At least it might
help others to understand. It might help me too.
In the 70 years I have been alive I am not even close to knowing what causes spinal stenosis. Knowing might help us prevent it. I can tell you it is serious and very painful. At this moment I am having trouble walking and standing. I know that it seems to sneak up on someone. In fact, in 1992, I was surprised to find out I had spinal degeneration. I had a bad car accident. A young lady, about 18, ploughed into my car while I was at a yield sign. She totaled my car. I was taken to the hospital since I was bleeding. They x rayed my back. I was almost 40 that year. I was in college for the second time. The x rays indicated that I was in big trouble with my back, but I was clueless about why. I believe I ate well. I had been a hatha yoga teacher and a dancer. Nothing seemed to explain this sort of problem.
During my 2nd pregnancy
a glucose test revealed I had gestational diabetes. That son was born in 1980. I did find a correlation
between diet soda and bone health.
Certain sweeteners have a caustic effect on bone tissue. I will look up that research. I drank quite a
bit of caffeinated diet soda to maintain some energy as a young mother. My diet
was not good as a teenager. I would
starve to stay thin. I don’t remember
having a label back in the days of Twiggy.
It was the style. I did that and
straightened my curly mop of hair. When I
looked at photos, I was thin but not healthy looking. I was lacking muscle mass and definition. I also endured childhood trauma. I have made peace with it. There was generational trauma going on. I am ready to put it aside and live my future.
I have stenosis in my cervical area of the spine and my lower lumbar area of my spine as well as the characteristic bulging disk at L4 and L5. I found some things that really helped until recently. I take Osteo FX which is a powder (mixed with juice or water) with the following minerals: Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), trace mineral complex from red algae, glucosamine HCI, Boron, Strontium, chicory root inulin, fructose, natural flavors, guar gum, xanthan gum, rebaudioside A, silica, sunflower oil powder, beta carotene (color), orange peel. of all these minerals, Boron is very significant. All these minerals act together in concert. Dr. Berg says that Boron allows the calcium and vitamin D to be absorbed. Chelated minerals are more easily absorbed as well as plant derived minerals. If someone just crushes up a mineral, swallows it, it will only partially be absorbed.
Doing Yoga stretches seemed to help a great
deal. At this time, I have turned my
focus to gut health feeling that I might not be processing and digesting as
well. But it seems that research is
missing some elements to explain why some of us get attacked with this
problem (in childhood even). And get attacked early. As a young kid I had a milk allergy. I am wondering if we had good substitutes for
calcium back in those days. My mom did
not breast feed us. I wonder about the
craze of the time. Babies were put on formula,
and it was “superior” to breast milk. I
am sure the formula had sugar in it. No, we now know
that nothing beats mother nature. Breast
is best. I was always taking antibiotics
as a kid who frequently got asthma and pneumonia. My brothers did not seem to have so many doctors’
visits. We were lucky enough to have
orange trees in our back yard. My Dad
insisted on us eating meat. I was a
natural vegetarian and did not like meat.
It tasted dry and leathery, and it would grow in my mouth the more I
chewed it. Somehow that hurt my mothers’
feelings. I was very hungry by dinner
time because I did not get snacks. Mom
felt the hungrier I was the better. My parents
both bullied me about eating meat, but that did not help. I just got so skinny.
I was frail and the pediatrician suggested I live with my grandparents. I loved
that pediatrician. I loved my
grandparents. Compared to many families
we were lucky. But my parents fought and
triangulated. Dinner time came with plates of food flying into the wall,
breaking over my head. Not to harm me,
just one of the many phenomena that happened at dinner time. I tried to do silly stuff to break the
tension. If only meat was not on the
menu. That would make me happy.
In
conclusion, I am looking for more research and support groups. I am looking for good doctors. I am glad that there are over the counter
edibles. They do take the edge off
pain. I will continue to add suggestions
and try them. The worse thing is I am
having trouble walking. It is so sad for
me. I like to walk.
Just
sharing with all who might have this problem.
Please write me at nancysnimbus@gmail.com. I’ll be waiting.
So I do not have a full website. It is going to be but I have a landing page with AWeber.
and please visit heynancylake.com