Hurt

I finally bit the bullet and went back to acupuncture last night. I had to. The annoying pain that had been nagging me since February had started to radiate from my right hip to my entire pelvis, low back, and left hip. And then on Monday, my right arm started tingling and I had a hard time "waking it up".

I know lots of people have chronic pain, and far worse pain than I have. I try not to whine about it too much. I just deal. Go to yoga, try to stretch, get up and walk when the sharp jabs shoot towards my knee. But in 2007, years of daily low back pain finally started causing arm pain and tingling, so I went to see an acupuncturist/chiropractor in Rogers Park who had really helped a couple of my friends.

I remember the first full day that I did not feel any back pain at all, about six weeks after I had started seeing her. I had been in the car driving home from visiting my mom, and I remember that I parked the car in front of my apartment, called my mom, and started crying. She was sure that something terrible had happened, or I had been in an accident. But no. I was just overwhelmed with the realization that I had been in the car for 2 hours and I was not in pain.

So anyway, I got all acupunctured and then started going to yoga faithfully twice per week. And I had been pretty much pain-free for four years, until this winter. I don't know if I hurt myself, or if my body is just tensing up again as my punishment for ditching my running routine and slacking on the yoga. It's a different pain now, in a different place, but still probably hips&back related.

Some history: I was born pretty wonky. I was breach, riding high (what seems like must have been mom's rib cage, from the look of her formidable c-section scars), and twisted like a pretzel. My little leg bones were dislocated from my pelvis, and I had to wear some sort of plastic contraption over my hips and legs when I was a newborn to keep my newly-placed femurs in the proper spot. Or something like that. I don't have anyone to ask for details about this mysterious malady, but that's the Cliff's Notes version of what I remember my mom telling me. My knees point in towards each other, and I've never had the same flexibility or range of motion in my hips. My left side is considerably "looser" than my right.

When I called last night to see if the Doctor could see me anytime soon, and I explained my pain, she asked if I could go come that same night. And I did. And I was there for two and a half hours. 30 minutes of paperwork/waiting for her to finish with a previous patient, and then two full hours of diagnostics and treatment. When is the last time your doctor spent two hours with you? Going over your body and your descriptions for over an hour, making sure she had gathered as much information as possible?

I've mentioned this pain to two other doctors over the past year, and they have both pretty much blown it off. Take some Tylenol. Go to yoga. Stretch.  Gee, thanks, I hadn't thought of that. But Doctor W is not like that. She wants to know what you are eating, how long you sleep at night, what kind of mattress you have. She has FOUR pages of checklists that cover hundreds of symptoms/body system functions that you go through - first on your own, and then with her. She checks your body for areas of heat and cold (which I would have found completely bizarro, if I hadn't been able to FEEL with my own hands that my low back was cold to the touch and my shoulders and neck were superwarm). She tests for sensitivity and tenderness and flinching over just about every area of your body. She checks your pulses and blood flow 4 or 5 different ways. She could tell things about my body, my diet, and my lifestyle that hadn't been covered on the intake forms. And one pin that caused a searing pain when she put it in (and then took out, at my request), was in the spot connected to another little personal health issue of mine that she and I hadn't yet discussed...

Totally fascinating.

And if it sounds weird, consider this: Even after one treatment, I felt a ton better. Not "well" or "pain-free", but lots better. The spot on my shoulder that had made me lurch in pain when she checked it pre-treatment was soft and comfy afterwards. My back and legs felt neutral and tired. And I slept like a brick.

Her initial take is this: My body is significantly inflamed - hips and back, yes, but also my internal organs and joints. Could be from any of several different causes, all of which sounded totally plausible to me. She suggested that I cut waaaay back on the carbs/flour/sugar and focus on vegetables (especially leafy greens), yogurt with active cultures, and other anti-inflammatory foods. Which may be just the butt-kick I need to finally FINALLY overhaul my diet. I keep meaning to. And then I keep not doing it. But if it could experience immediate results like pain reduction, that could be just the thing I need to commit.

I have another appointment on Friday. I don't love getting "the pins", but I cannot say enough good things about the results. It works, people. And for that, I am very very thankful.