The Pain Highway
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet
I am now a believer in acupuncture. If you have pain, I suggest you check it out.
I have been plagued with bursitis in my right hip. I had no idea how debilitating that could be! My surgeon, at first, thought the pain was coming from scar tissue that had formed around my spine after my back surgery. The MRI confirmed the scar tissue was there, but it didn’t really explain the pain ratcheting up in my right leg.
I could no longer get sleep. I was not comfortable laying on either side. Laying on my back didn’t work either after awhile and my stomach was off limits. The surgeon made me promise to never sleep on my stomach. It’s really bad for your back.
So when the pain got really bad, the surgeons resorted to steroids. They found the culprit in my right hip. The pain shooting down my leg, around my knee and into my shin was not coming from my back. It was coming from my hip. It was also shooting up into my lower back which was scaring the daylights out of me.
The steroids didn’t last long. Less than 10 days and the pain was back. I quit my physical therapy because that seemed to make it worse. I thought if I just laid low, didn’t walk far and let it heal I’d get better. Didn’t happen.
I finally decided I had to take action. I needed to be more mobile, so I “resorted” to calling the spa where I do my Pilates and Yoga to check out the acupuncture they recently started to offer.
I signed up.
Kathleen was my acupuncturist. She had a Master’s Degree in Chinese medicine. She’s one smart woman. All I asked was that she explain everything she was going to do. I am an analytical and curious person who always wants to learn and I knew squat about Chinese medicine. I had seen the pictures of people with needles sticking out and I had heard it doesn’t hurt, so I was game. Needles don’t scare me. Even if they did, I could just shut my eyes.
The whole experience was really easy. Instead of putting needles in my hip she ran them down a line that followed where the pain would rear up in my leg. She used the analogy of a car accident. She said my hip socket is like the scene of the accident. Instead of running straight into the accident she said the first option is to “clear the highway.” So I had a trail of needles.
I was amazed.
I was done and out the door in about an hour. It was even a restful experience.
I was tired in the evening. She said to expect that. I felt sort of like I had been tossed in the dryer and put on tumble dry. A bit beat up. But then I fell into a deep sleep. I was astonished that I had no trouble sleeping at all. I could lay in any position I chose and felt no pain. Absolutely no pain.
Today I woke up and no pain. None.
I don’t know if it will last a long time. She said it might take a few sessions to really get it under long-term control. Besides that, I know darn well I need some re-hab in my hip and leg. It has gotten so weak because of the chronic pain that I will have to build it back up again. That means more Pilates and Yoga but I’m game. Those things are relatively new to me too, and I love doing it. I have a personal trainer who monitors me and coaches me as I go along so I don’t overdo.
If any of you check out acupuncture, I hope your experience is as good as mine was. Even one night of pure sleep made it all worth it.
Today’s recipe is for my Plan Z Diet Dark Chocolate Peanut Clusters. Think a nutty, chocolaty treat. For a low carb diet this is perfect. I have made it for guests a few times. The servings I gave out were generous and I figured no one would finish. Ha. Everyone snarfed up every bit. This is perfect for a party. People love the fact that it’s so light and yet decadent.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
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