What gets on your nerves?

Lately there has been something in my life that has seriously been getting on my nerves, like literally. By lately I mean for the past year, however I have only recently figured out why. Story goes, about 24.5 years ago, courtesy of my parents, I was born with an extra rib. Yeah, thanks mum! Docs call it a cervical rib because it arises from lowest cervical vertebra. It is completely useless and exists in my body simply to be annoying. Some people (it could even be you) may have one of these extra bones and go through their whole life without even knowing it. Luckily for me I couldn't ignore the unexplained pain and weakness in my arm (that and my husband got sick of me whining about it) so after countless PT appointments I was finally sent for a xray.

Cervical rib? Confirmed
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome? Confirmed 

What next???

What this cervical rib actually causes in my body is a serious compression of the area where nerves, arteries and veins run down the neck and into the arm - it simply kinda blocks the flow. Numbness, weakness, aching, headaches and tingling are just a few of the daily symptoms and there really isn't anything that I can do about it other than stop doing the things that aggravate it (which is only slightly impossible when your daily doings include- piano playing, painting, cooking, exercising and computering). i am currently in the process of getting to the bottom of the exact cause of the pain (nerve, or other) and deciphering whether or not i can continue to coexist with this bone or have to have it removed. 

so this brings me to the question that i have been asking myself lately; what do you do when faced with the reality of chronic pain? you know, the kind that is with you all day and night and doesn't go away even if you try to fight it off with drugs. I am lucky enough to have never experienced such pain before and am learning how to deal with it the best I can....

This is what it has taught me so far:

• pain demands your attention and forces you to be present. you cant ignore the fact your arm isn't working as it should be. 

• it makes you learn new skills and rewire your brain- its quite amazing how quickly we can become ambidextrous when forced to.   

• It makes you slow down and feel the sensations in your body and connect to real time and space at any given moment. 

• it makes things ok. ok to sit and rest, ok to let the dishes wait and ok to not be doing a thousand things at once.

• it teaches you to be kind and gentle with your body and not even for a minute take it for granted.  

So to anyone out there who is suffering... and unfortunately there are a few special people in my life that are... remember to surrender to what is. your body will persevere if you give it the time, care, kindness and space it needs. treat it well and it has no choice but to do so in return. and in the meantime, the washing can wait.