Like many people visiting Hawaii I didn’t have a clue about the dangers of body surfing, but one day in my forties I was hit by two large waves, which tossed me in the air with amazing force. Landing on the sand with crashing force, my back was injured, and this changed my life.
The pain was constant and intolerable, and my search for help around the Bay Area where I live was extended all over the country. I had surgeries, went to pain centers for three weeks at a time, and had numerous treatments of all kinds.
My orthopedic surgeon insisted that morphine was the only drug that could help relieve the pain. For seventeen years, mega-doses of injectable morphine were prescribed, plus oral morphine. Much of that time I was bedridden, able to lie only on my back, with a caregiver and a bedpan. Needless to say, I ended up with osteoporosis as the lack of exercise for all those years contributed to a major loss of bone density, and at one point my weight was reduced to 89 lbs. I could find no answer to my plight, and felt desperate, confused, and alone.
I had severe episodes of anaphylactic shock, plus excruciating urinary tract pain from all the medication, and I had become a wretched shell of a woman.
My son, Adam, who was eight when I was injured, has since became a chiropractor. In desperation, I turned to Adam for help. Adam required me to have chiropractic treatments, exercise daily, eat organic and raw food, have periodic detoxification, and develop a positive mental attitude to help me recover. To my amazement, over time this healthy way of living my life worked!
My daily routine is to walk briskly for one to one and a half hours, using hills and stairs as much as possible, and to do at least a half-hour of strengthening and stretching exercises with weights and cables. Now, I am learning salsa, and have never felt so vital, joyful, and energetic.
It has been nearly nine years since I changed my way of living and thinking. With exercise and a positive attitude I expect my bones to last as long as I do!