Just to demonstrate the difference from day to day - and because I feel like writing more - I figured I'd give an update on how today went in light of yesterday's excitement, since this style of progress is my normal life now. I may only be receiving treatment once every 4-6 weeks but I feel like I'm getting it nearly all day, every day, because that's how frequently my body is integrating structural changes.
Obviously, I didn't end up staying off the computer for a few days, even though I should have. Truth is things got a little too intense for me this evening so I used distractions to slow down the process. My body will only try to heal itself when I'm in a relaxed, resting state, so it's pretty easy to hit the "pause" or "slow motion" button on the shifting when I want to.
One of the first things I noticed when I got up this morning is that I was standing and walking differently. It felt like I was putting more weight on the left leg than the right, or that I was leaning slightly sideways, but neither was the case. Apparently I've just been so accustomed to my pelvis being at an angle that there's some adjustment involved with having things fixed. It wasn't troublesome, just distracting as my thoughts were periodically interrupted by a false "warning, you're standing weird" message. Yesterday's pain in the socket of my hips has piped down to mild discomfort.
The big project today has been yesterday's movement tracing its way up my torso to my diaphragm area at my upper abdomen and lower ribs, and eventually leading up to the base of my sternum too. My sacrum and lower back are doing their own shifting but that's just background music. What happens is I start to feel tingling and all sorts of tiny movements around the base of my ribs as I'm lying there resting, and then during a normal breath I suddenly feel the irresistible urge to inhale much deeper. I do so, and it feels good but also stretches everything in my diaphragm area in ways it's not accustomed to. Like:
Inhale .. INHALE
exhale.
Inhale .. INHALE
exhale.
That happened for about 20 minutes until the looseness traveled all the way up to the base of my sternum, at which point my breathing changed to:
INHAAALE
exhale.
INHAAALE
exhale.
All the while I'm completely relaxed, heart rate is slow, my body is loving the oxygen, but my chest feels like it's about to explode outwards and soon aches from all the stretching. Moreover this area is always a bit intense for me emotionally as for some reason it makes me feel strangely vulnerable. My osteo says that when injuries get "locked in" instead of healing completely then when they release (i.e. the structural problem begins resolving) you sometimes experience whatever emotion you were feeling during the original impact. I don't have enough knowledge to completely buy that explanation but whatever the details it's happened enough times that I recognize it as connected to my physiology and thus not something I need to examine too closely as it works its way out.
Nevertheless I finally just decided that even though my body would rather do more, I wanted to opt out of the intensity and leave it to finish another time. I still get to enjoy some benefit of release - I'm snatching moments here or there of feel-good graceful movement and unusually correct posture - so I'm pleased with today's work. I can't force these opportunities to happen (I'll only hurt my body if I try to breathe deeply when it's not structurally prepared to handle it; same with posture) so cutting them off always feels like a slight risk, but it's one I'm okay with taking this evening.
And for all I know more shifting might be in store for me the moment I lay down again. Last night actually when I signed off and rested my upper teeth and jaw began moving, which is another shift that's been happening off and on for the past 2 weeks ever since my cheekbones began jostling around (weirdest sensation ever). The gap between my front teeth is over halfway closed now and I occasionally feel pressure along all my front teeth pressing them inwards. Like braces, but without the braces.
Absolutely fascinating.
I found it amusing that my osteo didn't seem the least bit surprised to hear it; just happy.
P.S. Those "jerk awake" moments I mentioned in the previous post are technically known as hypnic jerks.
Obviously, I didn't end up staying off the computer for a few days, even though I should have. Truth is things got a little too intense for me this evening so I used distractions to slow down the process. My body will only try to heal itself when I'm in a relaxed, resting state, so it's pretty easy to hit the "pause" or "slow motion" button on the shifting when I want to.
One of the first things I noticed when I got up this morning is that I was standing and walking differently. It felt like I was putting more weight on the left leg than the right, or that I was leaning slightly sideways, but neither was the case. Apparently I've just been so accustomed to my pelvis being at an angle that there's some adjustment involved with having things fixed. It wasn't troublesome, just distracting as my thoughts were periodically interrupted by a false "warning, you're standing weird" message. Yesterday's pain in the socket of my hips has piped down to mild discomfort.
The big project today has been yesterday's movement tracing its way up my torso to my diaphragm area at my upper abdomen and lower ribs, and eventually leading up to the base of my sternum too. My sacrum and lower back are doing their own shifting but that's just background music. What happens is I start to feel tingling and all sorts of tiny movements around the base of my ribs as I'm lying there resting, and then during a normal breath I suddenly feel the irresistible urge to inhale much deeper. I do so, and it feels good but also stretches everything in my diaphragm area in ways it's not accustomed to. Like:
Inhale .. INHALE
exhale.
Inhale .. INHALE
exhale.
That happened for about 20 minutes until the looseness traveled all the way up to the base of my sternum, at which point my breathing changed to:
INHAAALE
exhale.
INHAAALE
exhale.
All the while I'm completely relaxed, heart rate is slow, my body is loving the oxygen, but my chest feels like it's about to explode outwards and soon aches from all the stretching. Moreover this area is always a bit intense for me emotionally as for some reason it makes me feel strangely vulnerable. My osteo says that when injuries get "locked in" instead of healing completely then when they release (i.e. the structural problem begins resolving) you sometimes experience whatever emotion you were feeling during the original impact. I don't have enough knowledge to completely buy that explanation but whatever the details it's happened enough times that I recognize it as connected to my physiology and thus not something I need to examine too closely as it works its way out.
Nevertheless I finally just decided that even though my body would rather do more, I wanted to opt out of the intensity and leave it to finish another time. I still get to enjoy some benefit of release - I'm snatching moments here or there of feel-good graceful movement and unusually correct posture - so I'm pleased with today's work. I can't force these opportunities to happen (I'll only hurt my body if I try to breathe deeply when it's not structurally prepared to handle it; same with posture) so cutting them off always feels like a slight risk, but it's one I'm okay with taking this evening.
And for all I know more shifting might be in store for me the moment I lay down again. Last night actually when I signed off and rested my upper teeth and jaw began moving, which is another shift that's been happening off and on for the past 2 weeks ever since my cheekbones began jostling around (weirdest sensation ever). The gap between my front teeth is over halfway closed now and I occasionally feel pressure along all my front teeth pressing them inwards. Like braces, but without the braces.
Absolutely fascinating.
I found it amusing that my osteo didn't seem the least bit surprised to hear it; just happy.
P.S. Those "jerk awake" moments I mentioned in the previous post are technically known as hypnic jerks.
