Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2007. In fact I was looking for just such a photo to post last night, when we went to see Christmas lights in a garden. But instead I found it today! This photo was taken of Mattie at Brookside Gardens, during their Garden of Lights event. We really enjoyed seeing the lights together that year and I couldn't believe I did not snap of a photo of Mattie with the lights. I solved my own curiosity today by finding this photo!
Quote of the day: The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood.
~ Richard Paul Evans
For the past month, ever since I had surgery, I have been having pain by my ribs. I thought it would go away or that it was muscular. However, the pain wasn't subsiding. In addition to that pain, I haven't been able to sleep well. So I knew it was time to visit my doctor. Naturally I called my surgeon's office, but her nurse doesn't return calls until the end of the day. I did not want to wait for her, so I went to see my internist instead. I have been in and out of her office since October! I would prefer less visits.
Thankfully I did go because I have a condition called Costochondritis, also known as chest wall pain. It is a temporary
inflammation of the costal cartilage, the structure that connects each rib to
the sternum at the costosternal joint. The condition is a common cause of chest
pain. Costochondritis symptoms can be similar to the chest pain associated with
a heart attack, and I would have to say it is quite painful. Pain that you can't really avoid or ignore. In any case, this condition can be caused by a trauma (such as how my body was positioned during surgery) and lifting heavy things. I have been lifting hundreds of pounds of candy ALL Fall. So it is hard to know which is the chicken and which is the egg. Or perhaps it was the combination of surgery and candy lifting.
Either case, I am thankful for medication to manage this pain until the cartilage heals, which can take weeks or longer. I have had it for close to a month now, so I am looking for relief at some point soon!
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