Strongly Worded

Seven Glasses of Tepid Water

I never thought I'd say this, but I just experienced acupuncture.

You all know that I've suffered from migraines since I was 14. My migraines aren't extremely severe, but they're wicked frequent. Usually, I have two a week. The pain is well controlled by medication, so when the bi-weekly migraine comes on, I pop some Amerge, and usually feel immediately better. If I don't, I take another pill. And that is almost always the end of it.

This was an acceptable state of affairs until the evil health insurance company tripled the co-pay for this and all comparable medications (and yes, I had a stronglyworded but fruitless conversation with the insurance people). So now my 6-month co-pay is $225, and each pill costs me four dollars. That means that most weeks, I'm spending $8-$12--the equivalent of a movie or a nice lunch or a Netflix subscription--on drugs.

As much as this sucks, it doesn't suck as much as the migraine that has dogged me, on and off, since mid June. I've been taking my exorbitantly expensive drugs, feeling better, and then coping with the same pain the next day.

Before you go there, I have tried almost everything to prevent/address this problem. I did a six-week course of physical therapy, which included jaw exercises, biofeedback, ice massage, and relaxation tapes. I have tried craniosacral therapy, herbal things, and a plethora of prescription and OTC drugs. I have also been seen by neurologists, holistic practitioners, osteopaths, pain specialists, and psychiatrists.

Yet. I have always studiously avoided acupuncture, not because I am afraid of needles/pain, but because the voodoo-doll imagery completely skeeves me out. Many of my friends swear by acupuncture and have recommended it over the years, but I couldn't bear the thought of it, until recently, when desperate times called for desperate measures, and a $75 appointment became cheaper than dependence on these pills.

And I am proud to say I made an appointment with the lovely Valerie at the Japanese Acupuncture Center. I read her bio and was impressed and comforted by all her impressive credentials: certifications not just in acupuncture, but in massage, (including hot stone massage!), yoga, and acupressure. She was wearing a pretty lavender top and I instantly liked her. Her soothing-but-professional approach was just right for my combination of nerves and skepticism.

So. We talked for a while about all my health issues, and then I lay on a table under a sheet. She closed her eyes, leaned over me, and felt my pulse ("it's a pain pulse," she said sadly). Then she gently examined my back and torso and concluded that I have a textbook migraine body.

Believe it or not, I was mellow by then, and I encouraged (!) Valerie to insert these tiny, tiny needles (which they should totally rename--because they're really more like wires or filaments, and they're not hollow or sharp like real needles) into my feet and hands, and I felt virtually nothing, and then she massaged my neck, proclaiming it extraordinarily tight. Apparently the massage releases toxins from my unhappy muscles, so she suggested that I drink lots of water to flush out my system.

After some lovely hot stone massage, Valerie left me to rest for a while, and let the treatment work its magic. She positioned a heat lamp over me, and I felt all warm and restful.

When it was finished, I set up another appointment and agreed to do the "homework": tons of tepid water (cold water works against my already cold system), ten "belly" breaths a day, protein at every meal. I drove home with weird tingling in my hands, and twinges in my stomach. I felt like I'd worked muscles I hadn't known about before. I ate some chicken (gotta get that protein!) and took a nap.

After a quiet evening (which included seven glasses of tepid water and frequent bathroom breaks), I went to bed. I'm almost too afraid to write this, but I woke up feeling fine.

Posted by Dori at 10:09 AM