In the Beginning, there was pain.

I am chronicling my Life Wave patching journey, for my own clarity and perhaps to help someone else. 

Why would I try the Life Wave patches?  Isn't that just a bunch of expensive, baseless promises? I tried them because I was desperate! Let me explain...

My life before the patches, the short version of a long story:

1. I have broken my right ankle twice and shredded the tendons and ligaments in both feet. Walking is not a "pleasure" to put it mildly.  I can only wear flat, hard soled, ugly shoes, and still, walking is a painful activity. I have bought several types of tennis shoes, but none allow me to walk very far before I am in so much pain!

2.I actually had knee surgery scheduled for my right knee. This was to try to get me able to walk while I waited for time to undergo a knee replacement and the lengthy rehab. I was not able to walk up an incline. I tried some things, improved a bit and actually canceled my surgery since my knee was functioning. Painful, and always swollen, but it did function and the surgery may only have given me about a 20% improvement, so I decided to let it be because it was at least functioning, so I didn't want to have surgery (invasive procedure) for a possible minimal improvement.

3.When I was 18, my Thoroughbred reared up and fell over backwards on me. 1500 pounds landing on you, between your legs and crushing you on a rocky trail, sets you up for hip problems throughout your life.

4.I cannot sit on a couch/restaurant booth bench for very long before my hips yell at me. I cannot keep my right leg bent at a 45 degree angle for more than 3-5 minutes - even that is almost impossible to handle. When I ride in a car, I literally HAVE TO get out of the car and walk every hour. When I get out of the car after an hour, I am bent over and have to work to straighten up and get my right leg working. Forget sitting on the floor!!

5.If I am driving for even 30 minutes, when I try to get out of the car I cannot put my right foot down. It feels like the bones have shifted and I have to bend my foot to make it feel like everything is in the 'right place' before I can actually walk on it. I guess it has to do with how I have to hold my foot while I drive. Sometimes my left foot does the same thing.

6.My left shoulder was injured at work about 20 years ago. It feels okay most days, but some days I can't lift it over my head.

7.For Christmas, about 6 years ago, my son gave me a bike carrier for my car. That changed my life!! I can't walk much but I *can* ride a bike!  After the knee issue began, riding a bike also allows me to exercise my leg without much stress on it. I couldn't ride up hills or else I would have to ice my knee for literally 2-3 days for the pain, so with the bike rack I could head to flat trails. The movement eased my knee pain so much! And it helps my ankle pain. Motion Is Lotion proves true for me.  Of course, taking a decent ride meant I also need to factor in time for a nap post shower, so I can't ride if I have a busy afternoon ahead.

8.I have been doing charity bike rides for 3 years. Last year I had a spectacular crash and tore my bicep. It has still not healed, so my right arm is always at least nagging me, and more often than not, it downright hurts. Forget sleeping on my side! Neither shoulder/arm will allow it.

9.About 2 months ago my left thumb became so painful (strain? Arthritis?) I couldn't use it. It is not really improved.

10.My various aches and pains wake me up at night. Yes, I am a mess. I often said, "If 65 feels like *this*, I am terrified what 85 will bring!"

A friend in Altrusa mentioned to me her knee was feeling so much better since using the patch for just a few weeks! WHAAAAT??  Let me hear more! For the next week, I watched video after video about these PATENTED patches. I decided I was in. It was worth a try. Saturday, August 31, I signed up as a distributor to get a discount because I was really going to try these a few months to give it the ol' college try.

SO. That is where I am starting from. On to my Patching Journey! I will chronicle my first week, then make weekly updates. 

DAY 1 Sept 1

Sunday, Sept 1st was the kickoff for my 3rd Great Cycle Challenge fundraiser for the Children's Cancer Research Fund. It was also my first day patching. I wore an X39 on the back of my neck and then went for a bike ride. My mileage goal for the month is 175 miles (but hope to hit 220) so I knew I wanted to have a strong first ride. My favorite distance is 20 - 25 miles, and the furthest I have ever ridden was 35 miles (once). I was going to try to surpass that. I put on an X39 patch when I woke up. In about an hour, I realized my bicep wasn't hurting!! Hmmmm, okay, I'll take it! I load my bike and head to my favorite trail, an hour away. When I got there, I simply got out of my car. My foot was normal! My hips straightened right up! My leg was working! I could barely believe it!

I popped on my bike and took off. I passed a cyclist and he caught up to me after about 8 miles and said I was HARD to catch LOL Are you KIDDING ME?? That trail (Thermal Belt, in NC) is almost a 28 mile ride to the end and back. I rode my favorite section of it twice. I rode 47 miles!!!! 47 MILES!! 12 miles further than ever before. Not gonna lie, I would have happily stopped at 43, but I had to get back to my car.  

In the car I did an assessment of how I felt. My calves were a bit sore as were the tops of my thighs right above my knees. The hour drive home was good, and I was able to get out of the car with no problems. Going up the stairs was a tiny bit painful! I sat in the recliner, put my feet up and turned on the tv. I did zone out for about 30 minutes. Went upstairs - hey, it wasn't as difficult as coming in the house a while ago - and took my shower. I then started doing laundry and creating some cards (I am a Stampin' Up independent demonstrator 😁If you are interested, check out my website here and my Stamping Blog here ) putted around the house and cooked dinner. Notice what I did NOT do? NO NAP!! I went on with my day!!

I did call my sister and tell her my experience, and said "If this is just placebo effect, I don't care because I feel great!"

DAY 2 Sept 2 

Aeon patch on my ankle, the X39 on my neck

I woke up feeling great Monday, Sept 2. I didn't ride, because after a long ride, you should have a rest day, and I didn't want to hurt myself. My bicep still felt fine, and my thumb didn't hurt so much! Ankle and knee pains were there but not so bad! 

DAY 3 Sept 3

Aeon on ankle and X39 on my neck

Woke up feeling good and headed out for a 17-mile ride. Still feeling great and went shopping. NO NAP! Bedtime, I actually turned onto my right side for a minute and it didn't hurt! Back onto my back so I didn't mess up the pain-free moment.

Day 4 Sept 4

Aeon on my ankle and X39 on my neck

Gorgeous day, so when I got to the 2-year-old grandson's house, I decided we would go to the zoo. I used his mom's wagon, which weighs a ton, since it was a last-minute decision. I actually was wearing some very supportive tennis shoes because I had originally planned to just get him and return home. My feet were feeling good so I didn't change shoes and had no problems walking around the zoo! It was only a mile walk, and we were stopping, but STILL! When we got back to his house, taking the wagon out of the car, the wheels got hooked in my bike rack. I did have to wrestle with it a bit to get it loose. Bicep started hurting again. Had the rest of the grands on the afternoon and was able to help even the 4- and 5-year-olds climb a tree by lifting them onto a branch that was about my chin height. 

Day 5 Sept 5

X39 on my neck, saving the Aeon for bedtime since I watched a webinar last night where David Schmidt, the inventor of the patches, said Aeon was great for sleeping.

I went to bed at midnight last night, pretty typical, but I did not wake up until 5:30 a.m. and then went back to sleep for 3 more hours! Rode 10 miles including some hills. Feel good. Bicep is still hurting a bit but no telling how I injured it yesterday fighting to get the heavy wagon free from the bike rack. My thumb is okay to the point I could put my socks on normally, but the thumb is still sore. Ankle pain is nonexistent, but my knees are a bit stiff. I couldn't just "pop up" from my chair. Knees feel a bit stiff to walk, but I *did* ride up hills.