Craziness!

Found at www.indiahealthtour.com

I believe that things are starting to get hectic around here!  As of yesterday we are now beginning the countdown to me having back surgery.   I told you guys a few weeks ago that I had gone back to the doctor about my back and showed you the pictures of my MRIs.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see the neurosurgeon again to discuss my results and what the next course of action should be.  I had come to the conclusion before I went in that if he said it was up to me, wait it out and not run for the next couple of years or have surgery, I was kinda leaning towards avoiding surgery.  I mean God created me with these perfectly round discs for a reason, I don't think he intends for me to remove part of it.  I also thought how selfish it would be for me to put myself through surgery because of my impatience.  If the disc could heal over time, without being stressed then my need for running probably could take the backseat.  I mean I've gone nearly 9 months without running, what's a couple more years, right?  I was bummed by the prospect, but prayed and asked for others to pray that there was a "clear decision" on what to do and that it wasn't just left for me to decide.  Well, I walked in the office and the doctor said exactly what I thought, nothing had changed with my disc.  It looks the exact same as it did back in April and if the disc was going to heal on its own, it should have already started showing signs of change.  With that discussed he then turned and said, "It is a clear decision in my mind that you need to pursue surgery."  Thank you God.  I really needed to hear that because I was torn.  Some may call that a coincidence that he used that terminology, but for me it was an answer to a prayer.  This removed the majority of my hesitation about surgery and we went ahead and scheduled it for the beginning part of next week.  I will have the microdiscectomy, which will take about an hour.  They will go in, make an inch wide incision, drill a small hole through the lamina and then retract back the nerves and expose the disc.  They will then trim off the excess disc that is pressing against my nerve, pop in a few stitches and then I'm as good as new!  Hopefully!  I know I sound ecstatic about it and I think I am.  Looking back I have been dealing with back pain for the past 3 years at least.  I've seen chiropractors, done yoga, acupuncture, transforminal injections......it's time to be done with this.  I know it may not remove all back pain, but this down the leg stuff has got to go.  I would like to lay on my side in bed without my leg falling asleep immediately.  I would like to sit in a chair for an extended period of time and not feel the burning in my back.  I'm happy!  With that being said, I'm hoping my expectations are not being set too high, but I think my positive attitude will definitely help me through recovery.  Hooray!  The only thing left to figure out is that I'm suppose to have that Lasik surgery performed at the end of the week.  I've been given the green light from the neurosurgeon to go on with it, but have yet to hear back from the eye doctor.  Probably a little much to try to squeeze into one week, but I figure if I'm down and out I might as well have it all done at the same time, right?

In other news, this weekend was fabulous.  Mark had to play music at the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and in a last minute decision asked me to come along for a quick getaway treat.  Our friends Kevin and Haylee also went and we had a great time.  Friday night we ate at Texas de Brazil.  Can we say delicious?  

Salad Bar....look at all the flowers, oils and vinegar's.

my plate! ;)

Yes, I took picture, how dumb am I.  Yes, I was getting strange looks from people.  Oh well.  I felt like I was being rushed through the entire meal because they kept coming by with all that meat!  I think Mark possibly ate 1/2 a cow, a duck, a poor little lamb and some pig to top it off.  That man loves his meat.  I of course had to explore the salad bar because heaven knows some of the stuff that was on that salad bar does not exist in Abilene.  Yummy!

After a wonderful evening and terrific entertainment provided by my awesome spouse,  we headed to the Gaylord Texan for the night.  The next morning Haylee and I were spoiled rotten from 9am-1pm down in their spa.  We had a tropical package that came with a full body massage including a coconut oil scalp massage, a full body glow scrub, an intensive hair conditioning treatment, manicure and pedicure.  I have never done anything like it in my life and all I can do is say THANK YOU to my wonderful man for such a special treat.  It really was one memory that I will dream about forever!!!  After that, we grabbed a bite at PF Changs, one of our faves and then hit the road back to A-town.  Mark had to do studio work so he headed the opposite direction and that was it.

not my picture, found this online by google forgot where it was posted.

Awesome weekend, huh?  Well, I'm glad that I was able to enjoy some relaxation before being hacked into this next week.  I'll just ask for some cucumbers and pretend I'm at the spa.  Ha.