Ignoring Pain

During the summer of 2018, my son started mentioning being in pain. He couldn't run and play, or jump on trampolines, or play sports that required agility. He was only 7 years old and his body was already breaking down on him. He started complaining about pain in his right knee, and then in his back, as well as feeling like he was getting shocked throughout his whole body.

I was confused as to why he was in pain because I've always tried to keep my children in good quality shoes, feed them well, and keep them active. I didn't really want to listen to him saying he was hurting. I did think about sweeping it under the rug or telling him to suck-it-up. Our family had a lot on our plates and I didn't want to add going to the doctors as another item on it. My husband had just returned from a deployment and within a few weeks of that we moved from Fort Hood, TX to Fort Leavenworth, KS. I was stressed out and trying to carve out some sort of a normal routine for us. I would have rather pretended the pain didn't exist.

But, I had been in chronic pain since I was 15 (actually even younger when I was dealing with severe anxiety and terrible headaches), and I didn't want him floundering through pain. I've also watched many other people lose their physical abilities, emotional health, and their freedom because they ignored pain in their bodies. I don't know a single person who I saw with these issues that weren't taught to ignore pain. I felt like if I brushed aside his complaints as just something children say, because I was too overwhelmed to add another item to my to-do list, then I was setting him up to learn how to ignore pain in his body, too. I couldn't stand the thought of my son becoming broken because I chose to ignore our instincts that something needed to be healed within his body.

I've spent the last four years taking him to doctors and therapists, and having x-rays and MRIs done. I think it wouldn't have taken this long if I didn't have to deal with TriCare, COVID-19, and a PCS from Fort Leavenworth, KS to White Sands Missile Range, NM. He has several bulging disks in his lumbar spine, skeletal alignment issues, and a lack of muscle strength, but, blessedly, it all seems able to heal with strength training, orthotics, and a whole lot of self-awareness.

Luckily for us, mommin' is my number one job, and I have several hundred hours of learning yoga techniques that we can do in our home to bring about calmness and healing. Also, I've been in and out of physical therapy for the past 11 years, and I have an ear for hearing what things he mentions in his body that need medical attention. I'm grateful that my son doesn't have to just deal with the pain or ignore it. We work together with what we learn from physical therapy and yoga teacher training in order to cultivate self-awareness and healing.