Don’t Let Pain Stop You
A few weeks ago, one of my friends (a mother of three) texted and said, “I NEED to go on a trip somewhere.” So I said, “Let’s go!”
Then I said, “Where should we go?” Hummm.
It turns out, her family had a hunting camp near Tylertown, Mississippi and her mom had recently gone on a kayak trip there. Neither of us had been kayaking before so this was perfect!
As the trip approached, I began to have reservations. Can I even survive a kayaking trip? I had pretty severe chronic neck and shoulder pain so I was very unsure – but I refused to back out. If I got stuck out there I knew she wouldn’t just leave me and would probably tow me back (I have the best friends!)
first time kayaking!
We drove down on a Thursday evening, spent the night, and arrived at the Canoe and Trail Outpost at 8:30am Friday morning. The staff (and I don’t even think that word suits them) were so nice and friendly that it felt like they were welcoming us to their home. The lady at the check-in answered all of our questions and truly put me at ease with the trip.
There were two options, the Bogue Chitto River trip and Magee’s Creek. We went with the recommended Magee’s Creek.
After paying, we gathered our stuff and sat at the pavilion to wait on the van that would take us to the launch point. We only had to wait 2-3 minutes. We rode to the launch point with an older couple who came there often to canoe. Again, I was put at ease as they described their experiences with canoeing at this location.
The van driver unloaded our kayaks and we were ready to go.
Magee’s Creek was perfect. It wasn’t crowded but wasn’t deserted either (we were there on Friday July 1st, 2021.) We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The forecast originally predicted rain but that didn’t happen. It wasn’t too cool or too hot. There was just enough breeze and the sun didn’t really start to blaze until 1:30pm right as we were finishing the trip.
In a normal year, the July heat would be unbearable, but 2021 has been cooler than average so we opted not to stop and swim on this trip.
Magee’s Creek
The Creek had a rocky bottom and wasn’t more than knee deep in most areas. There were numerous sand bars, rocky beaches, and scenic views that included rock ledges, trees with beautiful root formations, several small waterfalls, and even a beautiful mural.
I had been worried about the stability of the kayak. Mainly, if I fell out, would I be able to get back in the boat. It turned out I had put myself through a lot of unnecessary worry. There was no way I would have fallen out of that kayak unless I tried to. Second, if I did fall out, I would have just needed to stand up and get back in the boat!
There were a few sections that were deeper, especially toward the end of the trip near the exit point but overall I just felt silly that I had worried so much.
Pain, pain, go away….
As soon as we arrived at the launch point I realized that my leg was hurting (ligament/bone pain that randomly inflames for seemingly no reason at all). I’ve lived with this pain for almost my entire life so it was nothing new. I reached for my Aleve and it wasn’t there. I had forgotten to pack it.
If you don’t already have a friend that is a true believer in homeopathy, I highly recommend that you get one! I was so grateful I was with someone who brought along all the remedies we might need.
She had Ruta Graveolens which is for ligament pain. Almost immediately after I took it the pain was gone. My leg didn’t bother me for the rest of the trip! That is pretty amazing considering this pain can be very enduring. There are times when the Aleve simply doesn’t work at all to relieve it.
And that neck and shoulder pain that I thought would ruin the whole trip? With frequent doses of Rhus Toxicodendron 30c & 200c, Arnica Montana 200c, and Ruta Graveolens 200c. I was better by the end of the trip than I was at the beginning. I wasn’t even sore the next day.
CAUTION
WARNING: Check with your doctor before taking homeopathic remedies. There are homeopathic consultants who can help guide you.
The dilution (the number behind the name) matters as well as the dosage and frequency. It can be difficult to use homeopathy correctly without the aid of someone with experience.
If you don’t take it correctly, it won’t work. Also, the wrong remedy or dilution may even make symptoms worse.
Doing research all on your on can be misleading. For example, if you search Ruta Graveolens you will see it is primarily used for eye strain. Without someone guiding me, I would never have thought to use it for ghost ligament pain.
Every person and their pain is different. Rhus Toxicodendron (Rus Tox) is generally for muscles (the internet lists it as the treatment for joint pain, arthritis pain, cold sores, and probably more).
I found that Rhus Tox doesn’t do much for my arthritis type pain but I need Rhus Tox 30c for my neck and shoulders in general. I need Rhus Tox 200c for exacerbation of muscle pain due to repeated movement or strain, the type of movement endured when kayaking or digging with a shovel. The Rhus Tox 200c is probably why I wasn’t sore the next day. Even though they are both Rhus Tox, the different dilutions treat different symptoms.
If you want to learn more about homeopathy Joette Calabrese and MMC Homeopathy are both good resources.
RECHARGE
Overall this was an amazing trip. I learned so much. I had energy and stamina. I had fun. All of the worry was completely unnecessary. The peace and time away in nature was healing. This was one of the shortest trips I’ve ever taken (27 hrs with ~ 6 hr drive time) but it was completely refreshing.
I thought we had packed light but it turns out we didn’t need most of what was brought. I had tons of snacks but didn’t need them (I only ate my breakfast and some apples) while kayaking.
I applied bug spray and sunblock before we left the car and I didn’t need it again throughout the trip. The trees alongside the creek provided ample shade.
If you go on a trip like this, be prepared to pee outside. On a more crowded day it may have been hard to find a place to pee privately.
Mamas’ Scouting Expeditions
Before we left for the trip we debated bringing the kids. In the end we decided against it just out of a gut feeling. Now I know why.
Bringing kids along on a water related activity that I was experiencing for the first time made me uneasy.
I needed to go alone and learn what it was like. I need to KNOW the depth of the water, the difficulty level, the stability of the kayak, how easy or hard it was to control, and to gauge what my child would be capable of in that situation and for that length of time.
That’s when I came up with a grand idea!
First, go on a mom’s trip as a scouting mission, then come back with the kids!
As mamas, we need time away but we often feel so guilty when we don’t have our kids with us. This strategy offers such a great solution! Moms get to EXPERIENCE something new in PEACE. Then they get to come back, make MEMORIES, and have FUN with their kids (hopefully stress free!)
I think this is a grand plan and I can’t wait to go back with my little one!
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