Post by Noir on Jan 20, 2016 21:26:19 GMT -5
Hey guys.
So... this is probably going to turn into a long, convoluted rant that is more for me than for you all. For those who want the short story: I'm back, and I plan on being much more active in the future. (Barring the hiccups of life.) For those who want to know exactly why my activity has absolutely sucked for the past several months... read on.
Over three years ago I took on a fair amount of work: full time school and 30 hours at my job. Pretty normal for a college kid, but I found myself deteriorating and falling apart anyway. Since I was stubborn and I thought "People do this all the time; there's no reason you can't do it too" I kept going. One day I was so exhausted that I didn't think, and I picked up a box I really had no business trying to pick up. This started a lumbar strain in my back, and it took months of physical therapy to fix. Mostly, anyway. My job, since it was retail and retail is a troll, were largely unsympathetic. It didn't really matter I only missed one day because of that injury. They gave me a hard time for getting hurt, were much harsher with me when I screwed up, and basically saw me as a liability. They couldn't understand why it was so hard for me to do the work, and to be fair I didn't get it either. So I kept going... and that's when my condition got a lot more serious. Even after like thirteen hours of sleep per night and going to part time at school, I was still exhausted... so I went to the doctor.
I took blood tests and all that, and basically what we found out was... I had mono the whole time I was working and going to school. Everyone knows that when you have mono you NEED to rest... and I didn't. I hurt my back because my muscles were so exhausted that they couldn't handle picking up that stupid box. I was at the tail end of that nonsense, and since I didn't take care of myself, it turned into chronic fatigue syndrome. I had to quit that job and take care of myself for a few months.
This... ended up changing everything.
I now have chronic migraines because of what happened (they used to be several times a week.) Getting a wisdom tooth yanked helped a lot, but it still happens when it rains or snows or when I'm stressed out enough. Until I discovered that my back is actually what's causing them.
What I've discovered is that my back isn't strong enough to keep pressure out of my shoulders, where my stress naturally goes. When I have enough pressure there, it shoots up my neck and gets into my head, and triggers my migraines. Those who know me here know that my migraines make me completely useless, and they happened so often that I couldn't find any sort of balance in my life.
Point being... it's finally getting better. I'm doing yoga and physical therapy daily to get my back stronger, and to loosen up my shoulders enough to stop this from happening. And guys, it's WORKING... I'm in such better moods now, I see a point in my life again, I'm not as tired when I get home from work, and I'm not always in pain. I still get migraines, but they're a lot shorter and less frequent. I feel like I'm actually in control again, and it's huge for me. So... naturally, I want to bring writing back in my daily life again.
I still have relapses and "one step back" moments, which is why I can't guarantee consistent activity. But I'm so excited I get to tell this story and actually not be discouraged by it (which is why I'm telling it) and also I felt like you guys deserved an explanation. I see lots of changes coming for this site... and I want to be a part of it. I'm so excited!!!
To those who actually read this... thanks. It's a load off for me. Can't wait to actually write again rather than just talk about me. :D
So... this is probably going to turn into a long, convoluted rant that is more for me than for you all. For those who want the short story: I'm back, and I plan on being much more active in the future. (Barring the hiccups of life.) For those who want to know exactly why my activity has absolutely sucked for the past several months... read on.
Over three years ago I took on a fair amount of work: full time school and 30 hours at my job. Pretty normal for a college kid, but I found myself deteriorating and falling apart anyway. Since I was stubborn and I thought "People do this all the time; there's no reason you can't do it too" I kept going. One day I was so exhausted that I didn't think, and I picked up a box I really had no business trying to pick up. This started a lumbar strain in my back, and it took months of physical therapy to fix. Mostly, anyway. My job, since it was retail and retail is a troll, were largely unsympathetic. It didn't really matter I only missed one day because of that injury. They gave me a hard time for getting hurt, were much harsher with me when I screwed up, and basically saw me as a liability. They couldn't understand why it was so hard for me to do the work, and to be fair I didn't get it either. So I kept going... and that's when my condition got a lot more serious. Even after like thirteen hours of sleep per night and going to part time at school, I was still exhausted... so I went to the doctor.
I took blood tests and all that, and basically what we found out was... I had mono the whole time I was working and going to school. Everyone knows that when you have mono you NEED to rest... and I didn't. I hurt my back because my muscles were so exhausted that they couldn't handle picking up that stupid box. I was at the tail end of that nonsense, and since I didn't take care of myself, it turned into chronic fatigue syndrome. I had to quit that job and take care of myself for a few months.
This... ended up changing everything.
I now have chronic migraines because of what happened (they used to be several times a week.) Getting a wisdom tooth yanked helped a lot, but it still happens when it rains or snows or when I'm stressed out enough. Until I discovered that my back is actually what's causing them.
What I've discovered is that my back isn't strong enough to keep pressure out of my shoulders, where my stress naturally goes. When I have enough pressure there, it shoots up my neck and gets into my head, and triggers my migraines. Those who know me here know that my migraines make me completely useless, and they happened so often that I couldn't find any sort of balance in my life.
Point being... it's finally getting better. I'm doing yoga and physical therapy daily to get my back stronger, and to loosen up my shoulders enough to stop this from happening. And guys, it's WORKING... I'm in such better moods now, I see a point in my life again, I'm not as tired when I get home from work, and I'm not always in pain. I still get migraines, but they're a lot shorter and less frequent. I feel like I'm actually in control again, and it's huge for me. So... naturally, I want to bring writing back in my daily life again.
I still have relapses and "one step back" moments, which is why I can't guarantee consistent activity. But I'm so excited I get to tell this story and actually not be discouraged by it (which is why I'm telling it) and also I felt like you guys deserved an explanation. I see lots of changes coming for this site... and I want to be a part of it. I'm so excited!!!
To those who actually read this... thanks. It's a load off for me. Can't wait to actually write again rather than just talk about me. :D
