snap, crackle, pop

So I had a full set of lower-back xrays done, and it turns out that one of my hips sits 14 millimeters lower than the other. (Anything more than 5mm is considered a significant variation.) This, combined with a visible old injury that you can still see on one of the lower vertebrae, is a good reason for all the years of back pain, the tendency to rest all my weight on my right leg, and the transferred upper back pain, which in turn transfers down my right arm. There are other reasons for the upper back pain, too, of course, but the hip is a, ahem, central one. (Rimshot!)

My Sainted Dead Grandma also had one leg that was shorter than the other, although it also wasn’t evident to the casual observer. I don’t think she ever did anything about it. And that makes me sad, because we started me off with a 5 cm lift this week, and it’s already made a ton of difference. I can’t even tell it’s there, but I feel more ... right. We cast me for custom orthotics on Friday, which should also help correct my overpronation.

So there’s that, plus adjustment twice weekly. I’m a bit achy sometimes, both from the cracking and from the weight distribution being evened up with the orthotic, which is shifting more weight to the repaired ankle. But mostly I feel great. My neck, which used to pop multiple times per day, hardly pops at all. All of the muscles in my back are pliable, which is very strange. I lay in bed last night kneading my shoulders, mostly out of surprise that they were kneadable! The massage therapist was shocked by how little pain I had on the table, and says that there are just a few more spots to deal with (calves, mostly, since we never get to them) and then I can switch to a maintenance schedule.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m hoping all of this will make exercise more doable or bearable or something. I know that chiropractic and massage don’t cure laziness, but I also think that everything is better and more fun when you’re not hurting. This summer I’m working about a block from one of the country’s best campus athletic facilities, and Mister Husband and I are talking about getting bikes after we get back from our summer trip next month. I’m rather excited about everything.

control

In the last month, I’ve maintained my inches lost, but not lost any new ones. I’m down to 215, which is two pounds away from my lowest weight after ankle surgery last year. No tremendous strides here, but I suppose there’s something to be said for not totally backsliding, either. I am doing something exercise-y each day, but not necessarily aerobic. So I’m not burning the calories I need to burn in order to get things humming again.

Part of it is that it’s That Time of the Semester. Three weeks to go, with grant apps and papers and grades due. Part of it is that it’s suddenly Spring here, which means that I haven’t been able to talk myself into going inside my drab, seriously ugly gym when I’d rather be outside, or at least right next to my office window. I’ve been stretching and yoga-ing and walking along the river. Eating well, getting my water. Continuing with weekly massage, and am now starting with a chiropractor. It turns out that my spine curves and the muscles are fighting with each other to keep things balanced. So we’ll see where that goes. I’d headed for x-rays this week.

There’s more I want to write here, if I can carve out the time. This is meant to be a place to write about all sorts of bodily stuff, not just weight, and I want to write about my current issues with birth control. I want to write about how this blog is helping me keep my “professional” blog professional, and thus maintain a bit of distance and balance. I want to write about travel and philosophy of leisure. When I get back from Going Home in May, I want to write about the Farmer’s Market. I want to see how veggie I can get this summer.

Right now, I really, really want summer. I am done with this semester.