Monday, September 5, 2011

Leg Problems & Acupuncture

For a very long time now I've been having issues with my right leg. Problems started in my heel and later I noticed problems with my knee. I got physiotherapy for the knee and began using my stationary bike a lot more. The problem seemed to get better in the knee but returned with a vengeance.

After my recent trip to the north country (which I've posted about), I could barely walk. This wasn't the first time things had gotten that bad. I was told by my doctor that the heel problem is plantar fasciitis and by the physiotherapist that the knee problem was caused by tight muscles. Neither of these medical professionals associated the two problems as being related. My own assessment is that the heel problem which was long untreated and for which western medicine can't seem to do too much except surgery (yikes, I'm not having surgery on my feet), led to the other problem of tight muscles.

Many years ago I'd gone to a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (DTCM) for treatment of a heel spur on the opposite foot.  I resolved to go again because the problem is really limiting what I can do both inside and outside of the house. Some days I can't walk too far and the pain is excruciating.

I'm happy to report that after the 2nd acupuncture treatment I was feeling huge relief. Unfortunately, I had to walk very far on the day of my 3rd appointment and over did things. My pain is back in spades but the acupuncture once again is helping to alleviate it. I know the problem has flared back up but I also know the acupuncture is working so I will continue with it.  I am now getting treated twice a week and I take some herbal Chinese medicines to relax the muscles and improve the blood flow.

The Doctor of TCM that I see, normally charges $60.00 (Canadian dollars) for one acupuncture treatment.  Sadly it is not covered by my extended health care plan.  I was blessed to have my doctor charge me for the herbs at cost and give me 2 acupuncture treatments for $25.00 (Canadian) instead of $120.00. I think that is quite a bargain!  In return, I am helping her with some drafting work she is doing. I edit and advise her on preparing some important documents she is working on. I also give her some advice related to some committee work she is doing.  This is trade and barter and I love it! It is a good way of being frugal.

Here is my leg with all the needles in it.

The basic idea behind the acupuncture is that the needles and the heat lamp put over the area while the needles are in the skin, help to unblock the blood and fluid stagnation. In Chinese medicine they call the stagnation, "blocked chi" or "blocked energy". The purpose of acupuncture and chinese medicinal treatments is to unblock the chi or energy. In western terms, you can say to unblock the stagnation.

While the needles are in the skin I feel very sleepy and relaxed. Sometimes when the doctor puts the needles into the skin it might hurt but this is momentary.

I feel fortunate to have this treatment available to me. If I lived in a small town I would not have this service and I would not have a way to address my pain and mobility without drugs or waiting for surgery. I'm also going to order some heel pads for my shoes. My doctor has suggested orthotics but I know from my mother's experience that orthotics didn't help her. I'm going to order heel pads on line. These pads seem to be working for many people who said they got orthotics made and the orthotics didn't work.

Anyway, I hope my regular readers will understand now why I haven't been posting or commenting as much as usual. Things have been busy for me and my mobility is limited. I'm also feeling more tired than usual but hopefully that will pass in a few weeks.

On an unrelated note, I see that my blogging posts have hit the 500 mark. I am a little suspect about the count given.  By Blogger's count I was at 489 posts about 3 months ago and have been posting steadily since then so the number should be higher. At any rate, I'm sure I've now passed the 500 mark, possibly a bit more. I've thoroughly enjoyed the blogging experience and wouldn't trade it for FB.

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...


 The sky was a brilliant blue this day. One of our rare days of sunshine earlier in the summer season.

Sadly, Superman was no where to be found.




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