... this is a trial.

For those of you that don't know much of my life, to start let me tell you something about me. In August of 2006 I had back surgery.

Here is the entry I wrote about my back, dance, and life after my surgery when I wanted to share my story:

I’ve always tried to balance everything in my life, but this past year I was put to the test. In November I was at my dance class when I started to notice a sharp pain going down my right leg. After visiting several doctors and specialists, they found I had two bulging discs and one herniated disc. The herniated disc was pinching my nerve and causing tremendous pain. The pain increased to a level so intense I couldn’t tolerate sitting in a desk for more than 15 minutes. The only thing that offered me any relief was the movement in my dance classes. Through all the pain, I only gave up track when I couldn’t stand the twisting when I threw the discus and shot put. I finished the school year going to every class in pain.
During the summer I participated in a dance competition where I endured my most horrific pain, but those minutes on stage dancing, doing what I love most, was all worth it. My team even walked away from the competition with five grand championships. A week later, my family went to my brother’s mission in Italy so we could see everything he experienced and learn the things he did. On the return trip, I had to lie under the airplane seats because I wasn’t able to sit. When we got back to the States, I decided I couldn’t handle the pain anymore and we went to Boise for another opinion. The doctor said he didn’t expect such a severe hernia in a 17-year old girl. He recommended surgery immediately and I agreed. So here I am, three months after my surgery, feeling the relief and gratitude that I was able to have a successful surgery and get back to my normal life.

Well... life has been great since then. It was great before, and I was so blessed for the surgery to go so perfectly. And life has been running smoothly until about a month ago. My back started acting up again. The pain isn't in my back this time as much, just once and awhile, but I have started having numbness in my right leg, sometimes more than others. I went to the doctor's in Boise this week. He said he thinks it is the same disc and the same nerve, but he wants me to wait it out and take Aleve and stretch until it is unbearable, and then I will go in for an MRI. It is nice to know that my back isn't a threat, but it makes me nervous just waiting for it to get to the point it was before.