Worst case, I'll chalk this up as research

[pbray]

One of the quirks of being a writer is that we never stop being a writer, no matter what else we're doing. A perfect example was my doctor's appointment this morning. An ordinary patient might have been thinking "I hope this works" or perhaps, "I hope this doesn't hurt too much." My thoughts were "Hey, it would be nice if this helped. But if not, I can always chalk the experience down to research."

Today was my first visit to an acupuncturist. Friends may remember the Great Crockpot Incident of April 2009, which resulted in pain/nerve damage in my right hand that has never quite healed. When I had my physical earlier this month my doctor suggested acupuncture, so off I went.


I'm not a huge fan of alternative medicine, but I've read enough to be open-minded about acupuncture. My acupuncturist is a member of the same family medical group that my physician is in, and has in fact successfully treated my own doctor for back and muscle pain issues, which was a huge plus for me. I did some checking and confirmed that the acupuncturist was a board certified medical acupuncturist, with all the right credentials, and then did the pre-visit reading that the office requires.

Today was my first visit. I liked the doctor right away--he asked good questions, did a great job explaining the theory behind what he was going to do, and was genuinely interested in engaging with me in my treatment. He's going to work on the hand issues (at best it feels tingling and uncomfortable, as if I just banged it against a wall. At worst, well, it just hurts, and the pain radiates from my knuckles up to my elbow.) And he's also going to work on the low grade neck pain that I've had for at least 10 years, which is likely stress/job related.

The treatment started with placing four tiny gold studs (needles) in my right ear. These hurt a bit going in, but nowhere near as painful as getting your ear pierced. I get to leave these in for a week (unless they fall out) and was given little magnets so I can periodically top up their energy. Oddly, after they were put in, I felt immediate relief in my neck, which surprised me since I was expecting any change would be in my hand.

The next part of the treatment was called "The Four Gates". I laid down on the table, and four needles were put in--one in the top of each foot, and then one on the top of each hand, in the flesh part between the thumb and forefinger. A final needle was put in my right arm, about halfway between hand and elbow. I barely felt the needles being inserted, but after each was in, the doctor manipulated it until I felt either a cramping sensation (feet) or had an involuntarily response (twitchy girl, that's me.) The fifth needle produced the most dramatic response, which he explained was likely due to a muscular issue related to the nerve problems.

I was lying down so I couldn't really see anything, but I did pick up left hand hand to check it out. Seeing the quill sticking out from my hand was incredibly bizarre, I kept thinking it should hurt, but it didn't.

After all the needles were in, I got to meditate for fifteen minutes. As I lay there, I could feel my right hand tingle, then it fell asleep. When time was up, his assistant removed the needles, then the doctor came in to check on me. I reported improvement in my neck, and no apparent change in how my hand felt, though we both noticed that my hands were red and flushed with blood, which is not how they were at start of treatment.

I return next week for another treatment. Now that he knows how I react (needles didn't bother me) the hand treatment is going to include electrical stimulation. It should be interesting.

It would be nice if this worked. But if not, at least I can say that I've tried it.

Comments

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

And now, I can officially report, your tiny gold needles in your ear are extremely cute and unobtrusive.