A Zest For Living
Cathy, (not her real name) is a pleasant and attractive 60-year old woman with a great smile and a zest for living. For most of her life she was happy and active. That life, however became complicated following a significant injury to her back which resulted in many years of chronic pain and discomfort. About five years ago, her pain had progressed significantly and became a source of daily discomfort and, often, she says, "agony." It had developed into a stinging, burning sciatic nerve condition, which affected her back, hip, entire leg and foot. More upsetting than this, Cathy complained, "It often interfered with me being actively involved with my children and my grandchildren the way they wanted me to be." "Not only couldn’t I get in and out of my car easily, I wasn’t even able to wear my favorite pair of high-heeled shoes." Cathy laughs when she makes this last point, but through her laugh you can see how truly frustrating this was to her. "Over the years my doctor had been telling me to bear the pain as long as I could." "After that," he said, "we’ll discuss surgery." Cathy had, until recently, chosen to live with the pain. |
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