Had a great visit with my occupational therapist today.

For the past 5 weeks I have been writing an activity journal everyday in order to see if there are patterns to my flare-ups.  And…there are.

My meter for how long I can remain in certain positions is my left leg.  It will protest through a tiny bit of pain.  This is my signal to get up and move.  This is why I sit on the isle in soft seaters (movie theatres, concert halls), need to be able to stand.

What I would like to do it get up every 20 minutes or so in order to not reach the point of left leg pain.  So, this is a new goal for me.

One other thing the journaling has taught me is that walking when feeling more pain is better for my back than resting.  So, I am starting to walk for 15 minutes or so if my pain level increases.

I also increase the CBD in the late afternoon (as needed) and for the past few days I have had a significant decrease in pain.

I am learning that medical marijuana is very helpful, but it is not a miracle drug and the more knowledge I have with regards how to live in the world while continuing to manage my flare
ups, the better.

I wrote each day of my journal on a note pad so that I could spread it out on the table and look at the flare ups in the context of my activities.  What was I doing the hours, days before?

Thanks to Sherri, my sweet, smart, sensitive occupational therapist!!