My father has cautioned me for years about burning the candles at both ends. I knew he was right and I gave up a few responsibilites where I could and learned to say "no"; albeit weakly and half-heartedly. I read everything that I could about Costochondritis and absorbed every associated fact, like a sponge. Still, I had two more attacks, the most recent one coming on December 20th in the car on the way back from lunch with friends. The only thing that works to treat the pain is rest, Motrin and a heat pack on my chest. I spent a full two days in bed this time. It was clear the time had come, once and for all, to take more drastic action. That evening I told my husband that I was giving up coffee from now on. That may seem trivial to you, but if you know me you would realize that this is a HUGE step. (Think: giving up quilting or sewing!) Coffee and I have been inseperable for years; actually, my entire adult life. Both of the last two attacks came after two cups of coffee. It was a start. I was worried about the inevitable caffiene withdrawal headache and decided to switch to tea, at a third the caffiene level per cup it seemed like a logical step-down. I haven't looked back and I never had even one headache as a result. Again, if you knew me you would realize this is a major lifestyle change. I told my husband that we needed to start walking for exercise again, ever since that first attack at the end of October we hadn't been walking at all; the Costochondritis was promoting a viscious cycle of inactivity that was working against me. I began sleeping in later in the mornings, an additional hour to an hour and a half... another MAJOR adjustment for me! These were three triggers that I had stumbled upon, all ones that I was guilty of pulling every single day, like a loaded gun pointed straight at my own head. Too much caffiene through coffee, not enough exercise and not enough sleep; all risk factors contributing to stress and my condition. I still needed to do something about conscious relaxation. My sister-in-law pointed me in the direction of breathwork techniques by Dr. Andrew Weil. She happened to have a copy of his CD and loaned it to me; in it there is a lecture about breathing correctly and exercises to practice relaxation through breathwork. This is a practice known by yoga experts, but it was all new to me.What did I have to lose? Breathing is free and I have to do it anyway; so, I began dedicating a few minutes each day to relaxation breathing and practicing the techniques prescribed by Dr. Weil to make every breath a more conscious and deliberate action that improves focus, general overall health and well-being. Each one of these steps is a small one (yet, some just seem very large to me!) but, combined, they do seem to be making a positive difference. I feel good, very good; this isn't something that I would have (or could have) said over the last few months. You may have noticed periods of blog absence from me and a marked reduction of comments and visits to your blogs, for that I apologize; I simply haven't been up to it. As of today, I seem to have turned a corner. I am keeping a journal now on what I eat/drink and jotting down any activity or emotional stress that could possibly promote more of the symptoms, I am quite familiar with the early onset twinges and so far being aware of those and taking corrective action ( relaxation breathing) by has worked in averting another full-fleged attack. Keep your fingers crossed along with me. I don't know if this is the end of all of this for me or not, but one thing that I do know is that I am working to effect change and I've never felt better with the adjustments that I have made. Time will tell. I know this has been a long post, if you've hung in for all of this you're to be commended; or, maybe, you've been suffering from something similar and are interested in practicing your own preventative cure. I do firmly believe that we can be our own best health advocates by taking better care of ourselves, reading the signs posted by our own bodies and paying attention to them. After all it's our life and our life alone... and, as I keep telling you:
Life is Good!
...it really, really, is!
