Extreme Makeover: Bathroom and Back Edition

Well before classes start in a few weeks, our shower here at the Stumble Inn and the rest of our bathroom will be receiving a makeover. Our landlord has decided it is time for a few renovations. Most importantly, we will be receiving a new shower. As of right now, our shower is not only stained, dirty, and probably holds mold and disease, but it is tiny. It is hard to move;  it is impossible to condition your hair without it being rinsed out immediately due to lack of space, and shaving your legs must take place outside of the shower. So here is a big shout out to Nick, our landlord, for deciding to give our house a facelift. Although our bathroom will be out of commission for a week or so, we are lucky that very few of us will be living in the house at that time. School starts in about three and a half weeks, so we are taking advantage of our short time of Freedom and squeezing in last minute trips, family dinners, and back surgeries. Wait, what? Yes, you read correctly. While I thought I would be soaking up the sun and spending time with my friends for the rest of my summer, I was proved wrong when I met with a doctor this past week.

Unfortunately, I have suffered from back problems since I was a baby. When I was ten, I started to experience excruciating pain in my back and down my legs, and when I was fifteen, I was diagnosed with two herniated disks in my lower back. The last ten years have consisted of lots of doctor appointments, different therapies, MRIs, CT scans, EEGs and mental disturbances. I have been able to cope with the pain, until I developed a third herniated disk this past March. It was not diagnosed until July, and has caused much discomfort. I am unable to walk or move without pain. I keep a smile on my face knowing that many people have it much worse, but sometimes this becomes difficult. Anyway, I met with a doctor this past week who explained to me that the most recent disk herniation is causing scoliosis and nerve damage. EEK! So he scheduled me for back surgery right away. Hopefully this will fix all of my problems, and I can finally be an average backed college student who can dance without pain and walk to class without needing a break halfway through.

With that being said, I will be out of the Stumble Inn until I have recovered from surgeons sticking needles and probes into my spine. I guess I will just have to wait to be able to use the new and improved shower. However, this won’t stop me from catching up with my roommates about the house and how things are going. And I am sure that I will have a story or two from my home in West Bloomfield. My sister is also receiving surgery next week. My sister is one year younger than me, and we are best friends. Our parents raised us as twins, but we couldn't be anymore different. I am sugar and she is spice. I am pale and she is tan. She is social and hot and sexy, and I am awkward and hide behind frizzy hair (I am social too but I think she is a little better at it). Despite our differences, we spend most of our time together and plan on being best friends forever. Anyway, she is having foot surgery, and will probably be walking in a boot for a little while. So that means my sister and I will be hobbling around town together during a post-operative period. I can’t even imagine the laughs, struggles, and stories that will accumulate. And I can’t wait to share.