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  • 🍑 Ate the most delicious peach and burrata salad @coquinepdx a few weeks back, tried to recreate this evening. It’s no Coquine but it’s pretty damn good. . Bed of arugula, grilled peach, burrata, balsamic glaze and cracked black pepper. Nom. . Check out what else I’ve been cooking on my stories now, been trying to use Sunday evenings to cook ahead for the week! . #iphoneographers #onmytable #peachseason #flashesofdelight #seasonaleating
  • 65 and Sunny (yesterday.. haha). The best weather. Instead of worrying about where Summer went and whether I hiked enough, swam in nature enough and got enough sun, I’m focusing on Fall. Basically me and seasons? We’re still in the honeymoon phase 😂
  • Happy Birthday Gran Anna. Miss you forever. Love you forever.
  • TL; DR I’m broken. Don’t be me. Go to your doctor, be your own advocate, take care of YOU. . Sit back folks. I’m going to tell you a story. . For the past 10+ years I’ve had horrible migraines, some could be attributed to triggers; champagne, white wine, some red wine, dehydration and hormones. All instant migraines. But over the past 5ish years the migraines have come from neck and shoulder pain more often than not. I told three doctors this, and every time they prescribed triptans. One even tried to prescribe me antidepressants and beta blockers (beta blockers which could kill me if I stopped taking them!). The last time I went to a doctor in Los Angeles I suggested physical therapy might help and he LAUGHED. . As per my last post, I finally found a doctor to listen to me, since the pain had become chronic. She ordered a series of X-rays and discovered I have degenerative bone disease (osteoarthritis) in both my thoracic and cervical spine. In fact in my C5 and C6 vertebrae (where I carry most of my pain) the cartilage has worn away so much I have bone spurs. This is trapping nerves and causing the muscle spasms and migraines. . An answer. Not a great one. No cure, but I can start physical therapy to prevent it getting worse and manage the pain. . During this process I also casually mentioned, in case it was related, that for a few years I had struggled with my hearing in my right ear. The same doc (basically my hero) had a little look and let me know there was fluid behind my ear and referred me to an ENT specialist. . Today I saw that specialist. And after a really fun procedure, where he inserted a very long microscope up my nose, we found out that I have adenoid hypertrophy. I’m not a child, I shouldn’t have this, it’s actually very rare in adults. So now I have to take medication for a month to see if they shrink (and if, when they shrink, the fluid drains itself) otherwise I have to have them surgically removed and the fluid surgically drained. The doctor said most adults can’t stand a day with fluid behind the ear... I guess I’m not most adults 😂. . (Continued in the comments, because I actually hit the Instagram character limit!)
  • TL;DR: On Friday I was diagnosed with degenerative bone disease (osteoarthritis) in my spine. On Tuesday I hiked 5miles and 2000ft elevation gain. . At the end of last week, as part of my 10 year quest to rid myself of migraines I finally found a doctor to listen to me re: being convinced my migraines come from neck and shoulder pain, especially since that pain had recently been non stop. She sent me for imaging and lo and behold, there it was. Degenerative bone disease - osteoarthritis - right there in my spine. I need more imaging to see how much damage has been done. But so far my thoracic spine is clear of any bone spurs etc. Next up, my cervical spine, which has to be x-rayed before I can get the MRI which is what I really need (oh insurance). . ANYWAY. At the beginning of the summer I promised myself I would be fit enough to climb Black Butte. I didn’t really end up doing the practice hikes I intended nor did I spend anytime getting in shape, I also didn’t anticipate being in chronic pain. BUT I decided to do it anyway. All 5 miles and almost 2000ft elevation gain. It was HARD. At one point I had to take it 10ft at a time. But getting to the top was worth it! All the way down my legs shook, but I’m feeling very proud 💕

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