I'm a Believer

No, not the song written by Mr. Neil Diamond and made famous by the Monkees. I am a believer in Acupuncture.


I had Acupuncture done on Wednesday and here is what I can tell you about it and about me.

I HATE NEEDLES. I hate needles with a sort of fervor that borders on phobia. Whenever I have to have an IV inserted it is really a Very.Big.Deal. if I do not, in fact, pass smooth out. I still have to MAKE myself sit still and breathe deeply during a blood draw or shot. Actually during a blood draw not two years ago I DID pass smooth out.

This brings us to Acupuncture; lots of little needles sticking out of my FACE (of all places) making me resemble that disgusting movie personality Pinhead. (I hated this movie. It is the only movie that I have ever gotten up and walked out of - true story - I digress.) I should have been wigged completely out. Except I wasn't. I kept expecting the panic, the DREAD feeling to descend upon me as the appointment day drew closer: 2 days before, the day before, the day OF. But I woke up Wednesday morning and still I didn't feel it. I kept waiting for it to arrive, but no, it just never showed.

So I got there and was still relaxed and we started and she was doing deep massage on my back and shoulders and telling me I was "very blocked" and I felt a sort of *pinch*. I asked her what that was and she said, "Oh, it's the needles." I said, YOU PUT A NEEDLE IN MY BACK? She said, "Oh ya, there are lots in actually - you OK?" Shocked, I told her I was fine. I had only felt that ONE. Evidently my back was a pin cushion and I didn't even know. Before too much longer I realized she was massaging my entire back and I inquired about the needles; because how could you massage if there were needles back there? She said, "Oh, those have been out a few minutes now." Again - I wasn't even aware they had come OUT. WOW. I turned over and this continued on my face. She told me if I was scared of needles to keep my eyes shut. I did for a bit. These I could feel as they went in, well, maybe half of them I could feel - the others I didn't have any sense of at all. I opened my eyes to see little needles - like trees all around my right eye - on my eyebrow, forehead, upper cheek, and it stuck with me that they sort of swayed if I moved or spoke. It didn't scare me a bit. And it didn't hurt. On some of them I felt a pinch for literally 2 -3 seconds - and then nothing. No pain whatsoever. I also had no sense of when they were removed.

Right after the procedure was over I *did* notice a difference with my face. There was significantly more blood flow to the side affected by the Bell's Palsy (the right side), which was what she intended. And the hypertonic muscles by mouth seemed more relaxed and I could definitely raise my right eyebrow more. Since then those results have faded a bit but I have lots more hope; I believe I could see some improvement and that I will continue to see improvement. Also, the day after my back and shoulders were very sore, even so I slept very well that night and last night I got good, deep sleep. I woke up today feeling WONDERFUL. I've also been markedly more relaxed and HAPPY. I have not had another headache and my face has not hurt much since Tuesday night.

Is it the Acupuncture? Is it the massage? Is it the prayer? I don't know. It is probably some combination of the three. But whatever it is I am thankful for it. And, for a change, I feel GOOD. I really think I forgot what it was like to feel good.

So thank you - to my wonderful friends sending their prayers and energy, to my amazing Acupuncturist/Massage Therapist for her abilities, and to the Divine for allowing me to experience all of it.

Today is a musical day for me. I have always felt like my life had a soundtrack (that is another post to come) and big moments in my life have had some sort of song attached - at least in my mind. I'm going to leave you with a few words from the song that's been stuck in my head since yesterday...In the immortal words of The Rolling Stones...
You Can't Always Get What You Want
But if you try sometimes
You might just find
You Get What You Need.

Enjoy...