My first step in my road to healing was trying acupuncture. I was a little afraid to give it a try, but at the same time I was willing to try almost anything to rid myself of my unrelenting pain. I felt I had no life any longer and I was so tired of the constant pain. I found this practitioner entirely by accident...or some might say that I was guided to her. She had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia herself years before and was also helped by acupuncture. Our personalities clicked well and I found myself willing to try anything she suggested.
After my fibromyalgia was diagnosed my IBS kept getting worse. On her suggestion I stopped all dairy products and realized that I was actually allergic to cows milk. Staying away from cows milk nearly completely eliminated the constant diarrhea that I'd been dealing with for years. Acupuncture itself helped relax and soften my constantly stiff muscles. My thigh muscles were so hard it felt like they were made of plastic. After about six months of treatment they feel like normal muscles now.
Acupuncture is not a quick fix. I've been going now for over two years, but now I'm at the point where I only feel the need for a treatment every couple of months. At first I was going every week. Because of the pain I was in my acupuncturist wasn't using as many needles as she might use on a person who was going in for back pain or another issue. Now I can take as many as she feels would help me.
Another part of acupuncture treatment is herbal. If you aren't willing to take the herbs as prescribed you won't do as well. At one point my practitioner was prescribing a special blend from the Oriental College of Medicine. I was supposed to either drink these in a tea three times a day or mix them into apple sauce. They tasted horrible...I couldn't gag them down. I bought some gelatin capsules and filled them and took the herbs that way.
I started acupuncture in March of 2012 and by July I was feeling almost normal. I've had a few set backs since then, but the improvement in my life and abilities is easy for anyone who knows me to notice. I credit the majority of my recovery to acupuncture.
Showing posts with label irritable bowel syndrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label irritable bowel syndrome. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I need to be normal some days
Yesterday I went out with a friend and a co-worker to spend the day at IKEA. There is only one Ikea in Oregon, so it took a little over two hours to drive there. The store is HUGE. I haven't been there for several years and I really wanted to go look for some furniture for my daughter's tiny bedroom.
I was looking forward to spending time with my friend. I've always liked my co-worker, we were friends before she interviewed me for the job I have now. But I've been careful who I let know that I have fibromyalgia. She is now a supervisor for another team and I don't want to limit my chances for future promotions. So, I was worried about how it might look to her if I got tired too quickly.
For the Ikea uninitiated, the top floor is the showroom with a long maze-like path winding you through the showroom which was full of dozens of tiny examples of living spaces. My IBS was acting up while I was upstairs in the showroom and there is only one restroom on both floors so I had to be careful while navigating the maze to remember how to get back to the bathroom at all times. There is also a restaurant there, YUM, I love Swedish meatballs with lingonberry preserves.
After that you go downstairs to shop before hitting the huge Costco-like warehouse to pick up your boxes with the parts of your furniture. I wasn't sure I'd make it through. In the showroom there are hundreds of chairs and places to rest. However, once you get downstairs you have to really look for benches and places to sit.
I made it through with only limited pain and fatigue during and afterwards. I had a day were I felt as close to normal as I've felt in a long time. I had to keep taking my pain killers and tried to be discrete about it. I didn't talk about fibromyalgia the entire time we were together. I was a normal person out shopping with friends.
I knew not to plan anything today. I'm praying that I won't be too tired tomorrow. I need to go to work. But even if everything isn't perfect, it was worth it for the day of near normalcy.
I was looking forward to spending time with my friend. I've always liked my co-worker, we were friends before she interviewed me for the job I have now. But I've been careful who I let know that I have fibromyalgia. She is now a supervisor for another team and I don't want to limit my chances for future promotions. So, I was worried about how it might look to her if I got tired too quickly.
For the Ikea uninitiated, the top floor is the showroom with a long maze-like path winding you through the showroom which was full of dozens of tiny examples of living spaces. My IBS was acting up while I was upstairs in the showroom and there is only one restroom on both floors so I had to be careful while navigating the maze to remember how to get back to the bathroom at all times. There is also a restaurant there, YUM, I love Swedish meatballs with lingonberry preserves.
After that you go downstairs to shop before hitting the huge Costco-like warehouse to pick up your boxes with the parts of your furniture. I wasn't sure I'd make it through. In the showroom there are hundreds of chairs and places to rest. However, once you get downstairs you have to really look for benches and places to sit.
I made it through with only limited pain and fatigue during and afterwards. I had a day were I felt as close to normal as I've felt in a long time. I had to keep taking my pain killers and tried to be discrete about it. I didn't talk about fibromyalgia the entire time we were together. I was a normal person out shopping with friends.
I knew not to plan anything today. I'm praying that I won't be too tired tomorrow. I need to go to work. But even if everything isn't perfect, it was worth it for the day of near normalcy.
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