Touch of Bursitis

Time for my annual tinge of bursitis. I know, I know - plenty of folks say that if you have bursitis, you cannot even move that joint. Well, I get it, usually, once a year, and this has gone on for decades. With me, it's usually from drafts.

It hits me either in the shoulder or neck, or a hip. This time, it's my hip. Because I'm used to this, I realize immediately what it is. I immediately warm up that joint, and then I pay attention the rest of the cold weather to drafts and what I'm wearing.

The first time it happened, decades ago, I couldn't even turn my head. It was in my neck and shoulder. The next time, I was a little wiser about handling it.

I tend to dress lighter than most of my friends, so I'm sure that some of it results from that habit.. But God blesses me with a head's up. The pain is minor compared to other things that could happen because of a lack of care for this, um, mature body of mine.

I'll just be careful how I move, dress a tad more warmly, and in anywhere from a week to two weeks, it will be gone.

In the past, I always, always needed something like Ben Gay and either Tylenol or aspirin. But since early '14, I've changed my eating habits. This, in turn, helped me drop 20 pounds over two years. That, in turn, eased up the pressure on my joints. I don't always need my quad cane these days. I also do not think I'll need to take the pain med this year, either.

There are times when I might still need meds. Sometimes when I do the twice-a-year park-wide yard sale here, over the whole weekend, I need either Tylenol or even Lortab. But last year, I didn't need those. 

I realize that taking something will make it easier to move. But I'm a little weird in that I prefer to monitor the pain. This way, I'll be careful how I move, and I will also be aware to safeguard my bod a little more this winter. If I take meds, I'm less likely to dress properly and less likely to be careful how I move - this makes it last longer. So it will be great if I can avoid it this year.

This evening, I also realized, because of the pain, that I really must train myself to bend at the knees when I need to reach something on the floor, instead of bending at the hip. My nephew used to get on my all the time about that. Guess it's time for me to make a real effort on that matter.

Father, thank you for the head's up. I'll be a little more careful. And thank you, too, for helping me get into a little better shape these past two years. It does help, and in spite of this pain, I want you to know how grateful I am.