Being Reborn - Riding the Ketamine Train

     After being pain free in September, maintaining a good diet and continuing to workout and listen to my body, when I need to rest, when I can push through, I pushed to not have a treatment as long as possible.  Having been an elite athlete throughout my childhood and young adolescences I have great body awareness but one key to maintaining and controlling my pain had been becoming even more aware of my body.  Understanding what I am feeling and how my body responds to stimulus and the amount of rest and recovery I need.
     I had another treatment in the beginning of October, I went pain free for 3 weeks compared to the initial 2 weeks in September.   I had another treatment 5 weeks later in mid November and went nearly a month without pain.   I was able to travel to Boston without much issue, although the snow and cold proved that I still have aches and mild pain, it was no where near what I had been feeling.   I was able to hold a squeeze my nephew at Thanksgiving and chase him around.   After traveling and working a non-profit event for the Power of Pain Foundation just before leaving for Boston when I came home I was able to make it 3 more weeks into December without a treatment.  At that point the center was instating pain protocols and it was time to begin the road to remission.  I made it 7 weeks from December to my February treatment.
     Entering treatment in February 2015, infusion number 14, my pain levels were a 10 out of 10, I had not been in that much pain in awhile.  Reason being, I had started seeing a sports therapist who began working on breaking down the scar tissue that was left in my shoulder and neck that was left from surgery in 2010 and slowly working my ribs back into place.   After the Thoracic Outlet Surgery in December 2010, my ribs were not put back in place and the scar tissue had developed around them and them muscles tightened where they should not have.  My ribs would slip and move causing pain but I was getting use to the feeling and trying to ignore it.  The sports therapist began breaking down the scar tissue and the loosening the muscles and pushing the ribs slowly back to position.  Out of the 4 needing moved 1 is going back into place, it holds for about 2 weeks and I work on strengthening the muscles around it.   It will be slow progress but I am feeling better.  After the initial treatments, pain levels were high, but after treatment they came back to a zero.  I had another therapy treatment a week later and I am still pain free for the most part.
     As I have mentioned before, the weather effects my pain, it is manageable and tolerable but rain and cold makes me ache and throb.   It is temporary and I just work through it.   Rest when I need and keep moving when I can.   My journey to remission continues but where things stand today, I am happier than ever, anxiety and depression are not an issue and my pain is slowly going away.   Remission here I come.