Julie Stauffer

<<the mind is a part of the whole and influences the whole>>

Oh, I couldn't agree more. I just meant that sometimes the initial
mitigating factor is psychological and sometimes it is physical, but yes,
the two very definitely play together.

Several years ago, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament in my knee and
required surgery because it kept making me fall. The doctor told me I would
walk out of the hospital. When I woke up after the surgery, I panicked when
I was unable to move my leg at all. I was reassured by the nurse that this
was normal and it took 2 weeks to learn how to move my leg by using my thigh
muscles differently. I felt myself to be in tremendous pain and thoroughly
enjoyed all narcotics given to me.

About 2 years after that, I tore the ligament again. This time it required
surgery on both knees (on the left to repair the damage and on the right to
scavenge spare parts). I knew what to expect. I was able to move both legs
within hours of the surgery and took absolutely zero pain medication.

In both cases, the root cause was physical but the mental made all the
difference in my perception of the event how I handled it.

Julie