I had what I thought was this. No help from a chiro. Saw a

Spinal surgeon and did PT to no avail, which was dumb, because I can do those exercises on my own. Had a MRI and I need to have a nerve in my spine cauterized. The process entails 2 practice blocks to see if it works. If the first works, I have another two weeks later. If the second works, we then cauterize the nerve. I can’t have it done until school is over as I am a PE teacher, but we only discovered it via the MRI. Good luck! I have to get back in to see the surgeon again so that I can have the surgery/ procedures resubmitted through insurance, but am planning to have them done in July… so no experience to share on if they work for my similar pain. Also, I’m 42. While high jumping at ND, I injured my spine in the fall of my senior year in that exact spot when I landed on the bar wrong, so we think that may have already been damaged and that I did something that just set it off. Rehab was fine back then and I had been extremely active ever since. Good luck!

My goodness!

Sometimes, I think we got a raw deal with evolution.

Couldn't we have evolved to live under water with a spine like sharks?

No fixed spinal column made of bone with all the attendant degeneration issues as we get older.

Sharks move around without dealing with joint damage and they don't have to live in buildings that need to be heated and cooled.

They don't have to go to work to pay for everything.

Cartilege rules. Hard bone degenerates into mush and pain.

Surely there is a planet with the most intelligent creatures live under water and live free and, well, don't have to worry about being eaten by an alpha predetor like killer whales.

Sigh. I can only dream.

Still worth all of the sacrifice when I won my first meet at

ND. Depending on the day, I still get between 16,000-20,000 steps each day, but I haven’t been running much or Peloton cycling. I’m really looking forward to being “normal” again. I’m the female teacher chaperone on our 6th grade’s Outdoor Ed camp in a little over a week and will be leading a 12 mi hike up the mountain by Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara. Our male teacher chaperone will be escorting those who opt out of the hike on a day boat excursion on the lake. The hike won’t be an issue and I would still choose it over the boat ride. FWIW, our male chaperone teacher is a diehard ND fan. I think that the pre-teen girl angst will be less on a long hike up and down the mountain, as opposed to a day long boat ride though. May the odds be ever in his favor! If we were sharks, we wouldn’t be able to experience the beauty outside the water.

If I were in your shoes, all *

KK, listen to me. The human world, it's a mess.

You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more is you lookin' for?!?!?

Disneyland. I particularly enjoy the Ariel ride. *