February 7, 2018
Today is Alex’s second birthday. I failed to get my phone before we left the house, so I am starting this blog with a pen and notebook while in the Kaiser waiting room. (Hence, no pictures or check-in.)
One discovery is that the “Chin Tuck,” which can be done any time and in any position, is instant pain relief! For the 5-10 seconds I can hold the “Chin Tuck.”
I’m in my second week of gabapentin, having added an a.m. capsule to the p.m. capsule. Still afraid to not take the full 600mg of Advil twice a day. I keep wondering if meloxicam would be any better than Advil or Aleve, which apparently I’m not supposed to take with gabapentin.
Francis started the 10 a.m. session promptly with meditation. I could definitely hear his instructions over the music! Then he discussed our homework to create a 20-minute routine with the 7 core exercises (repeating 3 of them twice) and interspersed with 1 minute of cardio. Then Francis spent the rest of the time on Tai Chi, using the 10 exercises in the video he introduced to us earlier. Homework is to read “Tiny Habits” handout. The idea is to add a “tiny habit” to some behavior that you are already doing.
Dr. Whitehead’s discussion topic was reactions to stressors. She started with the Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Pain. Then we did a class exercise with this, giving a specific situation then listing feelings/mood, symptoms/body response, behaviors, thoughts, and then a “new plan” of action that would better deal with the stressors. Our homework is to do one of these on our own at home.
Throughout these presentations, the Kaiser model of prevention comes through loud and clear!
