Have you ever had a rotten experience that you later were grateful for? I’m currently going through something similar.

I’ve been having pain in my side and lower back for about five weeks. My experiences with kidney stones told me that was what I’m currently dealing with. I tried putting off going to the doctor for as long as I could because I thought I could deal with it. So for nearly a month, I avoided the inevitable because I didn’t want my daily life put on hold.

Last week, I couldn’t handle the pain anymore. I decided to go and see a doctor. From that point, I was sent to get a CT scan and from there was referred to a gynecologist for the cyst that was seen on my scan and to the urologist for, you guessed it, kidney stones that were also found.

After being sent back and forth from referral to referral, no one could pinpoint where the pain was coming from. Instead, each person just assumed it was something else causing the pain. After FIVE doctor visits, an X-Ray, CT can, two ultra sounds, and a whole lot of bills and medicine, the pain worsened and I called the one person I knew who would get it taken care of… Mom.

We went to the Emergency Room on Monday, and even though I had to do another CT scan and have few more tests that were not comfortable, I finally gained some closure. The doctor ordered a scan of not just my pelvis this time, but also my abdomen. In that, the thorough and patient Nurse Practitioner told me that she finally discovered what was giving me my intense kidney stone-like side pain- diverticulitis.

All while having this pain, I did a bodybuilding show, ran four races, worked a full week of SEC media days and until just lately, didn’t miss any work.

My true issue is that I allowed my pain tolerance to be too high. Yes, I said that. I allowed my body to take on more than it should have instead of listening to it. I knew something was wrong over a month ago and I let my pride and fear of missing out on ANYTHING stop me from giving my body a day of rest.

Well, my body got the rest it needed (by force of a doctor’s order, haha.) I missed work on Tuesday and Wednesday and did some work on my colon (laugh if you want, I feel tons better). I worked from home and still wrote stories with the available material that I had. However, I truly let my body rest.

Sometimes, rest is as important as work, or that workout you think you have to do, or that engagement you committed to.

I read a quote Tuesday that fit perfectly to my situation and I’d like to explain it for what my mind thinks it means.

“If you get tired, learn to rest, but not quit.”

If you committed to run three miles and you need to stop a minute because your lungs are killing you-walk for a minute, get your breath, and start again. Don’t quit the whole run.

Don’t let injury or sickness be something that gets you and keeps you down. Give your body time to rest and refuel and get back at your daily life, work and commitments. We all need time to rest, God created a day for just that.

Resetting yourself is important, but don’t forget to put the time back on the clock after you reset it.

Lauren Estes-Velez is a staff writer for the Hartselle Enquirer.