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| Joint pain |
The human body is an incredible piece of machinery as we all know and I fully believe that if we are very aware and intuitive, we can work out exactly what our bodies need to function properly and when they need it. For example, a sudden craving for sweet, salty or citrus type foods could indicate that something is lacking in our diet. Thirst and hunger are generally signals to let us know that we need fuel in the form of food and/or fluids. We feel tired and that's normally an indication that we need to rest our bodies and at times we feel we a real need to exercise. We start stretching our muscles and becoming restless simply because we're not designed to sit around for long periods of time.
And then there's pain.
Pain is the body's way of letting us know that something isn't right; the body's way of saying maybe you need to get checked out; the only way our bodies can tell us to STOP.
Sadly, despite knowing all of the above, I don't always take notice of what my body is telling me and that's why I ended up being wheeled into A&E on Saturday night with a suspected collapsed knee and the threat of an operation hanging over me. For about seven weeks my knee has been bothering me. Not painful enough to stop me doing things but enough for me to be constantly aware of it. It's been a very busy few weeks though and I didn't really have time to go and get it seen to. I'll say that again but slightly differently. Everything I had to do was more important than taking care of me. Had I gone to the doctor weeks ago I would never have ended up in A&E on Saturday night. My body warned me over and over that something wasn't right and eventually it forced me to do something about it. I was stopped in my tracks (literally on this occasion). It could have been worse though. At least I don't have to have an operation. Despite having to take painkillers and anti-inflammatories and despite having my leg strapped up and facing 6-8 weeks of physiotherapy, I consider myself to have been lucky this time. I have been told that if it happens again it will require surgery.
It could have been a very different story though. What if the pain had been caused by a life-threatening condition? What if it hadn't been a damaged ligament but had been something far more serious?
This really brought home to me that, because we all lead such busy lives, we don't always take the time to take care of ourselves. We're too busy caring for others in some way whether it be family, friends, colleagues, customers, pets... That's all very well but we won't be much use to anyone if we don't look after ourselves.
So, what I'm suggesting is that we all become a little bit more aware of what our bodies are trying to tell us. It doesn't take much practice to tune into yourself. When you feel you need something or you feel pain simply take a few minutes to find out what's really going on. It won't take long to master this skill. Very few of us use our intuition nowadays but it's still there - you just need to find it.
Why would you want to take the time to do this? Because you really are worth it!
Comments
I know whatcha mean about listening to our bodies. I know it, but I don't always DO it. Some years back, I'd been deathly ill, and in tremendous pain, for several days, but kept trying to keep on keeping on. Long story short, my appendix burst in the middle of the night, and although that was excruciating, afterwards, the pain was considerably less, so I STILL didn't go to the doctor. (Nor did I even wake up my husband.) By the time I finally went to the hospital, I was half dead. Had I gone when I first started feeling so sick, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But waiting like I did turned it into a very big deal. Long nasty surgery, and an even longer recovery. It was at least five years before I was pain-free.
Getting there slowly, thanks.
That's a terrible story! You could so easily have died but, to be honest, I can understand why you didn't do anything about it. I would have probably been the same in that situation too. Why are we like that??
The strange thing is, if someone told me they were in terrible pain I would nag them and nag them to go and see a doctor and I wouldn't give up until they did!
So glad you made a full recovery though. It must have been a nightmare!