Avoiding the Medical Treadmill

· 5 min read
There are times when meds are medically necessary. Having a history of problems with pain meds makes me hyper vigilant to stay away from them.

There was a time when I found myself stuck on the medical treadmill. Get treated for something. Get side effects. Get treated for the side effects. Get more side effects. Get more treatment. It was a vicious cycle and I honestly believe if I hadn’t suffered the overdose, that treadmill would have been the death of me.

It was all too easy to get on that track. I was married to a prominent doctor. All doctors go the extra mile for another doctor’s family. The specialists get their referrals from internists and family practitioners. Of course they're going to make sure those people are treated to the very best there is to offer. That’s the way it’s always been. 

The problem comes when someone is smart enough to work the system. Someone with a predilection to addiction. Someone who knew very well how to hide it after watching her family of origin do the same thing. That someone, of course, was me. If I was asked if I needed pain meds, I said yes. 

The overdose was the end of that ride. I feel like God only gives us so many tickets for drinks. Far fewer for opioids. Let’s just say, I used my portion up way too fast and I was left trying to figure out how to live without them...how to build a new life after the old one collapsed around me. It took a lot of time and an incredible amount of work and personal growth to get through to the other side of that.

Since losing Mr. Virgo, I developed some health issues. Grief doesn’t just affect the emotions. It can have a deleterious effect on your body. The first thing that struck me was PTSD. The next was Palmar-Plantar Psoriasis. That was so debilitating. I tried everything for three years and finally struck pay dirt when I cut out sugar and gluten, started exercising and taking multivitamins, and using CBD ointment on my hands and feet.

Since being with Mr. FixIt, I’ve slowly lost my mojo in the taking care of myself department. The old adage “fat and happy” is pretty spot on. It was so much more fun to cook and bake and eat and snuggle than it was to get my butt outside and walk. You remember when I was on my health kick and lost a ton of weight. I was climbing those stairs downtown five to ten times, three to five times per week. I was really getting fit.

“Fat and happy” is taking its toll on me. I’m now pre-diabetic. I have a hiatal hernia and acid reflux and diverticulosis and high cholesterol. Those are the invisible things. I’ve gained weight. And along with that weight gain has come a drastic increase of my joint and muscle pain. From my feet to my lower back, I’ve had pain so bad there have been days Mr. FixIt has actually had to help me up out of a recliner. And I’m only sixty-six! 

I can’t have this. I have this big family to love on and do things with. I have my writing and my travel. My campers. I’m staring at the other end of the stick now...I need to get crackin’ if I want to live my best life. I owe this to myself. And I owe it to Mr. FixIt and my family.

So, as of last Friday, I’m back on the bandwagon. I haven’t had any sugar or gluten, bread, pasta or potatoes. In just two days, the pain was so drastically reduced, I have been able to get back on my walking regimen. Girl Camper has just partnered with 99Walks, a subscription walking club. You can listen to motivational talks while you walk. You can join virtual teams. And when you meet your walking goals for the month, you get a stainless steel bracelet with that months motivational message on it. So far, I’ve walked ten miles this week. 

My only other choice would have been to succumb to the pain, go see my doctor, and get back on the medical treadmill again. I’m not about to do that. Not when I know full well how I got this way and what to do about it. That same intelligence that finagled drugs from my ex-husband’s colleagues has been turned from evil to good. Honoring my body. Taking care of the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. It’s time to take charge. Because the alternative is pretty darned grim.

❤️

““Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.””

Luke 21:34-36 NIV