by Nanette Piotrowski

Created on: January 06, 2009   Last Updated: December 01, 2010

I used to dance, ride horses and work on my 16 acre organic farm and just enjoy the simplicity of walking through the beautiful woods on my property. Clearing the land, building a new barn by hand and running with my dogs in the field were all the things that it took to bring peace and happiness to my soul. Oh, the things we take for granted in our life and never stop to think how different it could be.

It wasn't until the morning of November 2, 2006 that I awoke with my cat looking at me saying, "breakfast please." I knew however, that my first stop was going to be the ladies room. I rolled out of bed and immediately in screaming pain, fell to the floor. I tried to stand and the overwhelming pain ran its course from my lower back down through my buttocks and down the back of my legs.

The need now for the bathroom was instantaneous and I crawled on my hands and knees the eight feet to get there. Once seated, it felt like knives cutting across my thighs and all I could think of was how quickly I could do my business and crawl back to the bed. It was excruciating and once back in bed I thought, "My God, what is wrong?" I went to bed just fine the night before and I couldn't possibly have contorted that violently during sleep to have brought this on.

I was afraid to try and get up again, but I knew I had to try even though I was feeling the residual tingling that was in my butt. With teeth gritted, I got up and left the bedroom thinking that if I just walked around for awhile, it would go away. The more I walked, the pain lessened somewhat and that's how I spent the next 7 days. Walking, sitting, walking, sitting.

I finally couldn't stand it anymore, and realizing that something serious had taken place, I went to the Emergency Room. They took x-rays, gave me a shot in the lower spine for pain (which didn't work), and told me I should have an MRI done. The x-rays showed several bulging discs but the MRI would be able to show distinctive damage. After the MRI, I went home in agony and waited.

After 17 years of physical brutality from my husband, I never thought that my body was permanently damaged in any way. Oh sure, I had both rotator cuffs that never fully recovered from almost being ripped from their sockets and the nerves in my face had never reconnected. The hearing in my right ear is only 20%, but I still have the left one to hear the birds sing and the phone ring.

Apparently having my head shoved through a wall, being slammed into door jams, thrown down

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