Dancing with My Disabilities!

Title: Dancing with My Disabilities! I had my shoulder and both hips replaced, and I am changing things up a bit on this blog! I began belly dancing in 2010! Yes, you read that correctly!! I am going to be blogging about my experience as a woman with several joint diseases and conditions who had her shoulder and both hips replaced who now belly dances, dances hip hop, performs, teaches dance to children of all ages and abilities, teaches belly dance fitness classes to adult women, teaches chair belly dance movement classes to people with mobility issues and disabilities, and takes a Pure Barre class as well! I still have pain, but I want to blog about how I have fun too! Please read Chronically Mommy (chronicallymommy.blogspot.com) for info on health/pain and being a mom to a 13-year-old son. I have avascular necrosis in my shoulders, hips, and knees, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondylitis, Sjogren's, fibromyalgia, hEDS, POTS, MCAS, vascular/ocular/hemiplegic migraines, pseudotumor cerebri, trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, endometriosis, and chronic shingles. I found out that I have autoimmune arthritis in my cervical spine and a bulging disk in my lumbar spine. Fourteen years ago, my spine orthopedic surgeon told me I had a small amount of inflammatory arthritis in my SI joint. The question was if the spinal involvement was due to Psoriatic Spondylitis, which is a more severe form of Psoriatic Arthritis or is it a new diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis? Now, they have an updated term, Axial Spondylitis, which fits my symptoms and diagnostic proof. Whatever the diagnosis, the treatment will remain the same. I had my left hip replaced in 2003; my right shoulder replaced in March of 2010. I gave my right arm to be ambidextrous! LOL! Lastly, I had my right hip replaced on May 10th, 2012, and I began belly dancing two years prior to my right hip replacement surgery. Yes that's correct! I began belly dancing in 2010, just after my shoulder replacement, before my son was born. I performed for the first time in 2012, five days prior to my right hip replacement surgery. Pain is still another part of my life. It is just a question of when, where, and how much, but I would like to use this blog to write about my experience as a woman with several joint diseases and conditions who had both hips and a shoulder replaced and now spends her free time dancing, teaching, and performing! I began dancing with a troupe in February of 2014, Seshambeh Dance Company. I now take a Pure Barre class on Monday mornings, teach ballet, tap, and creative movement on Monday evenings to children of all ages and abilities, take a hip hop class with all adult women on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, teach a belly dance fitness class on Thursdays to all adult women, and teach a chair belly dance movement class to people with mobility issues and disabilities as often as I possibly can. Join me in my journey! At times, I take 16 to 20 pills a day. I give myself an injection each week on Fridays for my autoimmune/autoinflammatory arthritis diseases. Just when one thing is doing better, something else goes downhill! My attitude, however, is always going uphill! I am 49 years old, have been married for 24 years, and my husband and I adopted Mick in Dec. of 2010! I have a lot on my plate right now, but I take it one moment at a time. I believe that God will never give me more than I can handle. However, I do need to learn to ask for help sometimes instead of always doing it by myself!

Blog Title: Dancing with My Disablities!

Formerly Now Read My HIPS, and before that, I Already Gave My Right Arm to Be Ambidextrous.
Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these daya are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me, oh.

Dancing with My Disabilities

Dancing with My Disabilities
Asmara "Beautiful Butterfly"

Blog with Integrity

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Beginning to Turn Around...Thanks to The Signs!


So the last time I spoke I was upset. I literally had reached my breaking point.

Since I last spoke with you, I have done a complete 180 degree spin! When you go through any crisis, like that of a chronic illness that goes out of control,you reach a point where the floor collapses from under you and the ceiling falls in on top of you. Sometimes it is symbolic and other times it can be something realistic and tangible.

I went for an energy healing, and she said to me "I see the foundation of the structure collapsing. Do you know what that means when I tell you this?" At the time, I thought it meant my body's structure wearing down and literally collapsing. I have a joint disease that literally causes the blood flow not to reach the joints, the joints die, they collapse (at different times), and then the only thing left to do is replace the crumbled joints. I have already had my left hip replaced, and on my right shoulder has collapsed and surgery is March 29th to replace it. Well that seems like the tangible, superficial structure that is collapsing. But my world around me was collapsing to. I was losing control. We are in the process of adopting, I am on a path of self-discovery, finding myself spiritually, we are living in a city that is not built for someone like me, and I have a husband who is trying to get tenure as a professor. So, symbolically, my ceiling was falling in on me, and my floor was not feeling very sturdy on my feet.

I was not feeling very confident in my decisions. I began second-guessing things that I would do, and decisions that I would make. I never would do that because I believed that God would steer me in the right direction to take the right path. And even if I took the path less traveled, well, it would be OK because God would get me there.

As I became less and less confident in myself, my arthritis and other health symptoms got worse and worse and all at the same time. My whole body at once was telling me to stop and listen...stop...pay attention to the signs...I always paid attention to the signs before...what the hell made me forget to do this now...I tell everyone else to look and listen to the signs...what made me so special that I didn't have to do that anymore...Well, eventually, my doctor saw my crippled body and said to me that I needed to stop and listen to my body...it's trying to tell me to relax and calm down...I'm obviously on overload!!!

I took a class on Saturday morning about I-Ching. I had no idea what it was. I just signed up for it because a friend of mine was going and sent me the invite. I went to it, completely unknowing as to what was in store for me, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I won't go into details as to what I-Ching is, but will suggest to everyone out there to at least take an intro class about it. It is fascinating to say the least. When I asked my question to the almighty and the energy force of the world and threw the coins, my answer came back to me no quicker than I needed it to to save my life...I received the answer to what was blocking me from getting what I needed and wanted out of life: Hexagram #28--"the breaking point". The almighty and great energy force of the world mirrored back the image that I already new. I had reached a breaking point and "the foundation's structure was collapsing from the bottom as well as the roof from the top caving in from being too weak." Imagine that. It gave me the answer from my blog....!!!!! I realized that I need to stop overloading myself with petty things, worrying about things that I cannot do anything about, and start understanding that God is in control of everything. When I realized this, a huge weight was lifted from me.

I also was given a shot in the butt by my doctor the day before to help with some of the pain and inflammation, but you see sometimes we have to look for the signs and make small changes to relieve excess weight off our shoulders so we can handle life...

Today, my answer to the same question was: hexagram #17 "the following". Following brings supreme success. You may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but by frequently adjusting your sails, you can arrive at your destination.

Those who would acquire a following must speak the language of their followers. Those who would be loved must become the envisioned lover of their beloved. Those who would prosper must bend with natural forces and the pressures of society. In matters of principle, stand firm; in matters of style and taste, swim with the current.

In all human affairs, change is constant. In order to stay fresh, old ideas and patterns must continually be discarded in favor of new ones. Only by being adaptable to the demands of the time can the highest good emerge. Only by adjusting to changing circumstances can you prosper. Remain flexible, and you will gain the confidence of those around you. Bend and you shall not break!!!!!!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You really must call me when you've got a minute to tell me about how the class went, sounds like it was amazing!!! So sad I had to miss out.

Dana Asmara Morningstar-Marton said...

I will have so much time to talk after next Monday! LOL!

2012

2012
Performance 5 days before my Hip Replacement Surgery!

2012

2012
Performance 5 Days Prior to my Hip Replacement Surgery.

Belly Dance

Belly Dance
Before the Performance 5/6/12
Watch live streaming video from arthritisfoundation at livestream.com