone call 911 and hurry it up! The pain was so horrific that I literally did not know what to do to help myself. No idea.

And then in dawned on me. Robin, stop shrieking and start breathing. Dr. Wilkens had been telling me for years to watch my anxiety levels and this seemed like THE perfect time to begin that process. So, I simply stopped screaming and started breathing. Shallow to start but eventually they began to get deeper. Mitch's hand was gently rubbing the back of my calf muscle and as I was breathing deeper and deeper he could literally feel the muscle begin to relax and then :: NERVANA!! That IT Band slid right back into place and I was pain free, completely, pain free. And all I did was relax! Breath and relax. Mitch even felt the band slide into place. It was literally amazing.

So, when I told Dr. Wilkens about it at our next appointment, she gave me the two gold stars! Yay. It was literally my first attempt at turning anxiety around and instead, creating something far more powerful.

Wow. Dr. Wilkens has been right all along! Anxiety and pain go hand-in-hand together. It's almost like they feed off of each other. In learning how to relax and calm myself down I am learning another way or have another tool in my tool box to help myself calm down, slow down, and relax.

Disclaimer:: Since I have been up since 2:30am I am not responsible for typos or any other weirdness that may occur in this morning's blog. Hah!! :)