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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

When you lose your Mom to breast cancer



I was 24 in February 1998, on February 2nd (yes Ground Hog Day) when my Mom lost her battle with breast cancer.

She had battled breast cancer for 11 yrs.  I was in grade 8 when she was first diagnosed.  She was 41 years old.

When I turned 41, I had a bucketlist (Click here bucketlist).  The list was simple but it was created just in case I ended up being diagnosed  like my Mom. I don't live my life based on this list today but I do make choices because of breast cancer.


It is why I workout 
It is why I watch what I eat
It is why i take particular vitamins
It is why I think a lot about what I feed my kids
It is why I use deodorant instead of antiperspirant 
It is why go for a mammogram every year
It is why I walk/run in CIBC's Run For A Cure



So if I ever did get diagnosed I can say I have tried everything and anything to prevent it.

Please support me in my efforts to raise funds for CIBC Run For The Cure.
Donate here



Friday, September 1, 2017

Will I ever run again?

or bike again????

I have not blogged in awhile for a few reasons but a main one is that my back is not good and it is hard to sit for long periods of time.

This is not why my back is bad! This is what I can do when it is in perfect shape


I ended up going back for a visit to Jockvale Massage and Physio.  In particular Duane the Physiotherapist.  After some stretches, acupuncture in my back and bum and some heat on my lower back I am almost back to normal.  I need a strong back for going back to work with my toddlers.  There is a lot of bending down, lifting, carrying and cuddling.  I can't wait to get back to my babies!

This is how my back got messed up:

In November, I put my back out.  I leaned down to tie a skate and by the time I hobbled back to the car I needed help lifting my left leg into the car.  Turning the steering wheel had me riling with pain, mainly on the left side.  As I mentioned before I have had back/hip issues before and gone to Dr. Jeff Lowthian, the magical chiropractor.  This always fixed  me.  To be honest the week before my lower back was very very tight.  Sitting on the floor, bending down to help little people, stress and poor posture didn’t help. I tried yoga, heat and two trips to Dr Jeff.  He told me to not sit but to lie down but that weekend I was Taxi Mom and had to drive a lot. 

When I got home after the painful drive I could barely move.  I remember putting something in the garbage and my back completely seized up again.  I tried not to cry and covered it with crazy laughter because I could see I was scaring the kids.  Paul came over and tried to massage me, which he had to do while I leaned against the wall because I just could not lie down.

Took the Monday off and went and got a massage. I went to Jockvale Massage and Physio. Immediately felt better. Thank you Dawson the masseuse.  Had the day off Tuesday and after being out and about, came home and my lovely Phoenix had gotten into the garbage. It was all over the kitchen.  I went to grab his collar and threw my back out again!!!  I cried out in pain, I was frozen, I could not move.  I eventually got down on the ground and crawled around collecting garbage – priorities!!  I called Jockvale Massage and Physio to see if Dawson could help me again.  I was crying on the phone to Paulette the receptionist.  She told me to come in right away.  She was not sure if Dawson was available but the Physiotherapist might be able to help me.  I finally made it there.  I could not sit down in the waiting area.  I could barely speak.  My back kept spasming and I kept crying.  Paulette gave me wads of Kleenex.  She helped me take off my shoes (which were my beautiful Doc Martens, lots of unlacing)and Duane Brousmiche, the physiotherapist, took me to his therapy room.  He took all my background information then did a few exercises.

Long story short, after a week off of work , several more sessions with Duane, three types of pain relievers (which only numbed the pain but did not fix me), some acupuncture by Duane (which was AMAZING!), lots of rest and wearing a lovely girdle type lumbar support belt,  Duane deduced that it was my L5S disc and sacroiliac joint that were compensating for the upper back tightness/weakness.  The cure=work on building my core muscles.  Some of my exercises were simply squeezing my lower tummy muscles or the two sets of muscles on either side of my spine. 

Duane was awesome!  Like chiropractic I was skeptical but his knowledge of the spine, bones and muscles…I am a convert!

I highly recommend the crew at Jockvale Massage & Physio.

3777 Strandherd Dr #110, Nepean, ON K2J 4B1, Canada




Tell them Cry Baby says HI (that’s the nickname I received after my initial visit…said with love of course).
As for running again, I am scared.  The repetitive nature of running kinda got me into the excruciating painful experience so we shall see...